The Perfect Palette Tag

Eyeshadow palettes have got to be one of my favourite makeup products of all time. There's something about their resemblance to an actual artist palette that just makes them look so much fun to work with!

As much as I'd love to share with you all each and every one of the eyeshadow palettes I own, I figured that a much easier and more efficient way of showcasing my love (more like obsession LOL) for my babies would be via the 'Perfect Palette Tag.' 

1. Best Packaging

Anastasia Beverly Hills 'Self-made' / $59AUD Sephora
I'm going to be honest. While this palette isn't the most interesting or creative eyeshadow packaging I've come across (i.e. Too-Faced Chocolate Bar), it's just so damn elegant. The palette itself not only has a sophisticated packaging, it also feels luxurious. The texture and material of the palette along with the metal plate with 'Anastasia Beverly Hills' imprinted on it, reminds me of a high class wallet or purse (from afar, it could actually be mistaken for one!) The magnetic cover that effortlessly flips open and close makes it so easy to use. It also feels sturdy and has a good weight. 

Above all, the palette looks as good as it wears - the shadows in this palette are not only pigmented and buttery (as you would expect from a high-end eyeshadow palette), they're also very unique, which makes them phenomenal. 

'Pink Champagne' is the most perfect pinkish, glittery eyeshadow out there that wears beautifully and gives off the most intense metallic finish because its glitters are so refined. My personal favourite in this palette has got to be 'Treasure' - an ordinary shimmery pinky champagne at first glance, but when worn is the most magical cool-toned highlight shade EVER. I'm not even exaggerating. Everything about this palette is absolutely gorgeous. 

2. Best Color Payoff

Urban Decay 'Naked 2' / $78AUD Mecca (now risen to $81 eek! D:)
Even though it's cliche, I couldn't not give the best colour payoff award to Urban Decay's shadows. Apart from the Naked 2, I also own the Naked Basics 1 & 2, which features all matte shades. I adore my UD Naked 2 for its pigmented shadows and variety of matte, shimmer, satin and intensely metallic shades. I have to say that the intensely metallic part of this palette had me convinced that I wouldn't find another palette out there with a more intense metallic finish than that in UD's Naked 2 - namely 'Half-baked' (shimmery gold) and 'YDK' (ultra metallic taupe). 

Due to the intense pigmentation in these shadows, they do tend to kick up quite a bit of fall out, which is something I find less desirable about UD shadows. The darker matte shades can be a little difficult to blend for beginners. I still love the Naked 2 for its intensely pigmented shimmery/metallic shadows, but I would generally not choose to wear this on the daily. However, whenever there's an occasion where a full-blown smokey eye is required, UD's Naked 2 is the palette I would turn to. 

3. Most Versatile

Chi Chi Glamorous 'Mattes 2' / $22.95 Target or Myer
I had a hard time choosing between my Chi Chi Glamorous Matte 1 & 2 palettes, and my Too-Faced Chocolate bar palettes (original and semi-sweet). I finally settled on the Chi Chi Mattes 2, because I have honestly gone to this palette on so many different occasions. This palette contains almost every shade of matte I need for any eyeshadow look - and I couldn't deny it even if I wanted to (considering my Naked Basics 1 & 2 cost a heck of a lot more and go untouched). This palette literally has it all - any warm-toned matte highlight, transition or outer v shade you need is probably in there. And if you're more of cool-toned kind of gal, the Chi Chi Mattes 3 will be your best friend.

These shadows aren't the highest of quality, but they do pack a decent amount of pigmentation. They are similar to Urban Decay's matte shadows, in the sense that they are "wetter" shadows, which can make them ever so slightly difficult to blend. Some of the shades can be a little chalky, but I find that to be the case with some UD mattes as well.

4. Best for Traveling

Smashbox 'Full Exposure' travel size / $35AUD Mecca
I bought this on impulse at the Mecca store some time last month because I was drawn to the cute ass packaging and the awesome range of shimmer, glitter and matte shadows in this palette. The second colour on the top row was to die for and it reminded me of MAC's Honey Lust (but better quality), a drop-dead gorgeous light peachy shade with micro-glitters. 

I love every colour in this palette and can definitely see myself being able to use this for any occasion. The smokey grey shade in the top right hand corner is the perfect grey for a classic smokey eye. I also love the black-brown matte right under it, which is a perfect substitute for a straight out black that can be a little too much for some people. I can't say the shadow quality of this palette is the best I've tried for a high-end product - they are on the drier side, but overall, I do enjoy this palette. It's the smallest and slimmest eyeshadow palette I own and contains a good variety of shades and finishes, which makes it ideal for travel.

5. Biggest Regret

Face of Australia 'Colour Max' palette in 'Nude' / $13.95AUD Priceline
I had to dig up my 'abandoned products drawer' to find this one. Initially I was drawn to the packaging and the pretty shade selection...

The glittery plummy gold shade on the top left hand corner has virtually no pigmentation. The glitters are large and chunky, which is not something you want in a glitter eyeshadow. The metallic light gold however, is absolutely stunning. It's the main reason I held on to this palette even though the other shadows didn't perform so well.

