10 Of The Best Eyeshadow Palettes For Everything From Everyday Neutrals To Dramatic Evening Looks (2025)

The best eyeshadow palettes present endless possibilities, with options ranging from classic everyday neutrals that are perfect for day-to-day wear to shimmering metallics and bold pigments that are go-tos for when the dress code requires a little more pizzazz. Even better, unlike single shadows that take up precious space in your make-up bag, eyeshadow palettes are a practical (and more portable) make-up offering, with everything you could need for your eye look in one place. And when it comes to application, rather than swipe and repeat, why not get creative and think outside of the box (or should that be palette), using the shades as everything from liners to all over washes of colours.

Whatever look you’re after, you have options. The only question remaining is how to find the best eyeshadow palette for you? Ahead, find the eyeshadow palettes that Vogue editors, celebrity make-up artists and celebrities rely on, with expert tips on how to use them. Read on to discover your perfect palette.

The best eyeshadow palettes at a glance:

• Best for Beginners: Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte’s Palette of Beautifying Eye Trends in Sensual Sunset, £49
• Best Universal Shades: Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette: The Original, £55
• Best for Holiday Shimmer: Dior Backstage Eyeshadow Palette, £45
• Best Multipurpose Kit: Danessa Myricks Groundwork: Blooming Romance Palette, £72.50
• Best for Earthy Hues: Ilia The Necessary Eyeshadow Palette, £40
• Best for Soft Glamour: Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette, £46

In This Article:

• What to look for in an eyeshadow palette
• How to use an eyeshadow palette
• How to choose the eyeshadow palette for you
• Meet the experts

Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte’s Palette of Beautifying Eye Trends in Sensual Sunset

• Why We Love It: If there is one thing Charlotte Tilbury has achieved, it’s how to create a luxurious eye look. (Tilbury has mastered this art, after all, having worked with everyone from Nicole Kidman to Amal Clooney.) This limited-edition palette contains nine spectacular sunset shades, ranging from sparkling copper to rich burgundy. Inspires by Charlotte’s love of Ibizan sunsets, these warm, earthy tones are designed to flatter every eye colour and take your neutral eye look to a whole level.
• Number of Shades: Nine
• Finishes: Shimmer, satin, matte
• Best For: Everything and anyone; these palettes are sure to make everyone’s eyes pop thanks to the blend of wearable colours and multi-dimensional textures.

Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette: The Original

• Why We Love It: Natural skin tones inspired the 12 warm shades in this cache of universal mattes. With a light, creamy feel, the shadows provide medium coverage; they’re also buildable, easy to blend, and grip the lid with little fallout. Designed by Kim Kardashian’s go-to make-up artist Mario Dedivanovic, the palette comes in an additional colour range, The Neutrals, which features a mix of matte shadows in warm and cool shades. “Think about your skin tone and undertones when selecting shades – warmer tones look great on warm, olive, and medium to dark skin, while cooler tones can flatter fairer complexions,” Dedivanovic says. Meanwhile, for a mix of finishes, Makeup by Mario’s Ethereal Eyes Eyeshadow Palette in Moonlight contains shimmery, metallic, and matte hues.
• Number of Shades: 12
• Finishes: Matte
• Best For: Dedivanovic tells Vogue that he designed The Original Palette to be used for both subtle and “more sculpted” eye looks. For casual days, use the colours that most closely match your natural skin tone – when a statement eye is in order, dip into the darker shades for a smokier, more defined look.

Urban Decay The Original Naked Eyeshadow Palette

• Why We Love It: Those who completed formative make-up training at the University of YouTube, circa 2010, will appreciate the reissue of Urban Decay’s classic palette. The cult collection of 12 neutral shades has colours ranging from Virgin, a creamy beige with a satin finish, to Smog, a bronze metallic hue. At the smokiest end of the spectrum, there’s the glitter-flecked, jet-black Creep. The palette was discontinued in 2018 but it’s back for a limited time. The relaunch offers a few tweaks on the classic palette, including a new, double-ended vegan brush and a certificate of authenticity tucked into each palette. Vogue’s Tracy Achonwa tested the coveted palette and wrote: “The silky new formula practically blends itself, making it an easy choice for beginners, as well as the workhorse of any professional makeup artist’s kit.” And don’t let the throwback appeal fool you. Achonwa also reported, “More than merely nostalgic, the Naked palette is a timeless buy boasting a wardrobe of shades you’ll get plenty of wear out of.”
• Number of Shades: 12
• Finishes: Matte, shimmer, satin, metallic
• Best For: Day-to-night neutrals. Start the day with a lightly shimmering base of taupe, pink, and tawny, then smoke it out with Creep and Gunmetal for evening cocktails.

Ilia The Necessary Eyeshadow Palette

• Why We Love It: With warm, woodsy hues of brown, terracotta, gold and copper, Ilia’s palette brings autumnal cosiness to any makeup look. The palette holds six highly pigmented shades in matte, satin and metallic finishes. With a smooth, buttery texture that makes them easy to apply, the shades were built for blending and have little fallout. What’s more, the powders are enriched with nourishing vitamin E, jojoba seed oil, and honeysuckle flower, and are free of talc, which can irritate sensitive skin.
• Number of Shades: Six
• Finishes: Matte, satin, and metallic
• Best For: An elevated, earthy look. Great for any and every occasion.

