Do You Prefer Makeup Palettes or Makeup Kits?

Around the holiday time of year, a lot of cosmetics companies produce makeup kits and palettes for their customers.  Some of these are quite beautiful and very hard to resist!  I love the concept of having everything in one little container, especially when it comes to travel, but I find that these all-in-one palettes rarely live up to my expectations.

First of all, I will always use up the lightest eyeshadow shade in a palette before I even make a dent in the eyeliner shade.  Now I’m stuck with a very large container for one or two colors that will take me a lifetime to use up.

Second of all, I don’t like to spend money on shades I don’t even expect to wear.  The palette may have two beautiful nude tones and one bright blue.  I will not be wearing that bright blue shade, and it will again take up space in my drawer.

So I have found that while they are pretty to look at, palettes are just not for me.

Kits, on the other hand, have a much wider application.  With individual items assembled in a kit, I can now pick and choose what I want to use.  I may not end up using all of the items in the kit, but I can re-purpose one individual mini mascara much easier than I can find a use for that bright blue eyeshadow.

One thing that I love about the kits is that usually they are made up of deluxe sample sizes.  I am a sucker for pocket-size cosmetics!  I so rarely use up any one item that having minis allows me to play with new goodies without worrying about adding too much to my collection.

Which do you prefer?