Archived Post
What was the first palette you ever purchased?
Nothing comes to mind as a strong possibility; I am certain it was a MAC holiday palette, probably in 2004 or 2005, I think.
— Christine
Explore Temptalia
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Compare Any Two
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
87 Comments
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
Comments on this post are closed.
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
It had to have been that really chalky/powdery 120 palette.
For pre-made ones, it was the UD Naked Basics (original one). I had a semi-filled MAC one for a while before that though.
As I sit here wracking my poor old brain, all I come up with are various quads during the mid to late 90’s by Revlon and L’Oreal? In 2002 I bought a beautiful quad by L’Oreal called Hopeful Bouquet with the letters HOPE imprinted on each shadow, with proceeds going to ovarian cancer research. First non-DS, larger palette was Lorac Unzipped, which my daughter talked me into getting while she was working at Sephora. It is so perfect for green &/or hazel eyes!
Oops, I forgot: I bought UD Ammo around a year before getting Unzipped! Slipped my mind totally!?
Coastal Scents 88 Original Palette was the first palette I purchased. I thought I was really doing something great, because it has every color of the rainbow. I still have it six years later, but I haven’t used it in so long.
Oh, wow! I think I still have my first palette. It was either one of the Milani ‘Runway Eyes’ Eyeshadow Palettes or one of the Tropez Sunrise to Sunset Eyeshadow Palettes; circa ’08 or ’09.
Was about 30 years ago, probably a Maybelline shadow kit. Then due to oily lids, I wasn’t wearing eye shadow for decades, but decided to jump back in a few years ago. My first purchase was a cheap shadow kit to see what colors looked good on me. I bought a Pop Portfolio kit on sale, very shimmery, ok quality for a DS brand but needs a base to last on my oily lids. As I got more sophisticated, this kit fell out of favor, but I keep it around out of nostalgia. But I’m digging it back out again for spring. It has some shimmery pastel shades that I can use as pops of color.
I remember getting one of the Ulta mega holiday palettes when I was in high school during the mid 2000’s. But the first one I bought was the UD Deluxe eyeshadow palette.
MAC 6 Rockers and Reelers from the Tartan Tale 2010 holiday collection
I am SO BUMMED I missed out on that collection!
Ebay has quite a few pieces for very good prices. I am picking up one of the Thrillseekers (pigment collections) sets!
I think it was a Guerlain quad, but I’m not 100% sure.
The Zoeva warm eyeshadow palette back in 2004.
I’m never sure what the definition of a “palette” is. If quads count, then it was in the 8th grade, circa 1983-84. It was a CoverGirl quad with browns/nudes. Otherwise…later that year, and probably a little 10-pan DS palette by CoverGirl, Maybelline, or Revlon. I don’t remember which, but it had a variety of shimmery shadows in gray, blue, pink, purple, etc. My best friend and I got the same one, of course.
It was something small by Wet n Wild (from before their Color Icon ones) that I just recently tossed. After that, IsaDora Matte Chocolates.
I purchased a Lise Watier eyeshadow quad quite some years ago but the first 2 that I really remember and which made an impact were the original Naked palette when it first launched in Canada and the Too Faced Enchanted Glamourland palette. I got them around the same time and they’re what really opened the eyeshadow “floodgates” for me.
I guess a quad doesn’t qualify as a palette, right…? 🙂 I think my first real make-up palette was a Smashbox palette, the Heatwave palette I think.
Urban Decay Summer of Love!! It’s a quad with Flash, Chopper, Maui Wowie, and Smog! It’s what got me started on my palette obsession!
If quads count then Covergirl’s A Rose Romance, I think it was called. I actually panned the whole thing and bought another one.
More than a quad would be another Covergirl palette with 8 shades of browns and greens, in the early 90’s.
My first non-drugstore palette was UD Smoked. So began my love with buttery pigmented shadows…
First one I bough was the Urban Decay’s Urban Arsenal Palette.
The first one I got with point when I was 10 at Sylvan Learning. It was an eyeshadow palette with a ton of different shades. I should have know i was addicted to colour back then.
For drugstore I had some Maybelline quad that I only used for high school. All I know is that it had browns, that’s all. But my first high end brand I got is the Too Faced Boudoir Eyes palette from Sephora. I got it for Christmas and thought it was just awesome, at the same time I’ve been loving Too Faced products since.
first that i owned was a gift :Dior 5 coleurs iridiscent pink may – beautifull, awesome pigmentation, still have it.
first that i bought myself: the first edition of too faced mattes, it was ok but didn’t wow me
I think it was Yardley Glimmericks. Circa ’67-68. Late Mary Quant era. Swingin’ London Mod! Right. I don’t remember it as shimmery, so why the name? It had pastel to light blue, green, and brown… Probably a six palette, laid out like a paintbox. I glued in some other shadows, my attempt at Z palette before its time. Have to look to see if it is hiding somewhere, and if anything has so many preservatives that they are still usable. Eat your lids off! Don’t recall any black. Funny, bec. There were a lot of black/white high contrast looks then, in clothes and m/u.
