The 5 Best Drugstore Eyeshadow Palettes That’ll Make Your Eyes Pop

 

I recall spending hours in high school slinking through the aisles of beauty at my local drugstore or Target. I loved seeing the latest product each brand came out with. And, frequently, I tried to swatch products on my hands when I knew I shouldn't. I mean, who doesn't do this?. Quite frankly, there's little in this world that gets my blood pumping more than finding an amazing beauty product for a great price, and over the years, I've consistently enjoyed the quest for the greatest drugstore eyeshadow palettes that won't blow the budget. With many years serving as a beauty editor, I'm now at a stage where I really know what is worth investing in and what can be skipped.

Of course, it's nice to have a great luxury eyeshadow palette from Sephora, but you can always find just as pigmented and vibrant eyeshadows with less fallout at your local drugstore any day. Obviously, the biggest drawback about finding the best drugstore eyeshadow palettes is that you aren't allowed to swatch them in-store. Thankfully, you won't need to sketchily open the eyeshadow palette packaging to try and swatch a shade-I tried them all and I'm here to let you know which are worth purchasing.

 The 5 Best Drugstore Eyeshadow Palettes 

NYX Professional Makeup Ultimate Shadow Palette

This is one of those super-popular drugstore eyeshadow palettes, and for good reason: it's a great neutral palette that works for so many looks. Warm Neutrals comes with 16 neutral shades, ranging from matte to shimmery.

I really like this palette; thus, it's pigmented and doesn't have a lot of fallout. I did, however, take note that when I put the eyeshadow with an eyeshadow primer underneath-the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer is one I really love-it had more vibrant color compared to putting no primer whatsoever.

One con about this selection is that the colors in the palette could be too warm for my skin tone. There is a lot of reddish shade within the NYX Professional Makeup Ultimate Shadow Palette in Warm Neutrals. Sometimes, I feel that the red shade on my eyelids exposes the redness of my cheeks and chin. Hence, I try to avoid redness-based colors. Still, this palette does contain a bunch of cream and brown shades that do look nice on my skin tone.

 Available at Amazon ($14).

Milani Gilded Nude Hyper Pigmented Eyeshadow Palette

This palette is pretty dang amazing. The formula is going on like butter when you apply it to your eyelids; the pigment, too, is really impressive, and fallout is pretty much non-existent. The Milani Gilded Nude Hyper Pigmented Eyeshadow Palette includes 15 shades. The majority of them are in the "warm" category.

I think this palette has a good mix of shimmery and matte shades. For a drugstore eyeshadow palette, it is $15, which is a bit on the pricier side, but I really think it is worth the money since the quality is just so good. One negative: it's a little bit big and fat for an eyeshadow palette. While slim, I really can't see many folks traveling with this palette; at least I don't!

Available on Amazon ($15)

Pacifica Cosmic Reflect Palette

I just love how funny this palette's packaging is. It's "hemp-infused" and covered in marijuana leaves. Kinda loving the psychedelic feel of this palette; it makes me wanna use it.

The Pacifica Cosmic Reflect Palette comes in 14 shimmer and matte shades. The shade range in this palette is everywhere; that being a good thing for those who like to switch it up every now and then. It had some great neutrals that can be paired with some of the wild shades, like a purple "Cosmic" or sparkly pink "Delphi."

I love that this palette is clean and cruelty-free, but the pigment certainly isn't as strong as some of the other palettes on this list. I think that's because Pacifica uses ingredients that are on the more natural, cleaner side. That being said, don't write this one off-the shades are buildable and you can still get a great, colorful look.

Another negative about this palette is that it's big and bulky. I would keep it at home in your vanity and not take it traveling. Finally, it's the most expensive option on this list coming in at $19 per palette. 

Available at Amazon ($19)

Maybelline New York The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette

This is a truly great nude shade selection. I love that with one palette only, you can go from a soft to super dramatic smokey eye look. Having both matte and shimmery shades, you won't miss out on any shade with this pick.

Great colours, not amazing formula. Unfortunately, these shades are going to fade off pretty fast unless you put eyeshadow primer underneath. I don't think I would recommend using this palette without an eyeshadow primer.

Available at Amazon ($13)

e.l.f. Mad for Matte Eyeshadow Palette

For those who aren't a shimmery eyeshadow gal, reach for the e.l.f. Mad for Matte Eyeshadow Palette in Nude Mood. This pick has a great array of nude eyeshadows, from ivory cream to chocolate brown.

These shadows aren't super pigmented, and they have quite a bit of fallout. Still, this palette is pretty decent in price, and I do like how compact and travel-friendly the whole thing is. I also like knowing that if it breaks while traveling for whatever reason, it won't be super devastating since it's pretty cheap.

Available at Amazon ($10)

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