10 Best Eye Makeup Palettes

by Basic Beauty Tools
Sep 21, 2018
6 min read

Updated: Nov 25, 2019

Going into fall, most of us want to change it up a bit. Easy and quick is to change a few colors in your eye shadow. Hardest thing is to find a palette that’s you. Let’s look at the most talked about eye shadows and see if it helps to make shopping for eye shadow easier.

The naturals

1. Urban Decay Naked basics and Naked2 basics (£26)

Urban Decay’s matte palettes, each, featuring six gorgeously Naked neutrals to build on or wear alone—including four never-before-seen shades. Naked Basics is more than just the long-awaited, multipurpose matte companion to Naked. It's the palette EVERY woman needs in her beauty arsenal. With six stripped-down, Nakedly neutral shadows, it has everything you need for the perfect neutral matte eye. To shop these, click here.

2. Kat von D Shade & light eye contour palette $48

Now in a new and improved hard-shell case, our Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette is more rad than ever! Arranged with the perfect blend of neutral, warm and cool tones, it contains base, contour, highlight and define shades…just one look and you know this sh*t is insane! Each Kat Von D Shade and Light matte eye shadow is finely milled and highly pigmented for true payoff and awesome blend-ability! We dare you to find a shade that you don’t absolutely adore.

Now also comes in a shade & light shimmer version which is on sale here $29. The shimmer version is an eye contouring palette with 12 neutral shades in a range of glimmer finishes. Kat revolutionized the art of contouring once again with the Shade + Light Glimmer Eye Contour Palette, a new way to contour with not only shadow and light, but eye-catching dimension.

Experience the same neutral tones from the original bestselling Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette re-imagined in 4 wearable finishes that build in intensity. Organized into neutral, cool and warm-toned quads, this palette features shimmering satin Base shades, pearlized metallic Contour shades, reflective glitter Define shades and special effect glimmer Topcoats to add light-catching dimension to any look. Shade+Light Glimmer Eye Contour Palette is an artist’s truest expression of glitter: build a look within the palette by layering different levels of dimension to achieve eye-opening effects, or pair glimmer shades with the original matte eye contour palette for endless possibilities. Each velvety powder is blendable and buildable, in Kat Von D’s signature high-performance, long-wear eye shadow formula, for glimmering looks that shift and sparkle with every movement. Shop for these here.

3 Too Faced natural matte eye shadow palette £34

This new version of Too Faced bestselling Natural Matte eye shadow palette comes with 7 new shades and 2 classis shades, all infused with coconut butter (the palette smells like coconut) for creamier mattes and gorgeous wear. The rich, pigmented shadows offer true color payoff and the luxurious, silky-smooth formula blends effortlessly for an airbrushed effect. The palette comes with Too Faced signature Glamour Guide with three looks to get you started. Over-sized base shades ensure you never run out of your most used shadows. To shop, click here.

4. Dior Backstage eye palette in cool neutrals or warm neutrals £38

Discover the ultra-pigmented, multi-finish eye palette by DIOR, including an eye primer, an eye shadow, a highlighter and a liner. DIOR 'Backstage' eye palette is the DIOR make up artists' secret weapon to create an array of pro eye looks, from the most natural to the most defined. Inspired by the backstage energy at the runway shows and make up artist essentials, the eye palette includes shades that suit all skin tones in buildable matte and iridescent textures for perfect eyes. Designed to be long-wearing yet richly pigmented, the DIOR 'Backstage' formulas are effortlessly buildable - initially neutral colors may be made bold and intense, depending on the desired color intensity. Their formulas reveal a second-skin finish. Eye palette contains - an eye primer that reinforces the eye shadows' hold and boosts their color. This palette is available in two universal harmonies - rosy hues with cool undertones or brown neutrals with warm undertones. To buy, click here.

