For me, it’s more about key shades – like if there’s a matte beige that I likely won’t use but lots of other interesting shades, that’s good enough for me. I feel like a good rule of thumb is 75% of the palette has to be usable / fit my purpose – and obviously in more edited formats like a duo, trio, or quad, that would need to be 100%!
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Ooo…that makes sense! I kinda do that, too…if there are only a couple I won’t use but am super excited about the rest, I still buy it. Super curious about the preview we got today from the UD Game of Thrones collection…
It really depends on the cost of the palette. For example, I recently bought a $5 Wet ‘n’ Wild palette because I wanted two of the 10 shades, and $5 for two shades is worth it. But for more expensive palettes, I’d say 80% of the shades should be ones that I know I’d use.
I’ve made mistakes in the past, such as UD Naked3, which I bought back when it came out without thinking it through. I don’t wear shimmery shades very often, so I wound up using 4 out of 12 shades, which, at $4.50 per shade, wasted $36 of my money.
Maybe 80%. I don’t want to buy a palette if there are more than 2 shades I won’t use (regardless of the size of the palette).
I now have a fairly large collection of palettes, so for it to be worthwhile, at least 50% of the colours have to be ones that I don’t already have dupes for. I have enough neutral colours now to last a lifetime, so I want to focus now on getting more fun/original colours to mix things up.
I prefer smaller palettes with 2-5 cohesive shades that create a color story. And, since I eschew the extravaganzas that so many mid-priced brands tend to market, it is very seldom that colors in the palettes I choose go unused. Assuming a quad is my sweet spot, I’d say if three out of the four colors will get a lot of use, I don’t mind having one shade that doesn’t get any love. For special occasions, however, where I’m after a very particular look, I’ll buy a palette even if it only has that one absolutely perfect shade.
Regarding those very large palettes with their abundance of colors, although I personally don’t like them, I think they’re immensely valuable (and often cost effective) for people who are learning about and experimenting with color. In such circumstances, it doesn’t really matter if not all the shades work for the person because it is a learning experience.
I’m more lenient, apparently. If there are 4 or more shades that I know I will use regularly, or am super intrigued by, I’m in. The way I look at it is that I would have no problem spending $10-12 for a good single that I will get use out of, therefore if I use at least 4 shades the palette has earned it’s value. It also makes for fun experimenting with all the colors I didn’t think I would use.
There is a balance to it. I always assume there will be at least 1 color I will never touch (Hello ABH Sphere). However, if there are 2 or more shades I have no interest in, then I have to *love* most of the rest of the palette to consider it.
I am getting a little more selective about my purchases lately as my collection is quite well built and I know more about how each brands perform for me.
Because I have way too many palettes as it is, I’m now super picky. A small palette of 6 pans or less has to be one where I love all of it, or it’s just not worth it. In a collector’s or special edition type palette, like for a movie/show franchise, it goes down to 75%. In larger palettes, I want to love or at least really like 85-90% of it. That’s because, in those larger palettes, you usually also have shades included that ground the palette. Perhaps not especially *exciting* shades, but highly useful ones for putting together an entire look. Exception to this rule would have to be the PMG Mothership palettes!
Since I look at palettes in terms of actual cohesiveness, not simply a collection of single eyeshadows, there’s rarely a shade I won’t consider using. The only types of shades I typically don’t use regularly are warm, yellow golds & bronzes, but as those are ubiquitous in nearly every large palette (6 or more shades), I overlook them. Also, sometimes a shade may seem out of place, or a random choice, but can actually end up pulling the rest of the the shades together. ABH Sultry, for example, has the shade Bloom, that stands out as a “pop of color”, but when used as a transition shade, warms up & softens an otherwise Stark, cool-toned look, making the palette more versatile for those with fair and/or warm skintones. Having tried the shade in this manner has inspired me to try similar shades in other brands/palettes.
On the other hand, even if I feel I’ll literally use every shade individually, if I can’t get several looks using just the one pallette, I’ll likely pass. As beautiful as all the shades are in ABH Riviera or MAC It’s Designer, and I’d likely use all at some point, I just don’t do fully colorful looks, and don’t always have time/energy to pull in other products. That said, I am still considering them, but they’re very low-priority. I have several “colorful” pallettes already, such as UD Electric, Heavy Metals, Full Spectrum, and others, but because I can’t use them alone, they’ve been neglected, although I’ve set a plan to start pulling them in.
When it comes to quints & smaller, I have to be able to use all the shades, but I’m more willing to pull in additional shades, since they take up so little space on my desk.
In recent purchase history I would need at least 90% of the shades to work well for me and be shades I would actually use. A little is dependent on the cost of the palette. If I were picking up a ColourPop palette for $18 and there are a few shades I wouldn’t use or were reviewed negatively, I might be willing to pop for it since overall it is so inexpensive. A more expensive palette would give me pause. In the past I think I had laxer guidelines and would purchase palettes where only a few shades were of interest to me. Case in point, Naked Heat. When I purchased it I knew there were some shades that I likely wouldn’t use but I wanted it so I bought it. I would never do that now. Naked Heat is in a drawer somewhere.
If we’re just talking color, I’m open to using to them all in some capacity. If we’re talking about not loving a shade because of quality, that’s more of an issue. So much depends on the size of the palette and price of the palette, and how much I love the other shades in it. I supposed in a typical medium-sized mid-range palette, no more than 2-3 should be “meh.”
My first thought was 80%+. Except: if there are a few shades I really like and I don’t have dupes or cannot obtain any without buying some other palette, I might go for it. If it’s Viseart, I’m more likely to go for a lower percentage, because I’ve found colors in Viseart palettes I wouldn’t have tried but now like, so I trust the brand.
Nowadays it would have to be at least 80% of the palette for it to be worth my while purchasing it. An example would be the Sultry palette – the only two shades that I can’t see myself using are the coral and black shades. I don’t ever use black – so the UD Vice 2 that has 3 black shades and 4 pinky shades, I would not purchase now. Which is why I haven’t purchased any PMG palettes – far too many shades I wouldn’t use.
As for quads and quints – the same percentage goes too – and the shade I am not keen on has to be one that I could use if I really wanted to.
With so many brands bringing out high quality singles, it has changed the palette market somewhat in that you don’t purchase a whole palette for a couple of shades that you love.
Depends on the size of the palette. If it’s 1-10 shadows, all of them; more than that and I can dislike 1-3.
As others say, it depends on the size of the palette — in trios or quads, I need to like all of them; above that and up to maybe eight pans, not liking one would be okay. For larger palettes, I dunno … 80% I guess? As strange as it sounds, I “like” every color in every paleete I have, I just haven’t found ways to make them all work for me just yet.