An introduction to my 40 palette collection (problem) + how it changed over 2 years

Items I still have are pictured above (spoiler alert!) EXCEPT my Hourglass palette because I forgot to take a picture of it.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Jackie Aina

This was on my wishlist and when my friend Narisu asked what I wanted for my birthday, and it was on sale, it was an easy choice. I haven’t used it as much as I’d have liked to yet. She deserves far more attention, and I will endeavor to make sure she gets it. (Link)

Juvia’s Place Nubian 2

I bought this when I was first getting into makeup youtube. I think I used it once. It is just about the least ‘me’ colour scheme to ever exist. I depotted it, which was pretty messy despite being cardboard, and now it lives with all my other eyeshadow singles, dwarfing them in my magnetic palettes because the pans are huge, living their worst life in a dusty corner of my shelf.

Kaleidos Club Nebula with Angelica Nyqvist

I’ve been an Angeshka fan for a few years now, and I loved my Kaleidos Futurism palettes (I only had the first three at this point) so this was a no brainer for me. I ordered it as soon as it released.

I love it. I have used the shit out of it and I like doing a 50/50 split on my lid with the blue and green mattes and shimmers.

Here’s another blue and green look I’ve done. ->

It’s weird – I bought it for the cool purples and the reds and oranges, but I’ve been so fascinated by the blue and green that they’ve been dominating the looks I create with this palette.

It’s definitely my palette of the year for sheer fun, and the quality is amazing. It’s a shame Kaleidos didn’t decide to make it permanent.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Leah Scott (@xenopuff)

Natasha Denona Cheek Duo & Natasha Denona Love Mini

I had been desperate to try Natasha Denona’s eyeshadow formula for ages, and after seeing the highlight colour in the cheek duo on videos by Michele Wang and Angelica Nyqvist, I was desperate to try that too. I also bought the lipstick. All are great. (link to eyeshadow)

I’ve attached some pictures of the cheek duo so you can see why I needed it. I forgot to take any of my own because I am an idiot. But omg that highlighter. And that packaging. (link to cheek duo)

What irks me though is the blush is such a horrid colour. It looks like kid makeup. Luckily it doesn’t perform like kids makeup, but I feel like ND will create lovely cohesive collections and then shove a pink blush in there.

Exhibit A (below) – coral palette, pink blush. Sorry, had to have a mini rant!

Pat McGrath MTHRSHP Sublime Golden Opulence

I really wanted to try out some Pat McGrath. I’m mad for Star Wars so I wish I’d been rich and on the pulse enough at the time to get one of those palettes, but this Chinese/Lunar New Year one was on sale at a time where I had a bit of spending money, so I tried it out.

It doesn’t work on me. Like at all. I’m going to investigate this further to remember why and try out fixes, but so far, having used it 3-5 times, it’s a no from me, dog.

Sleek Solstic palette

As a Brit, a lot of the products Youtubers were obsessing over (anything Becca, Shape Tape, the ABH Amreezy highlighter, etc) were really hard to get in the UK, let alone in a drug store. However Sleek was available, and that’s the only reason I got it.

They were nice enough but I have only ever been wowed by duochrome or sparkly highlighters, (or ones with cool packaging/embossing) and therefore this never interested me.

Too Faced Pumpkin Spice

This was a completely out of the blue Christmas gift from Carly-May, an occasional writer on this site. I had seen the palette in new makeup release videos and liked the idea of it, but it didn’t pull me in enough to put it on a wishlist. However I’m very glad to have it. I love silly gimmicky scented products from Too Faced, I love tin packaging, and I love the colours.

I’m ashamed to say I’ve had it a year and only used it once, but I will be using it more this year and will form opinions then.

Given Away

Urban Decay Naked 3

This palette made the same looks over and over again, regardless of which shades were chosen – and it wasn’t even that nice a look. It was a hand me down from Bronni and I handed it down again to a friend who doesn’t have an absurd makeup collection like I do, and I hope she is enjoying it.

---

Purchased

Charlotte Tilbury Pillowtalk

There was a big sale on Charlotte Tilbury right around my birthday, so naturally I went insane and spent about £150 total. I got a ton of lipsticks and blushes, a smaller palette that I gave to my mum (Charlotte Darling if anyone’s interested) and this.

