I love them! I love duos because they’re easier to make work together, and if a brand has two or three duos, they can cater more specifically by depth or undertone so you don’t end up with a palette of six shades and only love half of them. The only time I’m not keen is when they’re in the same pan!
— Christine
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Matte blushes don’t seem to work for me lately so I prefer both blush and highlighter in the same pan (aka a shimmery blush). The duo concept is also a way to satisfy this need.
I think I love the idea, I just haven’t landed on a duo of colors I’m really keen on!
I love it! It takes the guesswork out of picking out a matching highlight. I don’t like it when they are in the same pan or when there are creams and powder in the same palette.
Even though I do like them for the convenience factor, I oddly only have a few, with my ND duo being more of a highlighter/highlighting blush topper on me. They are perfect for traveling needs, I would imagine.
My only dislikes would be if they share the same pan, because I don’t want to have to be that careful with my brush! Or, they’re not each of comparable quality and substance to each other.
I don’t think I’ve ever bought one (except for those that come in premade shadow/face palettes) because invariably, one or the other of the shades isn’t something I’d choose for myself.
LIKE: I mostly like them, especially when they’re coordinated so you can wear them separately or together. They’re versatile without being overwhelming.
DISLIKE: When there are creams and powders in the same compact. When one of the shades are too similar (what’s the point?). Also, when one works on me but the other doesn’t. They shouldn’t be so dissimilar that only half of them work on a person. Just make singles for different skin tones instead.
I love highlighter/blush duos! Especially if the blush is matte… then I can mix and match and choose just how glowy or matte I want to be that day.
I’m not always into the idea of duos: sometimes I like one side over the other and it’s annoying to pay for two when you really only want one. On the other hand, it’s great when you like both sides. Almost two for the price of one!
Big fan of the blush duo ? because I love layering cheek products. You gotta keep ‘em separated…
I like when the two colors are perfect and I use them equally-totally gives me bang for my buck.
I don’t like when one of the colors is too light or an unflattering color for my undertone.
I almost never wear highlighter so it is very frustrating for me when I find a blush or bronzer I like and then find I can only have it as part of a set. I wish refillable compacts would come back.
Highlighter/blush duos are usually practical on the go or when traveling. Also, for people who don’t know how to pair blush and highlighter based on colors and tones, this helps making sure the makeup is chromatically correct.
Still, I have still to see a brand nailing the concept down. People either like the highlighter or the blush more. Some make the pan too big to be practical, some make it too small to get the brush in without touching both products. When you’re doing duos, finding the right balance is hard.
I have at least one of ND’s duo palettes. I like it because it’s one and done. I have another one with a few blushes and some of them are cream, they have a cover over the creams, I don’t usually use creams and they do look nice on me so I like that it makes me use them because I won’t let them go to waste. As I age my skin is getting drier so creams are working better with my skin. Taking a palette on vacation is something I always do so these work for me.
I don’t own any myself, but I do want the Cover FX one in Soft Peach that has been completely sold out at our local Sephora. I think if both shades are those that you would use, then the duos are worthwhile. They are far better value than a big blush palette, as you have said Christine, where you only use half the shades.
The quality can be more consistent too. However the tricky part can be finding the duo in your kind of shade.