How many palettes is too many?

Sep 18, 2015

Megan S.

Apologies if I've posted this on the wrong board! I'm sort of having an existential crisis, but, like... about makeup. I have a pretty sizable collection of lipsticks and eyeliners and all the other staples as well as odds and ends, but I have a bit of a problem concerning palettes.

The problem is - I really can't seem to exhibit any self-control when it comes to eyeshadow palettes. Without going into too much detail, I can tell you all that I've been consistently purchasing each eyeshadow palette that Urban Decay has released since the original Naked. That alone sounds ridiculous, but I also hoard palettes from MAC, Smashbox, Kat Von D, etc.

I'm fortunate enough to finally have an actual career relevant to one of my passions that also gives me a great deal of financial security, but shopping for palettes has become something I do almost on autopilot. I walk into Sephora or Ulta and just grab them and before I know it, I'm at the register ready to take them home.

I know I probably sound nuts, and it's not as if this habit is affecting my life in a profoundly negative way or anything. I'm only concerned that I'm becoming a zombie consumer and I dislike the idea of being so mindless with my money (despite having any or not).

Basically, I see a lot of you guys with very discerning tastes in regards to the makeup you splurge on. I also see a lot of people both online and IRL subscribing to the idea that "one neutral palette and one colorful palette is enough."

So my question to the people who stick to their guns in terms of what they will and won't purchase - how do you guys do that? What marks a palette that you just can't live without and conversely, what are some reasons you wouldn't buy a palette? I'm pretty much trying to impose some sort of guideline/restriction on myself.

Side note: I want to make it clear that I definitely use and maintain all the palettes I've bought. I actually make a point to rotate between them every couple weeks.

Anyway, I think I've embarrassed myself enough, and now welcome any thoughts you guys may have on the matter!

PS - This has been kind of on my mind since the release of Vice 4 and then the Urban Spectrum almost immediately after. I found myself thinking "wow, what am I even doing" after ordering them back to back.

Sep 18, 2015

Julie F.

I am OBSESSED with searching beauty blogs for reviews and swatches. I usually debate on whether to buy a palette for weeks before I pull the trigger! If it's something that is constantly coming back to me or something I run to every time I'm in Ulta/sephora, I'll splurge! But if I kinda forget about it then I don't get it. But I really rely heavily on reviews. I'll search "naked 3 reviews and swatches" and then go through pages and pages of blogs to see if it's actually something I would enjoy

Sep 18, 2015

Maria c.

I'm with Julie I pretty much do what she does. I also go through my make up quite often and if I go out and buy quite a bit of makeup I'll come home and get rid of few things. I don't like to buy things just because it's cute (even though it's hard to resist) I like to buy pallets that I now I will use but I also think it's ok to have something out of you comfort zone for when your feeling adventurous, but keep it to a minimum.

Sep 18, 2015

Maria c.

Have you also thought of setting up a goal like finish a few eyeshadows before you go out and buy more pallets? I was into trying a bunch of different foundations but I cleaned them out and only kept the ones I loved and I'm half way through two different foundations and haven't bought any since February

Sep 18, 2015

Shelley W.

Don't feel an ounce of guilt. My weakness as of lately has been eyeshadow quads. And I've been under a lot of stress lately and shopping for them online has been my therapy. I have started a rotation program so none of them feel neglected while at the same time halting my purchase of additional one's. It's so hard because now all these holiday collections are coming out and I want them all. But I came up with a solution for that as well...if I'm good and I don't buy anymore till November 1st then I can treat myself to ONE.

Sep 18, 2015

Aru T.

Everyone here at BL understands your dilemma! I myself have gone through that feeling...don't feel bad :-)! for me it helps to set a financial goal! if a new product comes out and it is something I don't need but I want I try to think first if that money will have better use towards my goal. eg this year I needed to buy a car...so my purchases in late 2014 has been very minimal! also always research detail review and swatch! I always check temptalia. when she says it not at per...I can really control my temptation... last but not the least I try to figure out how much will the Palette be useful to me. last but not least I am open to returning palettes even if I buy them on sale.! if I am not liking the quality it is going back!!

Sep 18, 2015

Melissa M.

I think everyone here has a problem with makeup obsession but always keep in mi d just to buy what you are actually going to use for instance if you have all the makeup you need and a new product comes out and you really want to try it out wait for it or if you feel that you really need it then go for it but other than that there is no problem at all with having an obsession with makeup If you love it go for it if you don't leave it wait for something else to come out but again make sure just to get what you are pretty sure you will use and bot just buy it just because everyone else is :)

Sep 18, 2015

Melissa M.

Buy *

Sep 18, 2015

Melissa M.

Not * I meant before just buy at the end

Sep 18, 2015

Megan S.

You guys made me feel so much better!

