Monday, December 9, 2013

Perfect Palette Tag

I was tagged by Zoë to do this Perfect Palette Tag I've seen floating around lately (thanks for including me, Zoë!). I am absolutely palette crazy as you may have deduced from my latest wishlist, so I've thoroughly enjoyed reading and watching responses to this tag on blogs and YouTube. There's a certain irresistible quality to a beautifully executed palette, whether it be a standout shade or two that makes the whole thing a must-have, or how the different colours and finishes promise a world of possibilities and creative potential.




1. Best Packaging

Hands down, Clarins Eye Quartet Mineral Palette in Odyssey (09). I mean, just look at it. I think I like it better than the more masculine, architectural packaging of Tom Ford, which would've been second in the running. This is just one incredibly good-looking palette. The intricate pattern at the front, the gold case and interior, the classic neutral eyeshadows housed within, that to-die-for gold leaf shade. So much eye candy.


2. Best Colour Payoff

I'm giving this one to the LORAC Pro Palette. The metallic shades are uniformly vibrant and pigmented, but what sets the Pro Palette apart from other comparable palettes is the inclusion of the matte shades. The darker mattes in particular (Sable, Espresso) are some of the most impressively pigmented eyeshadows I have in my whole collection.


3. Most Versatile

Laura Mercier Lingerie Eye & Cheek Palette. We have light shades, dark shades, satin finish, mattes, a glitter/near duochrome and two blushes. If that's not versatile, I don't know what is. You can come up with anything from a barely there, daytime appropriate look (any combination of Buff Pearl, Tawny Apricot or Pale Pink), something with a bit more pizzazz (African Violet) or a smokey eye (Rich Cocoa or Black Plum). The two darker colours could easily double up as eyeliner. Buff Pearl is your standard inner corner/browbone highlighting shade. Pale Pink could be a transition/blending shade depending on your skin tone. The light and medium shades could be used on the lid alone, or the darker colours incorporated for added depth. And that's just the eyeshadows — wear the blushes separately or mixed together. The list goes on.



4. Best for Travel

When travelling, I have only one requirement. Small. What I bring needs to take up as little space as possible. At the back of my mind, it also has to be something I'm willing to lose (you never know with misplaced luggage, forgetful packing and any number of potential mishaps while on the go). In my last Shop My Stash, I unearthed this Lancome Color Design Sensational Effects Eyeshadow quad which I decided to bring along with me during my Europe trip. Along with Essence Eye Soufflé in Pas des Copper, it served me well.


5. Biggest Regret

Too Faced Naked Eye. The shades swatched so beautifully but the majority are complete fails on my lids. The three larger pans and Pillow Talk barely show up. Lap Dance and Unmentionables are too dark and cool for my colouring to sport all over the lid for the daytime. Satin Sheets is pretty, but what would I do with it? The matte black Stiletto is unremarkable. That leaves only Like A Virgin, which I do enjoy, but only with a shimmery purplish base like the one from Revlon Illuminance Crème Shadow in Wild Orchids. For the same amount of money, I could've taken home Stila In the Light which I'm sure I'd be infinitely happier with.


6. Best Colour Names

This one was tricky for me to answer since I'm ridiculously hard to please when it comes to names. I find the majority of shade names to be dull and unimaginative, or cringe-inducing (e.g. the whole of theBalm ShadyLady Vol. 2 — I mean, Just This Once Jamie, really?). I prefer shade names that don't try to incorporate the literal colour in the name, but rather, evoke certain images or moods that tie in with the colour and paint an overall picture of the palette. I picked the Urban Decay Naked palettes for that reason. The names suggest to me a kind of dangerous, on-the-edge, racy, femme fatale, outlaw vibe which I suppose is meant to emphasize how seductive and daring a suite of neutrals can be.


7. Least Used

This one was easy. Sleek i-Divine eyeshadow palette in Bad Girl. I never use this thing. I regret buying it as it just sits in my makeup drawer untouched. The colours are just way too dark, green and blue to be used on a regular basis. And by regular basis, I mean ever.



