Don't Go Breakin' My...Er, Makeup?

Photo Credit: UNII

You know what I hate? Traveling with makeup. First of all, I never know what to bring, so I always overpack, then have to go around with a huge, heavy bag. Secondly, while I have a beautiful train case, it's ginormous (it's more for storage), and impossible to travel with. I end up throwing everything into a dump bag, then having to root through it to find what I need. Thirdly, stuff breaks. It's inevitable, especially if you've checked your makeup bag with your luggage. My last trip to Disney, the bag ended up tossed in a backpack. You can imagine how well that worked out. Fourthly (really? Fourthly? Is that a word?), I want to look nice, since vacations tend to be photographed and posted on Facebook for all the world to see, so I don't want to bring the cheap stuff. I'd like to be able to bring my nice, expensive makeup and not worry about it getting lost or broken. What's a girl to do?

A girl can get a UNII Palette. Well, maybe. I haven't personally tested one, but I have done quite a bit of research on them, and I must say, I'm impressed. I'm planning to order one next paycheck, and if that happens, I'll gladly post my own review in a "Part Deux" to this post.

Basically, the UNII is an empty makeup palette. Unlike others (such as MAC or Stila), there are no pre-made, pre-sized compartments for you to place one specific type of their particular brand (i.e. a palette that only holds MAC eyeshadows and nothing else). The UNII features a blank steel plate in the bottom, and comes with thin magnets to go on the bottoms of your favorite eyeshadow pans. That way, you can put whatever you want in the palette, and it will stick securely. You can also remove items as necessary. You can add eyeshadows, blushes, pressed powders, lipglosses, whatever. You can even throw in a brush or two, if you're space saavy.

Aside from the customization aspect, I am highly impressed with the construction of the case. It's a hard plastic shell, and looks very similar to those flat wallets that have been so popular as of late. Inside the case is a large mirror and a plastic gasket to ensure an air-tight closure. There's also a moveable thumb-grip, in the event that you want to apply makeup straight from the case while looking in the attached mirror. That's incredibly handy. I'm a klutz, so every little bit of grippage helps. The case snaps shut with a heavy-duty snap-closure that goes down the length of one side of the case. In other words, nothing is getting in or out, and it's not going to be battered to death in transport.

The overall look is similar to an Apple product. This would be right at home next to an iPad, with its bright colors (or pearl white or black) and shiny transparent outer coating. In addition, the palette comes with clear instruction on how to de-pot your makeup pans (take them out of their plastic packaging), and the enclosed magnets allow for you to label color names. *Note: UNII does not recommend de-potting makeup. They would prefer you use refill pans, instead. However, as that is not always an option, they have included de-potting instructions with the palette, and also have instructional videos posted on their website. There are also instructions for repairing broken powder makeups. They are not responsible for any damage to your makeup or palette, or for any injury to your person. Just so you know.

The UNII comes in six colors: Pomegranate (a reddish pink), Twilight (baby blue), Lemongrass (chartreuse), Eggplant (a reddish purple), Snow (pearl white), and Coal (black). Prices start at $29, but there is a small discount for multiples.

Now, because I have not tested this out myself, I can not personally recommend you all run out and purchase one today. $29 is not bad for a palette, but it's still a little more than most folks (myself included) can comfortably afford. There is, however, a fabulously thorough review that, while a little long, is pretty darn enjoyable. It might help you decide whether or not something like this is right for you.




I can't embed this because my computer is stupid, so this link will take you to a YouTube page.
Photo Credit: From Head To Toe