Pre-made palettes are great for beginners, but more experienced artists tend to avoid them for a few reasons. First, the formulas are often inconsistent or poor in quality - most successful artists are successful because of their attention to detail down to the last shade, texture, and formula of the products they carry. That said, to start, they are a fantastic way to begin filling your kit - but eventually you should graduate to a more custom or professional product. I will say, MakeUpForEver is one of the few lines that creates palettes based on their actual lipsticks, which are a great formula and are absolutely worth your time;)
When you decide to move forward with your favorite lipstick formulas, CARRYING them in palettes is a smart method of saving kit space as well as time. I will say that some of the larger palettes are a bit unnecessary though, unless you're using a ton of one color or don't have a lot of shades to work with. I think Andrew is using MAC palettes? Great option for the amount of lipsticks he carries. However, if you are looking to carry more, you'll want to use the YABY 20-well palettes. Each well holds 15-20 applications and fits in a crazy small space - I carry 60 shades in 3 tiny palettes. You can either melt your lipsticks into the wells for a smoother surface or use a cosmetic spatula to fill them. I will say, the spatula is easier and much more practical, but either method works fine.
As far as brands go, try not to get caught into "names" as much as artistry brands. Artistry brands like Smashbox, MakeUpForEver, NARS, and MAC will have much higher pigment and quality for your buck. Many designer brands fill their lipsticks with fragrance and add on extravagant packaging. Some of the higher-end lines mentioned are even made by the same manufacturer in the same formula as some artistry brands - only one has sleek packaging and costs twice as much. Professional over labels;) You can see my whole kit in the link below, but I can tell you I use mostly the brands above, with several Urban Decay and YSL colors that are awesome - and a few cherry-picked shades from other lines.
http://givegoodface.com/2009/07/wha...
or
Michelle C.
Just wondering, when getting lipsticks for your kit, do you buy a pre-made palette or do you buy indivuals and make your own palettes? What brands do you use?
Andii J.
I buy indviduals and melt into palettes but melting is quite hard to do it right because you dont want to burn them or over do it because if you do you can ruin the lipstick and ruin the formulation
I use every lipstick from Chanel Tom Ford MAC Bobbi Brown Rimmel etc
Gemma T.
I have a palette from Avon which I found over tidying up the computer room ..... don't know how old it is
Kimberly M.
Both...I have a pre-made palette. Plus I made a few of my own...
Michelle C.
@Kimberly...were there any brands in particular that you used to make your palette or did it matter?
Dani P.
I have both. I prefer to make my own because then I know I'm going to like every color, and I can customize it into like pinks, and plums, and reds, etc. I do love my Sephora 15 lipstick palette. Not sure if they still sell it, I got it a couple years ago.
Courtney A.
you can customize palettes from inglot
Jordan L.
Pre-made palettes are great for beginners, but more experienced artists tend to avoid them for a few reasons. First, the formulas are often inconsistent or poor in quality - most successful artists are successful because of their attention to detail down to the last shade, texture, and formula of the products they carry. That said, to start, they are a fantastic way to begin filling your kit - but eventually you should graduate to a more custom or professional product. I will say, MakeUpForEver is one of the few lines that creates palettes based on their actual lipsticks, which are a great formula and are absolutely worth your time;)
When you decide to move forward with your favorite lipstick formulas, CARRYING them in palettes is a smart method of saving kit space as well as time. I will say that some of the larger palettes are a bit unnecessary though, unless you're using a ton of one color or don't have a lot of shades to work with. I think Andrew is using MAC palettes? Great option for the amount of lipsticks he carries. However, if you are looking to carry more, you'll want to use the YABY 20-well palettes. Each well holds 15-20 applications and fits in a crazy small space - I carry 60 shades in 3 tiny palettes. You can either melt your lipsticks into the wells for a smoother surface or use a cosmetic spatula to fill them. I will say, the spatula is easier and much more practical, but either method works fine.
As far as brands go, try not to get caught into "names" as much as artistry brands. Artistry brands like Smashbox, MakeUpForEver, NARS, and MAC will have much higher pigment and quality for your buck. Many designer brands fill their lipsticks with fragrance and add on extravagant packaging. Some of the higher-end lines mentioned are even made by the same manufacturer in the same formula as some artistry brands - only one has sleek packaging and costs twice as much. Professional over labels;) You can see my whole kit in the link below, but I can tell you I use mostly the brands above, with several Urban Decay and YSL colors that are awesome - and a few cherry-picked shades from other lines.
http://givegoodface.com/2009/07/wha...
Michelle C.
Thanks everyone!!