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Home » Eyes » Eyeshadow » Your Say: Do you prefer eyeshadow palettes or eyeshadow singles

Your Say: Do you prefer eyeshadow palettes or eyeshadow singles

August 6, 2013 Paris B 67 Comments

I have been in an eye makeup rut for the longest time ever and even the thought of pulling out an eyeshadow palette in the mornings tire me. I just want something fast, and so I’ve been using a lot of cream shadows. But recently, I started making the effort to open the drawers again and experiment and things are getting better. Still in a rut, but slowing climbing back out.

eyeshadow palettes or singles
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Which is when I noticed that I have an inordinate number of eyeshadow palettes from various brands.

And I noticed that I tend to reach for palettes more than I do eyeshadow singles! In fact, I have relegated my eyeshadow singles to the lower drawers of my storage and that just simply means I reach for them less often. I mean, you don’t really want to be bending that far down in the mornings do you? You just want to pick out something easy and go.

So I started thinking – do you prefer using or owning eyeshadow palettes or singles? Or are you one of those who depots all their singles and put them into palettes anyway?

I have found that I prefer pre-made eyeshadow palettes. The primary reason is because with most palettes, and I say “most”, they contain all the colours and textures you need to create a full eye look. Your base shade is there, and so is your liner or crease shade. You have the colour for highlighting and most of the times, the colours come coordinated, so mistakes in colour selection are reduced.

Also, if you look at the colour arrangement in some eyeshadow palettes, there is some form of pattern in there and you can actually figure out which colours go where, or which colours go with which. Basically, an eyeshadow palette is like having a template. Everything is thought out for you, you just have to use it.

With eyeshadow singles however, you have to put a little more thought into it. If you aren’t the sort to depot their products, like I am, then you will have to pull out a few colours just to get one eye look going. Sometimes, that is just too much bother. Other times, it could be that after you apply the colour, it suddenly doesn’t look right.

Single eyeshadows offer more room for creativity in this regard, and if you are the sort who loves depotting their products then you can effectively build your own palette based on something you like, instead of being saddled with a pre-made one that stifles your creativity.

If I wear single eyeshadows, I find I tend to go for those that are a little more complex that allow me to wear them alone. This, as you might notice, is the lazy girl’s way out 😀 With one complex colour, I can just swipe on one shade and go. No need to fuss about with other shades. Otherwise, I tend to shy away from eyeshadow singles.

I’ve bought enough in my time to realise that it isn’t for me. I will more often than not, be more interested in a pre-made palette because someone else has done all the creative thinking for me. I just need to use it! 😀

What is your eyeshadow preference? Singles or palettes or are you a fan of depotting and making your own palettes instead?

I don’t depot because I like seeing my things in their original cases. I am less inclined to use a product after it’s been put into a large palette where the pans don’t line up properly or are in different shapes. Also, I have no illusions about being a makeup artist so large palettes don’t hold my interest at all. I much rather deal with a smaller palette, whether duo, trio or otherwise. In fact, even the large Naked2 palette doesn’t hold my fancy very much, simply because there are too many colours in there. The maximum I’d accept in a palette is 6 and that’s only because the gorgeous Guerlain Ecrin 6 palettes have 6 colours. Otherwise, 4-5 colours in a palette is more than enough for me 🙂

Paris B

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About Paris B

Paris B is a 40-something beauty and skincare enthusiast with a practical and very critical view of beauty products and the world of beauty. Her mission on My Women Stuff is to deliver clear, honest reviews and facilitate discussions about beauty trends and life, tempered with a healthy dose of humour. Let the buyer's remorse be ours not yours! When not testing the newest skincare creams and lotions, or playing with makeup, find her testing her culinary skills in the kitchen at Chez PB. Read more about us here or leave a comment below or connect with us on social media at Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

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67 comments ... Read or JOIN THE DISCUSSION

  1. Waterlily says

    August 6, 2013 at 8:39 am

    I prefer singles over palettes. I think palettes are a waste of money if I truly only like one shade or color. Often, only one or just a few colors really catch my eyes or matches my skin tone and the others just seem very blah. A variety of singles is my ‘way to go’. Many singles that I can customize is spot on for my taste.

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 8:56 pm

      You’re right about the waste of money bit, Waterlily. If I get palettes, I make sure I like or can work with ALL the colours before I get it. It would be a waste otherwise! Then again, building your own palette is half the fun isn’t it? 🙂

      Reply
  2. Fiona says

    August 6, 2013 at 8:41 am

    For me it’s palette all the way. I need at least 4 colour at one go 😀

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:02 pm

      Haha I used to too! now, I’d be considered hardworking if I use 2 LOL!

