My most used of the five, and current makeup bag staple, is the Nars and god created the woman palette (top right). It contains six gorgeous shades, ranging from a champagne highlight and a matte chocolate brown, to possibly the most beautiful metallic bronze shade I have ever used (Kalahari 1). This palette is really versatile and can create golden daytime looks and evening smoky eyes alike, making it a perfect do-it-all palette. Priced at £35, it seems expensive for a 6-pan palette, however it does come with a travel-sized eyeshadow brush and mini Pro-Prime Eyeshadow Base. As well that the shadows are exceptionally buttery and blend easily, so I personally think it is well worth the money.
At the other end of the pricing spectrum is Avon True Colour Eyeshadow Quad in Mocha Latte (bottom right) at £9, although currently on offer for £5.50. Usually I am a real high-end snob when it comes to powder eyeshadows, as I don't believe you can get the same quality for cheaper. However with this palette I am completely wrong. They have good pigmentation, and even the matte shades aren't chalky so they are easy to work with. Shade 3 is even a pretty close, if slightly more coppery, match for Kalahari 1, so looks stunning on it's own, or blended with 2 and 3 to create a darker look. This palette is definitely the best affordable one I have ever used and is a great dupe for the Nars palette if you don't mind losing out on the darker black shade.
At the other end of the pricing spectrum is Avon True Colour Eyeshadow Quad in Mocha Latte (bottom right) at £9, although currently on offer for £5.50. Usually I am a real high-end snob when it comes to powder eyeshadows, as I don't believe you can get the same quality for cheaper. However with this palette I am completely wrong. They have good pigmentation, and even the matte shades aren't chalky so they are easy to work with. Shade 3 is even a pretty close, if slightly more coppery, match for Kalahari 1, so looks stunning on it's own, or blended with 2 and 3 to create a darker look. This palette is definitely the best affordable one I have ever used and is a great dupe for the Nars palette if you don't mind losing out on the darker black shade.
The most expensive of the five, and definitely the most luxurious is Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con No7 in The Lolita. Only available in America (I have my sister's spontaneous New York trip to thank!) this palette retails at $59, currently around £38, but it feels so much more expensive than that. Housed in a sleek black palette with a little pouch, these 7 shades are just stunning and there isn't one I wouldn't use. The shimmery shades do have a lot of fallout (as you can tell from the pictures) but they blend well and look beautiful on the lids. My only qualm is the darkest matte shade doesn't have the same level of pigmentation as the rest, so it is difficult to create a darker, evening look. For this reason and the fact it is longer (although somewhat thinner) than the other palettes, this isn't my first choice for weekend road trips. However, it is too beautiful not to include here.
The Mac Burgundy Times Nine palette (top left) is the newest to my collection, and at only £30 for 9 shades it is great value for money for anyone wanting to try out MAC shadows for the first time. Honestly, I am not as blown away by the quality and pigmentation of the shadows as I thought I would be, they are no Urban Decay. However, the shades are so beautifully unique and are perfect for creating plummy, red toned eyes, I will forgive the slightly lower quality (this may just be because the pans are slightly smaller than normal though). It has a good mix of shimmers and mattes, so it is much more versatile than you would expect from a burgundy palette. Saying that, as I can't go more than 48 hours without a neutrals palette, I like to take this one if there is room for a second to create more unique looks for the evenings.
My final palette in this round-up is the Urban Decay Naked Basics (£23), which is an all matte neutral beiges to browns palette. I do really love this palette, and you can't fault the quality of the shadows at all. However, as my makeup style has developed, I really like shimmer and metallic shadows and wouldn't choose to commit to a weekend of nothing but matte eyes.
What are your favourite travel eyeshadow palettes?
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