The drugstore world is painfully slow right now in terms of new releases, so this month I thought I'd talk about all-time favorite drugstore products to help us pass the time until December when the Spring launches start arriving in stores.
Today's post will be about the best eyeshadow palettes at the drugstore (in my opinion), and I plan to do another one on blushes, foundations, mascaras, etc. Let me know in the comments below which one you'd like to see next! :)
Also, I decided to stick with drugstore products that you can actually find in your local stores, so you won't see palettes from brands like bh Cosmetics or City Color in this post (even though I love them too!).
Let's get started!
First up is the
New York Color Lovatics by Demi Lovato Palette ($6.99 at
Target, $4.92 at
Walmart). I haven't been too impressed with N.Y.C eyeshadows in the past, so I wasn't expecting too much when I purchased this palette. Turns out, it's
amazingly soft and pigmented. The color selection is very close to the original Urban Decay Naked palette and the shades apply just as easily (and just as pigmented) on the eyes. If you don't have the original Naked palette, pick this one up instead...the colors are warmer-toned neutrals that you'll wear every day! You can see
my review here (the swatches are a bit washed-out looking but it's the photo...they look darker in real life).
I was in love with the
Milani Everyday Eyes Palettes ($9.99 at
Target, $9.99 at
Walgreens, $9.99 at
CVS (currently $5.99 on sale) as soon as I saw all of the gorgeous color selections (there are 6) and pretty gold packaging. I was hoping they would apply as well as they looked and thankfully they delivered! They apply almost as well as higher-end eyeshadows and come with an actual double-ended brush rather than those useless sponge-tipped ones. There is definitely some fallout with these since they're so soft, but if you don't mind that, the Milani Everyday Eyes are a great find. You can see my reviews on two of the shades
here and
here.
When Cover Girl launched the TruNaked palettes last fall ($8.99 at
Target, $8.98 at
Walmart, $12.99 at
Walgreens) I was sucked in by the claim that they would perform as well as a $54 eyeshadow palette (Naked palettes?). I have never really thought much of Cover Girl's eyeshadows in the past but holy cow...I was totally blown away when I tried these! They are super smooth and buttery with
great pigmentation. They come in a warm-toned Goldens shade, a cool-toned Nudes shade and a rosy-toned Roses shade. If you haven't tried these yet, I think you'll be really surprised at the quality...they're definitely right up there with higher-end palettes. See my reviews
here and
here.
I first grabbed the
NYX Cosmetics Go-To Palette in Wanderlust ($16.99 at
Target and
Ulta) a few months ago and it's been one of my favorite fall palettes! In the past, I wasn't crazy about NYX's eyeshadow singles and was hesitant to try this one but the formula has definitely been upgraded since then! All of these shades are soft and pigmented, and I would say they could easily compete with higher-end formulas. I love that this palette also contains highlighter, blush, and bronzer/contour shades! You can see my swatches in
this post here.
The
e.l.f. Mad for Matte palette ($10 at
Target &
Ulta) definitely has its pros and cons but there aren't a lot of matte eyeshadow palette options at the drugstore so I wanted to include it in this list. The first time I used it I was a bit disappointed in the pigmentation, especially in the darker shades. However, when I used it over primer, it came to life, so this is one of those cases where using a base makes all the difference (check out
my review to see what I mean). Overall, it's nice to have an all-matte option at the drugstore, even if it does need a primer.
The
NYX Cosmetics Avant Pop Palette in Nouveau Chic ($16.99 at
Ulta &
Target) is another fantastic option with a soft, buttery texture and great pigmentation. I love the warm neutrals with pops of jewel tones...they're not too bold that you couldn't wear them every day and I love using one all over my lid (like that olive green!). Check out
my review here.
Finally, the
Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Palette ($4.79 at
Walgreens, $4.68 at
Walmart) is an oldie but goodie. It's still one of my go-to palettes after all these years and the pigmentation is amazing. I honestly wish that Wet n Wild would release more of these palettes because the newer 10 pan palettes and Au Natural palettes don't really compare to these older ones. (You can see my swatches on
Instagram here).
Well there you have it! My favorite drugstore eyeshadow palettes! What are your favorites?
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