Temptalia https://www.temptalia.com/2018-editors-favorites-eyeshadow-palettes/ In-depth makeup reviews with swatches and dupes, plus what you need to know about new product launches and tips on how to use your makeup! Mon, 20 Apr 2026 22:27:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Eyeshadow Palettes | 2018 Editor's Favorites https://www.temptalia.com/2018-editors-favorites-eyeshadow-palettes/ palette https://www.temptalia.com/2018-editors-favorites-eyeshadow-palettes/#comments Sat, 29 Dec 2018 22:00:00 +0000 Christine https://www.temptalia.com/?p=370382 Should 2018 go down as the year of the eyeshadow palette?  I felt like I was reviewing palette after palette from the beginning of the year until the end of December!  Many years ago, palettes seemed primarily reserved for the holiday season, particularly anything larger than five shades.  I remember when I first started buying makeup and MAC routinely released six-pan palettes in the summer and the holiday seasons, and then you had brands like Chanel and Dior that regularly released quads and quints. There was no shortage of palettes this year at an assortment of price points, but more Continue Reading… ]]> Should 2018 go down as the year of the eyeshadow palette?  I felt like I was reviewing palette after palette from the beginning of the year until the end of December!  Many years ago, palettes seemed primarily reserved for the holiday season, particularly anything larger than five shades.  I remember when I first started buying makeup and MAC routinely released six-pan palettes in the summer and the holiday seasons, and then you had brands like Chanel and Dior that regularly released quads and quints.

Natasha Denona Sunset (2018) 15-Pan Eyeshadow Palette
Natasha Denona Gold 15-Pan Eyeshadow Palette
Pat McGrath Decadence Mothership Eyeshadow Palette
Pat McGrath Bronze Seduction Mothership Eyeshadow Palette
Charlotte Tilbury Stars In Your Eyes 12-Pan Eye Palette
MAC Terry Barber Eye See Eyeshadow x15 Palette
Linda Hallberg Cosmetics Metallic Mysteries II Eyeshadow Quad
Melt Cosmetics Gemini 10-Pan Eyeshadow Palette
Pat McGrath Sublime Bronze Ambition MTHRSHP Eyeshadow Palette
Pat McGrath Subliminal Platinum Bronze MTHRSHP Eyeshadow Palette
Pat McGrath Subversive La Vie En Rose MTHRSHP Eyeshadow Palette
Pat McGrath Sublime Bronze Temptation MTHRSHP Eyeshadow Palette
Pat McGrath Subversive Metalmorphosis MTHRSHP Eyeshadow Palette
Pat McGrath Subliminal Dark Star MTHRSHP Eyeshadow Palette
Tarte Tarteist PRO Remix PRO Palette
Sydney Grace Autumn's Reign Eyeshadow Palette
Urban Decay Born to Run 21-Pan Eyeshadow Palette
Too Faced Gingerbread Spice 18-Pan Eyeshadow Palette
NARS Provocateur 6-Pan Eyeshadow Palette
Anastasia Sultry Eyeshadow Palette
ColourPop Good Sport 12-Pan Pressed Powder Shadow Palette
ColourPop Salvaje 12-Pan Pressed Powder Shadow Palette
ColourPop Chasing Rainbows 15-Pan Shadow Palette
Urban Decay Beached 8-Pan Eyeshadow Palette

Best of 2018

Eyeshadow Palettes

There was no shortage of palettes this year at an assortment of price points, but more impressively, there was more diversity in color combinations that I expected.  I wish I was more capable of exercising restraint, but Pat McGrath’s eyeshadows speak to me in a way that not a lot of makeup does; every time I use my Pat McGrath eyeshadows in a look, I love the end result–I peek at myself in the mirror to appreciate how a look has turned out. But whew! six MTHRSHPs and two Mothership palettes came out in 2018 alone.

I would love to see MAC release a few of their 15-pan palettes featuring existing shades; I just think the Terry Barber palette highlighted some gems in the core range that often get overlooked these days.  I was in total shock that Too Faced’s Gingerbread Spice palette actually turned out to really well put together.  I love shimmer eyeshadows, and Tarte’s been getting better and better with their shimmery eyeshadows, so their newest Tarteist PRO Remix was right up my alley.

ColourPop launched a slew of palettes this year, but the three that I enjoyed the most were Good Sport, Salvaje, and Chasing Rainbows (the latter being my #1 pick for ColourPop palettes this year).  In the same vein, Urban Decay’s Born to Run palette felt like a “return to form” in a way–a trendsetting palette that is a real workhorse but is more than their Naked range.  I feel like Melt’s Gemini palette proved that green eyeshadow CAN sell, and NARS showed that they can make great eyeshadow, we just had to give them some time to do it.

