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Do you like pre-made palettes or ones you can make yourself?


Do you like pre-made palettes or ones you can make yourself? Why?
I probably get the most use out of ones I can make myself, but I really like pre-made ones for ease, convenience, and the ability to try a color, finish, etc. that I might not normally go for.

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Annie Avatar

Premade ones usually cost less, but I prefer to customize my own, that way I have more control over the colors, finishes, etc, and it’s fun 😀

Jessica Avatar

I lived a sheltered life and until I was like, 25, I didnt even know there WAS such a thing as build-your-own makeup palettes. haha Now, I have a nice mixture of both in my collection. I have a lot of fun making my own, but I’d still never give up my Urban Decay Naked palettes.

Emma Pendlebury Avatar

It’s really nice to start with pre-made palettes to get experimenting with colour – the Urban Decay Naked palette was my very first one, but now I like the flexibility of making my own so I can put a few special little ones in there. Not to say a nice pre-made one (like Urban Decay Naked Basics) isn’t great!

Jennifer Avatar

I am too chicken to try to make my own pallet outside of the UD make your own eye shadow pallets. I enjoy pallets for similar reasons you like them.

xamyx Avatar

I prefer pre-made palettes; there is usually a better value, the shades are coordinated (so less time is spent figuring things out), and packaging is typically more travel-friendly. Also, often times it’s the only way to get certain shades.

Kellie Avatar

I prefer customizable palettes because I know that I will use them. There is always one shade in pre-made palettes that I never touch and it drives me insane. I just choose not to buy them. The UD Naked, bareMinerals the Playlist, and Burberry’s Complete Palette in Dark Spice are rare exceptions.

divinem1 (Melissa) Avatar

Since I have a boatload of pre-made palettes, I would say I gravitate toward those when I’m home. When I’m traveling, however, I pull together several warm, cool and highlight shades so I have choices based on my outfit for the day (I’m an over-packer).

I have a crazy collection of MAC shadows broken down by color, so something like 8-9 full palettes with 27 MAC shades in each.

Chelsea Avatar

I would say I’m on the same page as you, Christine. I adore my Zpalettes and use them all the time because I’ve picked out each color individually, aside from the ones I’ve depotted. But I do love the convieniancy of a premade palette, as an MUA, they’re a lot easier to throw in my kit without thinking too much. Also I fumble around less with the pre-mades than with changing out shadows or blushes in my Zpalettes. I especially love the LORAC Pro palette and UD Naked palettes.

FKS Avatar

I prefer making them myself. I really dislike it when make up companies bring out limited edition palettes — I would much prefer L.E. (if they must be!) refills instead!

Mariella Avatar

I like the value offered by premade palettes (UD’s Naked palettes would cost a whole lot more if you purchased those shadows individually). It irks me that UD and Sephora have palettes available but unlike MAC or Inglot, don’t offer their products in a lower priced “depackaged” version to use in those palettes. So you don’t save anything and you’re still left with unnecessary packaging to dispose of (wasteful landfill stuff) AND the hassle of depotting (even though they’ve simplified it) the product. But I do like the option of not having to pay for a shadow or blush, etc. that I wouldn’t have chosen and will never use which I get when you’re putting together a palette of my own choosing.

Ryou Avatar

Definitely ones I can make myself. It does tend to be pricier, but that way I wouldn’t worry about using up a single color and barely touching another!

Janelle Avatar

It all depends on how easy it to make the palette. I have a drawer full of things I need to depot but probably never will. Also, no matter what method I use or how careful I am I always end up mangling at least one thing I am depotting. Of course, it’s usually an le one too lol. Now easy to depot or MAC pro palette? Love em and have fun with it!

zainab Avatar

I like both, I find ‘pick your own’ can wind up being a bit overwhelming- I remember being at Inglot filling up a quad and taking more time than the task probably warranted agonising between near identical shades of greenish bronze or iridescent pink. And, annoyingly, my intended ‘no brainer palette’ isn’t my most used palette.

I agree with Christine that having palettes that push me out of my comfort zone has made me a bit more creative. Also a couple of my favourite colours are ones I wouldn’t have even bothered swatching if I’d seen a display of singles. I think part of my problem is a disconnect between colours I like in the pan versus ones I feel comfortable wearing.

Wwendalynne Avatar

I rarely reach for my premade palettes other than to grab a single colour I think will work with a combination I’ve got going. I do not like how premade palettes box in my thinking. That being said, they typically represent good value so there is always room for that in my stash. I find smaller palettes–4 pot–appeal to me far more than larger and represent less waste. The larger end up ‘largely’ unused: UD Vice palette, UD naked palette, I’m thinking of you.

stacey Avatar

Pre-made. The glue doesnt allow the shadows to fall out.
But I am particular with the pre-made ones I buy.
I think those UD empty cases are so bulky and cheap looking.

