Makeup palettes can be tricky. While the idea of having access to a bigger choice set in a single makeup product is attractive, most of us are not makeup artists and we end up using only a few shades with the rest just gathering dust. That, coupled with the fact that the quality of makeup in palettes varies greatly, can make a regular person’s decision to invest in one – over just buying the one shade/product that we know that we will wear – is not always easy.

Over the years, I’ve come up with a criteria (if you keep following this blog, you’ll soon realize that I like coming up with a criteria for basically everything) – I’ll only take the plunge if the makeup palette fulfills the following conditions: One, I should want to use at least 70% of the shades/products inside. This means that if a palette has ten shades, I should want and be likely to use at least 7. If a palette has 4 shades, I should want to use at least 3. Of course, like all great criteria, this one allows for some exceptions. For example, if a palette has four shades and I’ll never use two of them, but I know that I absolutely love the remaining two – then I will most likely bite the bullet and make my home, their home.  

And before this rambling about numbers becomes tedious, let’s move on to the second condition of my criteria – the quality of the product inside the palette has to be as good as a standalone product. You’d be surprised how many palettes are not able to maintain the level of greatness of their say, lipsticks, in palette form. And finally, bonus points if the packaging makes me do a double take (bonus-plus points if my heart skips a beat).

Needless to say, and as you’ve probably guessed by now, the finalists of this makeup palette competition are a small group. Of this small group, multi-use, multi-shade palettes are an even smaller group and today, in this blog post, I’d like to share three of my favorites. Note that while I say multi-use, the brands that make these palettes don’t -  but as some of my favourite makeup artists keep saying, have fun with makeup – which implies that products don’t always have to be used according to their labels. I use the three palettes presented today everywhere - on my lips, cheeks, and even my eyes.

Makeup by Mario – Master Mattes Pro Lip Palette

I had my eyes on this one for months before I took the plunge. Makeup by Mario’s Master Mattes Pro Lip Palette is a tightly edited group of lip colors, encased within the clean, sharp lines of a minimalist, white, rectangular box that feels nice and solid in the hand. In addition to twelve lipstick shades in nudes and brights, this palette comes with four primaries– blue, yellow, black, and white – hidden discreetly under an actual silver-grey mixing palette that swings up for the reveal.

The idea seems to be that while Mario has selected a nice lineup of twelve shades for you to use, you can customize your own perfect shade – and the possibilities are endless; you can have a different ‘perfect shade’ every day. On the cleverly fitted silver mixing palette, you can mix any of these twelve shades together or you can make them darker or lighter, warmer or cooler, using the four primaries, to match your look and lip of the day. And there’s more – I’ve been mixing blush shades using a few of the twelve shades by adding white to them with impressive results.

The reason this infinitely customizable palette works is partly because of the incredible pigment and quality of the formula that has been used. The mattes are not flat, or drying, but they are very much matte – a feat that is not easy to execute in palette form judging by the pithy number of matte lip palettes in the market that can perform like high-end standalone lipsticks. In fact, this palette performs better than many high-end matte lipsticks. Velvety, non-drying, highly pigmented, and a matte’s matte – these last. As blushes, they apply and blend seamlessly, look creamy, and don’t rub off under masks. A makeup artist on Instagram compared these to Lisa Eldridge’s iconic matte lipstick formula and they weren’t far off the mark. If you wanted to buy one lip palette for life, this is it. Mario nailed it.

3CE – Multi Pot Palette in Going Steady

From matte to ultra-matte, 3CE’s single-shade multi pots are pretty iconic - well-known for their ultra-matte formula. This palette brings together six original shades of the same ultra-matte formula in an edgy, gold box with the face of a model printed in high-def on the top. While the standard, single-use multi pots are round, the close-up of the model as part of the packaging is very much in line with the general aesthetic of the line – edgy, tech-forward, and luxury.

The palette is composed of a bright red, a warm rose pink, a pale bubblegum pink, a peachy-pink, a pale corally-peach, and a warm yellow. This extremely matte formula is a cream to powder that blends almost magically by itself. While high in pigment, there’s quite a bit of white in all the shades (except the red) which, when these shades are used as lip colors, lends itself to a very 60s nude lip look. I tend to use this palette more on my cheeks than on my lips – where these shades go on like powdery puffs of color that blend effortlessly and almost instantly and last a long time. The yellow looks incredible on the eyes paired with a creamy peach lip or a pink gloss; and the red lends itself well to otherwise hard-to-achieve stained, cherub-y lips.

This palette is a little difficult to track down for purchase, but if you can find it, it’s a solid piece of makeup for your beauty arsenal.

Rouje – Les 4 Rouje in Chaleur

Moving a few steps away from matte formulas, Rouje’s Lip Palette – Les 4 Rouje – in Chaleur, composed of four creamy demi-matte shades, is a masterclass in aesthetics. With a decidedly vintage feel to the design, this square-shaped palette is the dark gold of old watches, embossed with stripes in a way that is reminiscent of fancy cigarette lighters.

Though light in weight, it feels substantial in my hand and the surface has the smoothness of an expensive tabletop. Inside, are four shades that go beautifully together – a rosy, cool-toned red of pinched cheeks, a warm corally peach, a bright raspberry pink, and a more muted, darker, dusty rose-pink with a hint of plum. These large squares of color are set close together in a slightly deeper-than-usual cavity of the palette and just looking at them brings me visual joy. The formula is a satin-like demi-matte – very creamy and dewy to the touch but settles down into a decidedly less dewy finish on both cheeks and lips. Highly pigmented, I don’t need to go twice on my lips whether I use my fingers or a brush. On the cheeks, it wears like a dewy blush and has surprisingly strong lasting power.  

While I was attracted to the pinks in Chaleur, this palette comes in a few other color compositions and I’d be lying if I said I havn’t been tempted to buy them all. For those who don’t want to go all matte, but still want intense pigment, and a quality formula with lasting power, this palette is, quite literally, gold.