I’m someone who loves spending hours wandering through Sephora’s and Mecca Cosmetica + Maxima’s it quickly becomes overwhelming when you see such a vast product assortment and not sure which ones to invest in. As an on-off make up junkie I always find that when I’m in my ‘off junkie’ moods that I will always gravitate towards a select few products. I’m not sure how beauty YouTubers manage to go through their palettes because I’ve always found more use out of certain palettes than others and won’t even touch some if they don’t do the trick.

I don’t have a spare hour or two these days to spend on my face and as I imagine, most women don’t. Whether you’re married or single, with or without child, employed or happily enjoying a sabbatical – time is precious the older you get. So the next time you find yourself meandering through each stand in your regular beauty store for a new eyeshadow palette, check out my recommendations below.

I should preface this by saying that I haven’t yet found a palette that is perfect in EVERY way but everyone has different opinions so I’ve hashed out the pros and cons of each for you to decide.

 

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6 Eyeshadow Palettes Every Girl Needs

1. Too Faced Chocolate Bar

This has been in my kit for almost three years now and for a very good reason – the colour offering is perfect for someone who is looking for an everyday make up look without looking like they’ve just walked off a Kinky Boots set AND it freaking smells amazing. All 16 shades are made from real cocoa powder and the shades include neutrals (both matte and shine) as well as a few burgundy and purples thrown in there.

Pros:

• Colour selection is perfect for those who love neutral shades.
• Provides a mixture of matte, shimmer and satin finishes.
• The smell – nuff said.

Cons:

• The lighter shades require layering for the pigment to stand out and this is also the same for a few of the darker matte shades.
• It’s pricy.

2. Urban Decay Naked Palette

I’ve always been a fan of the originals – after all, it was this palette that built the brand’s cult following overnight in 2010. All the shades are universally flattering warm neutral tones and can be used on anyone.

Pros:

• The variety of warm tones means a multitude of looks can be created for day and night.
• The colour texture is easily blendable and minimal fallout when you apply.
• Pigmentation is decent and very buildable.

Cons:

• Very minimal matte shades – so if you’re not a shimmer girl then this wouldn’t be right for you.
• Velvet packaging gets worn out pretty quickly.

 

3. Rimmel Magnif’Eyes Blush/Nude Edition

Out of the ranges that Rimmel has released, these two are definitely the most versatile and user friendly. The Smoke Edition is a little too intense for my liking and is really only great if you plan on going out on the town and really want to go for the panda eyes look. The Colour Edition is also a tricky one if you don’t really know how to blend colours well. The Blush and Nude Editions however are perfect for everyday use.

Pros:

• Ridiculously affordable – just $21.95 (AUD) at Priceline stores.
• Great colour payoff given the price of the palette and they’re all very blendable.
• The lasting power of the product is fantastic.

Cons:

• The formula is quite powdery.
• The packaging is not the most luxe but for the price, we can make an exception.

 

4. Stila Matte n Metal

An easy palette to throw into your everyday kit and convenient to travel with if you want to be able to mix matte and metallic shades. It’s split in half with six matte shades and six metallic and can be all blended together for a multitude of everyday looks.

Pros:

• Very wearable tones that all blend together nicely without too much fall out.
• Small and easy to travel around with if you enjoy natural day to day make up looks.

Cons:

• Pigmentation needs to be built and layered for it to stand out however this can be good for a lot of us who don’t like more natural looking makeup.
• The top row of opaques don’t have too much pigment and can feel a little chalky but if you prime your lids before the colour payout is marginally better.

 

5. Too Faced Sweet Peach

The palette has both warm and neutral shades in a range of sweet peaches, browns, creams and plum shades. I love how they’ve made this palette scented too but could’ve done with a few more actual peach shades but I’m not complaining because the ones that are in there are complementary to each other.

Pros:

• A great mixture of matte and metallic shades to work with.
• Fallout is minimal and you don’t need a lot of product to get vibrant colours to show.
• Wearability is decent if you need your makeup to last the day.

Cons:

• Not enough actual peach shades in the palette.

 

6. Zoeva Opulence Palette

This one is a newbie and I mean this week new! I got my hands on it a few weeks ago and swatched the colours and they glide on like a dream. There is definitely more bias towards metallics but the shades really do look natural in a weird way.

Pros:

• The new packaging has a gothic secret garden vibe to it and the colours work for both natural day looks and sassy evening looks.
• The colour payoff is great and they blend together easily.
• Minimal fallout.
• Affordable prices for quality product.

Cons:

• Not a lot of matte shades to work with and the ones provided don’t glide on as smoothly as the metallics.

If you feel that there are some other crucial palettes that I’ve missed out on then please list them in the comments below because I may not have tried them yet!

 

What’s your favourite eyeshadow palette? Go!