I googled the Glimmericks palette, and it’s all over the vintage m/u and Pinterest sites. Too funny. One sold for over $200. Think how many MUFE trios you could do! It really was an odd product, with a water well and brush. Too bad I didn’t keep it pristine and NIB.
Naked 2
That was my first bigger premade palette (first one was the Naked Basics). It’s still my favorite Naked palette!
Urban Decay Ammo palette the first edition!
Urban Decay Ammo palette
It wasn’t purchased, as I got it free at work, but the first palette I owned was Urban Decays’ Box of Shadows IV. It is definitely what got me into eyeshadow as an adult; I rarely wore much before that.
The first one I bought for my self was the UD Glinda Palette. Still has some of my absolute favorite shades!
Maybelline Chai Latte Quad.
Not counting drugstore quads, I think it was either an early UD quad (I think it had purple velvet on the cover, but it wasn’t the Deluxe palette) or a palette from The Balm with animal print cover. I can’t remember the names of either, and I don’t have them anymore.
it was Urban Decay’s Alice in Wonderland book of shadows
Do 4-pan or quads count? Then mine was some ds small palette; most likely covergirl or maybelline.
I didn’t buy actual larger than 2 to 5 pan palettes until much later in life. My first large palettes were my custom MAC palettes. My first large non-custom made palette was purchased within the last 5 years and, I believe, Urban Decay.
bobbi brown stonewashed nudes! i still adore this palette (got a backup).
Besides a Lancôme quad my mom bought me in high school, I think the first actual palette I bought myself was that UD bamboo palette, the one that the case is made with two pieces of bamboo that slide apart. Does anyone else have this or know what it’s called?
Sustainable Shadow Box
It was a Hard Candy palette from back in the day when it was still being sold in Sephora. Probably 15 or so years ago?
Probably that Tarte mirror holiday collection box – whadda pile o’ cr*p – the shadows were hard as a rock (this was a few or two years before the Amazonian clay craze). Anyway, this ended up in the round file and now I’m fairly gun shy when buying Tarte palettes.
Monica.
My first palette was the Carli Bybel for BH Cosmetics palette.
I just recently got into wanting to wear eyeshadows after finally starting to learn how to work with my hooded lids, so I wanted to get something on the cheaper side. I’m so happy with my choice. The colors are perfect for my skin tone and are colors I actually enjoy on my face (lol). The palette includes 10 shadows and 4 highlights that are to die for. I’m honestly considering getting a second one as a backup because I know I’m going to run through the one I have.
I’m almost positive it was Sleek’s Oh So Special. A good selection of nudes and pinks with some darker, smokey colors thrown in. I still have it, I need to pull it out more! Besides, my first mid-end palette was, obviously, Naked 1. Still use it a lot!
I would say some Maybelline or such other common DS quad but it was a long, long time ago. First larger palette was early last year, Tarte Tartelette. Since then I have succumbed to several others.
Either a Revlon or Covergirl matte duo in neutral brown colors. They were so light they probably didn’t show up on my eyes but I wore it everyday in 8th grade.
I bought a couple of those CoverGirl or Maybelline drugstore palettes right before I went off to college.
wet ‘n wild ‘sand castle’
i actually still have that palette . i wish their eyeshadows now were as buttery.
most of their palettes now are hit & miss .
Urban Decay Smoked Palette.
I dont even remember the name it was Urban Decay that it came with a full size primer potion an eye liner. Oh how times have change
Urban Decay Naked (Original)
Pretty sure it was Smashbox’s masterclass 1. Awesome value and great range of shades.
My first “big-girl” palette was the Lorac Unzipped palette…still love it!
NYX butt naked palette!
I had a few awful quads from DS brands back in the day, but the really, truly HE palette was the Estee Lauder Sea and Sky. I saw it in David Jones, a big retail store here in Melbourne and I just had to have it. It was my birthday too. The colours were, and still are, gorgeous.
Probably one of the seasonal Ulta palettes. For a while I was really into the Bare Mineral limited edition sets, with the loose pigments. My first high end palette was the Urban Decay Naked.
The Tarte Mattnificent palette and it’s still my favorite.
Naked basics ?
Me too!
A 16-piece limited edition Tarte palette! It had a lot of golds and bronzes with a few purples and peach-tones, all in a few different finishes. Really nice as an all-in-one palette I think. Immediately after that, my mother gave me the Paula’s Choice Nude Mattes palette which I live and breathe by. It has the best matte black I’ve ever touched–pigmented like no other, really nice butter-like consistency, and not ridiculously hard to get out of the pan (I’m looking at you, Maybelline Nudes)!
