There are so many that I feel like are in the running here! Upon deeper reflection, I think Pat McGrath Bronze Seduction is THAT palette for me because it gives me some interesting shimmers but also workhorse mattes for my type of makeup. I also considered Natasha Denona Biba, Pat McGrath Midnight Sun, ColourPop Going Coconuts, and Sydney Grace x Temptalia On the Horizon (duh).
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Tough question because like many here, I’ve lots of eyeshadow palettes, both large and small but lately, I’d say it’s a tossup between the original Naked palette and the Chanel Tisse Rivoli quad.
So happy I finally have Bronze Seduction!! It is exquisite. The special shades are so unique and interesting in it, and all the shades look so great when worn.
My workhorse is still PMG Mothership I Subliminal and NARS Afterglow. When I look at the use, I’ve definitely made big dents in the wells across my PMG and Natasha Denona palettes.
It used a to be the self-created and curated palette from Sydney Grace & MAC singles primarily (which I feel is not really in the spirit of the question.)
Commercially available would have to be Naked3 by Urban Decay. Despite the slip in uniqueness of the brand eyeshadow shades: this palette slaps. It blends well, a non insignificant amount of all out, but it builds really well even into night looks after all day wear.
For complete looks from a single palette: Persona Identity. But the most used palette in my collection (by far) is Viseart neutral mattes. I use it to make a look cooler or warmer, to intensify, for eyeliner, and the list goes on…
I think my biggest workhorse these days is Patrick Ta Major Dimension. Once upon a time it was ND Mini Nude, but these days I just pull out Patrick Ta.
Natasha Denona Biba
I don’t really have one specific workhorse, but if I had to name one it would be UD Ultimate Basics.
Definitely Bronze Seduction, but also PMG Divine Rose II.. and my usual assortment of ND (Biba, Safari, My Dream)… newest workhorse for me in ABH Rose Metals.
The ABH Modern Renaissance is still a fabulous and versatile workhorse for me. The neutrals with the red pops still work really well as an everyday color scheme for me.
It seems I’m always still pulling in the original UD Naked Basics (DC) to fill a gap in another palette, do a quick pin-up eye, or to use for travel.
In hot weather, my workhorse palette is the first Tarte ROTS (DC). It has the shimmery, one-and-done, light- to mid- toned beiges, golds, and bronzes I favor.
Because I move between certain well loved palettes on the regular, there are more than several!
Natasha Denona Glam, Bronze Midi’s and Biba, Gold and Nude Mini’s.
SG x Temptalia On The Horizon, x Mel Thompson Tiny Marvels and now her postmortem bundle, In Mel’s Memory.
PML Midnight Sun and Divine Rose II.
Nars Unrated. (Or is called Afterglow? I may have the cheek and eyeshadow palettes mixed up!)
Menagerie Flight Club.
Huda Beauty Rose Quartz.
And, I’m fairly certain that I’m missing something…?
Pat McGrath Mothership VII Divine Rose (although Huetopian Dream is currently getting a workout during spring here) and Colourpop’s Sweet Talk was a standby for a long time before that.
I’m currently hunting for a new one since the metallic/shimmer shades of my most recent—ABH Sultry—have gone off. Other past workhorses were the first two UD Naked palettes (esp Naked 2), and the OG Too Faced Natural Eye Palette (which was probably a better workhorse than the two Naked palettes tbh)
I don’t care for shimmer shades (on me), so I generally stick to my all-matte Nordstrom C’est Chic MAC eyeshadow X15 palette.
That’s a difficult question for those of us here who own multiple eyeshadow palettes, but I think the workhorse palette(s) for me are ND’s Glam and SG Temptalia’s On the Horizon Light.
Honourable mention goes to Naked 1.
I travel a TON and I usually pack:
ND Glam
ABH Soft Glam II
A few depotted Tati Vol 1. Shades
That Nars one from the summer
Fenty sun stalk’r bronzer palette (this is crazy blendable)
I would have to agree on the Bronze Seduction and Midnight Sun! I have bought backups of both, but realistically, I probably will not use both of each in this lifetime. Also the ND Glam palette and currently the Retro Glam palette, maybe because the Retro Glam is new and its out on my makeup counter. Also using alot of cream eye shadows for one and done looks because I work as a nurse and I’m still behind a mask- so my makeup and face get warm and makeup looks a mess by the time I get off work.
Same.. I love all of my Pat McGrath palettes but I have panned most all of the shadows in this palette. It looks so awful I was contemplating purchasing another one.. the only 2 shadows that are not at pan are the bright pink & deep purple shades. I have no more of the cream shade in the upper left corner( sorry dont memorize shade names) the browns in the palette are perfect. I get compliments every time I wear this palette. I also quickly panned the single in statuesque. It is a perfect shade for me. Outside of my PMG- I get major use out of ND Biba and Gold.
I’m curious which Bronze Seduction palette people in the beautysphere have. After a stroll through Sephora some weeks back I saw PMG quietly reformulated it to remove the crappy plastic shards and change up the colourpop quality mattes. Now it’s rather nice feeling, closer to ND’s creamy formula, and with the addition of more expensive synthetic fluorophlogopite.
Question is…..can the people who bought it back when it was trash exchange it for a formula that won’t scratch their corneas? (Mine came from Sephora amid the initial frenzied wave of social media hype)
I really hate it and never use it. Lorac’s new palettes are so, soooooooooo much better than my version of Bronze Seduction.
I think we have agreed on the crappiness of Bronze Seduction earlier. I never use mine, I swatch it from time to time, might try it when I have a lot of time as I know I’ll just remove it and use just a bout any other palette I have. I actually hardly ever use any of my OMG palettes.
So do I have a most used palette? I think it must be Viseart Neutral Mattes. I have panned the two lightest shades and use the darker quite often, Mostly I use it as a complement to other palettes.
Probably a combination of Viseart Bridal Satin and Bijoux Royale, both of which I reach for a lot. UD Naked 3 is up there too.
Viseart neutral mattes and Paris nudes are my easy-peasy no time to fuss palettes. They blend seamlessly and I get beautiful soft glowing looks without working too hard.
Charlotte Tilbury’s Green Lights for me!