Having the best eyeshadow palettes at your disposal may be the quickest way to feel like a pro makeup artist. The sheer variety of shades, finishes, and required brushes alone opens the door to a world of possibilities—from endless color combinations to matte, sparkle, or matte with sparkle looks. And while the palettes can evoke a kid-in-a-candy-store feeling for makeup lovers, they can also overwhelm those who don’t quite know, well, how to use them. This is where the pros come in.
Vogue’s Favorite Eyeshadow Palettes:
Featured in this article
Best for MinimalistsIlia Ilia The Necessary Eyeshadow PaletteJump to review$40
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“First, prime your eyelids,” says Jennifer Lopez’s makeup artist Scott Barnes, creator of Scott Barnes Cosmetics. “Just like artists prep the canvas, same here.” Though makeup artists have varying opinions on how to best prime the lids, Barnes’ personal approach is to use a synthetic brush to sweep a thin layer of concealer across the lid to neutralize any discolorations.
Barnes emphasizes that using the right makeup brush is just as important as shade selection and placement. A denser, flat brush is best for the base shadow; an angled eyeshadow brush is ideal for the crease area; and fluffy, loose brushes are made for blending, he says. Finally, “Smaller defining brushes are perfect for working in darker colors and smoking out the eye.”
To load the product onto the brush, Barnes swirls the tool into the pan twice and taps it twice to prevent fallout. “Then, place the product where you want to see it,” he says. “For example, press the brush firmly in the inner crease and swipe the color solidly in. Come back with a clean, fluffy brush to blend the shadow out.”
And finally, heed this tip: “The most common mistake I see—in everyday women and even quite frankly with some makeup artists—is they start blending before the eyeshadow is even placed properly,” he says. “The end result looks muddy and messy.”
Now that you’re briefed on technique, it’s time to consider which eyeshadow palette is right for you. Ahead, find the palettes that celebrity makeup artists and Vogue editors dip into for every kind of eye look, whether it’s holiday-party-ready shimmer or everyday nudes.
In This Story:
- What to Look for in an Eyeshadow Palette
- How to Use an Eyeshadow Palette
- How to Choose the Eyeshadow Palette for You
- How to Apply Eyeshadow Like a Pro
- How We Tested
- Meet the Experts