Ok this is so easy to play with. The shimmers are a bit boring but the mattes are so easy and create really soft but punchy looks. It’s my go to palette to create a matte base whenever I’m using a Stila liquid eyeshadow or something else fancy for my shimmer. I would buy a Charlotte Tilbury palette again, but they’re so expensive they’d need to really jump out at me to be worth the cash, and this years did not (bottom left). (link)

Purchased

HUDA Beauty Ruby Obsessions

I bought this for my sister in law a few years ago, but was always a little jealous of it. When I found it in TK Maxx over the summer I had to snap it up. It’s a good little palette and I’ve used it quite a few times since then, especially over Christmas because reds are super festive!

Purchased

Odens Eye Legendary Diversa Collection

I bought a house this summer, and it took a while for all the bills to kick in, so we had a few months at the beginning when family had also gifted money where we felt super rich. Then reality kicked in. Then this released and despite being in financial hot water, I spend £80 to get the full set anyway. I only slightly regret it. The money would have helped but god damn are these some good eyeshadows. (link – only Humming Bird is still in stock)

I’ve used Red Dragon the most, and it’s so fun to play with. It has become a go to, easy palette for me to use on days when I don’t want to fuss for an hour. I’ve used Giant Wolves once, and really liked it, and I have yet to use Humming Bird at all, but come summer I think it’s going to be perfect.

These are seriously astoundingly good quality so far. Kaleidos and Odens Eye are far superior to anything else I have in my collection, and the multichromes in these palettes are so good.

Purchased

Revolution Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Highlighter Palette

As a living person with a brain I am very familiar with how much of a nuisance Revolution and all its sub brands are. They’re not problematic like Jersey Stank Cosmetics and the owner’s racism, they’re not dangerous like Claire’s asbestos makeup, they’re just a fucking nusiance.

Just look at how many brands they encompass (left). One of those ‘cares about the planet’ but how much can you really care when you’re saturating the market with cheap, shit makeup with plastic packaging?

I know, I know, what about Colourpop? Colourpop probably releases less once you factor in how many sub brands Revolution has, and their makeup is actually good.

Anyway, from years of trying out Revolution before giving up on them entirely, I knew highlighters were one of their better offerings, and I got excited when I saw the Simpsons. I also got the Kang and Kodos alien slime primer, and I bought both knowing the actual products would be meh tier and best and I was buying it for the packaging.

The highlighters are passable so far. Although I’ve only used the paler shade and only once or twice. (link – but seriously why would you buy this?)

Given Away

UKMA Unfiltered Palette

UKMA is a facebook group, for UK makeup artists or is it addicts? I literally do not remember. Someone in the group decided to make a palette, and thus this monstrocity was born.

I feel bad slagging this off as it was a gift from Bronni and a real person who could see this designed this thing, but oh my god. The colours, the wasted space, I’m getting uncomfortable just looking at it.

I never used it, for reasons that should be obvious (either you agree the palette is horrible, or you agree that I am a horrible snob, either way I’m cool with it) and I gave it away to a friend.

Purchased

Kaleidos Futurism V: Electro Turquoise, Kaleidos Futurism VI: Lunar Lavender, Kaleidos Futurism VII: Sashimi City

I made a second cheeky Kaleidos order this year, and with it came these three palettes, a set of Cloud Lab Lip Clays (so good), and their eye primer. (link)

Electro Turqouise remains unused, which is a shame. I can’t visualise any looks with it, and it intimidates the hell out of me.

Lunar Lavendar is cute as hell but you’ve gotta be in the mood for purples.

Sashimi City is fantastic, its the one I’d buy all of my makeup loving friends if I could. It’s a nude palette but unlike my other nudes, the shimmers are amazing. I’ve inserted swatches below to show you what I mean.

Gifted

Beauty Bay Bright palette

This came free as a gift with purchase when I bought my Simpsons Treehouse of Horror stuff (and the Sigma eye primer). I’ve only used the nudes so far, to play off a graphic liner. They were horrendous, very little payoff, but also very difficult to blend.

I’ll keep trying it, but I never would have purchased it with actual money, and I’m relieved that this cost me nothing to try. (link – for if you enjoy suffering)