The make-up palette gets personal

All your favourite colours in one refillable compact? The future of tailor-made make-up is here!

Make-up palettes can be tricky things, I find. They’re meant to be the height of practicality – a variety of colours all in one place and easily portable. Yet the reality is often different. The main reason, of course, is that the mix of shades usually includes some that you’d never use, so waste is instantly in-built. Indeed, according to Tropic Skincare, on average women own over 40 shades of eyeshadow but use only five of them daily.

This stat does not come with an age range and I suspect that younger make-up wearers make much more use of a variety of hues – that’s certainly what I observe of the teens in my life – but even they don’t leverage them all. Meanwhile I, like most of my friends, tend to stick to what I know suits me – and brands are increasingly catering to that way of thinking.

Tropic is one of those brands. Founder Susie Ma spent three years developing a concept that’s high in personalisation and low in packaging waste. Cosmetics from eyeshadow to highlighter, blush and concealer can be bought separately (packaged in cardboard). Once you’ve chosen your preferred colours and products, you add them to your compact Colour Palette

containing easily removable cartridges that can be rearranged to your heart’s content: switch shades and the product line-up depending on your daily needs. The make-up is good quality, too, and all vegan (palette from £16, make-up from £8, tropicskincare.com).

Hourglass has also got into refillability with the Curator Eyeshadow refill system. The build-your-own palette, which is made of tin, is available as a three- or five-pan option and the shades are available in matt, satin, metallic and shimmer finishes. Once you’ve picked your preferences they simply slot into place (from £96, hourglasscosmetics.co.uk). Alternatively, you can buy pre-curated versions put together by the brand or by a celebrity: the latest by Georgia May Jagger (£96) is my favourite. Hourglass is also vegan. Both options are a positive sign that the beauty industry is starting to look more at reducing waste and follow on from the launch of Zara Beauty earlier this year that has refills at the core of its concept. @edwinaingschambers

You can buy the shades separately then add them to the compact