Palettes are a sort of cosmetic double-edged sword. On one hand, you'll rarely like or use every single shade and product in any one palette. Also, many are limited edition and may contain shades that are only available for as long as the palettes are. The flipside? They are handy little buggers. They're color coordinated, lightweight and often contain enough shades for day and evening looks – which makes them perfect for holidays or overnight stays. They're also a good way to try products in a new or unfamiliar line. You can sample a few different lipsticks, eyeshadows and blush for a small fraction of the price you'd pay to test each one individually.
LORAC's Greatest Hits CDs ($48 each) are perennial favorites, with five eyeshadows, one blush, lip gloss and a lip/cheek tint. CD 1 features warm nudes and CD 2 has cool-toned pinks and mauves.
Pop Beauty's Beaming Popette Palette ($32) comes with four eyeshadows in greens and khakis, a peach blush, and three lip colors in sheer shades of reddish and peachy pink.
BeneFit Hoola Hues ($28), which comes with Hoola bronzer, two shadows and a lip gloss in golden browns, is all you'll need for a week in the tropics.
Stila's Limited Edition Just My Luck Palettes in Lucky Peach and Lucky Plum ($30) come with three flattering, neutral shades of eyeshadow and a coordinating blush and lip color.
Sephora's Crochet Palette ($36) contains cream eyeshadows, blush, highlighter, lip colors and two concealers, all in soft neutrals.
Another option is to make your own. Several companies sell empty cases you can fill with your own choice of shades and products. Stila makes four- ($14) and six-pan ($24) palettes, which hold either eyeshadow ($14) or blush pans ($14) and mark's Make Your Own Face Case ($6), stores your pick of eye ($4) and cheek ($6) colors. Bobbi Brown offers empty three-pan ($15) or six-pan ($25) palettes, which hold your favourite eyeshadows ($19) and blushes ($20). MAC's freestanding and pro stores are stocked with empty four- ($3) or 15-pan ($12.50) palettes that can be filled with any combination of eyeshadow pans ($10), and Cover Girl sells its empty four-pan cases ($3.49) with separate lipstick, gloss and eyeshadow pans ($3.49 each).
Several other eyeshadow brands, such as Urban Decay, LORAC, Milani, Jane, Estee Lauder, Trucco and Elizabeth Arden, fit into both MAC and Cover Girl palettes. Alternatively, MOD Cosmetics (www.modcosmetics.com) sells empty palettes in various sizes, into which several different brands of eyeshadow and blush fit.
No matter what your preferences are, there's a palette out there that fits your needs – you just have to find it.
