How Many Eyeshadow Palettes Do You Really Need?

Personally, I prefer to have a makeup collection that’s practical and not excessive – I dislike having makeup I don’t use therefore I have regular clean – outs.

A rule I try to stick to, is to not have more than 10 eyeshadow palettes – which is the perfect quantity to experiment with every month yet somehow, I’ve managed to accumulate over 20 eyeshadow palettes over the last few months.

In order to curb the habit of purchasing new palettes and adding even more excess to my collection – I decided to do some research to find out which are the ultimate palettes to have in your collection:

• High End: For those special occasions
• Affordable or Drugstore options: For everyday use or to experiment with
• Splurge: To amp your makeup collection

If you opt to purchase “splurge” or “limited-edition” items, you will find that you won’t need to additionally buy the “high-end” option.

Here’s my detailed beat down on eyeshadow palettes to help build a practical yet exciting collection.

An ideal eyeshadow palette should have a wide variety of textures to play around with (mattes, shimmers, glitter, satin etc.) with a glide on texture, buildable pigment and long staying power – however the latter is dependent on the eyeshadow primer you use under your eyeshadow for a no crease, pop of colour effect.

Eyeshadow Cosmetic Brands:

Cosmetic brands that are my go-to when looking for eyeshadow palettes are:

• HUDA Beauty: Palettes from Huda have some of the best varieties, pigments and overall quality.
• Pat McGrath: Although pricey, a Pat McGrath eyeshadow palette is a must for your collection.
• Colourpop: If you are missing any elements from your makeup collection, granted Colourpop will have it. Although I’m not a fan of their lip products – their eyeshadow palettes are some of my favorites in my makeup collection, a bonus is that their brand is affordable.
• Morphe: Eyeshadow palettes from Morphe almost always have a high payoff, their 35 pan eyeshadow palettes have arrays of colours and textures to create an endless possibility of looks.
• Makeup Revolution: This is my go – to drugstore brand for eyeshadow palettes, quality and pigment payoff far exceeds the price tag, perfect for travel and for everyday looks.
• Tarte: My Tarte eyeshadow palettes are the ones I reach for the most from my entire collection, I’ve never been disappointed with pigment and textures.
• Urban Decay: Uncomplicated, well accustomed palettes which always deliver.
• Juvia’s Place: There are a few brands whose pigments pop on my yellow skin tone and Juvia’s Place and Huda are those brands – neutral shades from these cosmetic houses look stunning on yellow / warm undertones.

TYPE	HIGH – END	AFFORDABLE	DRUGSTORE	SPLURGE
Nude	Urban Decay Naked II R920 – 00	Colourpop Bare Necessities R544 – 00	Maybelline Blushed Nudes R249 – 00	Huda Beauty New Nude R1 500 – 00
Coral	Too Faced Just Peachy Mattes R720 – 00	Juvia’s Place Nubian 3 Coral R320 – 00	Makeup Revolution Soph X R250 – 00	NARS Narsissist Wanted R1 440 – 00
Bright	Huda Beauty Electric Obsessions R450 – 00	BH Cosmetics Take Me Back To Brazil R320 – 00	Makeup Revolution Wild Animal Integrity R250 – 00	Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix R951 – 00
Pastel	Sephora & Pantone Watercolours R624 – 00	Morphe Icy Fantasy R500 – 00	Makeup Revolution Reloaded Passion R139 – 95	Lancôme Paris Eye Sugar Palette R944 – 00
Autumn	Huda Beauty Gemstone Obsessions R500 – 00	Morphe Boss Mood R500 – 00	Makeup Revolution Carmi R250 – 00	Pat McGrath Mothership VI Midnight Sun R2 100 – 00
Winter	Tarte Winter Wonder Glam R820 – 00	Colourpop So Jaded R650 – 00	Makeup Revolution Reloaded R250 – 00	ABH Norvina Pro Pigment Vol I R960 – 00

Nude Palette:

The eyeshadow palette everyone, without doubt, would reach for in their collection on the regular for those nude eyeshadow looks or neutral eyeshadow looks, is a nude palette.
Nudes include light to dark shades of browns and pinks and it’s a bonus if the palette has smokey shade options.

Coral Palette:

Personally, there isn’t enough hype around coral – it’s as essential as a smokey eye option. Corals suits any skin tone and is a pretty eyeshadow option, other than just reaching for neutrals – whenever you can, you should definitely add a coral look to spice up your makeup.

Bright Colour Palette:

Bright coloured eyeshadow is not for everyone, so these selections can be skipped if it doesn’t appeal to you.

Pastel Palette:

These shades this 2020, have become a trend and again isn’t a preference for everyone.

Spring & Summer Eyeshadow Palettes:

The above-mentioned eyeshadow palettes provide numerous possibilities for creating Spring / Summer looks – so in my opinion – unless a limited-edition eyeshadow palette captures your attention – there’s no need for anymore.

Autumn / Fall Eyeshadow Palettes:

Winter Eyeshadow Palettes:

Fillers & Trends:

As you play around with your eyeshadow palettes, you will find your favorites or anything you might not have enough of – which you can always find on the Colourpop website to add to your collection.
For example – I added a few 9 pan Colourpop eyeshadow palettes to my collection like the “It’s My Pleasure” simply because I love the colour purple.
Additionally, I recently purchased the Colourpop Glitter eyeshadow palette as glitter is a makeup trend I’m loving and use it even in my everyday makeup looks.

Conclusion

Prior to compiling this blog, I was convinced I needed a number of eyeshadow palettes (5 in total) in addition to what I already had; but on a closer inspection of my collection, I realized that in actual fact I only need one palette – a pastel palette that I’ve been reluctant on, as I feel it won’t suit my skin tone – so I will try the drugstore version first – to see if I enjoy it.

Any other palettes can wait until I hit pan on a few of my limited-edition palettes – that I definitely should enjoy more – instead of convincing myself I need other high-end palettes.

I find that what increases my eyeshadow collection are those sneaky mini eyeshadow palettes that I can’t get enough of, from Colourpop and Huda; including limited edition collections which I always convince myself that I need.

Overall, if you not a makeup junkie – investing in one high end and one affordable nude palette is all you essentially need; include your favorite colour and your go – to clothing colour in mini eyeshadow pans and you are all set.

If you are like me, on the other hand, you would need a few selections similar to this list to curb your makeup obsession.
There is an endless array of eyeshadow palettes available that are similar to the above selections and fit into those categories – these are my suggestions based on my experience and preference with makeup.

I would love to know what your total eyeshadow palette count is in your makeup collection and which ones are your favorites that you always reach for?

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Pot Of Gold Blof By Sheena Deepnarain