Current Favourite Eye Shadow Palettes

It's very rare these days that I actually go out and pick up a single eye shadow unless it's a creamy formula or in stick form, I am very much a palette girl and they are beginning to take over. I just don't see the point of having loads of mini shadows when you can have them all together in one convenient palette and they usually come with a pretty good choice of colour too. Having all the shades in front of you makes it so much easier when creating a look, you can dust and swoosh on an array of shades to create something smokey, neutral or even just stick to the one shade for something really simple in the day. Palettes just have it all and they even come with a pretty decent sized mirror most of the time too, which is perfect for on the go application. 

Picking a favourite would be tricky as I have palettes for the neutrals, the metallics, the mattes and the shimmers but for todays post I have chosen two which I am reaching for a lot recently and I find myself going back to all the time. 

Starting with my newest addition and my most used, the NARS Dual Intensity Palette is a thing of complete beauty and is most definitely the best beauty buy I have made in a very long time. Containing eight pigmented powders which can be used dry for a soft, subtle look or wet for an incredibly metallic bright eye, this palette includes an amazing selection of bronzes, silver, a few darks, and a perfect neutral base shade. The shadows have such buttery formulas they glide onto the lid effortlessly and can be built up for a super intense finish or worn individually for something more day time-y. Another great thing about these shadows is how easy they are to blend, meaning you could wear any shades together and really blend them out to create soft edges. This is definitely a palette I reach for both day and night, but for an evening look then I will always go to this palette as the combination of shades means you are free to create a sophisticated smokey eye, a natural bronze or even a silver lid with some midnight blue for smudged liner. You really can rock any look with this one. 

Next up is an oldie but a goodie and I'm not actually sure it is still available and if it's not then I apologise and will see if I can find a link online or something similar, but it is the Bobbi Brown Scotch On The Rocks Warm Glow Eye Palette which was part of her Christmas collection. (Smashbox Full Exposure Palette has similar colours) Based on the colours in this palette, you can probably tell I am a big fan of a really simple, easy to wear neutral eye and love the bronzy golds and champagnes. For me, this is everything I need in an eye shadow palette, it's got the rich browns, the bronzy metallics, the rose golds and the champagne shades, all of which come in a beautiful faux croc case with a handy mirror. With a mixture of metallics, shimmers and mattes, this is the perfect palette for both the Christmas party season and the chuck on day time champagne eye. Buttery, blend-able, soft, pigmented and long lasting, this the the ultimate eye shadow palette with a beautiful selection of colours. 

What are your favourite eye shadow palettes? 

alec vanderboom