      Reply
  3. Fizz says

    August 6, 2013 at 8:44 am

    I’m with you on this one, Paris! Like you, I’ve had my share of singles (esp cos my old job needed me to get really dolled-up), but those were never depotted. I still have some singles, but I find I rarely use them and keep reaching for a palette instead. The big palettes I usually find myself buying during Christmas seasons: I get a bit bored of them eventually simply cos I have to ‘think’ of a look to put together with all those colours! My go-to palette these days is NYX Butt Naked Eyes. There are quite a few shades in it, but I can just take random shades and pair them together without much thought. Lazy indeed! 😀

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:04 pm

      I know what you mean about having to think up a look with big shadow palettes! When I see a big palette, I sometimes go into brain freeze. What if the combination doesn’t work? I used to think big palettes were value for money. Then I realised the odds of me actually using them were very low, which doesn’t make them value for money at all!

      Reply
  4. Jyoan says

    August 6, 2013 at 9:06 am

    I prefer palettes too, but for the practical reason that they are more value for money!

    I don’t need full size eyeshadow a because like you, I have no illusions that I will be a makeup artist, as such, I will never ever finish a single shadow.

    It is more value for me to have 4-5 colours for a price of anywhere between $25 to $100, depending on brand.

    I feel the pinch whenever I buy an eyeshadow single, e.g. $44 for a Burberry.

    Apart from that major reason, I do agree with you that palettes are foolproof for people who are not and don’t want to be a makeup artist.

    In fact, I learn colour co-ordination and texture matching from my multitude of palettes.

    I love my UD Naked enough to use it rather often, because it is quite obvious that the colours are arranged from light to dark (in the original). But like you, I much prefer small palettes, and UD Naked is about as big as I would allow.

    I do realize that I prefer drugstore palettes to counter brand even though I have a lot of counter brand palettes, also by virtue of practicality. I find that drugstore palettes are more compact, and are often see-through. They also open all the way 180 degrees down. I hate fighting with a black high-end compact that wouldn’t open, and me having to be so careful about not breaking the spine of the palette, and careful about the piece of plastic that I (feel the) need to keep back to protect the shadows. Argh, I much rather hold a steady enough yet flimsy enough drugstore compact in the rush mornings. No heart pain if I drop and break.

    That said, I dropped and broke my Burberry single. Sigh.

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:07 pm

      Haha you have a point about palettes being value for money. I used to prefer singles because I found that in some brands e.g. MAC or Shu Uemura, 2 brands I was really into in the early days of experimentation, the quality of products in the palettes were really crap. MAC especially. Utter crap! Then I found the singles and I was very impressed with how different they were. It was only after I branched out into other brands that I realised it wasn’t always the case! In brands like Guerlain and Dior, it only makes sense to buy the palettes. The singles cost far too much and the quality is debatable. For Burberry I feel it’s the other way around. Singles are not bad, palettes not too impressive. Sorry to hear you broke your burberry single! Must have been a real hit to the wallet

      Reply
  5. liyeun says

    August 6, 2013 at 9:09 am

    I love palettes and I prefer buying them just as it is rather than taking my time to visualise the colours etc. Maybe I am lazy or not so creative,biut those palettes out there are beautiful enough. Thanks to blogs out there, I see beautiful swatches before I finally decided to buy one. Singles tend to have more unique colours, I do buy them but I just rarely use them! Hehehe

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:08 pm

      Sounds like we’re the same then! I rather leave colour coordination to the experts! 😉

      Reply
  6. LeGeeque says

    August 6, 2013 at 9:11 am

    Palettes. Nothing else. I only get singles when they’re absolutely great. I have a couple of Sunday Riley ones – great colour payoff but dropoffs like SIAO and they piss me off. I’d love your thoughts on those 🙂

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:09 pm

      These days, they have to be freaking fabulous for me to consider shelling out for a shadow single. It helps that I don’t do the whole MAC, Shu Uemura scene anymore. Shu used to have excellent singles (and crappy palettes, with MAC palettes being the crappiest) but they have gone down in quality I find. The Sunday Riley ones look interesting. Its a pity about the fall out 🙁

