The 11 Best Drugstore Eyeshadow Palettes, According to Testers and Makeup Artists

Best Overall

BLK/OPL High Impact Eyeshadows

View on Ulta

Finish: Multi | Number of Shades: 6 | Cruelty-Free: Yes 

There are quite a few factors to assess in determining which eyeshadow palettes are actually worth your coin—and bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. Case in point: Out of all the products we tested, this compact palette was the reigning champ, delivering long-lasting wear with zero creasing and high-quality color payoff at a super affordable price.

It features six warm-toned shades in the bronze and burgundy color families—three with matte finishes and three with shimmer finishes—all of which can be worn alone or layered with each other to create a wide range of looks. Our tester found the eyeshadows to be easy and smooth to apply and that the color maintained its vibrancy throughout the day. Because the eyeshadows are highly pigmented, it may not be the best choice for someone who prefers an eyeshadow look with more of a sheer or subtle finish.

Kelsey, tester: “I found the range to be a perfect complement for fall and winter clothing aesthetics. The shades themselves fit well with each other and offer a wide selection of pairing options for many different looks in one palette."

Best Budget

Essence Nothing Compares To Nude Eyeshadow Palette

$4 at Target $4 at Ulta $3 at CVS

Finish: Multi | Number of Shades: 6 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

The Essence Nothing Compares To Nude Eyeshadow Palette is an example of a budget-friendly palette that performs just as well as a luxury pick. Retailing at less than $5, the eyeshadows apply incredibly smooth, resist creasing, and stay vibrant throughout the day. The compact palette features six neutral shades, like golds, browns, and nudes, in matte and shimmer finishes. The buildable shadows allowed our tester to create a wide range of more subtle and bolder looks that worked for many different occasions.

Our tester said the compact smells like vanilla, which she found to be an appealing quality on top of the product’s impressive performance. However, this may not be ideal for those who are sensitive to fragrance or prefer fragrance-free makeup.

Kelsey, tester: “The Essence Nothing Compares To Nude Eyeshadow Palette has an incredibly easy application that anyone—novice to professional—could handle with excellent results. The colors build well on each other with smooth transitions and an array of combinations to fit any event.”

Best Earth Tones

Jason Wu Beauty Flora 9 Palette Matte Agave

$10 at Target View on Jasonwubeauty.com $15 $14 at Jcpenney.com

Finish: Matte | Number of Shades: 9 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

The Flora 9 Matte Agave Kit features nine matte hues in earth tones that excel in the pigmentation department and create seamless transitions with each other. Despite not having any shimmer or glitter finishes, our tester said the shades’ undertones still created an impressive range of soft glam looks. She also added that one simple swipe of a makeup brush over the shadow picked up enough product for an effortless application. It’s an ideal pick if you’re looking for an all-matte palette featuring versatile shades that are easy to apply.

An added bonus: The square-sized case fits in most cosmetic bags without taking up a ton of room for other products.

Ashley, tester: “It was very easy to stack the shades and build the pigmentation. The colors appear slightly lighter on my eyelid compared to how they appear in the palette, though very comparable.”

Best for Everyday Wear

Milani Gilded Mini Eyeshadow Palette

$9 at Target $10 at Ulta $9 at Walmart

Finish: Multi | Number of Shades: 6 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Sick of untouched compartments in your palettes? There’s a good chance you’ll actually use every shade in this classic compact. They can all be used with each other to create cohesive and dimensional everyday looks. Thanks to the shadows’ highly pigmented formulas, you don’t need to layer a ton on your lids. According to our tester, the shades are long-lasting, true to their pan color, and easy to apply—though the matte shades can appear slightly chalky at first and take a little extra effort to blend properly.

Wendy, tester: “The eyeshadows—all the shimmer and matte shades—lasted the whole day from morning to night without fading or creasing.”

Best Bold Colors

Juvia's Place The Coffee Shop Palette

$25 at Ulta View on Juviasplace.com

Finish: Multi | Number of Shades: 16 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

The Juvia’s Place The Coffee Shop Palette features 16 bold eyeshadow shades, from rich chocolates to metallic auburns, that deliver intense color payoff and shockingly long-lasting wear. Even after 18 hours, our tester didn’t experience any color fading or creasing. That said, because the shadows don’t budge once set on your lids, you’ll want to apply with a light hand and build up if needed. Thanks to its wide range of shades, it’s a great kit for creating multiple different looks, from more subtle smoky eyes to more dramatic eye moments.

Because the palette is on the larger side, it probably isn’t the best option for carrying around in your makeup bag. It also doesn’t come with an applicator brush, so you’ll need the appropriate tools at home to use it.

Samantha, tester: “This product is the Crayola kit of eyeshadows, and the colors are not basic. Even though this is a drugstore eyeshadow palette at a reasonable price point of $25, it ‘feels’ rich.”

Best Day to Night

ColourPop That's Taupe Pressed Powder Palette

$14 at Ulta View on Colourpop.com

Finish: Multi | Number of Shades: 9 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

There’s a handful of reasons you may be looking for a quality day-to-night eyeshadow palette. Perhaps you don’t have the space for multiple palettes (many of which go unused), or maybe you need a product you can easily toss in your bag for an after-work makeup touch-up. No matter your motivation, the ColourPop That's Taupe Pressed Powder Palette will come through. Featuring nine neutral taupe shades in light-catching metallic and rich matte finishes, this pick will help you create a variety of different looks fit for everyday and evening occasions. On top of the shade variety, our tester particularly enjoyed the shadows’ buttery texture, which she says made blending a breeze.

