Nudes, natural shades, more nudes, and some pop of color… These are always my go-to choices when it comes to eyeshadow palettes. I’ve got an impressive collection, and this year I’ve added some iconic ones. I’ve been on the hunt for matte neutral shades, both warm and cool, and some peachy/pinky shades to add some fun to my eye makeup looks. Although I was looking for matte neutrals for so long, I used those the least from all the new palettes discoveries. You must have spotted a few classics, and while these aren’t launches of this year, they’ve only just landed in my collection after checking out tons of reviews, tutorials, and swatches online. I’ve never managed to finish a palette, only hitting some pans on some amazing shades, and while I think it’s quite an investment, I love the color story they tell, the special combinations thought up their creators, and the numerous possibilities when it comes to making different eye looks.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through links. I will only recommend products that I have personally used! Learn more on my Private Policy page.
As you’ve probably noticed, I went for the high-end type of products, mostly from brands I already loved. I’ve become completely obsessed with some of these palettes, barely used some, some became my travel palettes. So, check out each product, and hope you get inspired to grab one. What I consider a successful palette is finding use for as many shades as possible, being pigmented, easy to blend, and not having fallout during the day- and of course, not fading!
I would call this palette “The Sailor Moon” eyeshadow palette. Each one of the shades is truly amazing, and I didn’t even have this one on my wishlist. I was looking for a pink pigment that wouldn’t look “bubble gum”-like and would be buttery when applied, as opposed to a classical pigment which is more grainy and needs a special primer for grip. I always liked Anastasia’s eyeshadows- I believe they’re one of the best out there on the market- and I saw this palette has 2 shimmery pinks. I gave it a try, and I’m so happy about it, and I didn’t even plan it. The palette is a midi-sized one; you get 12 pans, with 5 mattes and 7 shimmery shades. The palette is more cool-toned, as many shades have blue/purple/pink hue, and there are only a few that are warm-toned- mainly the mattes. It was very difficult to capture with the camera (iPhone or Sony camera) the shifts of color and the pigmentation, but this palette is truly spectacular and special.
Starting from the top row left with the bluey one, the shades are described as follows:
Supercluster: Blue-ish green with duo-chrome finish, multi-dimensional reflects, Sun: Pink bronze with duo-chrome finish, Orion: Icy pink gold sparkled metallic, Mercury: Titanium metallic with sparkling reflects, Quasar: Green gold, duo-chrome finish, multi-dimensional reflects (side note, quasar means an extremely bright and distant object in the universe), my most used shade so far, absolutely special and hard to replicate, Galaxy: Deep blue matte with blueish-green sparkle, also a very special shade
Space dust: Matte sandstone, Comet: Matte peach, Eclipse: Matte plum, Supernova: Pink lilac, duo-chrome finish with multi-dimensional reflects, this shade has a fine glitter, and applies in a very uniform, buttery way. Gorgeous, Mars: Matte reddish brown, Dark matter: Matte black violet, must have shade instead of using the regular black in a normal smoky eye look.
Good luck finding this next one and, I’ll tell you why. The limited edition eyeshadow palette from the top brand that’s so famous for its quality is all you need for an everyday look to an elevated event one. The “Orgasm Rising” palette from Nars is my go-to one for when I travel and not only. Looking at it, you’d say it’s boring, it’s not “wow”, but its beauty comes from simplicity and brilliant thought of editing such a mix. It’s not basic by any means, you can make so many combinations, and that makes it worth the splurge. It’s a mix of both mattes and satins, you get 9×1.7 gr. pans- total 15.3 gr- from which 2 are warm brown shades (medium and medium-dark) for the crease and for defining the eye, and 7 shimmery shades (shimmer +glitter). It’s an overall warm palette that has a selection of browns, golds, peaches and bronzes, infused with an innovative liquid binding system that assures an effortless crease-free glide. Applying the color goes smooth, without staining or creating patchiness, and after a good few hours’ wear, there’s no fallout, and the shades are still vivid. I love that you can build your look gradually, and that you can blend seamlessly even the darkest shade in the palette. The color story is build around the top right shade, the most famous eyeshadow of the brand that gives the name to an entire collection, and which is the “Orgasm” one, a peachy pink with gold shimmer that is so versatile and suits most skin tones, undertones, eye color, and all. The reviews are so good and it it such a loved eyeshadow palette, that I hope the brand will make it a permanent item.
