A Neutral Eyeshadow Palette is a Makeup Bag Staple—These 12 Are The Best Out There

Best Overall

Natasha Denona I Need a Nude Eyeshadow Palette

$69 at Sephora $69 at Ulta $69 at Kohls.com

The case can be argued that Natasha Denona is the ultimate queen of creating phenomenal eyeshadow palettes. Her beautifully curated palettes are what her eponymous brand is known for, and she's done it again with this gorgeous nude offering. Featuring 15 cool-toned (but not too cool) shades, the colors range from pale taupes and espresso browns to matte mauves and shimmering bronzes. Don't get us wrong, the shades are thoughtfully put together and extremely versatile for a range of looks, but it's the formulas and finishes that take this palette to the next level. The mattes are soft, buildable, and effortless to blend, the metallics are creamy and bold, and the wet-effect formula takes color payoff and shine to new heights.

Who It's For

If you crave versatility out of your makeup, we highly recommend adding this palette to your collection. There are soft matte shades that are perfect for subtle, everyday makeup, as well as gilded metallics that instantly take your look up a few notches. Whether you already prefer cool tones or are new to the color palette, this is a great product to invest in because the shades aren't too grey—they maintain some earthy undertones that keep them incredibly wearable on a wide range of skin tones.

Finish: Matte, metallic, wet-effect | Shades: 15 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Budget

ColourPop That's Taupe Pressed Powder Palette

$14 at Ulta $14 at Colourpop.com

Drugstore and budget-friendly eyeshadows used to be sub-par compared to high-end options, but thankfully, that's changed over the last few years. You no longer need to spend a lot of money to get a palette with quality formulas, and this one from ColourPop is a perfect example. Featuring nine shadows that range from shimmering taupe to matte espresso, it offers a nice curation of wearable colors in smooth, blendable formulas. The mattes are pigmented and easy to blend, and the shimmers are creamy and intense, making them excellent at drawing light to the lids.

Who It's For

This palette is excellent for anyone who is looking for wearable, everyday eyeshadows at an affordable price point. It's also a wise choice for those who are curious about experimenting with cool-toned eyeshadows but are afraid of their look ending up overly gray, because the taupe shades have some brown and purple undertones in them, making them wearable on a variety of complexions.

Finish: Matte, shimmer | Shades: 9 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Splurge

Pat McGrath Labs Mothership VII Eyeshadow Palette

$128 at Sephora $128 at Patmcgrath.com $132 at Selfridges.com

Few (if any) eyeshadow palettes are as luxurious as the Mothership palettes from Pat McGrath Labs. Housed in sleek, weighted black packaging, each one offers carefully selected shades in a variety of beautiful finishes. This one is the brand's most everyday-friendly palette, offering soft nudes and metallic bronze shades with one or two subtle pops of color. The matte shadows are richly pigmented and easy to blend, the shimmers are smooth and creamy, and the glittery metallic shades have out-of-this-world light-catching capabilities.

"When I want to create an everyday look that feels elevated, this is more often than not the palette I reach for," says Commerce Writer Alyssa Kaplan. "I love that the mattes blend seamlessly and offer depth, but it's the high-shine, glittery shadows that make me look like I spent tons of time on my eyeshadow when I absolutely didn't."

Who It's For

Nude eyeshadow looks don't need to be basic. You can easily elevate them by incorporating unique tones and textures into your look, and we think this is the perfect palette to do it with. If you're willing to splurge on a palette that's perfect for daily use and for special occasions, this one featuring exceptional formulas is perfect for you.

Finish: Matte, shimmer, glittery metallic | Shades: 10 | Cruelty-Free: No

Best Matte

Patrick Ta Major Dimension III Matte Eyeshadow Palette

$70 at Sephora $70 at Patrickta.com

Matte eyeshadows are essential when you're looking to create shape and dimension in your eye looks. This all-matte palette is a powerhouse product: it comes with pretty much all of the warm and cool-toned shades you'd ever need to create a neutral matte look. Plus, it includes a deep brown shade and a jet black shade in a cream formula that can be used as eyeliner, a base for your lids, or to add depth to the outer corners of your eyes.

Both the creams and the powders are soft, pigmented, and extremely blendable, making them easy to work with. We also love that the brand included warm and cool shades that range from very light to very dark, making them wearable on various skin tones and giving you versatility in terms of the types of looks you can create with this palette.