Warm golds and precious stones eye shadow Palettes

5. Tarteist pro to go palette £19

Portable tarteist™ PRO palette with six exclusive shades powered by natural ingredients & none of the icky, bad stuff. It includes four longwearing matte & metallic eye shadows infused with Amazonian clay for smooth blending & flake-resistant wear, plus two iridescent lusters with a microshimmer duochrome formula. Deeply concentrated mineral pigments with a smart-blend technology give you the same even, intense payoff as the original tarteist™ PRO palette with new, natural artistry shades for a complete travel shadow collection. Shop here.

6. Too Faced Chocolate Gold eye shadow palette £39

Take decadence to the next level with a luxurious gold and cocoa powder-infused eye shadow palette that smells as good as it looks. Have a major metallic moment with foiled shadows that are created with real gold for an epic high-shine finish that’s paired with rich, seductive mattes for coffee to cocktails wear. All shadows feature a soft, velvety texture with full coverage payoff. The entire palette is infused with skin-loving cocoa powder for a decadent chocolate scent. Metallic shades infused with real gold for extra luxe sparkle. Creamy matte shadows offer soft, velvety wear. Infused with our signature chocolate scent for a mood boost with every swipe. Richly pigmented colors offer one-swipe payoff. And another good thing is that Too Faced eye shadows are cruelty free! Shop here .

7. Urban Decay ‘backtalk’ makeup palette £39.50

Like two palettes in one, this travel-ready case holds eight nude-mauve, soft berry and muted rose eyeshadow shades on one side and four coordinating shades of blush and highlighter on the other. Forget about being a lady and give ’em what they deserve. This trend has never been hotter, and these shades are universally flattering on all skin tones. Feeling pretty in pink? Add 3 Sheets, a satin pinky peach shade, to lids, while highlighting cheekbones with our crazy-shimmery highlighter, Party Foul. Or, get deep-blending Shade, a fuchsia satin, into the crease, and finish off your look with Cheap Shot, a medium pink-nude highlighter. No matter the vibe, Backtalk has your eyes and cheeks speaking volumes. Shop for it here.

8. Huda Beauty Precious Stones Obsessions Palettes $27

The Huda Beauty Precious Stones Collection fuse electrifying jewel tones with luxurious texture, perfect for transitioning your summer make-up into autumn. "I really wanted to give people the option to have fun with as many colors as possible without having to invest in individual shades. It was all about giving colour junkies everything they need, in a compact, affordable way.” – Huda Kattan. Each Huda Beauty Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette is packed with a selection of nine highly pigmented mattes and striking shimmers, all with a smooth and blendable texture. Available in several color themes, suitable for every occasion – the palettes are super compact and lightweight, making them a must-have for your handbag. The large mirror, conveniently-sized palette, and versatile shade collection allow you to create both classic and playful looks that are easy to apply on-the-go. Click here to buy.

9. Sleek Diamond Decade £5.99

Sleek I-Divine eye shadow in Diamond Decade

Sleek's legendary i-Divine palettes are 12 shades of super-pigmented, long-lasting, mineral based eye shadow, designed to suit all. Each i-Divine contains pearlescent shades, which contain mica particles that highlight and illuminate giving an overall radiant effect. Available in a variety of color ways, your i-Divine is waiting for you. You have everything you need to experiment away and recreate any look or trend you like. Shop for it here.

10. Stars in your eyes palette by Charlotte Tilbury £60

This is Charlotte's new, Limited Edition eye shadow palette with 4 magical, mood-enhancing eye looks to inspire Love, Power, Happiness and Confidence. With Incredible color pay-off, Molten textures and Mesmerising looks for day and night, each of the shades can be dialled up or lightly layered. Carefully curated by Charlotte to put the ‘lights-in-your-eyes’. Shop for it here.

When you’ve found your eye shadow palette and go to work with it then it’s time to prep the eyelid to give these eye shadows the best base and for them to last all day and night. Firstly, get yourself a good eye primer or use your foundation for a base for your eye shadow to hold onto. Use your BBT Foundation Blender to apply this flawlessly onto the upper eyelid. The next step is to put down a base color and start blending to the desired effect. Use code BBTFB to buy one Foundation Blender and get one FREE at checkout! Have fun with your eye shadows, start blending!