My Go To Neutral Eye Shadow Palettes for Fall
I am an eye shadow palette addict and I have never been afraid of color when it comes to eye shadow. But - during the fall season I love a really great matte or shimmery neutral eye look. There is something so effortless about it. When I am running late on time or simply want something that is a bit more toned down there are three palettes I reach for again and again. Whether that be for color selection, formula or both, these palettes are my go-to for creating an eye look that is simple and easy without being boring.
Cool Toned
The Persona Identity palette is a great choice if you tend to like your neutrals on the cooler side of the spectrum. I tend to gravitate more naturally to warm tones, but I was looking to branch out and try more cool toned palettes. Formula-wise this palette isn’t my absolute fave but the shadows are workable. They are a bit chalky in texture, but they blend well. Certain colors tend to look very similar on the eye when applied as well - particularly if you have a medium deep to deep skin tone. Specifically Chic and Fearless. Chic looks plummy in the pan but reads more brown on me. If you are of a paler skin tone this may not be an issue for you. My favorite shadows in this palette are the shimmers. They apply well (especially with a wet brush) and help save the mattes from being too basic. My personal favorites are Bombshell and Goddess. Gold Digger works nicely as an inner corner highlight. The most disappointing shade in the palette for me is Bossy. In person and in the pan it looks like a really pretty burgundy/wine shimmer but on the eye it reads more like a satin and even with a wet brush it doesn’t really pop. Still, I think this palette is a nice introduction to cool toned neutrals if you are like me and don’t work with them very often.
Warm Toned
I have raved about Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam numerous times on this site. But I can’t help it. It’s my favorite warm toned neutral palette. The mattes are buttery, and blend like a dream. The shadows are pigmented AF and don’t require a tone of blending. When I am in a rush this is the palette I reach for. I can do a beautiful matte smokey eye in about 5 minutes. My go-to shades in this palette are Burnt Orange, Sienna and Mulberry. I also love Glistening, which I use when I am going for a more natural look but want a bit of shimmer on my eye. I apply it all over the lid with my finger for a subtle pop. If I had to pick a least favorite shade it would be a toss-up between Tempera and Fairy. Tempera is also in the Modern Renaissance palette and I never touch it in either palette. It’s simply too light a shade for my skin tone and looks chalky on me. Fairy is simply kind of meh. It reminds me of Glistening but without the beautiful duochrome effect. The shimmers in this palette are flakier than other ABH palettes and so I recommend wetting your brush with setting spray to apply them.
Neutral Toned
ColourPop Double Entendre is another palette I’ve mentioned before and was my go-to neutral palette until Soft Glam took it’s place. This palette is what I refer to as a “neutral” neutral palette. The shades aren’t too warm or too cool, but a mix of both. ColourPop has a fantastic eye shadow formula and whenever someone asks what palettes to try from the brand I always mention Yes, Please (my favorite CP eye shadow palette) and this one. The formula isn’t chalky but also isn’t too soft where you have a ton of kickback from the palette (an issue with most ABH palettes - including Soft Glam). The shades blend well and are pigmented. The shimmers in this palettes really stand out. My personal faves are Uninhibited, Draft and Keep it PG (the three shimmers in the upper right hand corner of the palette. My only gripe with this palette is that the names are on the back and not under the shades themselves.
What are some of your favorite neutral palettes? Let me know in the comments!