A MAC one (that I may still have…) Sheer Shimmer powders in Mellow Mood & Taffy; blush in Buff & Prism; e/s in Shroom, Bronze & Trax; l/s in Frou, Fetish & Fluid, mini lipliner in Spice and mini eyeliner in Coal. Plain black casing, none of the fancy packaging the limited edition ones have now. (And better quality than the newer ones now too…)
The Urban Decay Book of Shadows, Vol. II. This was followed by a hot pink Smashbox eye palette (one of their holiday releases… maybe it was the “eye wish” palette? Can’t exactly remember the name). All around, I preferred the UD one; heck, I still have a few of the shade from it, de-potted into a z palette (I’m such a sentimental fool!). Nevertheless, these purchases opened the floodgates on my obsession with palettes!
It was NYX runway collection pallete in Catwalk.
It was Naked2 palette!!!
UD Naked 2
DuWop Grey Eyes. Most of the colours wound up looking nearly the same on me and creased like mad.
The next wasn’t until MAC’s holiday ’07 Royal Assets warm palette.
Probably the same ! a Mac eyeshadow palette with 6 shades in a 2X3 layout, with matte dove grey, Prussian blue, and shimmery dark wine. The packaging has a folded silky fabric surface, with a plastic piece fringe on the side.
Update: just googled and it was The MAC Formal Black holiday collection launched for 2006 Christmas
Other than a MAC pallet that I created, the first pallet I bought that was pre made was the Lorac Unzipped. I’ve been wearing makeup for over twenty years but got my first actual pallet just a couple years ago.
Probably the Coastal Scents 88 palette, but once I finally got really into makeup, my “first” palette was UD Naked 2.
Who remembers these things?
I built my own at MAC. It started with a four-shadow pan & quickly expanded to three 15-shadow palettes.
I remember it was an ultima ll pallette and I thought it was awesome!
In middle school (in the 80’s), I remember getting this huge Elizabeth Arden gift set from my Mom. I don’t remember what was exactly in it (other than Red Door perfume) but it was a ton of makeup to a 13 year old!
Lorac Volume 1! I loved it!
Naked basics was the first and then my addiction started lol
I’d never bought a palette in my life until 3 yrs ago – my first one was the balm Nude Tude. Not a great one for my first, the shadows are ok – but you hardly get any product in the pans. I’ll be ok though, I now have about 35 palettesandcounting.
A MAC Holiday palette in college in the late 90s lol. It is purple and has crystals on it and all purple colors like Trax. I still have it as a memento.
Mine was the Smashbox Eye Wish palette from 2009. I remember giving it away to my daughter as the colours were too bold for me. The first one that I got though and enjoyed using (am still using) was Smashbox Full Expisure.
Stila In The Light palette. So pretty!!
The Balm Meet Matt(e) Nude 🙂
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Artist palette. I love this palette. The yellow isn’t very pigmented but I love it.
naked 1 <3
I had a few of the small Black Radiance and Wet & Wild palettes, then I bought an e.l.f. 100-shadow palette.
The only palettes I wore throughout HS were those “shimmer strips” ones from Physician’s Formula; I bought the ones for brown eyes AND for hazel eyes, because I couldn’t decide what color my eyes were :). The only highlight shade in either of them was an extremely frosted stark white 😛
The first palette I consciously bought as, like, a real makeup newbie was the Naked Eyes palette from Too Faced—not the Natural Eyes one, but the Naked Eyes. I’m still bitter about the fact that they discontinued it.
The earliest one I can recall is the Smashbox “be discovered” palette from 2012. I’m sure I had ones at a younger age, but 2012 was really the year that I started hoarding this current makeup collection. It all used to fit in one toiletries bag!…
If quads count, first “palette” ever was from CoverGirl; I think it was called “Country Woods.” I used the crap out of that thing in highschool! My first high-end palette was the Smashbox Softlights eyeshadow palette–limited edition in 2011; I got it to wear for my wedding:) Still have it and love it, but dont’ use it often due to the huge palette collection I have since accumulated.
With my own money when I first started working, I bought the Urban Decay Naked. I was shocked when I found it in stock at the Ulta by my work!
I actually do remember! I was in high school, and bought Kat Von D’s Saint palette. I still have it, I don’t use it anymore though.
It was a Stendhal Paris Kit in 1980. It had 4 eye shadows, a blush, cake mascara/eyeliner, a great powder foundation, and nice though small applicators. I was hooked.
Long time ago in 1981 Maybelline eyeshadow palette while on vacation in New York.