My Eyeshadow Palette Collection

I've had the pictures for this post for what seems like ages. I took them back when it was still light at 4pm and warm enough to be outside without hat and gloves. Somehow the idea of sitting down to write about this collection seemed a little daunting, hence my delay. I've included links whenever possible to previous review posts.

I seem to have come full circle with my palette buying. In my 'not quite as obsessed' makeup days, palettes were always the biggest draw. Especially around this time of year. Then as I became more interested in makeup buying I decided that buying single eyeshadows was preferable that way I wouldn't end up with shades I wouldn't use. The MAC palettes are from this era. In the last year or so I have returned to buying and loving palettes. These days I tend to avoid the palettes with mixed products. I know it's very rare for me to use the lip products from a palette plus it can get messy when powder transfers to lipgloss and lipsticks pans. It doesn't stop me fancying the beautiful Edward Bess palettes of course!

1. KANEBO KATE BR-4 PALETTE

2. BECCA ENIGMA PALETTE*

3. MAC SMOKING EYES QUAD

4. GUERLAIN RUE DE PASSY

5. ARTDECO CUSTOM PALETTE

6. BECCA LOST WEEKEND PALETTE*

7. LANCOME BLONDETTE FATAL PALETTE*

8. CHANEL TOPKAPI QUADRA

In the neutrals palettes above, I don't think I have a single dud colour. Most of them contain a mixture of finishes which I think is important for a palette to work as a complete look. Of the two BECCA palettes, I think Enigma is still my favourite. I love how you can create a sultry look form just these three colours. It took me a while to warm to the charms of Rue de Passy. I think I expected more of it because of the high price but I wouldn't be without it now. I think one of the newer quads contains some quite similar colours. Both the Chanel and Lancôme palettes are lovely, Chanel is more bling to Lancôme's more versatile but I reach for both often.

1. INGLOT FREEDOM PALETTE

2. CHANTECAILLE SEA TURTLES PALETTE

3. YSL CHROMATICS #3 PALETTE

4. GUERLAIN RUE DE RIVOLI

5. SUQQU EX-07 LILAC ALLURE PALETTE

Here are my not-so-neutral palettes. I suppose with the exception of the Inglot palette they are still mostly neutral. The Chantecaille Sea Turtles palette contains that dark green shade for a bit of interest. If I'm honest my most favourite colour in the Turtles palette is the blusher and I use this often whilst ignoring the slightly too warm for me neutrals. YSL Chromatics #3 contains two 'safe' colours, the gorgeous dark blue liner and then that icy blue that I studiously ignore. It doesn't make me as nervous as the fuchsia colour in Rue de Rivoli though! I stand by my original comment about Rivoli that I get most use from this palette using the individual shades rather than as combined look. The Suqqu is a lovely palette. The colours don't apply quite as you would expect from the pans but they are delicate and layer very well.

1. LE CIRQUE, 2. SILK ROAD*, 3. PENELOPE*

Talking of layering, here are my Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscopes. They've increased in number by one since I took this photo. Le Cirque was my first Kaleidoscope and probably still remains my favourite. Silk Road and Penelope were both PR samples and I'm not sure I would have picked them out myself if I had seen them at a counter. However, as I often find with Le Métier combination, the 'Couches de Couleur' technique creates something that is even more beautiful than the sum of it's parts. I would say these are probably the most daring items in my collection.

I'd struggle to pick a single favourite from my eyeshadow palettes. It's probably clear that I'm a fan of neutrals. There is a noticeable omission for a beauty blogger of course; I don't own the Urban Decay Naked palette nor am I likely to buy Naked 2 when it comes out next year. I can't quite put my finger on why I've taken against Naked: it may the number of warm shades, the fear of glitter fallout or possibly because I already own enough neutrals to paint the whole of my town taupe. Who knows?! What I am looking forward to next year is the release of Rouge Bunny Rouge eyeshadow palettes. Custom palettes, eyeshadow refills and new shades are all like music to my ears. As a lover of palettes AND Rouge Bunny Rouge that's my birthday present ideas for next year sorted!

Are you a fan of eyeshadow palettes or a lover of singles?


*PR Samples