Before we do anything can we talk about those ADORABLE little bug things I found on Picmonkey? They were too cute to be left out.

Hey guys, the whole world and his dog knows about MAC eyeshadows, right? 99% of bloggers seem to own palettes and I've seen various posts detailing the colours they've chosen and various swatches etc, but I've not seen one telling you a) how to do it and b) whether or not it's worth it. Don't worry though, I'm here to answer those burning questions- or maybe not so much burning as simmering? This isn't a post preaching the greatness that is MAC eyeshadow, it's just about the building process.

There are various sizes for the palettes, so you'll have to look and see what would suit your needs best. I just have the single sided, 15 pan one. This is quite a splurge as the empty palette will set you back about £16.50 and each refill costs £10, but I have to say I'm so glad I started building my own. I always found with pre-made eyeshadow palettes there were colours I loved and used up so quickly and then others I never touched, so in theory money was wasted. The perk of building your own palette is that you can only include colours you would use. Also, there is no pressure to buy all the refills at once, I've built this over several months and some people take years to fill theirs.

I've written the name of each shade I have in case any take your fancy- you can clearly see which ones I favour (it's currently Brulé with Charcoal Brown in the crease). While building this I tried to include muted colours I would use regularly and that would complement each other for various looks- although the odd statement like Antiqued snuck its way in. Any time I've asked someone for help in a MAC store they've been great so if you're nervous, just ask! I found myself having 30 minute discussions about eyeshadows and it always helps to have a professional opinion on colours that would suit your skin tone, and I'd usually ask which colours they felt they couldn't live without in their palettes to get inspiration.

Although it's expensive to build, this palette has made all my other eyeshadows become redundant. It's not so much a splurge as an investment, as I said you can build it up over time and tailor it to you. It might be OTT to say, I probably couldn't live without this now! How about you? Do you have a MAC Palette? Do you want one?