If you have spent any time in beauty halls or even your local chemist such as Boots or Superdrug, you will have noticed that palettes are back and in a big way. Lining the stands is a whole onslaught of new and larger palettes; a product form that unless it contains powder based cosmetics, I often feel is best left alone due to the almost dated approach. Hear me out...

As a beauty blogger I am open to most cosmetic offerings and procedures for that matter, we all want to look and feel our best so who am I to count anything out? My gripe with palettes (again other than powder) is not only long standing but also well documented. Think about it; blush, eyeshadow are products you more than likely apply at home and seldom touch up - if you do I'd imagine most would rather cart around a single pan of product, opposed to a bulky palette? Poured wells of lipstick and concealer may work well for make-up artists but for the average user, they are more hassle than they are worth (there is of course exceptions to every rule). Who has time to fish around their bag, not only for a lip palette but also a lip brush - not me. A standard lipstick is just so much more convenient.

Palettes We Use, Palettes We Love, Palettes We Loathe

Convenience aside, the average high street, mixed palette is normally very much a case of hit and miss. Don't get me started on eyeshadow, cream blush and lipstick combination palettes. Typically in such instances, the eyeshadows will be the best of a bad bunch and the cream products will be overly oily and a nightmare to apply - I do say typically as I am sure there is a great, budget friendly mixed palette out there, waiting to blow me out of the water. Then there's also the problem of the eyeshadow fall out collecting into the cream products - a nightmare waiting to happen. 

For now I'm happy with blush and eyeshadow palettes, even then I long for more customisable options (if NARS launch one more blush palette featuring Orgasm and Laguna, I'll scream). I guess when it comes to palettes it is different strokes for different folks. Where do you weigh in? And if you can point me in the direction of a great, high street mixed palette, I'm all ears and waiting to be converted.