Palettes or Singles?

How many colors of a product do you really need to create a look? Makeup palettes, product containers that include many different products/colors, have been around forever, but it’s just in the last few decades that it’s become more popular to spend the extra cash and get more. When buying a palette, they usually have a theme, and the colors are pre-chosen for you. Most brands have at least one palette that could be any mixture of products including foundation, powder, and lip product. Sometimes, they give you a combination of all to create a specific look. While very convenient and attractive, are palettes really worth the hype or the money?

For palettes, you’re taking a gamble when you buy it. You’re committing to multiple shadows at a higher price than just one. That means if you don’t like the palette or even a few products in it, you’ve still sunk the cost of the whole thing. With single shadows, you’re able to carefully pick and choose which ones you like, but they may add up in price quicker. Here’s a breakdown in the pricing of some popular eyeshadow palettes and popular singles on the market right now:

The new Too Faced Chocolate Gold palette is currently selling for $49 USD. It contains 14 shadows of .85 grams each, and two bigger shadows of 2 grams each. Altogether, this is 15.9 grams. When $49 is divided by 15.9, each gram of product comes out to $3.08. This means each of the smaller shadows would cost $2.62 on their own.

Too Faced Chocolate Gold palette at Sephora: http://seph.me/2EhPBcB

Another favorite is the Urban Decay naked palette. There are a few different version of this palette, but they all take a similar shape and size. The naked palette offers 12 same size shadows of 1.41 grams each. When you add this together, the palette contains 16.92 grams of product. The grand price of the palette,  $54 USD, divided by 16.92 is $3.19 a gram, making each shadow approximately $4.50 on its own.  

Urban Decay Naked palette at Sephora: http://seph.me/2FoxMrN

 Eyeshadow singles are always easy to buy when you only need one color. Many companies sell empty palettes that you can use to  create your own combinations of product in one container. Make up forever sells a variety of products that fit into their magnetic palettes. While the actual palette is only $2, the eyeshadow singles are $17 USD each. $17 USD divided by 2.5 grams of each single means a gram is $6.80. If you're interested in creating your own palette, Make up Forever sells palettes and products of all sizes here.

Make up Forever Eyeshadow single at Sephora: http://seph.me/2DHWEKK

Lastly, to compare another brand, Anastasia Beverly Hills also sells individual shadows. Their shadows are $12 USD each, containing 1.67 grams of product in each one. This makes each gram out to be $7.19.

				Anastasia Beverly Hills Eyeshadow single at Sephora: http://seph.me/2rPfZIw Anastasia Beverly Hills Eyeshadow single at Sephora: http://seph.me/2rPfZIw

 When comparing the math, it looks like the palettes are by far a better value - almost by half the money! However, you do have to consider what you’re actually getting. In a palette, you are getting more shades for a better value, but you get less of each product.

Consider this: When you use an eyeshadow palette, do you use each color consistently? Do you hit the pan in some shades but leave others untouched? A benefit of using eyeshadow singles is that you can choose your favorite colors; therefore, it will get used up.

It’s clear that the value of a palette far exceeds that of a single. The next time you are trying to decide which product to go for, consider the convenience of keeping your colors together vs the convenience of throwing a single eyeshadow in your purse on the go. Consider the colors that will get used vs the ones that are just sitting pretty. Lastly, consider the worth of the product to you. Sometimes a holy grail product is worth the splurge, regardless of whether it’s on its own or a whole palette.

Starting with the Base-ics: How to Choose the Right Foundation

Just like how you would use primer on a wall before painting, foundation is used to create a smooth, beautiful canvas that can be the base for the rest of your makeup. However, it can be one of the most difficult parts of your makeup to wear. Foundation is typically applied all over the face and sometimes on the neck, too. This means unless you’re going to wear a bold color on the eyes, lips, or cheeks, the foundation can make or break your look. Think of it like a spider web: if you’re caught, the more you struggle, the worse it gets. If your foundation is the wrong color or wrong texture to your liking, it can impair the look of the rest of your makeup. In this case, a little research on a great base can go a long way.

We are no longer in the old days where powder was mandatory or white face paint was expected. Beauty is accepted in all varieties, so with all the choices in beauty, how do you know you’re picking the right one? The key is to know what your options are, and most importantly, know what YOU need.

First, identify any skin concerns. If you have any allergies, it’s vital to know the ingredients of your makeup products. In the same way, your skin type can affect the way a foundation wears. There are specific products made for oily skin, dry skin, acne, redness, and other concerns. Brands like Clinique or BareMinerals emphasize the skin care benefits of their products over other brands’ products. If you have oily skin and your foundation can’t hold up, you may find that it breaks up over time and isn’t doing its job. On the other hand, if your skin is dry, the wrong foundation may cling to dry patches. Picking the right foundation can make application and wear time greater. It’s also useful to know what undertones your skin has. Matching the color of your foundation with your skin is very important. This video by Lisa Eldridge is helpful in picking a foundation shade.

Next, it’s important to know what kind of coverage you want. Much like how you need to identify your skin concerns, you need to decide what to cover. If you have redness, acne, or scarring,  you may want to use a fuller coverage foundation to cover it. On the other hand, you might want something that has less coverage and gives a more natural feel. Foundations are more opaque with the more coverage you get. Many foundations can also be layered to create more coverage, so you can decide what to cover when you feel like it. If you want something lighter,  you may want to try a bb cream or tinted moisturizer, which will offer skin care benefits and light coverage. If you want coverage that you can build up, a sheer light-to-medium coverage foundation can be very versatile. Full coverage foundations are very opaque and good at correcting colors in the skin. Once you know what to look for in your coverage, you can start looking at your options.

Last, read reviews! Sites like Sephora.com and Ulta.com have plenty of reviews on products, so you can read other people’s real life testimonies before deciding. Some foundations can get pretty pricey, and they can last you a while too, so it can be quite an investment. Reading other people’s comments about products can give you a good idea of what to avoid and what to try.

Consider foundation as a base to the rest of your makeup. It’s going on first and essentially setting the tone for your makeup. It’s worth taking your time to pick the right one. Personally, I’ve grown to liking a different foundation for different occasions. Everyone is different, so every foundation will be different, too. Sometimes it takes trying a few to find your holy grail!

For more help, try this article of the 10 best foundations!