I like duos and trios, but when they get larger than that, I don’t find myself reaching for them because there’s almost too much variety and often not enough shades that are just-right for me, so I don’t think of it for blush when I have singles that come to mind instead. If I traveled more, they’d be more useful in general.
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Not at all. I don’t need a big variety of blushes and I’ve never bought a blush palette. I do have a highlighter palette, but I never reach for it.
I have 2 face palettes and I NEVER reach for them. They take up so much space and it’s easier to reach for a single or duo. And given my limited space to do makeup, I guess I’d rather that be taken up by an eyeshadow palette over a face palette!
Very if they contain bronzers and highlighters as well. Even with just blushes, I like opening them up and see so many options. I end up using mainly one colour, but being as makeup obsessed as I am, there’s still some joy in seeing a lot of colours and daring myself once in a while to use something else.
I don’t find face palettes very useful for me personally because its hard to find something that I can use all of the shades and find it worth the money, so I typically use individual products for what I need. Cheek palettes are hit and miss, but I have been having wonderful luck with the ND Bloom and Darya palettes. They’re the perfect tones for me and I can’t stop using them!
Honestly, not at all. I don’t own a single face and cheek palette and in my entire makeup history (quite a long time) I have maybe had one or two. I like to pick my own shades and found that what palettes I did have at least half the colors or formulas (ie: mattes mixed in a palette with glittery highlights and overly shimmery bronzers) weren’t ones that I’d use. Sure, I could use them for something different like eyeshadow… but I don’t have that need. I think some look beautiful and for travel more convenient than taking a bunch of individual products, but haven’t found one that I’ve thought “oh yeah, that can replace it all and I’d be happy with just using that”.
I do like using magnetic palettes and popping in my own shades to curate a face and cheek palette… but of course my favorite formulas aren’t ones that I’ve figured out how to pan yet (not sure they can be) so for now I still just love my single products!
They’re not really all that useful to me, mostly because they almost always contain several shades that just don’t work for my colouring or my preferences. Also, the size can be a bit too much – I much prefer singles when it comes to blushes, highlighters, etc. – easier to store, grab, carry in my purse or gym bag, etc.
I have five of them (UD x Basquiat – purchased as a collector’s item, Hourglass Vol. 4, Becca x Chrissy Teigen, NARS Unfiltered II and a duo blush – Jouer Adore. The ones that I use the most are the Hourglass one (the formula melts into the skin and it has blush, bronzer, highlighter and finishing powder), Jouer Adore and the Becca x Chrissy Teigen one during summer. They can double as eyeshadows, contour etc., so yes, I find them versatile.
For blush, bronzer and highlighter I have transitioned toward liquid formulas lately, so I won’t purchase any more cheek/face palettes. The five that I have are more than enough.
The one that I find myself reaching for often is the Natasha Denona Bloom, Blush, & Glow palette. But my Nars, Juvia’s Place, and Sephora cheek palettes rarely get used. They’re lovely and I know why I purchased them, but they aren’t as useful as you would think they should be. It’s the same with highlighter palettes. I own 2 6-pan palettes from ABH and they’re beautiful, but I’d rather use a single or trio. Anything over that just feels a bit overwhelming. Again, I know why I purchased them and I do love them, but sometimes you can have too many options. I feel like I’m endlessly swatching to find the perfect shade for the overall look.
Sadly, I do not get the use of them for same reasons as mentioned by many. Nars Hot Tryst sits largely unused in my drawer. I was chewing around the idea of grabbing the Jouer cheek palette since the formula routinely gets great reviews, but reality to the rescue.
Just got exposed delivered yesterday, (and don’t think it’s difficult to start at all.) Knee deep in Nars blush palettes, ~4 on my coffee table, in easy reach. But, the only other brand I can think of is Zoeva nude Spectrum blush quad. So, I think it’s a Nars problem, rather than a blush palette issue. I love to have a great variety, and they have to coordinate with the rest of the look, and get chosen last, so… I don’t choose blush, or any other m/u for that matter, by what is ‘flattering’ to my coloring, but what is compatible with the rest of the look. Yesterday it was Queen, today the pinkish color in Exposed. I don’t want to have to go digging, but have many options at hand. To me, blush palettes are as mandatory as eye palettes. Choice. Variety. And who needs a full size exhibit A, anyway? Meaning, smaller pan amounts are better for those of us who never finish anything. Btw, I almost always have the minority opinion, lol.
I totally agree about the not wanting to dig. I depotted almost all my blush singles into palettes. It’s just so much easier to find what I want. I like having a ton of variety, too.
I agree that Nars has the best face palettes.
Not useful to me at all — I’ve yet to find one that has all workable shades. Too unwieldy too. I own none.
I love face palettes that are curated well with bronzers,blushes and highlighters. They make for easy travel and I just love having a palette that has everything i need in it for my face. I currently have 3 nars, 2 sephora and 2 becca face palettes and I use them all.
I really like my Lunatick Cosmetics contour book, but otherwise I’m not a big fan of face palettes. Even with my contour book, I like it, but I mostly use the same 3 shades out of the entire palette, only occasionally dipping into others.
I do think that if it’s a good price, a blush palette can be a good way for someone who is new to makeup to experiment with different blush colors to see what really works for them before committing. I’m thinking of that Too Faced one which had all the hearts, I feel like it only cost as much as maybe 1.5-2 full-sized blushes and had 6-8 colors. I liked it but ultimately gave it away because I reached a point where I knew what I liked and was reliably only reaching for 1-2 blushes out of my collection, none of which were in that palette because it was too unwieldy to deal with on a regular basis.
