Open Letter: Don't underestimate two-shaded eyeshadow palettes

I started wearing makeup in seventh or eighth grade, at the peak of my middle school existence. My mom, who was extremely excited for me to wander into the world of cosmetics and hair care, bought me some cheap makeup brushes, a makeup bag (which still takes up residence in my bathroom closet at home), and a ton of those little eyeshadow palettes. You know... the ones that have two or three similar shades; the ones that come with that teeny tiny foam eyeshadow wand.

I remember specifically having a tiny palette specifically made for hazel eyes, which had a huge (in comparison) gold portion and a tiny army/olive green sitting next to it. On the back was a diagram that said where I should put each color. When I was in middle school, I was extremely jealous of people who had deep, dark brown eyes, so when I got this particular makeup piece added to my collection, I was in awe that it was made for hazel eyes.

Over the years, I have added to my makeup collection to the extreme. I have this mental rule that I keep to myself, saying that I will not spend over $10 on a tube of mascara (I broke that rule when Glossier came out with their lash slick, but that's besides the point). In addition, some makeup items from my collection ONLY come from the drugstore or Target, such as foundation, blushes and bronzers, eyeliner, some shades of lipstick (although, I will say that my best friend recently gifted me with my first ever Kylie Lip Kit, and I can definitely see the hype behind it now), etc...

But one thing I have never had a problem spending a ton of money on is eyeshadow and highlight palettes. For a lot of brands, I can tell a difference to the extreme. They just stay on my face so much better! That's not to say I don't have my fair share of palettes from Wal-Mart, but I definitely pick and choose favorites.

Recently, though, I found myself digging through the clearance makeup bins at Target (you never know!), when I found myself meandering over to the Elf section, and being awestruck by the same two-shaded eyeshadow palettes that consumed my looks almost eight years ago.

I ended up buying two handfuls of these little guys, and later at home, when I had dumped them all out next to my makeup bag (also from Target), I sorted them into what I thought would be amazing looks.

This week, I spent almost every morning trying new looks with these shades, and these shades only. And at $1.50 a pop, I can say it was a pretty big success.

I still have my favorite NAKED palette, and Smashbox reigns supreme in my eyes (or ON my eyes... haha), but I am proud to call this experiment a monumental success.

So, the moral of this story is, if you're short on funds, or even if you're not, don't look past these babies. Yinz will never know until you try. Your thirteen-year-old self will thank you.

xoxo, Madison