What does “paletka” mean in Russian beauty slang?

Палетка (paletka) is a Russian beauty-industry loanword from English “palette,” used specifically for a multi-pan makeup palette: eyeshadow, contour, blush. The word borrowed the English noun, dropped a syllable, and added a Russian-friendly diminutive feel with the -ка ending. Russian beauty TikTok runs on paletki: unboxing, swatching, comparing, dupes. Native Russian палитра means a paint palette in art class, but the makeup version stays paletka. The split is a small example of how Russian sorts loanwords into their own cosmetic-specific niches.

In this clip, a customer asks the clerk if the last paletka is left, and a tiny scandal erupts: “Капец, что за обслуживание?” (“Geez, what kind of service is that?”).