I believe that they can be quite useful and actually help me get more variety to my finished cheek look depending on just how well the palette has been curated. For instance, the holiday 2018 Nars Hot Tryst cheek palette is PERFECT for variety of blush shades and even highlighters. I’m able to mix different shades together to get exactly the depth and tone I’m looking for that day when I use it. Other cheek palettes I own are “okay” , but nothing up to par with the super user friendly Hot Tryst, though!
I have all of the face palettes and I love them all, and will likely buy more. For those who like to quantify, it means I have a crapload (approx 18 or so). Blush and highlighter palettes are my weakness.
You are my idol!
I love them, I rarely use just one cheek colour and I like to layer and blend and drape, etc so if a palette has a range of shades and finishes, I can have a lot of fun and experiment to my hearts content!
And honestly, I have so many blushes and if I kept buying singles or duos, they’d all be those rosy mauve and nude shades – with palettes there’s often something included that wouldn’t be a colour that I’d immediately choose for myself and I’ve found so many shades that actually look beautiful on me simply because they’re part of a palette and I get curious. I never would have even considered trying, let alone purchasing Exhibit A or even Chic if I hadn’t bought the Unfiltered I palette but they’re both amazing. While I agree with the sentiment of not buying a palette if you know a number of shades aren’t going to work for you, the flip side of that is if you don’t at least try, you might never know! 🙂
I travel a lot for work so I love them. Gives me a variety of colors I can use and mix without taking up a ton of space. I love blushes and hate using the same one every day. I can use the same eye quad but my blushes and lipsticks gotta change. I’ll rotate among my Nars palettes, Hourglass, and my custom MAC blushes. Otherwise, I’ll use the Bobbi Brown face palettes or CT’s.
Since I’m not much of a blush person, when traveling I think they are useful. Also, I tend to like to layer a couple to a few colors of blush etc., so when the palette is well thought out like Nars’ cheek palettes tend to be, that makes it easier to do. Singles just clutter space for me, but I do have a few. I should probably de-pot them all and arrange my own themed palette.
I’m a fan, though I don’t buy them unless I’m confident I’ll use all the shades. Which means I have one highlighter palette and one blush trio.
I have only one containing highlighter, blush, and bronzer ny MAC. I like the first 2 but the bronzer is very light and of little use. My complexion is light and I never tan.
I wouldn’t buy another.
I think I struggle with this one.
I fall in love with the selection of the face palettes, but then when I think about it, I use them less than I really should. I do travel a lot and always have one with me.
Becca x Chrissy: great for summer, tropical destinations
Too Faced Natural Face Palette: used the other day for the first time in a while. Love Pink Wink blush and the highlighters are amazing, but I never use the others.
Hourglass Ambient Light (six pan): I use this every day, but only the top three. I should have just got the original trio.
UD Naked Skin Shape Shifter: Have to be careful with this one (cream on cream, powder on powder) and consider what I’m doing ahead of time, but I did travel with it my last business trip and it worked quite well. Have not used it at home since.
Natasha Denona Bloom Blush & Glow: I love this palette, but it’s more work (have to be careful about moving product on my face, and consider if I want to bake that day–if so I cannot use it), so I don’t gravitate to it every day.
I love face palettes! As long as I can wear all the shades, I think it’s a better value. I actually reach for them over my singles when I’m in a hurry, it’s just easier. And if I traveled that’s what I would bring.
No, I don’t like larger face or blush palettes at all because all of them contain shades I would not use. And the bronzers are often far too dark for me.
I love variety and value for my money and having a little bit of everything based on my mood. So blush palettes are very important to me. I own unfiltered I and II by nars and that pretty much completes me, along with a handful of singles gifted to me or won in gift baskets at work.
Honestly yes blush palettes are useful to me. Blushes are the rug that ties the room together. They merge lip and eye even if the eye isn’t actively aware of it. Warm toned blush with cool toned lip and eye, well, maybe it isnt your experience, but it never works for me. If I’m doing low key lip and eye, I rely on a darker blush to bring it together. If I am doing a dramatic eye, I need a blush that doesn’t make me look pale and just adds a tint. So on and so forth. There is merit to the palettes. I only have 1 item for blushes and its a palette. I need a variety to bring it all together.
Most aren’t useful to me because of my fair skin. Most just have too many products that are too dark or bright, or have too dark and/or too orange and/or shimmery bronzer. I dislike face palettes with pans of lipstick or other cream products. The cream lippie/eyeliner/whatever quality is usually “meh,” and I don’t like powder mixing in with them.
If I find the right mix of shades, I love cheek palettes, as they’re a good value.
I really like them for travel. It’s handy to have several blush colors and a highlighter or two in one place.
Face palettes with eyeshadows and a couple usable blush shades or a neutral blush and HL are great for shorter trips. I don’t even mind small pans of bronzer in those, as I use them as eyeshadow.
I had a bad habit of buying face palettes “for travel,” when I really don’t travel that often, especially not long trips. I’ve stopped that and am using what I have. Separate cheek and eye palettes are really more useful for me at home and for travel.
The first thing you said, about your very fair skin, makes a lot of sense. My skin is on the tanner side of medium, so many shades work on me and palettes are a pleasure. But very light or very dark skin tones probably don’t get the same use out of a palette.
I wonder if there are palettes that truly come in shade variations…like a fair and a deep, not a light/medium or medium/deep. I think there might be a need for that.
I love a good face palette IF it’s from a brand whose face products I generally really like. The ones that come to mind here are NARS and Benefit. I have really enjoyed my face palettes from them. Also BH has done a few nice blush palettes. Natasha Denona’s look really nice too, but I haven’t bitten the bullet yet on that brand.
I like the variety and since I’m medium skin toned, many colors work for me.