comments:
They make smaller palettes that give suggestion for usage. Here's an example . You can usually find these by searching for eyeshadow quad. In general, if you're buying a palette you're going to want a mix of deeper and lighter shades (some to use in the crease or as liner, some to blend with, some for highlights.) You might want some satin or shimmery colors, or only matte, your call. When deciding if a palette is worth it, look at every shade individually and ask if you'd wear it. Many palettes contain 9 or more pans... If there are multiple shades you realistically won't use, it's probably not worth it. Also check for duplicate shades. Especially in bigger palettes, they'll often have a few colors that aren't going to look any different, once they're on your face. Don't be swayed by a beautiful package or color story, if they're not shades you'll actually use. Personally, I prefer small palettes (such as quads) because they're more focused. If I want a "pop" color, I look for it as a single. (You'll notice a lot of palettes are like 6-7 variations of brown with a blue/green/purple thrown in to make it look fun.)