I am an artist; my face my canvas.
My very first palette was a 100 Eye Shadow powdery monstrosity that I bought from Forever 21. I was an amateur and I thought I had hit the beauty jackpot and become obsessed with trying different looks with the palette. I learned my best techniques trying to blend out its chalky shadows.
This no-name palette had sparked my creativity. I started diving into the beauty world and found that my love for it pushed beyond my insecurities and more into a realm of fascination and admiration. I had to have more. I began collecting palettes, trying products and learning to swatch to check for quality. My eyes were finely tuned to finding the right formulas and pigmentations to produce great work. Before I knew it, I had invested so much of my money pursuing the best formulas. Along the way, I have found many flops. More significantly, I've found my ride or die favorites, or the five palettes I consider the best eyeshadow palettes of all time.
5. Juvia's Place - Masquerade Palette ($30)
Juvia's Place
Only die-hard beauty lovers know about this company but those that do know the beauty of what they produce. Their strong pigmentation and wide range of colors make them a top contender on this list. The Masquerade Palette was one of their early palettes and it proved to be a great product. The shadows are long lasting, the pan sizes are enormous and they are super cost effective. Not to mention the incredibly creative packaging that nods at the rich aesthetic of the black-owned company.
4. Too Faced - Chocolate Gold ($49)
Too Faced Cosmetics
Too Faced is a controversial brand with a very controversial leader with a lot of drama and blah blah blah. That's not what I came here for. Looking solely at the product, The Chocolate Bar palette sparked an entire line of delicious smelling products for Too Faced cosmetics. The best part, it smells like Chocolate! At the peak of these collections is the Chocolate Gold palette. The packaging is stunning, period. The smell is intoxicating and the colors are glorious. I'm obsessed with this palette. While the colors don't have a wide range, they compliment every skin color and make a beautiful addition to your collection.
3. Anastasia Beverly Hills - Modern Renaissance ($42)
Anastasia Beverly Hills
This was my very first ABH product. It was also the very first eyeshadow palette I hit pan with. The colors sparked a trend of reds and oranges that hadn't been seen in years. The colors complimented most skin tones and it was an innovative and creative. The formula made the shadows super bendable and super wearable. The colors in the palette ranged from day to night looks and was an all around winner for ABH. It will forever be in my collection as one of my faves.
2. Morphe - The Jaclyn Hill Eyeshadow Palette ($38)
Morphe
Let me start by saying I'm not a fan of Jaclyn Hill. I don't have anything against her but I genuinely don't watch her YouTube videos, so I can't say I like her. Setting all of that aside, I can say that her makeup is bomb and so is this palette. Morphe has created many incredibly beautiful palettes (i.e. 39A, 350M and 35R - 100% Recommend All) but this palette has more colors than most and a wide array of colors that will help you create any look you're interested in. The colors and strong pigments compliment all skin colors and have a long-lasting, beautifully blendable formula. It's price is also a winner for the amount of product you get to enjoy.
1. Urban Decay - The Naked Family ($54)
Urban Decay
Yes, technically these are four palettes and it may be considered cheating but the Naked Palette was one of the very first palettes I actually invested some coin on. Urban Decay has released many beautiful products in their time but this is probably their best selling. The Naked Palette became its own power, followed by three Naked Palettes and other Naked products following this theme. My personal favorite of the collection is the Naked Heat palette, with its warm color section and vibrant shades. However, the others are just as beautiful and can provide you with most of the colors you will ever need. The shadows are highly pigmented and blend beautifully. It also helps that these shadows are super long lasting.
I find myself incredibly nostalgic looking at this compilation of products I have loved for so long. I remember each of the moments in which I acquired every single one of these pieces and remember how special it was for me to get my hands on them. They are, after all, more than just makeup. They represent the incredibly creative companies behind them and the recession-proof cosmetics industry rooted in a passion for wearable art and the never-ending pursuit of beauty.
