Quick List - Top Eyeshadow Palettes for Beginners
Bourjois Paris
For the Perfect Fuss-Free, Purple Smoky Eye
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As a professional makeup artist of ten years, Marie's job has taken her all over the UK, working at top events, on TV shows and making up beautiful brides. For all of her clients, she loves emphasising their natural beauty by creating a flawless base that still looks like skin.
Find out more about Marie and what her favourite makeup products are through her Instagram. She even shares some industry tips on makeup application. And if you're interested in getting your makeup done by Marie, you can contact her via her email found at the top of her page.
A smaller palette of colours is much more sustainable and cost-effective than buying a large palette only for one or two shades. The small size will also make it great for travel so you can have your favourite colours anywhere you go.
However, on the flip side, a palette with multiple colours can give you plenty of room to experiment when you're not sure which colours suit you best. You'll find many are often very good value too and may last longer overall.
Generally, darker coloured eyeshadows will create a smoky and sultry effect, while rainbow-bright shades give a more edgy, modern look. Brown eyes tend to look best with deep purples, greens and golds while green eyes suit red-bronze tones and aubergine purples. For blue eyes, anything with a warm undertone will look beautiful, such as warm browns and terracottas to help your eyes pop.
As we're often distracted by pretty packaging and the overall look of a collection, it's easy to forget to check the individual shades. Make sure at least 90% of the set are colours you’d realistically put on your face, or you’ll find yourself using one shadow until it’s empty and ignoring the rest; which is not great value for money.
Why not also find your perfect foundation shade by also checking out our guide on the best cruelty-free foundations.
Your best bet as a total eyeshadow novice is matte shadows. These powders reflect very little light, so they are flat and muted. Matte shadows blend beautifully with your skin tone and each other, so they should be extra subtle and won't' have everyone doing a double-take when you first try them out.
Matte shadows are the perfect base to follow up with a pop of shimmer so you can slowly start introducing more colour and finishes once you've perfected a classic, matte eye. Keep darker matte colours close to the lash line for a natural smokey liner effect.
You can get different levels of shimmer – some 'sheen' eyeshadows offer a very subtle pearl finish, while others are extremely glittery. Shimmers can be intensified by spraying an eyeshadow brush with setting spray and then dipping into the eyeshadow. Yet, the downside is that if you haven’t quite got the hang of applying eyeshadow yet, shimmer shades are far more striking and will draw attention to mistakes easily.
To enhance a dramatic make-up look, use a drugstore highlighter and long-lasting lipstick.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Morphe 35o Nature Glow Artistry Palette | ![]() | Unrivalled Quality with Subtle Range | |
2 | Bourjois Paris Smoky Stories Eyeshadow Palette Brilliant Prunette | ![]() | For the Perfect Fuss-Free, Purple Smoky Eye | |
3 | Dior Diorshow 5 Couleurs Couture Eyeshadow Palette | ![]() | A Show-stopping Luxury 5 Colour Palette | |
4 | Collection Eyes Uncovered Palette in Nude Bronze | ![]() | A Simple Bronze-Toned Collection on a Budget | |
5 | Maybelline Big Eyes Eyeshadow Palette Luminous Brown | ![]() | Foolproof Formula for Big, Bright Eyes | |
6 | NYX Cosmetics Ultimate Shadow Palette - Brights | ![]() | Kaleidoscope Fun for Beginner Party Looks | |
7 | Rimmel London Magnif’Eyes Keep Calm Eyeshadow Palette | ![]() | Dark and Dramatic Eyes at a Pinch | |
8 | Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics Eyeshadow Palette | ![]() | High-Quality Creamy Shadows That Glide and Blend Flawlessly | |
9 | Maybelline The Blushed Nudes Eyeshadow Palette | ![]() | A Brilliant Beginner Shimmer Set of Nudes and Pinks | |
10 | MAC Cosmetics Eyeshadow Palette x9 in Dusky Rose | ![]() | For Stunning Rose-Tinted Lids Both Day and Night |
There’s definitely room to get creative and try different combinations safe in the knowledge they’ll look lovely. If you’re willing to invest in your makeup bag, shell out a little more for this top-quality collection used even by professional make-up artists!
From luxury brand Dior comes this five colour palette filled with a mix of gorgeous shimmers and mattes. Each shade is creamy and highly pigmented making it not only easy to apply but long-lasting.
You can create both a natural and sophisticated look using these colours. Luckily, the Diorshow palette comes in 12 different colour stories meaning there is a palette for every skin tone. Perfect for special occasions and nights out!
Written and researched by Annie Hopkins
No. 1: Morphe|35o Nature Glow Artistry Palette
No. 2: Bourjois Paris |Smoky Stories Eyeshadow Palette Brilliant Prunette
No. 3: Dior |Diorshow 5 Couleurs Couture Eyeshadow Palette
No. 4: Collection|Eyes Uncovered Palette in Nude Bronze
No. 5: Maybelline |Big Eyes Eyeshadow Palette Luminous Brown
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