      Reply
  7. Lily says

    August 6, 2013 at 9:18 am

    I never really had any problems with matching colours, and I have lots of both singles and palettes. Sometimes, I even use different shades in different palettes for one look. For singles with boring packaging, I do depot. Saves so much space that way! Smaller palettes are convenient for travel, but when I’m at home, I don’t mind if it’s big or small. So in the end, I really don’t mind if it’s a palette or a single 🙂

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:11 pm

      I used to read about people depotting their shadows and making nice palettes out of them. I tried it once, broke a few colours (thankfully nothing too pricey) and gave up. They do take up a lot of space I admit, so the key here is not to buy so much of everything! haha 😉 I tend to be a bit of a stickler so once I have one palette out, I use only the colours in there unless there’s something I especially need e.g. highlighter/liner shade.

      Reply
  8. xin says

    August 6, 2013 at 9:21 am

    i am a palette person too because i tend to misplace the singles and i usually just stuff them into space that i could find. LOL. having that said, i sometimes have problem finding a matching shadow because they are everywhere!

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:12 pm

      Haha too true! I used to have a separate box for my singles that I realised I never used. So I transplanted them into a drawer… which I also never used! Gave most of them away 😛

      Reply
  9. Germs says

    August 6, 2013 at 9:58 am

    Palettes for me! I’m a klutz at matching colours, and palettes are just the easy way out. The only singles I own are Chanel’s Illusion d’ombres, one of which is an easy all over the lid, peachy pink shade and the other is a gorgeous purple-taupe which i use to define my eyes with. These days I just want to be done with my makeup real quick, so palettes really save me the trouble of thinking too much in the mornings. This is also why I was stumped when I went to the Inglot store in KL – too many singles, how to match? :p

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:14 pm

      LOL!! I feel ya re: Inglot. I had the worst time trying to put together my first palettes too. But you know, I’ve realised I hardly ever use them anymore because for some reason, I put together a bunch of weird shades that were pretty on their own, but not pretty when put together. I need an expert hand, dammit!

      Reply
  10. Cynthia Loh says

    August 6, 2013 at 11:10 am

    Palette all the way!!! Less messy for me to clean up after makeups…haha!!
    I like my Naked palette but sometimes I think 4 colors in a palette is enough. Eg: Lunasol.

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:18 pm

      Haha I didn’t think about it but you’re right. It does get messy clearing up a few singles vs shutting one palette!

      Reply
  11. Celine says

    August 6, 2013 at 11:37 am

    Got to be palette for me Paris! Maybe I am not so good in matching colours so palettes help me in a great way. I mean the colours are fixed and sometimes there will be instructions to teach you on how to layer one colour over another. Very suitable for someone who doesn’t apply eyeshadow frequently but want to get it right everytime she does so! 🙂

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:22 pm

      I feel the exact same way Celine. It’s like palettes save me from looking like a Zombie if I mix the colours wrongly haha! I used to be a lot more adventurous in the early days but these days, I just want something fast and easy and I suppose a palette or just one single fits the bill 🙂

      Reply
  12. Hanny Daforcena says

    August 6, 2013 at 12:08 pm

    I prefer singles that you can out into palettes! (i.e.: Inglot). I don’t usually go for palettes because not all of them would have the color that I want, so I would love if everything is in one place.

    That being said, my Inglot palettes are not really coordinated at all. HMMM.

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:26 pm

      Ah, so you prefer DIY-ing your palettes 🙂 When I think of my early days of playing with makeup, that too was my lament – that a palette doesn’t give me all the colours I want. Much later I realised it did – I just had to learn how to use them 🙂 Some work better than others, I’d agree but Inglot confuses me too much. I’ve even stopped using the palettes I have! Realised the colours weren’t coordinated enough for me to wear together. See why I need an expert to do this for me? LOL!

      Reply
  13. Ting says

    August 6, 2013 at 12:36 pm

    I love both, actually. Although most of them time I tend to reach for palettes as well due to limited time on hand. And it’s a safety factor as well because all colours you need are in the same palette. I switch to single (ahem! Eye shadow, not marital status! :p) when I get bored of palettes, and vice versa. I guess my attention span is only so short so I need rotations of product in my bag. It’s the same as food. Rice and noodles. Never too much rice. Or too much noodles. :p

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:27 pm

      LOL “single statue” 😀 I’m now using a lot of singles – cream shadows that is. I find that with cream shadows I never bother to mix 2 colours because they never look quite right. So I just use one all over and am good to go. So, technically I should say I’m more into singles at this stage… except I don’t consider cream shadows proper shadows. Yeah, I’m weird. Oh and I like variety too! Can’t handle too much rice at one go 😛