Who It's For

This palette is for everyone—that's one of the reasons we love it so much. Whether you prefer subtle looks or something intense and smoky, you'll get tons of use out of the wearable shades this palette has to offer. The formulas are easy to work with, the colors effortlessly pair together, and the palette can be used entirely on its own or in combination with other eyeshadows for a wide range of looks.

Finish: Matte | Shades: 12 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Matte, Runner-Up

Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette

$50 at Sephora $50 at Makeupbymario.com

Mario Dedivanovic is no stranger to creating some stunning neutral eyeshadow looks, so it's completely unsurprising that one of the most well-loved products from his brand is this Master Mattes palette. Featuring 12 matte earth-toned shades, it's the perfect palette for creating a look that focuses on adding depth and dimension to the eyes. The formula is smooth and buildable, and we applaud how well-dispersed the shades are across the depth spectrum.

We love that every single shade is pigmented, usable, and long-lasting, even on oily lids. The shadows are the perfect transitions for building depth on a glitter eye look or can be layered on their own for all-matte looks, too.

Who It's For

Whether you're a makeup artist, a makeup aficionado, or a makeup beginner, we think this palette deserves a spot in your collection. It can be used all on its own to create a matte neutral look, or used in conjunction with other shadows to create a unique look.

Finish: Matte | Shades: 12 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Glam Looks

Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette

$45 at Amazon $45 at Sephora $45 at Ulta

Considering that this pick won best overall in our official test of the best eyeshadow palettes, it's not surprising that it's claiming a top honor on this list, too. It's a palette we reach for over and over again thanks to its rich pigments, blendable formulas, a nice balance of mattes and metallics, and a shade range that offers a variety of neutrals with varying depths and undertones. Though it's wearable for everyday looks, we love how well the deep shades and shiny metallics lend themselves to nighttime and event makeup looks.

Who It's For

This palette offers versatility in terms of shades and finishes, meaning that if you buy it, chances are you'll get tons of use out of it regardless of your makeup style. However, if you're looking for a palette to add smokiness to your look, reach for this one—the jet black shade, deep burgundy, and rich browns will get the job done perfectly.

Finish: Matte, shimmer | Shades: 14 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Warm-Toned

Urban Decay Naked Heat Eyeshadow Palette

$59 at Amazon $30 at Sephora $59 at Ulta

The tides may be turning in favor of cool-toned palettes lately, but warm tones once dominated makeup trends, and they'll always have a place in our rotation of eyeshadow looks. Featuring 12 shades that range from caramel brown to deep coral, you'll be able to create the fiery, bronze look of your dreams with this beautiful range of shadows.

We love that it comes with a balance of matte and shimmer formulas, though it's worth noting that the shimmers don't create as much impact on the eyes as we would like. We wish they were a bit more light-reflective. However, you can always pat on a glitter topper if you crave more texture, and the fact that this range of shades is so beautiful and cohesive makes it worth the buy.

Who It's For

If you have a warm skin tone or if warm browns, oranges, and terracottas are your go-to shades, we recommend checking out this popular pick. It's not ideal for people who crave tons of shine and texture in their looks, but the colors and depth you can create with this palette make it well worth the investment.

Finish: Matte, shimmer | Shades: 12 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Cool-Toned

Natasha Denona Glam Eyeshadow Palette

$27 at Sephora $69 at Ulta

Cool-toned palettes have come a long way since most of them featured just icy silvers and jet-black shades. The perfect example is this one from Natasha Denona. Featuring a mixture of mattes and metallics in light champagnes, shimmering taupes, and wearable slate shades, it offers a plethora of cool colors that are balanced out by the inclusion of a few neutrals. The shade collection is masterfully curated, and the formulas are equally outstanding thanks to incredible pigmentation and blendability.

Who It's For

If you, too, are obsessed with '90s makeup looks, consider this fan-favorite palette an answered prayer. It's packed with cool and neutral shades that vary in tone and depth, making them suitable for all skin tones. Even better is that the cool shades have subtle brown and purple undertones which ensure they don't look overly gray or washed out on the skin.