What eyeshadow palettes did you reach for this year?

P.S. — If you enjoy reading/viewing my favorites, make sure you check out my all-time favorites here, products I’m thankful for (2018 series), and all of my editor’s recommended products here.


Top Eyeshadow Palettes of 2018

12.

12. Metallic Mysteries II Linda Hallberg Cosmetics

Linda Hallberg Cosmetics

LELimited Edition. $59.00/0.352 oz.

A
Linda Hallberg Cosmetics Metallic Mysteries II Eyeshadow Quad

Linda Hallberg Cosmetics Metallic Mysteries II Eyeshadow Quad ($59.00 for 0.35 oz.) is a new, limited edition palette that includes a sparkling gold,...

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Linda Hallberg Cosmetics Metallic Mysteries II Eyeshadow Quad ($59.00 for 0.35 oz.) is a new, limited edition palette that includes a sparkling gold,...

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13.

13. Autumn's Reign Sydney Grace

Sydney Grace

PPermanent. $52.00/0.95 oz.

A
Sydney Grace Autumn's Reign Eyeshadow Palette

Sydney Grace Autumn's Reign Eyeshadow Palette ($52.00 for 0.95 oz.) is a new, permanent palette featuring a mix of mattes and shimmers across neutrals...

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Sydney Grace Autumn's Reign Eyeshadow Palette ($52.00 for 0.95 oz.) is a new, permanent palette featuring a mix of mattes and shimmers across neutrals...

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17.

17. Chasing Rainbows ColourPop

ColourPop

LELimited Edition. $24.00/0.53 oz.

A-
ColourPop Chasing Rainbows 15-Pan Shadow Palette

ColourPop Chasing Rainbows 15-Pan Shadow Palette ($20.00 for 0.60 oz.) is another winning eyeshadow palette from ColourPop. This is a nice mix of...

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ColourPop Chasing Rainbows 15-Pan Shadow Palette ($20.00 for 0.60 oz.) is another winning eyeshadow palette from ColourPop. This is a nice mix of...

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19.

19. Good Sport ColourPop

ColourPop

LELimited Edition. $22.00/0.48 oz.

A-
ColourPop Good Sport 12-Pan Pressed Powder Shadow Palette

ColourPop Good Sport 12-Pan Pressed Powder Shadow Palette ($16.00 for 0.36 oz.) is a new, limited edition palette for fall that features a mix of...

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ColourPop Good Sport 12-Pan Pressed Powder Shadow Palette ($16.00 for 0.36 oz.) is a new, limited edition palette for fall that features a mix of...

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22.

22. Tarteist PRO Remix Tarte

Tarte

-Unknown. $53.00/0.7 oz.

A-
Tarte Tarteist PRO Remix PRO Palette

Tarte Tarteist PRO Remix PRO Palette ($53.00 for 0.70 oz.) is for those who love metallics--it's full of shimmer and color with three matte shades and...

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Tarte Tarteist PRO Remix PRO Palette ($53.00 for 0.70 oz.) is for those who love metallics--it's full of shimmer and color with three matte shades and...

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23.

23. Salvaje ColourPop

ColourPop

LELimited Edition. $18.00/0.48 oz.

A-
ColourPop Salvaje 12-Pan Pressed Powder Shadow Palette

ColourPop Salvaje 12-Pan Pressed Powder Shadow Palette ($18.00 for 0.48 oz.) is a new, limited edition mix of warmer neutrals and pops of blue/teal. ...

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ColourPop Salvaje 12-Pan Pressed Powder Shadow Palette ($18.00 for 0.48 oz.) is a new, limited edition mix of warmer neutrals and pops of blue/teal. ...

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24.

24. Gemini Melt Cosmetics

Melt Cosmetics

LELimited Edition. $58.00/0.68 oz.

B+
Melt Cosmetics Gemini 10-Pan Eyeshadow Palette

Melt Cosmetics Gemini 10-Pan Eyeshadow Palette ($58.00 for 0.66 oz.) is a new, limited edition palette featuring shades of brown and green with eight...

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Melt Cosmetics Gemini 10-Pan Eyeshadow Palette ($58.00 for 0.66 oz.) is a new, limited edition palette featuring shades of brown and green with eight...

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Glossover Breakdown
A
23
B
1
C
0
D
0
F
0
93%
Average
Glossover Averages
product
9.5
pigmentation
9.5
texture
9.5
longevity
9
application
4.5
Total
93%
product
9.5
pigmentation
9.5
texture
9.5
longevity
9
application
4.5
Total
93%
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