Brenda Avatar

I like pre-made for very similar reasons – I find it pushes me outside of my comfort zone/rut to use colours and combinations I may otherwise not consider. BUT I only buy pre-made if the majority of the colours are ones that I know I will get a good amount of use out of.

Mindy Avatar

I actually find myself choosing not to purchase many premade palettes if there are a few shades in it I wont use. I have actually started investing in more Z Palettes and have depotted a large portion of my eyeshadow collection to make my own palettes. I love how I can condense a bunch of different palettes into one.

Premade palettes are a great value, but being able to pull everything out to make your own is the best 🙂

alyssa897 Avatar

I like both! Well, the idea of both as I’ve never had my own custom palette before. MAC eyeshadows have never really intrigued me because they are so expensive. I find it much smarter to invest in pre-made palettes from UD, Stila, NARS, etc because the price per shadow with most palettes are $5-$9. I may not use every shadow all the time, but I like having the option and experimenting.

As far as customized palettes go, I am intrigued by Inglot and I’m going to be doing some more research and hopefully purchasing a 10-pan palette soon. It’s probably going to be mostly neutrals with a few fun shades thrown in like a purple or a rose gold (i’m on the hunt for an inexpensive gorgeously pigmented rose gold!) and maybe a dark blue. And I want to get some MakeUp Geek shadows! Going to do more research on those as well and try to find swatches for every shade to compare.

Sebrina Avatar

I think pre-made palettes are a great deal. I generally don’t purchase one unless 30% of the shadows APPEAL to me…..which means I have 2 drawers full of high end and lower priced “internet” palettes. Nevertheless, palettes keep my need for “change” at an all time high. Plus, it gives my Gemini spirit a chance to experiment…..with colors that I may not normally buy.

I just bought 11 palettes today from Sephora….happy woman…right here!

Nikki Avatar

I get so infatuated with the look of premade palettes, but I typically reach for my self-made palettes when doing my makeup, so I don’t even allow myself to buy palettes anymore (no matter how pretty they are).

Amy Avatar

I always THINK that I love pre-made palettes…and then I buy them. I usually only love(or don’t already have) one or 2 of the colors and would have been better off putting together my own. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a sucker for a beautifully put together palette(even if it is full of the same colors I already have in 12 other palettes).

AngieButterfly Avatar

Both! I do like the convenience of a nice pre-made palette and have many, but I do have a few of my own that I just love. It’s worth expense to create exactly what you want sometimes.

KK Avatar

Custom made palette do have the advantage of condensing your favorites together – however, I feel they may not be as economical. Whereas, a pre-made palettes can be more cost-effective, you get to try something new and sometimes you come across some absolute winners. I still remember buying a Estee Lauder travel palette on a whim and it was one of the best pieces of makeup that I got…it introduced me to the fab EL Pure Colour range which I started to love and picked up a number of individual pieces and full sized backup tubes to the lip palette!

Karen Avatar

Premade palettes are fine but if you know that you only wear certain types of shades you’re probably better off making your own. When traveling it’s probably better to take a palette you’ve put together to cut down on the makeup you carry. All a matter of preference really.

Dea Avatar

I love pre-made ones because it makes me try stuff I would otherwise leave. I have my beauty basics so pallets are really about indulging. Holiday pallets are the best! Bring on the sparkle 😉

Shelley Avatar

Ones I make myself. I love my MAC, Inglot, and MUG. I’m so OCD that the shades I don’t use in premade palattes drive me nuts. I had both naked palettes and was thinking of depotting them and putting all the shades I use into one and and the ones I don’t into the other. And I just hate having a palette that has everything I need but one color. If I ever found a premade palette that was cohesive in that it had a matte and shimmery highlight shades, a warm and a cool matte blending shade, a dark matte brown, and then an assortment of other shades I would be quite happy. The closest I’ve found to this is the TF a few of my favorite things or NAKED 1. I like my vice 2, but it irritates me that there are 3 black type shades on not a warm blending brown.

Amara Avatar

i LOVE all of my kat von d palettes.. i can’t decide though because i have premade ones that i love, but i have a lot that i transferred into z palettes and keep a couple of the small z palettes to make when i travel.
so i suppose you could say i love all palettes. haha
i reallllllly want to start a mac palette myself but i think i can wait.. is making a mac palette worth the money? a lot of my eyeshadows [besides kat von d and a few UD palettes] are maybelline and other drug store brands

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