DIY custom makeup palettes

I've been customizing my makeup palettes ever since I started experimenting with makeup as a young teenager. Initially motivated because I found myself blending my own colours to compensate for products meant for white skin or colours that didn't show up on me and so on. Now that I've learned how to de-pot my makeup products in pans using either heat, solvent or plain old patience, I can't stop making these little treasures! I feel like each one I make means that this many shadows will quit languishing in the back of a kit or drawer, rarely seeing any action, and have thus rediscovered so much great makeup I had forgotten to enjoy in too long. Notably, the amount of storage space that's saved by taking dozens of shadows out of individual pots and making them fit neatly together is like makeup Tetris", and I'm inspired by new colour and texture combinations that I never had thought of prior to depotting.

It's so simple to make yourself lovely reusable bespoke makeup palettes for a fraction of the cost of buying them, plus the practicality of consolidating your favourite single shadows with interchangeable palettes means you're likely to get more use from your makeup collection. I find that I prefer to travel with palettes and since I can switch these up so easily to only bring the colours I intend to use, they have become somewhat habit-forming. It all started with this cute little empty Korean makeup brush holder that my mum was given back in the 80s (!) and passed on to me. The brushes inside long-gone, I found a portion of a sheet of magnet that I affixed to the base of the plastic holder and there I had it - my first custom palette, complete with mirrors and everything!

It took me a couple tries to figure out that I much prefer to apply magnets to the back of my pans instead of covering the bottom of the case, so that's what I do now. I bought several sheets of various small self-adhesive magnets at my local Asian dollar store (most decent dollar stores I've been to with a crafting section will carry these, not just Asian ones) that I trim and apply to the back of my powders. I've found this to be the most reliable way to secure the shadows in place, and it's much easier to clean the case if there's nothing stuck to the bottom.

I now keep an eye out for suitable containers all the time, sometimes finding them in unexpected spots like stationery stores, cookware, crafting and/or hardware stores, any of which may have a selection of storage containers for you to choose from. I look for cases that are clean with smooth surfaces inside, preferably solid but not overly breakable and water-resistant, with decent closures and hinges. Asian pencil tins for children have so far been my favourite package to reclaim, but I have an open mind - who knows what I'll find and fill with makeup next..?

The two-tiered design of this palette allows me to sort my shades, like all cool tones on one level, all warm on the other, etc. I also love that this case has a transparent cover but is still pink and kawaii.

Last one, best one; this darling little tin originally housed mailing labels but right now it's the palette I love every day, in which I've collected several of my all-time favourite shadows into one palette. With brands like Laura Mercier, Stila, Giorgio Armani, Christian Dior, Fresh, Essence, Iman, Coastal Scents and more, plus a couple of blushes and a few shades that double as highlighter, this is a full-service compact palette that makes me smile whenever I see it. For just a few dollars and a bit of time, you can have one too!