Palette Love... Inglot Freedom System

Admittedly, I am a real sucker for palettes. They're usually great value, and I just love having everything in one handy little case. But the issue I have with most is palettes is that either I don't like all the colours, or else I "miss" having certain items (like lip colour - but then I also hate having to cart around a big palette in my purse just so I can reapply my lipstick).

A lot of companies these days are offering "customisable" palettes where you can pick your own colours and even types of products (e.g. eyeshadow, blush, lipstick) that go into the palette. Bobbi Brown's palette system is one example - but it also comes with a very hefty price tag and limited shades to choose from.

Which is why I think Inglot's Freedom palettes are awesome. They come in two types - the Large and Small Freedom palettes can hold a combination of eyeshadow, face powder or blush, while the smaller Pro palettes can hold eyeshadow, lipstick, concealer, brow powder, or tinted brow gel. Better yet, the shade choices are staggering, and the price very reasonable. For those of you who dream of a palette that truly has everything, I think Inglot is probably about as close as it comes.

I have two of the smaller Pro palettes: a 5-pan and a 3-pan:

• The 5 pan palette contains (left to right): 1 brow powder (matte dark brown) and 4 eyeshadows (coppery brown, deep grey-brown, medium taupe-grey, golden cream; all with shimmer)
  

• The 3-pan palette contains (left to right): two lip colours (coral peach, cool medium pink) and a concealer
  

I'm actually very happy with my colour choices, as they're extremely versatile. For the eyeshadow I can do either a warm color scheme (cream & coppery brown) or cool color scheme (cream & taupe grey) for daytime. If I want a smokier look, I can add in the darker grey-brown. While I would say the pigmentation is on par with MAC, the colours do lack depth (none are duochrome or opalescent - the shimmer is just a standard shimmer). There are also very limited options for mattes. Overall I think they're quite good though.

For lips, I have one warm peach-nude colour and one cool pink, so I can co-ordinate with what I'm wearing clothing-wise. I LOVE that the lip colors and concealer are in a separate palette - now I can keep this smaller palette in my purse for touch ups without having to lug around any unnecessary items (like eyeshadow). The lip colours themselves are very nice - they are pigmented with an opaque, non-shimmery texture and have a glossy effect. They're not particularly long-lasting, but that's the compromise if you have a glossier product. The concealer is lovely - it reminds me a lot of MAC Studio Sculpt concealer, only a little lighter in texture. Unlike some cream concealers, this one does "dry down" once applied, so that it's less likely to budge during the day.

Overall I really think these are fabulous palettes. I loved choosing my own colours, there were just so many options! It's a shame that the Pro (round-pan) palettes don't incorporate blush, however I think I will eventually look into getting a Small Freedom palette with a face powder,a couple of blushes and a contour colour, as a nice complement to what I already have.

Click here for details of where to find Inglot in the UK.