Between the holidays and New Years, this is the best time of the year to play with new makeup and eyeshadow palettes. I can’t seem to stop buying and trying new palettes — they are all so pretty! Here are some of my current favorites:
TOO FACED La Petite Maison, $39 ($153 value) – TOO FACED really out did themselves this year on their holiday gift sets. The packaging opens to a Parisian chambre (with views of the Eiffel Tower) and reveals a 12 shade eyeshadow palette and deluxe size of their bestselling Better Than Sex mascara. The palette is lightweight, purse friendly and the perfect mix of matte and sparkles to take you from day to night.
Urban Decay Vice4 ($60) – While we may play it safe for the majority of our makeup looks, it’s always fun to have one palette in your arsenal that pushes the limits and packs a range of bright colors for when you’re feeling more adventurous. This palette features 20 iconic shades from their collection ranging in finishes from buttery-smooth mattes and shimmering metallics to shades laced with micro-glitter. It’s a party in a palette!
Urban Decay Naked Basics, $29 – If the Urban Decay Vice4 palette is to appease your adventurous side, then the Naked Basic should appeal to your more practical side. Six shades, which includes all of the fundamental, neutral mattes you’ll ever need, plus the perfect matte brown and black in one uber convenient travel size palette.
Lorac Mega PRO Palette 2, $59 ($205 value) – Exclusive to Ulta, this is the holy grail of eyeshadow palettes. Created by celebrity makeup artist Carol Shaw, this PRO artistry palette is packed with 16 shimmer and 16 matte ultra pigmented shadows that can perform both wet or dry to shade, shadow, line and define.
Lorac Pro Matte Palette, $28 ($45 value) – Also created by celebrity makeup artist Carol Shaw, this palette features 8 ultra pigmented matte shadows that like the rest of the Lorac eyeshadows can be applied wet or dry to shade, shadow, line and define eyes.
Jane Iredale In The Blink of a Smokey Eye Smoky Eye Kit, $50 – So many of us struggle when it comes to a basic smokey eye. Jane Iredale breaks down five color variations with how-to’s and pictures inserted in this palette kit alongside eight, high-pigment PurePressed shades to make it that much easier to get the look. There is some fall out with the palette but the shades are highly buildable and it’s nothing a q-tip and makeup remover can’t fix.
Japonesque Pixelated Color Eye Shadow Palette, $38 – Ten high-resolution, micronized color pigments which includes four Pro Basic shades (a black, brown and two neutrals), and six Pixelated Colors which are light catching, high shine shades that range from silver to bronze, green and purple. They comfortably blend and deliver that high impact eye without being thick or heavy. My only complaint with the palette is that the pans are not deep set enough for the shadows so I’ve had a few of them break at the surface. The again, I travel non-stop and never want to be apart from this wonder. Case and point, be gentle with it!
NARS Create Your Own Palette – Inevitably in every palette half the colors go to waste. Now that can all change with NARS’ new deign your own pro palettes. There are two sizes, small, $14 (7 1/20″ x 5 1/2″) and large, $18 (8 9/10″ x 6 4/5″). The price is for the container and then you proceed to fill it with your favorite NARS blushes, bronzers, eyeshadows and face powders each sold individually for sale. Make an eyeshadow palette, everyday essentials or whatever makes you happy, you’re the boss!