Finish: Matte, metallic | Shades: 15 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Mini Compact

Victoria Beckham Beauty Smoky Eye Brick

$56 at Violet Grey $36 at Neiman Marcus View on Victoriabeckhambeauty.com

Ready to recreate some of Posh Spice's iconic looks? All you need is this gem and an eyeshadow brush or two. Victoria Beckham has sported tons of neutral smoky eyes in her day, so it's no surprise that her successful beauty brand created this chic palette that allows you to create a sophisticated nude look with this collection of key shades. The matte formula is beautifully pigmented and blends effortlessly in just a few swipes. The shades are foolproof to apply and pair together, and they last beautifully on the eyelids all day and night.

Who It's For

Whether you're constantly on the go and are looking for a compact palette, or you're into minimalist makeup looks, we think you'll be pleased with this luxe palette. All four shades are pretty neutral, making them suitable for tons of different complexions, though they have unique undertones (think subtle peach and mushroom brown) that elevate them from your standard nude hues.

Finish: Matte | Shades: 4 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Multi-Purpose

Danessa Myricks Beauty Groundwork: Defining Neutrals Palette

$65 at Sephora View on Danessamyricksbeauty.com

If there's one thing Danessa Myricks is going to do with her brand, it's innovate. And she's done it again with this unique, multi-purpose palette that's meant to be used all over the face. Its cool pomade-like texture feels similar to a cream-to-power eyeshadow. There's also an oil-absorbing powder formula that can be used to expertly sculpt and define your features. Due to the unique formulas, it's not necessarily ideal for swiping on and running out the door on a daily basis, but the value it could add to a makeup collection (especially for pros or makeup aficionados) can't be overstated.

"Though it took me a bit to get used to these interesting formulas, I've come to adore this palette for shaping my eyes and defining my other features," says Kaplan. "The pomade feels a bit stiff to the touch, but it picks up on a synthetic brush beautifully and blends into the skin seamlessly. I also love the neutral shades the brand selected—they have truly unique undertones that help to create realistic-looking shadows on the face."

Who It's For

The palette comes with 10 different sand, brown, taupe, and black shades that vary in depth and undertone, meaning it works beautifully on a vast range of skin tones. It's bound to be a dream come true for makeup artists or consumers who like to shape and shade facial features.

Finish: Matte | Shades: 10 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Romantic

Too Faced Natural Nudes Eye Shadow Palette

$54 at Amazon $54 at Sephora $54 at Ulta

When we put this one to the test in our lab facility in NYC, we were impressed by the versatility it offers thanks to a beautiful lineup of shades that range from matte porcelain and rose to metallic bronze and chocolate. The palette has a solid balance of neutral, cool, and warm-toned hues, but we particularly enjoy that it comes with a few rosy shades that offer a subtle, romantic flair. Though the formulas aren't as pigmented compared to other palettes on this list, they're buildable, easy to blend, and produce minimal fallout. This makes them easy to work with, especially for beginners.

Who It's For

If overly pigmented eyeshadows are tricky for you to work with, this neutral palette is a solid option for you. The matte and metallic formulas are buildable so you can layer on color to achieve your desired depth, though they're not so pigmented that you'll need to worry about being very careful. Plus, the neutral and rosy shades are perfect for creating a soft and romantic look that can transition from day to night.

Finish: Matte, metallic | Shades: 16 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Talc-Free

Ilia The Necessary Eyeshadow Palette

$40 at Amazon $40 at Sephora $40 at Nordstrom

Infused with hydrating jojoba oil and vitamin E, the shadows in this palette are soft and never chalky-looking. They're formulated without talc, which we know can be pore-clogging and irritating on sensitive skin, in addition to giving products a super powdery texture. We appreciate that the palette is offered in two colorways—one that's cool-toned, and one that leans more warm and natural in tone. And because there are only six shades in the palettes (and they're super well-curated), mixing and matching them is essentially foolproof.

Lauren Pardee, senior commerce editor, adores the warm-toned palette, saying "I love how there are pops of color that really help bring out my hazel eyes and of course, the nude tones are great for achieving subtler looks. The colors aren't overly pigmented, either, which is nice for a softer look, but they build nicely so you can go more dramatic if you want."

Who It's For

This palette is great for travel and keeping in your bag thanks to its compact size. Though it comes with various finishes, the satin and metallic shades don't offer much punch or light-reflecting quality, which is great if you take a more minimalist approach to makeup.

Finish: Matte, satin, metallic | Shades: 2 palettes with 6 shades each | Cruelty-Free: Yes