I’ve never really been able to apply makeup correctly in order to make my face look flawless. After turning 50, I wanted to be more adventurous with my makeup application so I started my research on YouTube. I must admit, I’ve recently become a bit obsessed with YouTube makeup videos. It’s a great source for videos on product reviews and tutorials on makeup application.
After hearing several suggestions from my favorite YouTube beauty guru’s, I’ve tested some eyeshadow palettes that work for my aging skin. Here are eight of my favorites, five high-end, two drugstores, one that can be purchased online, and why they rank as favorites. (Please make sure you use an eye primer before application; see my blog post, Best Eye Shadow Primers for Mature Eyes).
1: Too Faced Stardust by Vegas Nay palette (available at Ulta and Sephora). The colors in this palette are vibrant, are highly pigmented and have very little fall-out. They are smooth and creamy and apply flawlessly. The palette provides both matte and shimmery shades.
2: Lorac Mega PRO Palette 2 (holiday 2015 exclusive, available at Ulta). This brand offers a great assortment of colors. Though it has amazing color payoff, it also has a bit more fall-out, so make sure you tap your brush before applying. It has both matte and shimmery shades.
3: Urban Decay Naked Smoky palette (available at Ulta and Sephora). Let’s face it, Urban Decay’s palettes are of superior quality. They are creamy, they blend well and they are highly pigmented, with fall-out. Urban Decay offers both matte and shimmery shades.
4: Kat Von D Shade+Light eye contour palette (available at Sephora and Kat Von D website). These are all matte shadows. They come in a great combination of warm and cool colors that will work with many looks and seasons. Kat Von Ds shadows are of great quality, blend beautifully and are highly pigmented.
5: In theBalm of Your Hand by theBalm (holiday 2015, available at Kohl’s and Kohl’s website). TheBalm cosmetics are known for producing great quality beauty products. This particular palette is unique because it offers an array of their infamous products. In this palette, you get blushes, eyeshadows, a highlighter, and two lip products.
6: Coastal Scents Revealed palette (available online). A dupe for Urban Decay Naked palette. This palette has a great color payoff but lots of fall-outs. The colors blend well after tapping your brush to remove excess. At about 10 bucks compared to the Naked palette’s 54 dollar price tag, it’s a great value for good quality shadows.
7: MUA Professional Makeup Academy (available online, CVS pharmacy). We don’t have a CVS pharmacy in Colorado, so I have to purchase any CVS makeup exclusives online. These shadows are amazing. With a price of only 12 bucks, you get a lot for your money. These palettes, (there are three in total), offer great pigments with a variety of colors to create many looks. They are easy to blend with little fall-out. The quality of these shadows can’t be beaten for the price.
8: NYX Butt Naked and Butt Naked Underneath It All (available at some Target stores, Ulta). These palettes are my favorite for travel. Although the packaging can be heavy and bulky, you get all the products you need to create many different looks that will surely match every outfit you take with you. They include great quality shadows, blushes, highlighters and bronzers for a complete makeup look. They are not as pigmented as the palettes above, but with a bit of layering, they are fantastic.