The eyeshadows go as follows from the top row left:
Hotwired: Golden shimmer, High speed: Sparkling opal, Orgasm: Peachy pink with gold shimmer
Seven heaven: Matte sand, Seduced: Sparkling amber, Reckless: Satin terracotta
Push it: Matte warm chestnut, Faster Pussycat: Metallic copper, Galapagos: Bitter chocolate infused with gold
3. Natasha Denona Bloom palette
Natasha Denona is my number one brand when it comes to eyeshadows. She creates the best product formulation, finish, quality, packaging, and color story. She’s always thinking about the next step, new technologies, trends, and she delivers. All that comes at a high price. For me, buying an eyeshadow palette from ND is an investment, and it’s worth it. You have to check my blog post with my complete collection HERE, where I also rank them. Every year I would get one, and I had my eyes on the “Bloom” palette for some time. Once she launched the new “Eye sculpt texture and tone” palettes, the maxi ones, I managed to find the “Bloom” on discount, and I went for it. It’s a midi palette, 15 pans x 1,4 gr each (21 gr total), that showcases floral-inspired hues inside a beautiful case, Natasha’s hand-painted watercolor art. You get six creamy mattes, two silky mattes, two metallic and five sparkling foiled shades. The shades go from peachy corals to rich burgundy and complementary mauves. It’s a warm toned palette that can help create both soft and glam looks. I feel like a warm medium-deep matte peach is missing in the palette and overall it has more pink hues than peachy, which was I hoped for more as I already have plenty of rosy colors. CRISP and EQUINOX are my favorites; they are really special with their duo-chrome reflections. Â
The shades go as follows from the first row up left:
Florescence 582M: metallic medium-vivid tangerine, Bark 583CM: matte medium-dark gingerbread brown, Keen 584CM: matte light-medium nude tangerine, Ren 585CM: Matte medium coral pink, Fleur 585DC: duo-chrome light pink with icy ivory shift
Crisp 587SF: sparkling foiled duo-chrome coral with gold, Lush 588SF: sparkling foiled light-nude apricot, Brick 589CM: matte medium bright terracotta, Rue 590SF: metallic medium-light burgundy, Flos 591CM: matte medium vintage rose
Petal 592SKM : silky matte light salmon, Ember 593SF: sparkling foiled medium brick,  Robin 594SKM: silky matte medium dusty coral, Clover 595CM: matte dark vivid burgundy, Equinox 596DC: sparkling foiled duo-chrome peach with turquois blue shift- WOW
I didn’t expect to like it this much. A mini 5 natural matte eyeshadow palette? What is so special about it? Being so small, it’s perfect for travelling and not only. It’s perfect for the daily makeup, it’s always there in my makeup bag. The undertone of this palette is completely neutral, so the shades don’t pull towards warm nor cool. That gives infinite possibilities with color accents on the lid. It is great for giving dimension on the lid, below the browbone, underneath the eye, and shaping the crease. The concept behind this mini eye sculpt palette was to offer the edit of the minimum number of shades that could help shape the eye for all skin tones. As you can see from the shade description, the Fair and Light shades come in the Silky Matte new formula, ensuring smooth, even application with maximum color payoff, while the deeper tones, Medium, Deep and Black come in the classic, iconic Natasha Denona Creamy Matte formula, giving buttery application, but also rich in the same time. The two formulas blend together seamlessly, giving an airbrushed finish. When you use matte eyeshadows, I am sure you are familiar with the biggest problem of these types of product and that is the fallout. This is not the case; the shades blend flawlessly, they are buildable and non-patchy, even the black one. I used to have to use a baked contour powder or a soft shimmery eyeshadow first as a base when using matte shades, but that kind of ruins all the idea behind having a matte look. So I am very happy that this eyeshadow palette allows me to have a complete matte look, to create shades, shapes in a natural way without too much fuss. If I didn’t convince you that this is the must-have eyeshadow palette, just think about the black shade in the palette, that most other palettes don’t even have. The shade is the iconic Blackest Black 439CM shade that used to come as a single shade and it’s been sold out forever. It is perfect to set your black eyeliner or simply use it as a black eyeshadow for a real dramatic look. I like to use the Fair shade on the inner corner of the eye and underneath the browbone and the Light one to make transitions between shades , as it acts like a blur powder and hides the harsh lines. Unfortunately, on the overall eyeshadow palette picture, I didn’t manage to capture the neutral undertone of the pans, but you can see the real shades on the swatches, from very close. Capturing what the eye really sees is still a problem when I shoot pictures, if it’s the iPhone camera or a professional Sony Alpha one.
With the mini sleek palette you get 5 pans of 0.8 gr each, totaling 4 gr. I don’t consider it to be the most economic option, but with the mini 5 palettes you get the essential of a color story, and you get the comfort of carrying a very small product with you when you travel. The 5 shades go as follows, from the lightest to the black one:
Fair 580SKM, Light 581SKM, Medium 451CM, Deep 216CM, Black 439CM.
