How do you feel about eyeshadows sold only as pans (no compact)?

I prefer them over compacts, since they take up less space and are usually less expensive! I’m definitely the type of person who would rather pay less and get less packaging as a result (as long as it remained functional).

— Christine

27 Comments

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Seraphine Avatar

Don’t like it! I’m not into the do-it-yourself palettes, so I never buy the pan-only eyeshadows (except once by accident from Colourpop). For me, the packaging is part of the whole wonderful ritual of doing my makeup, so even though it costs more, I still prefer to have the nice palette or compact.

Andi Avatar

I have a couple Z-palettes, so i don‘t mind the singles and would generally prefer the savings from less packaging. But before I bought the palettes, I didn‘t like receiving pan-only products in subscription boxes like Ipsy. I like keeping a couple shades as singles in normal packsging – a crease and browbone shade in case a palette I‘m using doesn‘t have them, and a shade for a one-shade look.

kjh Avatar

Prefer sleeve to compacts, and order them that way, whether e/s or b. Started depotting due to TMS/Nars rubberized deteriorating in my house. Course, now I have too many Zs…. For palettes, keep intact when I like the pkg. but some (UD BOS 4) are so bulky, foolish, and wasteful that they have to go. Love that CP has the option for most products. If I butcher extracting a product (MAC comes to mind), tend not to want to revisit that experience, and leave them alone. For minimalist, like Viseart, or if there is no room saved, leave it alone. Am ordering the Ofra stand-up magnetic palette. You can put all the day’s powder products from differing brands in it, and not have to drag out 3 Zs plus a matte palette! Ironically, tend to keep 1-2 of the empty compacts, JIC.

Kat Avatar

I really like them for if I want just one or two shades from a palette, but can already dupe the other shades. Then I can have the satisfaction of not spending even more money and accumulating more clutter.

Logan Avatar

I highly prefer that. I keep all of my singles together because it’s a waste of space otherwise. When I travel, I bring a matte palette and cream shadows, or just a regular palette. Pan only saves money, too!

Maha Avatar

I started to think and buy them very recently, after buying 13 pallets, I noticed I have a pretty large selection and some very close colors and also noticed that what attracts me in new releases is the (pop) color…
Finding dupes (you help alot, thanks!) And buying them is cheaper and keeps me happy.

Christy Avatar

I vastly prefer purchasing them in pans. I’ve depotted all the singles I had that were in their own compacts. I wish all the eyeshadows I wanted were sold in Makeup Geek/Colour Pop size round pans. I keep mine in Adept palettes.

thirteenthirteen Avatar

Love them! I have a large MUFE pan that they live in, and a couple of smaller z palettes that I sometimes use to make my own versions of popular palettes that I like. (I made one inspired by one of the NARSxErdem palettes the other day, very fun.)

Also they’re cheaper, and at this point I like being able to pick and choose the exact colors I want – I need more browbone and matte dark brown shades like I need a hole in the head.

Erica Avatar

I did that with the Christian Siriano palette from Target. Realized I could completely dupe it with singles I already own. Yes, it’s nice to buy a palette bc it’s a certain collaboration or has special packaging but a lot of times you are buying to buy or buying out of boredom. It’s completely wasteful to buy a palette you know is going to sit there bc you have those shades a million times over. Sometimes seeing if you can dupe it with pans singles you have in your collections saves you from buying what you don’t need (though you are tempted by). I want those Erdem palettes though:)

Maggie Avatar

Love them! It allows me to be more conscientious of my purchase when adding colors to my vast (for me) collection. Though I do love compacts and some companies are learning to combine the best of both worlds: viseart theory palettes and colourpop quads are awesome in that I can easily remove the individual pans if desired.

Mariella Avatar

I much prefer the “pro pan” shadows sold without bulky single compact. They take up so much less room and offer better value since I’m not paying for packaging that I don’t want and is inconvenient. I like it even better when the company throws in a “free” quad pan or palette with the purchase X number of shadows, as ABH and, I think, MUFE do.

tamara larson Avatar

It’s pretty much the only way I buy eyeshadow and even most of my blush and some other powder products. It’s fun and I feel free to find my own combos daily instead of feeling compelled to work within the pallet. Also takes up less space and I don’t have to be irritated by to many boring colors ,most pallets have too many “easy shades” I don’t need more matte black of varing quality . Rant over

Erica Avatar

I love them bc you can personalize to your taste. Really before the ABH Modern Renaissance, I didn’t really own any premade palettes. Just had several eyeshadow pans. Now I have a few palettes but I still like buying pans so I can just target holes in my collection rather than buy an expensive palette that has a bunch of shades I won’t ever use to get those few unique shades!

Deborah S. Avatar

I really like individual pans and have a couple, (well like 5 and two of them hold 96 shadows) of magnetic trays for them. I also have a four pan magnetic tray that I can use to travel with and take individual pans. Having said that, there are certainly beautiful palettes that I have and would be disappointed not to have the pretty packaging.

SusanG Avatar

I much prefer single pans I can organize in my own way to pre-made palettes. I love my old-formula MUFE singles, and also have MAC and Pur Anada pans in their own palettes. I *do* own several pre-made palettes, too, but really should stick to buying singles!

Sylvia Avatar

I have a love/hate thing going on with singles. I buy a lot of palettes because I like them, but if I’ve got a look in mind and none of the shades I own is *exactly* right in my mind I will start buying singles to ‘fix’ it. I am exceptionally- and that is not a strong enough word – fussy with shades and while I love all of the colors I have as singles or I’d not have bought them, it can get out of hand very quickly when I’m looking for a certain shade of say, pink, and I buy single shadows left and right until I find one that is *exactly* what I had in mind. I only return things if they perform poorly or irritate my skin, but I do purge my eye shadow collection about once a year, throwing out creams and liquids and putting the powders and pans and other ‘dry’ items in a box for my younger cousins, friends and assorted local homeless ladies to look through. This starts the single shadow buying cycle again, of course. It’s insane.

I know I can’t possibly be the only person with that “this is the WRONG SHADE for this!” fussiness issue. I really wish more companies made those tiny little sample pans and put them up for sale to minimize waste for people like me. I have a couple of Urban Decay shadow singles in the sample sized pans and that was enough for me to feel like I had the *exact* shade I was looking for every time I used them.

Lynda Avatar

I love the concept of it. I want to be able to one day make my own customized palette. I always find in palletes there’s shadows I don’t like or use. Maybe because I’ve never shopped color pop buying singles seems more expensive- like ABH singles are 16$ in Canada where’s I can buy Soft Glam and get 12 shadows for 50$! But one day I want to get a z palette and start my own.

Silvia Avatar

I prefer having the case already as long as it is not too bulky i dont care much for including a mirror and not trying to find small loose ones. I have a few from Colourpop and keep them at the front even in the small envelope otherwise would be a challenge to find and I don’t want to hassle owning a pan to transfer then. Easy dies it for me.

Emilie Avatar

I prefer them!!! I just wish Makeup Forever hadn’t discontinued their perfect empty magnetic palettes. I’m discouraged from ever buying more pan singles because I don’t know where I’d put them and I don’t feel like hunting for an empty palette that’s as sleek as the MUFE ones were… 🙁

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