8. Most Used, Most Loved, Desert Island

NARS And God Created the Woman. I am so glad the makeup fanatic in me latched onto the idea of procuring this palette and didn't let go. No other palette has captured my affections the way this one has, with the possible exception of Urban Decay Naked2 (though the original Naked still holds a place in my heart as well). I was contemplating forking out an insane amount of money for the limited edition Chanel Ombres Matelassées palette in Charming, but talked myself out of it by focusing on how much superior And God Created the Woman is in every single way. Most palettes contain a bit of filler in the form of certain shades that you rarely touch or that simply don't appeal to you. I can say with confidence I love and use every single colour in And God Created the Woman. It also has the left shade in the Kalahari duo, one of the most stunning eyeshadows I've come across. I easily see myself using this palette for the rest of my makeup-loving life.

64 comments:

  1. Great choices! After all these months, I still cannot get over how stunning your photos are - please teach me your ways and tell me what camera you use!

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    1. Haha thank you so much! Nothing special, I use a Nikon D7000 and just try to take in focus photos in good natural lighting against a white paper background :)

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  2. Love this tag! I can't wait to do it but I feel like I'm not qualified since I don't own a Naked palette :P

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    1. Lol I hope you do it! I know you have some great alternatives to the Naked palettes in your collection which we'd love to see :)

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  3. I so agree with & God Created the Woman! Soooo glad I picked it up! I have yet to buy myself a UD Naked palette. I'm THISCLOSE to buying Naked 3!

    xo runbarbierun.com

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    1. Wow - no Naked palette? That's pretty amazing for any makeup junkie :) I guess that will change soon :p And how good is And God Created the Woman?

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  4. Oh bad girl...it's not my cup of tea either!
    Funny, usually people really love the naked eye from too faced, although I have to admit that I only got interested on their palettes (their new chocolate eye palette is sooooo nice *-* ).
    And the NARS palette <3 I have yet to try NARS eyshadows, but that gold eyeyshadow just sold it out for me. Another product added to my NARS whislist (which is huge, since I can only get NARS online...).

    I really like this tag. I'll probably wait a bit, since I'll be trying to get the new Naked3 palette and who knows, I might get another one? not sure yet.
    Take care, have a nice day!*

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    1. NARS is one of my favourite brands - I'm sure you'll like many items on your wishlist :) I was interested in Romantic Eye from Too Faced as well and Natural Eye - but I opted for Naked Eye and unfortunately was disappointed. I like their Joy to the Girls palette that they have going on right now for Christmas. Hope you do the tag, would love to read your answers :)

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  5. The Clarins palette does have such gorgeously luxe packaging! I agree with you on names of shades- when they attempt to incorporate the name of the colour in it just makes it sound tacky. I need to get myself a Lorac palette sometime in my lifetime, their eyeshadow quality sounds impressive! You've now made me want to hunt down the NARS palette, the third shade looks amazing :)

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    1. Haha coming up with a good shade name is a tough gig! I'm glad I picked up my LORAC Pro Palette from Sephora via Tarazz when they had a $10 flat fee shipping promotion. I split the shipping cost with a friend so it worked out to be all right. The NARS palette I think is limited edition but apparently they recently restocked on Space NK?

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  6. You have great collection of those! I'm thinking about buyng Naked from Urban Decay :)

    www.magdalennes.blogspot.com

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    1. You can't pull me away from palettes :) I'm sure you'll love the Naked palette - it's pretty much a classic now!

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  7. I've enjoyed reading and watching this tag, and in almost everyone a Naked palette and Lorac Pro make at least one category, those two seem to be palettes to own :)

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    1. They're fantastic palettes and I'm sure won't disappoint if you bought either (or both) of them! :)

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  8. SO happy you did this! Great picks in response, and it makes me want to collect them all! Too Faced's Natural Eye looks enticing, but I don't know how often I'd use it because the packaging unnecessarily bulky too.