The problem is in the formulation of these eyeshadows. The mattes shades (especially the dark brown) have a weird texture and don't seem to stick to the lids properly. Despite looking decent when swatched, they are too chalky and blend away easily, leaving behind just a sheer wash of colour. The light shades are also extremely sheer. I can still make this palette work as the colours are beautiful and work well together, but as a whole, this palette was a solid disappointment. I believe the Face of Australia Colour Max Palettes are limited edition.

6. Best Color Names

Too-Faced 'Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar' / $70AUD Mecca

When we can all get past how delicious this eyeshadow palette smells, can we take a moment and appreciate how spot on the names are for the actual eyeshadows themselves?! The colours look exactly like their shade names.

Swatches of 'Peanut Butter', 'Mousse' & 'Caramel'

'Mousse' sure enough looks like the colour of chocolate mousse, and 'Caramel' is just this spot on golden caramel shade that looks good enough to eat. I also love that they named the glittery pink 'Pink sugar' because who wouldn't relate glitter to sugar, right? The shade names are ingenious. Kudos to Too-Faced for actually making an effort to match shade names with the actual colours of the eyeshadows!

7. Least Used

The Balm 'Nude-tude' / $50AUD Target

This was actually the first high-end eyeshadow palette I bought when David Jones first started stocking The Balm products (which they no longer do). My first impression of this palette was just - FUN. I was intrigued and entertained by the design and placement of the individual shadows. ;) For creativity, I give it 5 stars.

The shadows are housed in very small rectangular pans, which doesn't bother me considering it takes me forever to hit pan on anything - let alone an eyeshadow. The shades are also quite nice and wearable, and I have no complaints about the formula or pigmentation of these shadows either. However, I just don't reach for this palette as much as my other eyeshadow palettes.

Swatches of (L-R): 'Stand-offish', 'Selfish', 'Sexy' & 'Sleek' (my favourites)

This palette has a really great colour selection, though it may be missing a few all-over-the-lid shades. I have a theory that even though the shades are great by themselves, they don't work quite as well together as shades in other palettes do, which might possibly be the reason I don't pick up this palette very often..

8. Most Used

Too-Faced 'Natural Eyes' / $53AUD Mecca

When I first got my hands on this little palette, I was completely obsessed. It was one of my first (I think 3rd) high-end eyeshadow palettes, and you might remember me raving about it in my review of the Model's Prefer Nude Palette, which is a close dupe for the Too-Faced Natural Eyes. 

Swatches of 'Honey Pot' & 'Push-Up'

The most used shadow in the palette is 'Push-up,' which is a stunning every day taupey-brown perfect for all over the lid. I used this shade religiously for months since I got this palette. It was all I really needed to create an every day, natural eye look, and the quality of the shadows were amazing to say the least. It features three matte brown shades that are great for contouring the eye (I've even used 'Nudie' as a face contour). 'Heaven' is a beautiful creamy matte white for the brow-bone, whereas 'Erotica' and 'Chocolate Martini' are stunning outer corner shades with fine glitter running through them. 'Honey Pot' is obviously another stunner, a very close dupe (though not as intense) for Urban Decay's 'Half-baked'. The only downside I would say is that these shadows don't smell like chocolate like the shadows in the Chocolate Bar palettes. I really wish they did! 

9. Most Loved

Morphe Brushes 35T / ~$50AUD Beautyjoint
I feel like this question is a little more subject to interpretation, as 'most loved' could also refer to 'most used' or in my case, my most beloved or treasured eyeshadow palette. I wanted to give this one to my Anastasia Self-made palette, as my boyfriend gifted this to me for Christmas and therefore, has sentimental value, but I figured I'd keep this strictly product-based. 

The moment I laid eyes on this, I was in lust. Apart from the fact that it is Morphe's 2nd most sought after palette (after the 35O which I am also lusting for), it is a huge inventory of purply, taupe shades. Taupes and cooler toned browns are my absolute favourite eyeshadow shades of all time. I may have my warm-toned or rosey-toned phases like any other gal, but taupes will always be my bae (LOL). I just feel like they are so flattering on my eyes. Sometimes I feel like a full-blown warm-toned eye look can be too much, but taupe has always been a colour I found to be 'natural' on me. So if I ever needed a monster palette containing 35 eyeshadows, a taupe theme would be my kind of palette. ;)

What I also adore about the 35T is that is also features several warm-toned shades such as the shimmery rose-gold and metallic amber on the fourth row from the top (These are RIDICULOUSLY pigmented and buttery as you can tell from the swatches). The colour pay-off on Morphe's shadows are top-notch and so is its colour selection.

10. Desert Island

I've seen a lot of people choose giant palettes featuring literally every colour imaginable for this question, but for me, it's clear that I will take my Anastasia Beverly Hills Self-Made Palette with me to a Desert Island. Not only is the colour selection wonderful - containing all your great neutrals as well as pops of colours and unique shades, it also contains a brush (yay!) Overall, this palette is just great and ticks all the right boxes for me.

Hope you enjoyed this massively long post and the photos of the eyeshadow palettes I shared.
Which are your most loved eyeshadow palettes?