I hope my husband won’t read this part of the post, as this palette was his gift. He wanted to make me a nice, fancy gift. This Cannage limited edition palette was not so great. Beautiful color story, but wait to see the rest. This palette has nothing to do with the eyeshadows from the Backstage collections, so go for those instead. This particular palette, the 671 Coral Couture lacks intensity in how the shadows transfer to the skin. Of course, I appreciate how the Dior eyeshadows give you to possibility to build the vibrancy of the shades on the lid. I love that you can add color and don’t go overboard and overdo it, and it’s easier to add than to take off if you exaggerated, but with this palette, I couldn’t build intensity beside the no. 3 shade, the matte darker peach shade, the right one from the bottom. I tried with the fingers and tried to scrape them energetically with the brush, but I couldn’t get more pigment on my skin. The plastic packaging looks cheap, although it’s designed like the Lady Dior bag. For a high-end product that costs accordingly, you get 7 gr. of product divided in 5 pans with different finish: matte, satin, and pearly. The shades are not numbered nor have names, but they are described as light shade, medium shade, and it’s a bit confusing when following the look suggestions from the website. I do have also the iconic 079 Black Bow palette, which is a permanent one, and the intensity of the eyeshadows feels different. What saves the day and makes it a palette that I reach for is the top left white shimmery frosty shade. I use it as a highlighter or as a base for applying other eyeshadows, as the texture allows them to glide without creating patchiness.Â
The limited Cannage collection came in 4 harmonies, and I don’t know if the other palettes have the same issue. Very beautiful color story, but I don’t know about the color payoff. The launched harmonies were:
647 Silk Taupe
671 Coral Couture
857 Rose Organza
557 Brown Cashmere
6. Makeup Atelier T05 Red Ochre palette
These last two palettes I’m going to talk about aren’t the worst palettes by any means, I just simply don’t reach out so much for them when I do my makeup. Maybe I’m not in my ALL MATTE eye makeup era, but that might change in the future.Â
I’ve been seeing these mini five-shade palettes from Makeup Atelier in every respected East European makeup artist’s kit. The most popular palette from this collection is the T05 Red Ochre one, and I waited a lot until receiving it as it was sold out most of the time. Why is it so popular? Because it features a range of warm, earthy matte shades, perfect for Smokey eyes, for warming the eye features and for even shaping the eye or for an everyday simple and fast look.Â
Their palettes, including the brow ones or the lipstick ones, come in a very sleek packaging, easy to carry and easy to see the colors. Makes it comfortable for use, and I understand why it’s a go-to for so many makeup artists. It gets the job done with no fuss.Â
The color story is very well thought, there are at least 15 mini eyeshadow palettes at the moment, each one containing 12,5 gr of product, with the pans being very easy to depot. Other must-have palettes from the brand include: T01 The nudes, T22 Natural chestnut, T03 Natural Brown, T10 Brown Mauve, T19 Wood pink, T20 Smoke. High pigmentation, smooth application, easy to blend, they stand out, they look good in pictures. I really love them and I carry the T05 Red Ochre with me everywhere. As a French brand, it really caters to quality, simplicity, and functionality. They are not easy to find, you won’t see them at Sephora or any other big carrier, you should rather search for them at smaller boutique stores that specialize in professional makeup artists’ products. That is why I don’t have a link for you. I got mine from an online boutique from Rome, called Popmakeup.it.
The shade description for my T05 Red Ochre eyeshadow palette goes as follows, from light to dark:T051 Moderately warm-toned very light matte beige, T052 Moderately warm-toned, light yellow, T053 Very warm medium-dark matte peach, T054 Moderately warm-toned, medium matte brown, T055 Moderate warm-toned dark matte brown
I hear every makeup artist recommending and using this brand for eyeshadows in particular. The most popular one from the brand and constantly sold out is the Matte Neutrals one. I got the chance to get myself the mini one, the “Petites”. You’ll get to try all MATTE neutral range from white to black, grays, and soft browns, which is very useful to have in one single palette.Â
Also a French brand that caters to high-quality, different skin tones, and types. The original neutral palette is a staple in many makeup artists’ kits for over 25 years. Yes, you read that right. This palette is 25 years old. I mean, this version that we have nowadays was launched as part of their 25th-anniversary celebration. Still relevant nowadays, which adds even more value to the brand. It is a must have palette.Â
The shades are highly pigmented, resistant, some of them even without a primer, but I would never have a bare eye lid before eyeshadow , so that’s not the case for me as I have very, very oily lids. The shade range makes it versatile, as it spreads from very light to black. As for the neutral part, I can see the middle row a little warm, at least it looks like this on my skin. Top and bottom row are really neutral.
I am not particularly fond of the carton packaging, and also about the fact that there’s a bit of fallout, especially on the black shade. The cardboard packaging is already full of eyeshadow stains, which is hard to take out without passing something wet on top, so it gets ruined in time. Also, the light shades are more on the right side and the darker ones on the left side. A bit strange, no? Top row lightest, bottom row darkest, gradually building intensity, which I like. The palette includes a black shade, which makes it perfect for a complete look if it wasn’t for the fallout issue, so you might want to start first with the eyes when doing your makeup.
The shade description goes as follows from the top light row:
Cannelle(saumon): deep peach, Beige: warm peach beige, Peche: light peach beige, Ivoire: bone whiteÂ
Chocolat: warm chocolate-red brown, Brique: warm sienna, Taupe: caramel warm brown, Cafe: taupe cool brown
Carbon: natural black, Souris: deep gray, Cendre: soft cool grey brown, Noisette: light cool brown
I’m trying as much as I can not to buy new palettes. There are only a few shades where I’ve touched pan, which makes me think I’m not using the products at much as I should before I go into another purchase. But eyeshadow palettes are my weak spot.
My collection includes classic, iconic ones, many nudes, and most of them are high-end. Let me know in the comments which palette is you favorite and which if you’d like to see a rank of my most love eyeshadow palettes.