Top 10 Favorite All Matte Eye Shadow Palettes – Elise

Beauty Kuel Category Expert: Elise Marquam-Jahns

When I was about six years old, I remember sneaking into my mother’s closet to pull out the round embroidered satin zippered case that housed her most precious costume jewelry.

And that’s when I discovered it: a delicate rhinestone necklace with matching earrings. I couldn’t resist the sparkle . . . and still can’t. (To this day I’ll make a beeline through rows of clothing racks if I see a glimmer of sequins).

And I’m pretty darn sure I’m not alone in this. Whether it’s satin, silk, rhinestones or glitter, many of us find ourselves irresistibly drawn to clothing, shoes or even greeting cards that flash some shine and sparkle. Then, of course, there’s shimmery eyeshadow. I have to confess that there’s not an eyeshadow palette containing gorgeous foiled bonzes or shimmery blues and silvers that doesn’t make my heart beat just a little bit faster.

But let’s face it. A foiled or glittery eyeshadow look may not be a look that we feel comfortable wearing on a daily basis. (After all, bringing more attention to the textured areas around our eyes with shimmer or glitter–and there’s no disputing that high shimmer, metallic foils and glitter do just that–is not for all of us.)

For many of us, matte eyeshadows are the real work horses in our makeup drawer. And it’s worth giving some well-deserved love to them. Although the majority of eye shadow palettes contain matte as well as shimmer and glitter formulations, there are some excellent all matte eyeshadow palettes that are worth spotlighting. Here are my top ten favorites:

Watch the video above to get a good look at these eye shadow palettes!

1. IT Cosmetics “Naturally Pretty”

This eye shadow palette has been around for quite a while—and for good reason. The shadows blend effortlessly and the pigmentation is excellent. In addition, there are both warm and cool tones with many great neutrals and a few interesting color pops—including “Sunset” which is a gorgeous, somewhat muted orange. And you also have everything you need to create just about any kind of beautiful eye look—from light cream colors to midnight blue and black. And though there are newer kids on the block, I just keep coming back to this palette when I want a “no fail” look.

2. Clinique “Teddy Bear”

The four matte eyeshadows in this “quad” range from cream to beige to deep brown. It’s a quick and easy neutral brown toned color palette that’s pretty foolproof. I’ve used it for years on many clients and it works for almost everyone.

3. Juvia’s Place “Warrior II”

This is a relatively new brand which has become a real favorite for many makeup lovers and makeup artists. Pigmentation and blendability are excellent—and at a very reasonable price point. (And there are frequent great sales on their website where you can often get the palettes for half price). This nine-pan palette contains cool and warm browns, a beautiful red brown, cream, blacks and two beautiful oranges. And the size of the eyeshadow “pans” is huge. It’s become a real go-to palette in my collection.

4. Viseart “Dark Mattes”

The quality and blendability of these eye shadows are unsurpassed—and the price tag reflects this fact. Viseart has created a large array of 12-pan all matte eyeshadow palettes—from warm mattes to cool mattes, to neutral mattes to editorial brights. This “Dark Mattes” palette I find to be particularly helpful in creating a range of looks since it contains a variety of cool and warm browns, greys and oranges.

5. Viseart “Grande Pro I”

This 30-color palette may just be all you’ll ever need! The color story ranges from light to dark across each horizontal row. And you pretty much have a full range of colors from creams to beiges, browns, greys, blues, purple and orange/reds. They’ve also come out with a “Grande Pro 2” palette which is all shimmer in several different formulations and a “Grand Pro 3” which is a more colorful all matte 30-pan palette.

Love working with a wide range of beautiful colors? These next three colorful palettes really fit the bill

6. Bh Cosmetics “Modern Mattes 28 Color”

This palette provides a great range of neutral colors with pops of green, blue, purple. Though not as highly pigmented as some, it’s a relatively inexpensive palette with a fun range of options.

7. Certifeye “The Affinity Palette”

Colorful matte formulations can sometimes not be the easiest shades to blend together (since they sometimes look patchy), but this UK brand has come up with a great blendable formula. This palette has a range of 18 gorgeous pinks, purples, yellows and oranges.

8. Certifeye “The Tropical Wonders Palette”

In addition to a few pinks and oranges, there are some stunning blues and greens in this 18-pan palette.

Here are two tried and true great drugstore options

9. Elf Cosmetics “Opposites Attract”

This 18-pan palette has 9 neutral cool tone colors and 9 warm toned colors in an easily blendable formulation that packs a good punch. What makes this stand out for me are some unusual, quite lovely colors. And you can’t beat the price and value. O.K., there are 6 shimmers in here but they’re “low shine” shimmers.

10.Milani “Most Loved Mattes”

This is a long-time drugstore favorite. It’s a lovely soft array of 12 neutral colors that are both versatile and flattering.

BONUS
I can’t help mentioning a couple of other very good all-matte high end palettes: Kat Von D “Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette” and Lorac’s Pro Matte Palette.

Did you enjoy this article? Become a Kuel Life Member today to support our ad-free Community. Sign-up for our Sunday newsletter and get your expert content delivered straight to your inbox.

About The Author:

Elise Marquam-Jahns is a professional, working makeup-artist who is passionate about helping women 45+ get their glow back.  In addition to her work as a makeup artist for a major cosmetics line, she founded Boomer and Beyond Beauty and recently launched “Boomer and Beyond Beauty with Elise” –a makeup and beauty YouTube channel specifically for women 45+. Subscribe to Elise’s YouTube makeup and beauty channel specifically for you:  “Boomer and Beyond Beauty with Elise.”  Elise is also an author and speaker and hosts Normandale Community College’s monthly Learning Well Edge Talk Radio show where she interviews experts in the field of health and wellness.