Julie, I actually get the opposite effect from searching beauty blogs and reviews! One of my abiding sins is that I'm easily programmable (this is kind of like gluttony or greed, right? haha), so if I hear anything remotely rave worthy, I find that I must have it. It's so ridiculous. But you're so right, I could definitely try to make a hobby of researching the products before committing!

Maria, you make some really great points about decluttering. Honestly, I do that religiously with the clothes in my closet but it never really occurred to me to practice that with my makeup. And a moratorium on any new eyeshadow purchases until I finish some is a fantastic idea, if only because it'll be forever and a day before I even hit pan on these!

Shelley, YOU GET ME, hahaha. These holiday collections are brutal! I really like your idea of a sort of no-buy-until-x date. It's definitely a happy medium between shopping (which I love) and not shopping (which I could stand to do less of).

Aru, I feel like Temptalia is the one site where I always take heed of the warnings of an iffy product! She's so knowledgeable and well spoken. And I need to be more comfortable returning things! One time I purchased a Nars eyeshadow pencil before doing the sensible and inspecting it in the store first, and when I got home I opened it to find the thing mostly destroyed! When I brought it back, the Sephora employee making the exchange gave me SO much flack for it, insinuating that I must've done something to it myself. Needless to say, I've been timid about makeup returns ever since!

Thank you ladies so much! You gave me lots of insight and tons to think about :)

Sep 18, 2015

Megan S.

Melissa, you're so right. I definitely need to better evaluate my wants vs needs (though I know "needs" is kind of a ubiquitous term when talking about makeup)!

Sep 18, 2015

Kitty K.

Don't feel guilty! People have hobbies and there are some that are wayyy more expensive than make up ... or illegal, lol
The other day I did a big impulse buy at Sephora, but I always save the packaging and receipt. I returned more than half of the items. Sometimes it just happens.

'so my question to the people who stick to their guns in terms of what they will and won't purchase - how do you guys do that? '
Every eyeshadow palette I have I swatch and save a photo of it... This way when I see a new palette in Sephora, I swatch them and check to make sure I'm not buying any duplicates of a shade or a shade that can be easily recreated. It's helped a lot!


'What marks a palette that you just can't live without and conversely, what are some reasons you wouldn't buy a palette? I'm pretty much trying to impose some sort of guideline/restriction on myself.'
I cannot pick just one palette, I love all my palettes. I wouldn't buy a palette if it were just repetitive colors like I mentioned above, with the except of some limited edition items that can be more of a collectible.


Side note: I want to make it clear that I definitely use and maintain all the palettes I've bought. I actually make a point to rotate between them every couple weeks.
I do this! I always go through my make up every so often and place different products out in the obvious so I remember to use them. It helps a lot! If you find yourself using them, I don't see a big deal. But there was this one girl back in highschool that bought the entire MAc boutique and had it set up in her bedroom, but she never touched or even looked at her stuff. Now that's a problem!

Sep 18, 2015

Megan S.

Kitty, you're dead on! I'll take palette addiction over drugs or gambling or whatever else ridiculously dangerous/expensive addiction hahaha.

Sep 18, 2015

CPT- Lili R.

I actually have the same obssession as you palettrs are my life you can see my page and see a picture of it and let me just say that its grown a lot since then, to me what makes a palette special is thr cute packaging like if the packaging is cute it goes home with me if you have the money for them don't feel bad just do you  😊

Sep 18, 2015

TJ H.

Ok first off if I could I'd probably be buying a heck ton of pallets myself along with every eyeshadow pot I could get my hands on. unfortunately I know I have to keep money to pay my bills and keep up with ym car payments BUT I know when I do have the extra spending money I go straighy for cosmetic and beauty supplies because that is what I love. I love makeup and it sounds like you do too.:) to me there's nothing wrong with it. however if I know a pallete is specifically designed or made for anoyher skin tone and I know for a fact that it wouldn't look good on me I wouldn't touch it. everyone has their addictions, ours just haplens to be makeup!^^

Sep 18, 2015

Melissa M.

Yes girls just keep that in mind :)!

Sep 18, 2015

Alma M.

We've all been there lol I always keep in mind who owns the brand and who are the sister product's. I do the swatch as kitty mentioned above because most of the time it is the same color's with a different name and packaging.Most likely there are many drugstore shadow's owned by the same company with the same shade for $5. The bigger picture is so many get hypnosis of color and pretty lol then the mind gravitates to want then you go home and realized you just got sucked into the marketing hypnosis and they got you. I always ask myself, do you have the same shade, is the shade at a lower price, Could you live without another palette, and to help my craving I tell myself don't fall into the marketing BS, this stuff is not magic Dust or a magic wand and this palette color range will indeed come back if anything and they do have it in single shades. Give a good look at your collection are you using it on other's or just your own face? I've been extremely good with my purchases, the last thing I bought was $6 versus $60 or up. I see the cosmetic companies so differently now and the kicker is when they start giving anyone a trade off of a lipstick or makeup from the brand to a person that knows next to nothing in actual MUA work just for sale, it's sad and shows the desperation.I also think some want to be in the know of the hype and buy all for attention (like the more you buy or buy high end the more excepted or pro you are or just bragging rights) versus truly wanting to try for personal use, just wanting that feel good kick of having what a fave YT, Instagram or blogger has purchased makes a person feel just as important which just like commercials win's over lol slowly but surely you'll figure it all out, know your limit :)

Sep 18, 2015

Alyx T.