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    1. I was contemplating Natural Eye or Romantic Eye at the time I purchased Naked Eye - not sure if I would've been happier with Natural or Romantic more than Naked. Either way, I'm more drawn to the Stila palettes since I don't have one of them :p Not a huge fan of the Too Faced packaging either, but I think I bought their redesigned, slightly slimmer packaging - the older versions had like a little pull out drawer with eye sponge applicators from memory?

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  9. I feel like going on a palette haul now! I've heard so many great things about the Nars palette and can't wawit to get my hands on it (maybe this year's Christmas splurge?). Great post as always!

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    1. Palettes are worth the investment in my opinion, especially since some of them are almost the same price as a single eyeshadow from a luxe brand. Hope you manage to get your hands on the NARS :)

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  10. UuuugGHhhh I want that Clarins palette SO MUCH

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    1. It is gorgeousness! So happy when I found it on StrawberryNET :D

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  11. Hah, I think you just convinced me to take another look at the NARS palettes. Loved reading about your palette favorites!

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    1. I was tempted by the other two they put out but they don't hold a candle to And God Created the Woman in my opinion! Glad you enjoyed reading :)

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  12. thanks for this! i've been thinking about trying out the laura mercier.

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    1. I was obsessed over it but never purchased it when it was in the shops here - had to buy it off StrawberryNET but so glad a fellow blogger alerted me to it, otherwise I probably would've missed out forever!

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  13. I completely agree with you on the Too Faced palette! I really wanted to love it - the colors are beautiful - but they're pretty much non-existent once applied on the eyes. Loving that NARS palette though - the colors are amazing!

    xoxo,
    Jenny @ Geeky Posh

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    1. I'm glad that we share similar sentiments regarding Naked Eye! I read some reviews were others had the same opinion too, so I'm definitely not alone. Such a bummer because you'd think the shades would be super promising.

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  15. Now that I look at the clarins palette I realized the shades reminde so much of the maybelline chai latte quad. But I'm not sure if the quality can compare and obviously no where near comparable to the glamourous packaging. It's too bad that the too face palette doesn't work out for u at all, I've been debating between that and the stila one you mentioned....but now that the urban decay naked 3 is coming out..... And the nars palette makes me feel like I need it too....sigh. I'll never be satisfied lololol

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    1. HAHAH I know what you mean! There are a few other palettes I *need* (as much as a punch to the face) including theBalm Nude'tude etc, Stila In the Light etc.

      I think you mentioned the similarity before - if not you then it has been pointed out to me previously :) I want to get my hands on the Maybelline quad but it's not available here. Not sure if it's discontinued. The packaging of the Clarins is definitely beautiful but what makes the quad exceptional is the gold shade - I truly have nothing like it and it is utterly spectacular and unparalleled.

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  16. Oh God is the clarins palette beautiful!! I love Clarins, also the fact that they're still on the 'reasonable' side of high end..
    This is such a fun tag to do, been wanting to do one but since nobody tags me T.T...., I guess I'll just tag myself shamelessly :P

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    1. Awww, I totally forgot to tag people in the end! Such a terrible tagger :p I would've tagged you for sure! Anyway I loved reading your take on this on your blog :) And yes, it's great Clarins are a relatively affordable "luxe" brand :)

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  17. I love this tag! I hope to get tagged soon xx
    Pearl | Pearluxe Beauty&Lifestyle

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    1. Consider yourself tagged! :) It completely slipped my mind to actually tag people at the end LOL

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  18. This is such a fun tag! The Clarins palette is probably the prettiest I've ever seen & I love Nars palettes so much!

    Jennie xo | sailorjennie.com

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    1. It is - I really liked doing it and reading/watching the responses of others :) I think palettes are something that beauty enthusiasts naturally can rave about so it's such an easy tag to do and infectious in a way!

