With so many different occasions and new makeup trends to try, why limit yourself to just one eyeshadow pot and stifle your vibes? Nah, no thanks. This year, get yourself a whole eyeshadow palette with a full spectrum of shades, tones, and finishes to suit your style, the season, whatever. No matter how you prefer to apply eyeshadow, whether it’s just a soft wash of color or a full-on glam cut-crease, these eyeshadow palettes, below, will give you everything you need to create the looks you want (some even come with primer and brushes, FYI). Keep on reading to find out how to choose the best eyeshadow palettes, then shop some of our all-time favorites.
Besides the obvious shade selection, you’ve got a few other things worth considering when choosing the best eyeshadow palettes for you. A pro makeup artist would probs want to choose a palette with shades, textures, finishes they have yet to experiment with and maybe even splurge a little on it. But if you’re a beginner who frantically scans through all the bright colors in a palette for the one slightly shimmery neutral shade, you’ll want to find a set that offers you a pared-down selection of the shades you’ll actually use in soft shimmery or satin finishes.
Still, no matter who are, there are a few non-negotiables when searching for the best eyeshadow palettes: High-quality pigment and color payoff, blendable formulas, and good variety, so you can get the best bang for your buck. Need a few recommendations? No prob! We’ve pulled together the very best eyeshadow palettes, from new launches to classic favorites, below.
If you’ve played around with other eyeshadow palettes and discovered warmer shades of orange and gold are flat-out not for you, stick with what you know and find a palette full of basics that work with your skin undertone, like this assortment of cool rosy shades and taupes. Bonus: This palette also comes with an eyeshadow primer in the top left corner that’ll help your pigments stay put and prevent any creasing or smudging. We love a good two-for-one.
If you have a massive collection of eyeshadow palettes, mostly because you feel bad tossing them once you’ve hit the pan on your fave shades, grab this guilt-free, 100 percent recyclable (yay, sustainable beauty!) eyeshadow palette full of matte shadows. And trust me when I say the color payoff isn’t just “good” for clean beauty—it’s good, period.
I know, I know—in what world is a beginner palette over 50 bucks?! But listen—these velvety formulas basically blend themselves, and the easy-to-wear shades can be blended as is, or dampened and used as liquid eyeliner. Try the soft, coral, champagne colors in this palette, or choose from one of the other color combos that fit your preference.
Whether you’ve got to quickly put together a makeup look for a Zoom meeting or just want to add a little somethin’ somethin’ to your everyday face for happy hour, reach for this classic color collection full of neutral browns. It’s small enough to take with you on the go, and each of the shades can be built up or toned down to suit your vibe.
Although you’ll still find some cooler shades on the right end of this palette, this assortment of desert-inspired colors, like turquoise, terracotta, and copper, is a warm-toned dreamland. You’ll find all the matte, metallic, and shimmer finishes you know and love from the brand, along with easy-to-wear transition shades that make the iconic Naked palettes famous. Although any eye color can wear any eye makeup, these eyeshadows on blue eyes would look particularly amazing, IMO.
It would be totally remiss not to include this classic eyeshadow palette in the mix. With matte, shimmer, and metallic finishes in neutral, orange, and pink shades, it’s equal parts soft and pretty as it is bright and glam, and it works for any and every occasion and skin tone. I’m not gonna lie—I’m also a big fan of the double-sided makeup brush that comes included.
Looking for something simple, subdued, soft, and natural? Scroll on, friend, because this ain’t it. All you makeup devotees totally bored by nude eyeshadow palettes need this bright, bold eyeshadow palette that comes with a mix of pastels in matte, metallic, glitter, and matte sparkle finishes. Colourpop is known for its good-quality eyeshadows at equally impressive prices, and for just over 30 bucks, you get 30 shades with this eyeshadow palette to create any rainbow eye look.
Here’s the thing about drugstore eyeshadows: They can be really, really great, or really, really not. This one falls in the first category. Unlike cheap eyeshadows that offer dusty, faint, muddy shades, this palette proves that bright, bold, blendable colors and shimmers that actually show up *can* be done for an affordable price.
This one goes out to all my friends who snatch up all the browns, bronzes, golds, and champagne eyeshadows they can find. With this palette, we’re talkin’ 35 glorious neutrals in matte and metallic formulas. If you own the 350 Nature Glow palette, it’s time to upgrade it because this 2.o version now includes 11 new shades of brown and a pop of peach.
If the regular shimmers just don’t cut it for you, let me introduce you to the duo-chromes, pressed pearls, and silicone-infused sparkles found in this glitter eyeshadow palette. Of course, the buttery, blendable mattes are worth praising, too, but it’s the unique foiled finishes, which look just as good once applied as they do in the pan (a rarity) that’ll really catch your eye.
I love drugstore makeup, so rarely do I say an expensive product is worth the money, but in this case, you’ll want to start saving up right TF now because these eyeshadows are rich (and I mean that in all of the ways). Opening one of these luxe palettes is a surreal experience in and of itself (I still keep mine in the protective sleeves, not gonna lie), but getting your hands on the one-of-a-kind color-shifting shades and cream-infused powders is worth the price.
If you catch yourself putting on the same two or three colors every time you get ready, it’s time to shake up that makeup bag. (I don’t mean that literally. Don’t break your precious pressed shadows, pls.) This array of coral, silver, hot pink, and royal blue colors in matte, satin, and metallic finishes will remind you how fun makeup can be—and that it’s probs time to find a new signature look, just sayin’.
All you need are these six shades to pull together a multitude of makeup looks for both daytime and nighttime. Create a ’90s-inspired smokey eye with the soft, warm, and dark brown matte shadows, or throw in a few of the shimmers and the rich red to punch it up a bit.