The Best Eyeshadow Palettes of All Time, According to the Pros (2024)

The beauty of eyeshadow palettes is the ability to create various looks from one compact of colors in a range of matte, satin and metallic finishes. Even if you're a beginner and still learning how to properly apply eyeshadow, palettes make it easier for you to pick up your makeup brush and feel confident in experimenting with complementary shades.

We asked our seasoned beauty editors for their go-to shadow palettes, and got personal tips and recommended products from makeup artists Ashunta Sheriff (who's done carpet-ready makeup for Rihanna and Alicia Keys) and Sharon Gjieli. "Browns and beiges are easier to learn with instead of jumping head-first into bold colors that might take practice blending together seamlessly," Sheriff says. Plus, neutral shades are foolproof and look great on anyone.

At the end of this story, check out our recommendations on how to shop for the best eyeshadow palette for you, how to find out what eyeshadow shade is best for you and more. Still looking for more eye makeup content? Here, our guides to the best eyeshadow sticks and best eyeshadow primers on the market. Ahead, the best eyeshadow palettes of 2023, from top-rated drugstore options to neutral shadow palettes, all with shades that you can really use.

Offered in a range of finishes, including matte, satin, pearl and metallic, these GH Beauty Award-winning shadow quartets define and gild lids with silky, wearable hues. Between neutral and bold color palettes, there's something for everyone: "The colors are nicely curated and complement one another very well," says GH Beauty Lab Reviews Analyst Chiara Butler. Plus, Beauty Lab assessment confirmed that the powders glided on smoothly, gave eyes dimension and didn’t settle into lines.

A former GH Beauty Award winner, this four-shadow set earned praise from testers due to its long-lasting color, which stayed put during workouts, gardening and more. One tester who reported having sensitive skin said the shadows didn't irritate her eyes, even during allergy season. Plus, the eyeshadow look "stayed fresh-looking no matter how hard I tried to wreck it," a tester revealed. Online reviewers add to this praise and love how pigmented the colors are, but they do add that the color options in each quad are similar and wish there was more variety.

Beginners, if you don't feel ready to splurge for a pricey palette but still want high-performing powders you can trust, Morphe is a great place to start. "For someone who is looking to experiment with tons of colors without breaking the bank, Morphe has so many different affordable palettes with up to 35 different colors," Gjieli notes. This palette in particular is ideal for eye makeup novices, as the neutral shades are versatile, wearable and easy to work with. "I love to bring this with me when I'm traveling because it's full of the shades I need for an everyday look and for something more glam, and the full-size mirror is a huge plus," adds GH Reviews Analyst Amanda Constantine. Some online reviewers wish the formula could be creamier and easier to blend.

Purple hues like this really make brown eyes pop. Offered in a trio of finishes (matte, shimmer, metallic) in the same shade of lilac, "this cool muted purple shade complements my dark brown eyes very well," says Butler. She also loves that "having just three eyeshadows in the same shade makes applying eyeshadow simple and effortless without being an expert," she says, but some online reviewers wish there was stronger color payoff on these shades.

Great for any eye color, this widely-praised palette has had a cult following for years. Because of its selection of yellow and orange-toned shades, it's especially great for blue eyes and will make them pop. Several GH staffers have used and loved Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeshadow products over the years, including this one, and online reviewers echo that sentiment. "The shadows are so buttery soft and easy to blend with high pigmentation," one reviewer raves. "These neutral shadows are perfect for everyday and also a night out." Some online reviewers note that there can be some fallout.

Good Housekeeping Institute Deputy Editor Jessica Teich says this palette makes her green eyes pop. "Pinks and reds are opposite of green on the color spectrum, so it complements this eye color well," she says. The muted everyday colors come in creamy mattes and shimmery finishes that can create wearable, romantic looks. Teich also loves that the palette can work from day to night, however, this is a pricey palette, especially for just six shades.