I agree with everyone else, they all make good points.

For me, if it's LE, I get it. If it's not, I wait a few weeks. I have 4 kvd palettes, and have been wanting the shade and light eye palette, but I have naked, a tarte neutral matte and a sparkly nude palette, a coastal scents one, etc. So I've gone "well if I stop using these" or something, I will go get it. But I'm mostly a sucker for LE. The idea of not being able to get it in even a month I hate lol. I look at non LE and LE in stores, and if it's a palette from kvd, the vice's, tarte or mufe, I immediately buy it if I'm interested in it. If it's not LE I swatch it, look up reviews, go "do I have similar?" "Would I wear the____ shade?" If I have similar to more than 90% of the palette, I wait, or if I don't think I'll use more than half the colors, which usually makes the palette less than singles, I buy it. I don't have a lot of money right now, but I know when I so or I have some extra, I buy a new LE palette or set.

I think as long as it's not excessive, which it sounds like it's getting to that point, it doesn't hurt. But if you go "every month I have_____$" for makeup, or "1 palette a month" (though Christmas time would be an exception I think, since it's all LE and all at once) then keep records on it (even a note in your phone, or they have great finance apps) but stick to it. Tell your friends, boyfriend if you have one, and family. That way it's at least a little enforced. I don't go out near my sephora without having to go to a mall not in my area anymore, and I don't pass one going anywhere, so I'm not tempted to walk around in it. I browse the sephora website but shipping is so expensive to Canada and unless I pay 75$ it's not free, and I usually only want one or two things at once, plus my mail now is being rerouted into boxes at the end of the street, so I wouldn't be to confident that I would get my package, or that the post office would hold it and they're only open till 4, on weekdays only, which I am not able to get there in time for. So ordering online is a "I literally cannot get this in person " type deal and that helps a lot. I don't have a credit card either, and a lot of websites don't take debit. Unfortunately sephora does but some don't, and I hate going to my mom and asking to borrow her credit card to order like 100$ in makeup lol.

Honestly, it's not a bad thing to have plenty of palettes, you clearly use them and enjoy them, but I do understand that it could be a problem financially eventually. I think everyone has given lots of tips and I will definitely be doing some next time I want to buy something lol.

Sep 19, 2015

Kyla K.

I know there are already a lot of posts on here but I'm going to post anyways! Some of the things in my collection I "regret" buying are my impulse buys, I think it's very important for you to think about if you're going to use something or not. If there's a new palette that comes out then compare all the colours in that palette to something you already have and then you can decide if you need it. It's really hard for me not to buy things sometimes but I want to make sure I'm not buying it for the sake of having it, I'm buying it because I know I'll use it. I definitly agree with some of the "low buy" points as in you can only buy one a month ect. Another good idea is decluttering or shopping your stash. There are some YouTubers who also do one month one palette, but you could change it to one week one palette. You don't want to stop all at once because it's going to make things really difficult, if reccomend starting slowly until your collection is where you want it to be :)

Sep 19, 2015

Marleen B.

I know your pain. Palettes are so beautiful But I haven't bought a new palette for over 2 years (although I'm weakening). Although I have bought a single eyeshadow cuz I needed a perfect transition color. The way I tame myself is by saying to myself. 1. I probably already have that color and 2. Even though the colors in a new palette are pretty, what are the chances of me actually using them regularly, when I usually just wear my tried & true staples I already have. 3. What else could I be spending my money on that might be a better choice? For me, I'm trying to find my HG skincare. But, also, saving your money for retirement. That is one of the biggest regrets people in their 40s & 50s have. "Why didn't I start saving in my 20s?" I always recommend having at least 2 bank accounts. One that you keep to pay your bills with and the other for savings. And to make it easier to save is to have an automatic transfer of whatever amount you choose to AUTOMATICALLY be transferred from your checking into your savings. I know this has turned into a totally different topic, but when you see your savings go up, seemingly without even trying to save, you will feel such a feeling of accomplishment.

Sep 20, 2015

Joanna C.

I feel like if you see yourself constantly looking at a palette and obsessing over it than get it hahaha(: also what you said about some people only needing 2 palettes is crazy in my eyes I feel like you can't possibly get enough looks with just two palettes hahah