4 Ways to Build Your Own Eyeshadow Palette

Customisable palettes that I can build myself really have been a revelation for me! Although there are pre-made palettes I really love (the Lorac Unzipped, Urban Decay Naked and Too Faced Natural Eyes to name a few), I can say that in the last 6 months since I started building my own, they have become the most used in my stash. Although they generally cost considerably more, I much prefer customisable palettes to single eyeshadows or pre-made palettes. I thought I'd do a post on the ones I have so you can see the shades I've got and get an idea of which option might be for you.

The Budget Option: Makeup Geek 

Palette from £8.99, Eyeshadows from £4.95 each | post

My Makeup Geek obsession is REAL... And, as you may have noticed, my palette is now complete, so I will be doing an updated collection in due course! I have a mixture of the standard eyeshadow pans and a few of the foiled ones (which retail a little higher at £7.95). The first step is to pick your palette and the best option is the Z Palette, which is completely customisable and magnetic. It even comes with some sticky magnetic strips so you can add just about any pan of makeup you want. They come in small, medium, large and extra large. I started with a small (which fits 9 eyeshadows) but quickly upgraded to a large (which fits 27)! The quality of Makeup Geek eyeshadows is comparable to options twice their price. Though the shade selection isn't quite as vast as MAC's, for example, it's still pretty extensive.

Both the matte and the shimmer eyeshadows are of incredible quality and the foiled eyeshadows offer an even more intense, dewy metallic finish. Whether it's colours or neutrals, you'll be able to find shades you love in their range. The formula is just amazing; one of the best I've ever tried. They're some of the smoothest, creamiest, most pigmented mattes in my stash, which really is something as even premium brands often get mattes wrong. Overall the colour payoff of all the shades I have is incredible and they last so well.

Must-Have Makeup Geek Shades

Starry Eyed (Foiled) - a dewy champagne shimmer
Homecoming - a bronzey-brown shimmer
Grandstand (Foiled) - dewy rose gold shimmer
Frappe - a medium warm caramel-brown matte
Taupe Notch - a deep taupe-brown with a subtle shimmer
Brown Sugar - a reddish brown with a subtle shimmer
Cocoa Bear - a warm dark chocolate-brown matte
Bada Bing - a deep brown with gold glitter

The Pro Option: MAC

Palette from £4, Eyeshadows £10 each | post

This really doesn't need any introduction as it's probably the original custom palette! I have the large palette and the insert (which I bought for £2.50, though it works without it), and I also have a quad for travelling. It had the most extensive selection of eyeshadows I think I've ever come across, which is a little intimidating when you're first starting out. I googled lots of swatches and read around on blogs before coming up with a little shortlist of shades to swatch in store and finally choosing what I wanted to go into my palette. I did do a MAC Eyeshadow Starter Kit, so I won't repeat myself here too much but I definitely recommend starting with a quad that has a highlight, a matte crease shade, a lid colour and a deeper shade.

I do think they're pricey for what they are and there are definitely duds in their eyeshadow line that I've swatched and the quality varies between shades, however MAC is the makeup artist option due to the sheer breadth of their range. I do think Makeup Geek is as good (and in the case of mattes, better) in terms of quality for me but the shades I have in my MAC palette are so perfect for just about any look I'd want to create, which is why I reach for them over and over again. My favourite finishes are Frost and Veluxe Pearl as they're amazingly pigmented and long-wearing shimmers. They're not the texture I'm used to (they aren't particularly creamy or smooth in formula) but they do apply and last really well.

Must-Have MAC Shades

All That Glitters - nude-bronze shimmer
Woodwinked - antique gold bronze-brown shimmer
Patina - light brown with an iridescent sheen
Cork - medium matte-look brown
Quarry - light purple-taupe matte
Sable - red-brown shimmer
Mulch - warm dark brown with gold shimmer
Satin Taupe - purple-taupe shimmer

The Spendy Option: Urban Decay

Palette £8, Eyeshadows £14 each

If you can find a pre-made palette in Urban Decay's line then definitely go for that, as it's not the best value option by a long shot!  However after having loved the original Naked palette for a long time, I wanted another one. None of the others were really doing it for me though, so instead of buying a palette just to only use a fraction of the shades I decided to use my Debenhams Beauty Club points to build my own! You simply buy the Nirvana Build-Your-Own quad (they used to do a 6-slot version which I'd have preferred but this is currently the only option) and then purchase the single eyeshadows one their own. They then can be popped out of their external casing and slotted into the Nirvana palette.

I tried to choose shades that weren't in any of the palettes, though I couldn't resist Chopper (which I believe appears in the Naked 2). I'm sure you're probably familiar with it, but the Urban Decay formula is just the best in my opinion! It's so smooth, pigmented, long-lasting and is still the formula I measure all other eyeshadows up against. 

Must-Have Urban Decay Shades

Easy Baked - light gold shimmer

Beware - warm mid-brown matte

Chopper - bronzy peach with glitter

Lost - warm deep brown shimmer

The Underrated Option: Inglot

Palette from £8, Eyeshadows £5 each 

I first heard about Inglot through Mummy's Beauty Corner but I didn't actually realise it was available in the UK! Seeing Estee and Amelia's palettes really made me want them so I was thrilled when I stumbled across their store by chance in Westfield. It isn't a brand I've heard much about and walking into the store you'd expect the prices to be much higher than they actually are, however the insane number of eyeshadow shades are all available for just £5 each. I decided buying the 5-slot Freedom System was a reasonable place to start.

I think the quality and texture of the eyeshadows is extremely similar to MAC's; it isn't that creamy, buttery feel but they are very long-lasting and pigmented. The Pearl finish from Inglot is virtually identical to MAC's Veluxe Pearl finish. I think the matte shades are better than MAC's as they aren't as dry and have better colour payoff. I know they aren't as accessible but if you happen to come by an Inglot store or spend some time Googling swatches online, you won't regret it! I went for a warm reddish brown and gold themed palette with three shimmers, a matte and a glitter shade.

Must-Have Inglot Shades

11 - light gold shimmer

335 - warm red-brown matte

606 -  warm orange-toned gold metallic shimmer

406 - antique gold shimmer

52 - warm deep brown with gold glitter

So there you have it: 4 options for creating your own perfect palette!

Do you have a custom palette? If not, which brand would you go with?

 

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