Our hazel-eyed Beauty Assistant reaches for this palette constantly. With color options ranging from deep browns to light beiges and finishes ranging from matte to sparkly, it's versatile and can go from day to night. "It's so much fun to play with this palette," one of our editors says. "I love creating different looks, and the colors are so flattering. I can do anything from a 'no-makeup makeup' look to full glam using this. I even use the darkest shade as eyeliner sometimes." Thanks to several coral shade options, this palette is great for those with hazel eyes. She does note that the eyeshadow creases on her eyelids sometimes.

Black-owned beauty brand Juvia's Place is known for its line of cosmetics that suit any skin tone while keeping darker skin tones in mind. This Magic palette really is magical to many customers: With 4.8 stars, reviews have poured in commenting on the pigmentation on these colors (a mix of matte and shimmer shades that range from light beige to sparking gold to deep navy). Sheriff loves that the brand's palettes are perfectly coordinated and pigmented at a low price point. "They are good quality and inexpensive, so you can easily reorder them again and again," she says. Some online reviewers do find some of the shades harder to incorporate into their daily makeup glam, though.

Gjieli's favorite eyeshadow palette, this Tarte product is also loved by customers too. It's super adaptable, as it includes "all the best neutral shades for almost any skin/eye tone," Gjieli says. "The variety of earth tones makes it a universal palette for natural or smoky looks." She even likes using some of the darker colors on the lash line (either instead of or on top of eyeliner). One thing she points out is to be mindful of the pigment: "It has a lot of payoff, so start with very little product and build it up as needed," she advises. It's an all-matte palette, so if you like a little sparkle, you won't find that with this one.

Glittery eyeshadow lovers unite: This Nars palette, inspired by the brand's iconic Orgasm blush, is chock-full of sparkly shades to create a multitude of looks. Our Beauty Assistant loves using this palette for both daytime and nighttime looks, sharing that "I can wear even the glittery shades to work and then add a little extra on top for a night out." With a range of easy-to-use and fun-to-play-with shades, "these shades are all super usable and there's not a single one I haven't tried," she adds. "I don't experience any glitter fallout or creasing on my lids when I wear these." It's on the pricier side, though, but she believes it's worth the investment.

This Chanel shadow palette is a bit of a splurge, but Franzino says it's a sophisticated way to experiment with color. It's offered in several shades, ranging from deep purple to forest green, while carefully paired with a neutral champagnes and grays. Though each color is daring in its own way, our Beauty Assistant likes using one color at a time for a subtle, muted look to give depth to her eyes. "I needed a gold shadow that wasn't glittery," a reviewer writes. "These shadows have more of a shimmer and glow. The colors blend expertly. It is appropriate for all ages. I feel beautiful, not silly wearing at 44." Another 70-year old online reviewer writes that the palette "yields a hazy, smoky color that is refined and elegant."

Versatility is key to any eyeshadow palette worthy of everyday use. This palette features that exactly, thanks to six complementary powder eyeshadows in matte, satin and shimmer finishes. Shades range from neutral taupes to bold blues and come in plastic-free packaging as an added bonus. The GH Beauty Award winner "gives strong, true color payoff, and there's not one I wouldn’t wear," a tester shared. However, some online reviewers find it difficult to get the color on their makeup brushes for application.

At just $3, this E.L.F. palette is an unbelievable deal. GH Editorial Assistant Adrianna Freedman loves the pink colors in the Rose Water version of the palette. "This quickly became a well-loved palette because of the versatility it gave despite there being only four shadows," she says. As for how she uses it, she'll apply the light matte shade for work and then the medium pink shimmer on top for events, and "this lasts on my oily lids for a surprisingly long time," she adds. Some online reviewers complain about the palette easily breaking, so be careful!

In addition to the Beauty Lab's evaluations of eyeshadow palettes for Beauty Awards, makeup artists Ashunta Sheriff and Sharon Gjieli provided expert advice and product recommendations. We also asked editors for their favorite go-to picks to round out this list.

About once a year, but "powders have a much longer shelf life than creams or liquids," says Gjieli. "Around 12 months after opening your palette, you'll find that your shadows are a bit less pigmented and might be harder to blend." However, "if you're using dirty brushes or fingers on your shadow palettes, they'll expire even sooner and might be contaminated with bacteria over time," she says, so make sure you're cleaning your makeup brushes often.