Our tester, who has a darker complexion, mentioned that some of the colors appeared more pigmented with one application than others. However, every shade still appeared true to its pan color once on her eyelids. Keep in mind that the shimmer shades don’t stay quite as vibrant or last as long as the matte shades and fallout around the individual eyeshadow pans causes the packaging to get a little messy.

EnJanae', tester: “I've created all kinds of looks with the palette because there's so much variety. There are shimmer and matte shades, and together they work well to complement each other and make cohesive looks.”

Best Monochromatic

e.l.f. Cosmetics Bite Size Eyeshadow Palette

$3 at Target $3 at Ulta View on Elfcosmetics.com

Finish: Multi | Number of Shades: 4 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Tiny but mighty is the perfect way to describe e.l.f. Cosmetics’ famous bite size eyeshadow palettes. Available in nine colorways, each featuring four different shades (three shimmers and one matte) within the same color family, the palettes are ideal for creating dimensional monochromatic looks. Our tester, who used the Rose Water palette, said the pink shades transition seamlessly once applied and have a smooth texture that makes blending easy.

When paired with a setting spray, our tester found the buildable colors to be relatively long-lasting, only losing a tiny bit of luster by the end of the day. The compact doesn’t come with a mini eyeshadow applicator, so if you plan on using this product while on the go, you'll need to throw one in your makeup bag. Unfortunately, when our tester accidentally dropped the shadow quad, one of the shades broke into pieces, so it isn’t the most durable palette option out there.

Wendy, tester: “Sometimes, when there are too many options in a palette, it can be overwhelming to decide which to use. But this one is just the right amount of variety for a cohesive look to wear during the day or night.”

Best Smoky

e.l.f. Cosmetics Everyday Smoky Eyeshadow Palette

$10 at Target $10 at Ulta $10 at Walmart

Finish: Multi | Number of Shades: 10 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This 10-shade palette has everything you need to create multiple smoky eye looks. The shades are mostly cool-toned, but with complementary matte and shimmer options, it still allows for plenty of daytime and evening versatility. According to our tester, the shadows are overall easy to blend, but the matte shades require a little bit more effort (and practice) to create a seamless transition. Another major pro worth mentioning: Our tester said the shadows delivered vivid color payoff and crease-free wear that lasted all day.

Ashley, tester: “I was extremely impressed by the wear of these eyeshadows. I even tested them on my lids without using an eyeshadow base, and they stayed all day without creasing or smudging, which is rare. The finishes did not change as the day progressed and the formula never broke apart on my lids.”

Best Nude

Maybelline The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette

$14 $12 at Amazon $12 at Target $12 at Walmart

Finish: Multi | Number of Shades: 12 | Cruelty-Free: No

A quality nude palette should have a versatile shade selection and feature both matte and shimmer finishes. As its name suggests, the Maybelline The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette specializes in neutral eye looks, featuring complementary shades that range from matte beige to shimmery bronze to a deep charcoal gray. Our tester was impressed with the color options and said they blended well together. However, the lighter shades were easier to blend and offered a more seamless transition than the darker shades.

The shadows are impressively pigmented and buildable, so you can really customize the color payoff you want. And while the shadows appear true to their pan color while on your lids, our tester said the colors fade and crease a little bit as the day goes on. That said, they still wear evenly and require a bit of effort to fully remove by the end of the day.

Brittany, tester: “There are several things I like about this product, including how many color options it comes with, how sleek and flat its case is, and how well the shades match each other. I also find the see-through cover to be helpful in figuring out quickly how much of each shade I have left.”

Best Pigment

Revlon Colorstay Looks Book Eyeshadow Palette

$6 at Target $11 $10 at Walmart

Finish: Multi | Number of Shades: 8 | Cruelty-Free: No

Available in five colorways, the Revlon ColorStay Looks Book Eye Shadow Palette stays true to its name, delivering intense pigmentation that wears evenly throughout the day. Our tester, who tested the Player palette, said she wore one of the blue shades going out, and it lasted the entire night. Despite some initial fallout when applying, the eyeshadows don’t fade or crease. Each palette features eight shades in multiple finishes, but most of them are metallic and matte. Our tester said she wished the palette included a few more matte shades, but she was still able to put together cohesive looks.

Jessica, tester: “The eyeshadows were very pigmented with one swipe, which is what I look for in a palette.”

Best With Glitter

CoverGirl Clean Fresh Clean Color Eyeshadow

$14 $10 at Amazon $9 at Target $14 at Ulta

Finish: Glitter | Number of Shades: 4 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This eyeshadow quad was our favorite glitter discovery. Our tester didn’t experience any fallout (a major win with glitter shadow!) and felt that the buildable shades stayed vibrant throughout the day. Thanks to their buttery texture, they’re also easy to apply with a brush or your fingers. Because this palette only features one finish, you’ll probably need some other matte shades on hand for more dimensional looks that require transitions. Our tester did experience minor creasing and product break up on some oilier areas of her eyelids. However, an eyeshadow primer could help prevent this.

Katie, tester: “The powders were just perfect, especially the glitters. I expected a bit of fallout when applying the glitters, but was pleasantly surprised with no fallout.”