Dior Backstage Eyeshadow Palette

• Why We Love It: Celebrity makeup artist Ammy Drammeh previously told Vogue that Dior’s nine-pan palette, which includes a shadow primer and eight shades, is a staple in her kit. “[The shadows] are high pigment, have matte and shimmery finish, and their shades are neutral,” she said. The Backstage palette comes in four shade ranges – including the plum-and-grey-flecked “Smoky Essentials” and the amber “Warm Essentials” – that were designed to flatter any skin tone. The newest iteration, the limited-edition “Celestial Purple,” expands on the traditional finishes, pairing five satiny shades with two glittery colours and one rich, velvety matte.
• Number of Shades: Eight shades plus one primer
• Finishes: Matte, shimmer, glitter, satin
• Best For: A softly glamorous look, perfect for a little casual cocktail smokiness

Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette

• Why We Love It: A gorgeous palette that makes it easy to create a warm, orangey-brown look. With 14 shades in all, the collection also features Glistening, which casts a pink reflection on iridescent gold. The mix of earthy and ethereal shades has everything one needs for a softly smudged eye or a bold, gleaming look – and it has built-in highlighters, too. The Glistening, Bronze, and Fairy shades can all be used to accentuate the high planes of the face.
• Number of Shades: 14
• Finishes: Matte, metallic, duo chrome
• Best For: With varying degrees of sparkle and shine – from iridescent gold to highly pigmented, metallic bronze – this kit adds the finishing touch to an ethereal look (it’s fitting that it has a shade called “Fairy.”)

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Eyeshadow Palette

• Why We Love It: A favourite palette for high profile premieres and Oscar parties – just ask Lily-Rose Depp and Margot Robbie – Chanel’s glossy black compact holds four shades in finishes ranging from matte to satin and shimmer. In each palette, shades are highly pigmented and meticulously selected. There are two shades for colour and contour, a darker shade to add intensity, and a lighter shade to highlight the eye. The shadows have a smooth texture that glides easily onto the eyes, and the compact has a built-in mirror for checking your work as you swirl and blend.
• Number of Shades: Four
• Finishes: Matte, satin, and shimmer
• Best For: With a vast array of finishes and colours, there’s a Chanel Les 4 Ombres palette for any occasion. But if you have a high-profile event to attend, take a cue from one of Robbie’s Oscar party looks last year and opt for the palette in “Candeur et Expérience.” The beiges, browns, and burnished reds set a subtle backdrop for a bold lip – and an even bolder ensemble.

Pat McGrath Mothership IX: Huetopian Dream Eyeshadow Palette

• Why We Love It: Legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath filled her futuristic palette with colours inspired by the cosmos. The 10 creamy shades come in six finishes, which range from matte and satin to shimmery, duo-chrome, and full-on shine. Colours, meanwhile, include nudes, roses, coral, and golds and bronzes with sparkling hints of chartreuse and blue. The shadows can be used wet or dry, and they lend a dash of space-age glamour – replete with holographic sparkles and colour-shifting hues – to any beauty look.
• Number of Shades: 10
• Finishes: High shine, shimmer, matte, metallic, satin, duo chrome, tri chrome
• Best For: Making a bold, artistic statement. Whether you have plans to attend a Margiela Artisanal Fashion Show or want to mingle with a boundary-pushing crowd, the palette is a guaranteed attention grabber.

Danessa Myricks Groundwork: Blooming Romance Eyeshadow Palette

• Why We Love It: Danessa Myricks’s multi-tasking palette is an all-in-one kit for the eyes, face, brows, and lips. Housed in a metallic-pink case, the talc-free palette has an innovative design that pairs velvety pomades with matching powders. Start by swiping the pomade across the lid to define the eye. The powder, which has oil-absorbing properties, serves as a top coat to lock in the look. The 10 shades focus on universally flattering hues of pink, brown, and berry. What’s more, the pomades and powders can be used to sculpt the cheeks, fill in the brows, or line and colour the lips.
• Number of Shades: 10
• Finishes: Matte
• Best For: Tackling your entire make-up regime – particularly if you’re en route to dinner after the gym and a long day at the office. The blushing, berry-hued colours are just the thing for a dreamily romantic look.

Tom Ford Eye Colour Quad Eyeshadow Palette

• Why We Love It: Tom Ford is synonymous with sultry glamour – who else would develop a fruity gourmand that feels so elicit, it could only be called Lost Cherry? The designer’s signature, sexy touch infuses his eye colour quads, which have decked the lids of many models at NYFW. The quads come in finishes ranging from sheer sparkle to matte. There’s also a wide colour selection, which includes the dusky pink and plum Disco Dust and the pink, cool purple, and dirty red Electric Cherry. In each quad, the colours coordinate to build out soft or bold looks, and the shadows can be applied wet or dry. Pro tip: Take a cue from Ford’s NYFW artist, and seal the powders with a touch of balm for an all-night hold.
• Number of Shades: 4
• Finishes: Sparkle, satin, shimmer, matte
• Best For: Putting the finishing touch on a night-time look with a little edge – the glittery shades are a perfect match for chainmail, while smoky mattes play well with velvet and leather.

What to look for in an eyeshadow palette

“When it comes to eyeshadow palettes, it’s good to have something that’s versatile enough for everyday wear but can also be used to dial up your look for the evening,” says celebrity make-up artist Sofia Tilbury. “For an everyday palette you can use all the time, look for something that contains light to mid-tone neutral matte shades that you can use in your crease or all over the lid, plus at least one deeper neutral that can build depth and smokiness. If you like shimmer, look for one that also includes at least one metallic shadow to create a dreamy, dazzling eye look that catches the light beautifully.”

Dedivanovic shares more advice on choosing a palette based on shades, finishes, and pigments.

Shades: “Shades are personal preference, but for me, a well-rounded palette includes a range of light, medium, and deep shades within a colour story so you have everything you need to create a full eye look; lighter shades that can be used as a base or highlight, medium options to softly sculpt the eye, and deeper shades for definition and intensity,” he says. “A nice range of tones offers the flexibility to create anything from a natural, everyday eye to a more dramatic evening look. If you aren’t sure which shades work best for you, neutrals are always a safe bet.”