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  19. I've been enjoying seeing this tag going around too… it's fun to see how different and yet how similar everyone's answers seem to be. I'm still lemming over that NARS palette; I hope one of these days I can finally get over the price tag and nab it for myself because every time I see it I'm struck by its beauty. And also: why DO companies sometimes pick the worst names for eyeshadows haha!??!? Sometimes the names are a big enough turn off for me to not buy them (is that insane of me?) :/

    ♥Cassie
    thriftthick.blogspot.com

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    1. Lol no! I can understand :) But I will still buy an eyeshadow or palette with an atrocious name if I liked the shade enough :p The NARS palette is amazing - I wonder if it's still available online/in the shops? I don't know how "limited edition" NARS stuff is - it's not like MAC let's put it that way...

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  20. Absolutely love this tag, such palette P0rn for sure <3 I have 5 of the palettes you've shown here, that is the sign of a fellow palette addict for sure! I like the look of that Too Faced, but then we are quite different in colouring (and I am obsessed with Too Faced in a bad, bad way)

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    1. LOL yay for overlapping palettes! :D Which 5? That's a pretty maj overlap! I think the Naked Eye would be gorgeous on you - I'm jealous of paler complexions. I don't know, I just think everything looks nicer LOL.

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  21. I'm so glad you did this tag! The Clarins palette is beautiful!! As is the NARS palette *drool* Great picks, love your choices x x

    zoetrope2468.com

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    1. Thanks for tagging me :) I'm still stuck on that Chanel Charming palette from your post! :p

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  22. You have some gorgeous palettes! The last one from Nars seems super lovely. And the Clarins one as well!

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  23. I love that laura mercier palette and the UD ones! Oh my! I really must to this tag in the next month, its so fun! I loved your post!

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  24. Love your pick of the palettes. I have so many palettes that I never use but I still want more.
    xx

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    1. I know exactly what you mean - we have the same affliction! :p

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  25. I love your palettes, are very very beautiful! *u* I like so much the first palette, I have Naked 2 and I love it!

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    1. Naked2 is gorgeous :) I especially love Suspect and YDK. And the Clarins is super beautiful too!

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  26. I think the Laura Mercier palette I got is my most versatile too :)

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    1. I totally have you to thank for bringing it to my attention when it was available on StrawberryNET! :D

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  27. So many pretty palettes! I love the packaging of the Clarins one - sooo pretty.

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    1. Isn't it just? Whoever worked on it did an amazing job!

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  28. That Clarins palette is so beautiful! I don't think I've seen it before, but it's so so gorgeous! x

    lillies and lipbalm

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    1. Definitely one of the most aesthetically pleasing palettes I've ever laid eyes on :)

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  29. Oh gawd, now *I* want the Odyssey palette! I love palettes, shamelessly and hopelessly.

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  30. The Clarins palette is absolutely gorgeous! The Naked basics palette will always be my favourite, space-wise, but other than that, I'd agree with a lot of your choices. Such a shame about the Too Faced palette, though, it's been on my wishlist for forever! xx

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    1. It may work on you brilliantly! It just didn't work for my colouring which I didn't anticipate :( Still, I do like the matte shade I mentioned. I'd been eyeing Naked Basics but I realised I had pretty much all of the shades in it in my existing collection, so I passed. But still, it is packaged so compactly and would be excellent for travel.

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  31. I love Lorac shadows and I still haven't bought the Pro, I don't know what's wrong with me. I do have the Unzipped and I use it almost everyday. I love the Naked palettes too! Are you getting the 3? :)

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    1. The Pro is great, especially if you like matte shades. So many looks you could come up with! I'm thinking of getting Naked3 but it seems to be sold out everywhere. It's on my wishlist but I will try to exercise patience & possibly get it once the initial hysteria dies down :p

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  32. Isn't the Clarins palette an absolute beauty! I don't own many palettes of eyeshadows at the moment, I have a few cheap ones which I'm considering throwing away as they have some bizzare shades in which I now wouldn't use at all.

    I currently have the Naked 2 palette and the Nars Fairy Kiss palette which was a Christmas present (I'm still yet to use it as I want a nice picture for my blog....I confess I'm one of those people).

    This was a great time for me to read this post as today I have seen a few new quads that will be released within the Bobbi Brown Spring Collection for 2014, they are stunning!

    Amy x A Little Boat Sailing

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