When it comes to highly coveted makeup drops, nothing tugs at the heartstrings of beauty lovers quite like the best eye shadow palettes on the market. Aesthetically, they’re a feast for the eyes, but one could even go so far as to call them pragmatic. Don’t @ us — some are very travel-friendly and take up the least amount of space in your carry-on, while still touting a wide variety of shimmery and matte shades.
However, perhaps more than anything, a good eye shadow palette is usually more of an investment purchase than a lipstick or eyeliner. When we take a look back at the record-breaking, best-selling, can’t-keep-them-in-stock palettes, you’ll find that the ones that came out on top are a delightful hodgepodge of highly pigmented, highly blendable goodness.
With drugstore sweethearts like Maybelline New York‘s classic collection of warm neutrals, Urban Decay’s rebooted version of its beloved (and discontinued) Naked Palette, Charlotte Tilbury’s masterful curation of neutrals, and Pat McGrath Labs’ luxury palette to end all luxury palettes we’ve swatched every inch of the market to come up with our favorites. Get ready to expand your repertoire of makeup looks.
If you’ve hit pan and repurchased one (or several) of the palettes below, this will be a fun stroll down memory lane for you. In case you’re an eye shadow palette newbie, overwhelmed by the cornucopia of shades, take a deep breath and relax — we got you. Available across the world wide web’s favorite retailers, these 15 Allure staff-approved palettes have barged into our lives and quickly risen up to the ranks of our all-time favorites, and you’re about to find out why.
Our Top Picks:
- Best Overall: Tarte Tartelette 2 In Bloom Clay Eye Shadow Palette, $45
- Best Technicolor Palette: ColourPop Fade Into the Hue Palette, $35
- Best for Eye Contour: Kevyn Aucoin The Contour Eye Shadow Palette, $39
- Best Warm-Toned Palette: Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Eye Shadow Palette, $45
- Best Eye Shadow Quad: Charlotte Tilbury The Bella Sofia Luxury Palette, $55
- Best Luxury Palette: Pat McGrath Labs Mothership X: Moonlit Seduction, $128
- Best Drugstore Palette: Maybelline New York The City Mini Eye Shadow Palettes, $10
- Best Mini Palette: Fenty Beauty Snap Shadows Mix & Match Eye Shadow Palette, $30
- Best Neutral Matte Palette: Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Eye Shadow Palette, $50
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.