From Natural Looks to High Smoke, These Eyeshadow Palettes Are Deserving of a Spot in Your Makeup Bag

A good eyeshadow palette will see you through an array of eye makeup looks, and these are the very best ones we've tried.

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A collage of Simone Ashley, Zendaya and Lily Rose-Depp wearing eyeshadow
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Is it me, or have we all fallen out of love with eyeshadow palettes? I started my career in beauty circa 2016, where eyeshadow palettes were the MVP of our makeup bags, and a cut-crease was the go-to eyeshadow look, regardless of where you were going, and a 40-shade strong nude eyeshadow palette was a must in your makeup bag. But over the past decade, heavy eyeshadow looks fell out of favour to natural-looking "no-makeup" makeup and pared-back eye makeup—maybe a quick swipe of an eyeshadow stick, at a push.

However, as we move away from the "clean girl" aesthetic, it's hard to ignore the eyeshadow renaissance happening around us. Blue eyeshadow is all over my feeds right now, and bolder eye makeup and eyeliner have been slowly trickling back into the runway shows after seasons of bare lids and sans-mascara lashes. But makeup trends aside, there's a place for a great eyeshadow palette in everyone's makeup bag. Whether you favour natural everyday eye makeup or want to embrace a smouldering smoky eye look, these are the very best eyeshadow palettes for the job.

Best Eyeshadow Palettes

1. Makeup By Mario Master Mattes The Neutrals Eyeshadow

The makeup by mario master mattes neutral eyeshadow palette

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This is probably my most-used eyeshadow palette, and it's a brilliant eyeshadow for my hooded eyes that look best with matte, neutral shades. It's just so easy to use, even if you're an eyeshadow beginner, thanks to its careful edit of wearable shades all in versatile matte shades that allow you to create natural eye makeup through to smouldering evening looks. It comes in both a warm and neutral colourway, the latter of which is perfect for everyday eye makeup, IMO. It's packed with 12 natural-looking shades in silky soft powders that blend effortlessly, whether worn alone or combined. They're pigmented but easy enough to sheer out, and there's no fallout whatsoever. If you want an eyeshadow palette that's a good all-rounder for lots of eyeshadow looks, I highly recommend you go for this one.

2. Hourglass Curator Eyeshadow Palette Realist

The Hourglass Curator eyeshadow palette

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If you're someone who always uses up a couple of favourite shades in a standard eyeshadow palette, then an eyeshadow quad may be best for you. These curated palettes mean you won't end up with tonnes of unused shades, just the ones you want to wear. Hourglass's eyeshadows are buttery soft and blend effortlessly into the lids. Depending on the palette you choose, you get a mix of satins, mattes, metallics and shimmer, but if you want an all-matte palette, The Minimalist (pictured above) is my recommendation. It's perfect for throwing in my bag if I want to take my daytime makeup into a bolder moment for the evening. It's expensive, but I wear every single shade of mine, which I feel makes it a more worthwhile investment.

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3. Victoria Beckham Beauty Eye Wardrobe

A photo of the VBB eye wardrobe palette

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Victoria Beckham Beauty may be best known for its iconic Satin Kajal Liners, but if you want a concise palette that allows you to create the perfect smoky eye, then her curated Eye Wardrobes should be on your radar. These mini palettes make applying eyeshadow so easy. Containing four shades in each palette, these quads span the most wearable neutrals to trend-forward blues and every shade in between, allowing you to create an array of eye looks. However, they're particularly good for creating evening eye makeup looks and full glam moments. Victoria Beckham's favourite is Victoria, so I decided to follow suit and can confirm this palette is great for brown eyes, but as a neutral eyeshadow palette for every eye colour too. The pigments are luxuriously buttery and blend to perfection every time.

4. Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics Eyeshadow Palette

5. E.l.f Perfect 10 Eyeshadow Palette

6. Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow

A chanel eyeshadow palette

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As luxury eyeshadows go, Chanel's are unmatched. You'll find an array of palettes in the permanent collection, as well as seasonal limited-edition drops that feel like collector's items in their own right. Every single palette contains two medium shades and two darker tones, which are designed to be worn and blended together seamlessly to create both natural and bold eyeshadow looks. The pigments and texture are truly stunning and are worth the extra spend, but the compact itself feels like a treasure in your makeup bag, too.

7. Byredo Bibliophilia Eyeshadow Palette

A byredo Bibliotheque eyeshadow palette

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Behold, this stunning eyeshadow palette from Byredo. Its limited edition, so you'll have to act fast if you want it, but these shadows are unlike anything else I've tried. They're powder, but are so buttery soft they almost feel like a cream shadow to the touch, and they blend out into a velvety shadow with incredible pigments. This particular palette is inspired by the shades of a library, and contains mostly metallic and shimmer shadows, which span beautiful burnished coppers through to ethereal metallics to master gilded eye looks. And with 18 shades, there's plenty to experiment with in this eyeshadow palette.

How We Tested

I tested each palette over a couple of months to see how well the formulas worked, as well as the shade range across each palette. I used them for everyday eye looks, as well as bolder evening eye makeup moments, to rate each one on their versatility. I also tested drugstore eyeshadow palettes through to the most luxurious eyeshadow palettes to find the best across all budgets. Many of these palettes I have used for years, so I can vouch for their effectiveness and why they deserve a spot in your makeup bag.

Why Trust Us

At Who What Wear UK, we know that beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all. Our editors have tested thousands of products, including some skincare, makeup, hair and nails, over the years and work closely with trusted experts—dermatologists, make-up artists and leading industry insiders—to ensure every guide is well-researched, inclusive and relevant to you.

We focus on formulas that deliver, whether they’re affordable favourites or luxury investments. Our product selection is based on tangible results, ingredient know-how and what we’d truly recommend to a friend.

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Eleanor Vousden
Eleanor Vousden
Beauty Editor, Who What Wear UK

Eleanor Vousden is the beauty editor for Who What Wear UK. She was previously deputy editor at Hairdressers Journal, health writer at Woman & Home and junior beauty editor at Powder. She has also contributed to Wallpaper and Elle Collections.

With a degree in fashion journalism from the London College of Fashion, she has 10 years of industry experience and has been highly commended at the BSME Talent Awards for her work on Powder and also contributed to the title winning Website of the Year at the PPA Awards.

Eleanor’s journalistic focus is providing readers with honest and helpful beauty content. She has interviewed celebrity makeup artists, hairstylists and dermatologists throughout her career, as well as celebrities such as Hailey Bieber, Sarah Jessica Parker and Scarlett Johansson.