      Reply
  14. Tine says

    August 6, 2013 at 12:52 pm

    The only palette I reach for is the Urban Decay NAKED. I’ve been reaching for single eyeshadows very frequently, especially the Maybelline Colour Tattoos, since the end of last year and I can’t be happier. They’re so easy to use. All I need is eyeliner, smudge it out and my look is done! 🙂

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:28 pm

      Interesting you should mention the Colour Tattoos because that’s what I’ve been using a lot of lately! Interesting also that I didn’t consider them because I don’t consider cream shadow proper eyeshadow! LOL I know, I’m so weird! But lately, all I’ve been wearing is either Maybelline Colour Tattoo or GA ETK Silk shadows.

      Reply
  15. Julia says

    August 6, 2013 at 1:15 pm

    Custom palettes all the way, I detest both pre made palettes and singles. It’s quite rare that I will only use a single eyeshadow or just the selection in a premade palette for a look, as I’m very particular about color matching and textural combinations. Having a custom palette reduces how many lids I have to open and shut!

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:31 pm

      Good idea about custom palettes. This way, you ensure you get exactly what you want for a look. Do you have a fixed brand you use for your custom palettes or do you mix and match brands?

      Reply
  16. Renee | Beauty Fool says

    August 6, 2013 at 1:32 pm

    I prefer palettes, although it’s hard to find THE perfect one with shades you love (don’t know why they always have a super light peach/white shade, I never use those!). I havent’t looked into custom palettes like Julia said above, but I think that would be perfect!

    x Renee

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:33 pm

      Make your own palettes, Renee! 🙂 MAC or Shu Uemura or even Bobbi Brown have palettes you can buy singles and stick into them. I can’t do it coz I’m bad at colour coordinating, but it does mean you get exactly what you want 🙂 I used to detest palettes too until I got into Japanese brands and realised how easy it was to use their palettes! So, I stayed with the Japanese brands all the way until I came back to using Western brands (after they actually improved on formula and shade selection) otherwise, I’d still be with the Japanese 😀

      Reply
  17. Claire says

    August 6, 2013 at 1:37 pm

    I don’t have a preference but I like to have the choice if I leave it in the packaging or not (singles, mostly … and I hate depotting). What I don’t like is bulky packaging though 😀

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:34 pm

      OMG yes, I hate depotting too! I just don’t see the point destroying the packaging that you probably paid a bomb for anyway LOL!

      Reply
  18. shuaddict says

    August 6, 2013 at 1:41 pm

    Definitely only palettes. I haven’t bought a singles in ages. It’s the convenience/laziness factor for me.

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:36 pm

      I have to agree with you! Although after reading some of the comments I realised that being really lazy, I’ve been using one single cream shadow most of the time! Technically that makes me a singles girl and yet, I don’t count them 😛

      Reply
  19. Rebecca says

    August 6, 2013 at 4:44 pm

    I love the way eyeshadow palettes look, but nine times out of ten I end up reaching for the singles. I’m sort of fussy about colors getting cross-contaminated and the risk is high with palettes, especially if the individual pans are small. With that being said I do have a couple of cheapo drugstore brand palettes, because sometimes it’s fun to play with colors you don’t use regularly.

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:41 pm

      That’s a good point about cross contamination of colours, Rebecca. For me, I get really fussy about cross contamination if there are different textures in a palette, which is why I can’t do powder + cream in one palette. Just too messy! But otherwise, I’m fine if it’s all powder-powder 😀

      Reply
  20. Sunny says

    August 6, 2013 at 5:35 pm

    Hey Paris, my preferences are pretty clear by now: I like palettes, but not big ones! I think 6 is as far as I’d go! When a palette gets big, it gets confusing for me, and I know I’ll pretty much always favor something faster. I do own some singles. Most of them are not really loved, but Burberry Pale Barley is an exception! I’d always always pull it out even just for my inner corners or something! I guess most singles just aren’t worth this kind of trouble in my book 😉

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      August 9, 2013 at 9:43 pm

      Haha let me guess – Guerlain palettes are your limit! 😉 They’re mine too so I can totally commiserate! I have Pale Barley but haven’t got around to giving it some good lovin’! I really should seeing everyone makes so much fuss over it, and even felt traumatized when it was no longer available! I don’t know if it’s back in stock but there was some panic when there were rumours that it was discontinued.

      Reply
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