What’s in My UNII Palette?

I finally depot my Urban Decay book of shadow IV. I was choosing between UNII palette and Z palette and I thought the UNII palette was more durable. I like the fact that the Z palette has a clear cover, but I’d prefer a huge mirror.

The colors I have are lavender and crystal.

I have all the neutral shades in the lavender one and the rest in the other one. I should have placed the neutrals in the crystal to color match, but I love the lavender color so much that I’d rather use it every day.

The palette is already magnetized which means metal pans can stick to it without extra magnet sheet. It is very thoughtful of the company to include a magnet sheet in case that some pans are made of aluminum.

For size reference, I place it together with the NARS Laguna bronzor and the naked palette.

A quick tip! I cut the name from the original palette and tape it to the corresponding eye shadow, so I know exactly what shade I am using if I want to. 

Is the UNII palette worth the money?

In my opinion, it is. I spend quite some money on palettes and I really wish to get more uses out of them, but bulky packaging stops me from doing so. Now with the UNII palette I can depot whatever shade I like and use it daily. Besides, I can see myself traveling with the UNII palettes. They are sturdy with hard plastic. On the top of that, they are cute!

Tips: All about Expiration Date

I was not so aware of expiration dates for beauty products, but I think it is very important to pay attention to them, especially for skincare products. First, where can we find expiration dates? Usually, companies print either period after opening (PAO) or expiration date on the container. Expiration date is straightforward which means you need to toss out the product before the date. It usually reads ‘EXP**/**’ or ‘Best by**/**’.

As to PAO, you need to find “open jar” sign with a number followed by the letter M, which indicates the time period (in months) the product can be safely used after opening.

In the picture above, the first product can last 12 months upon opening while 24 months for the second one.

Every time I open a new container, I write the date on a sticker and attach it to the container, so I always know when I should throw out the product. I find it is very beneficial in some other ways. For example, if you have unusual breakouts/allergy reactions, you can check the stickers to pinpoint the product that causes the problem.

As to makeup items, I only use this method to liquid and cream products because powders do last quite a long time. Also, since I have sensitive eyes, I do track the date of eyeliners.

I am definitely not being comprehensive, but I really want to share my opinions on it. Thanks for reading!

Tips: Depot UDPP

My primer portion was completely beaten up and I could barely get anything out, so I decided to cut it open. You will be amazed by the amount of product that is trapped in the packaging. The jar I have here is a sample powder container whose size is at least equivalent to a full size cream eye shadow.