Eye shadow palettes are basically the new gift sets [1] — every brand launches a new one for the festive season. And it makes sense. Palettes aren't necessarily something you buy for yourself regularly (especially since many can be quite spenny), so what better excuse is there to gift someone (or yourself) one for the holidays? But with so many incredible shadow palettes launching this time of year, and all throughout the year to be honest (not that we're complaining), it can be hard to keep track and know which one is worth purchasing. Well, that's where we come in.
We've rounded up our favourite festive eye shadow palettes for 2019 that span every colour story and every price point. From palettes with easy-to-wear shades such as Charlotte Tilbury Starry Eyes to Hypnotise, to palettes full of bold, in-your-face hues like Makeup Revolution Forever Flawless Eutopia, there's sure to be a set of colours that you'll fall in love with to add to — or start — your eye shadow palette collection.
Zoeva Spice of Life Eye Shadow Palette
If you want a little colour and shimmer with a diverse shade range that isn't too vivid, the Zoeva Spice of Life Eye Shadow Palette [3] (£20) is for you. The ultracreamy formula makes the hues supereasy to blend, and the variety of shades — including two festive burgundy colours — makes it the perfect day-to-night palette, particularly for your various holiday parties.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Carli Bybel Palette
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Carli Bybel Palette [4] (£46) contains 14 shades of pure festive joy in one pretty palette. We're obsessing over the rich, matte cranberry shade (Stev), as well as the golden bronze hue (My Angels), both of which would be perfect to break out for a festive party of Christmas/Hanukkah dinner. But let's not forget about the cool-toned glittery hues (Mandala, Jode, Libra, OA) which give us all the ice queen/snow bunny vibes.
Makeup Revolution Forever Flawless Eutopia
This might be the most colourful festive palette of the season. The 18-pan Makeup Revolution Forever Flawless Eutopia [5] (£10) is a max of mattes and shimmers with festive-appropriate hues like a rich mulberry, decadent metallic red, twinkly rose gold, and a sparkling champagne. You'll never get bored of all the different colour combinations you can achieve with this palette — which you can continue long after the Christmas tree has been taken down.
Huda Beauty Mercury Retrograde Palette
Festive burgundy and mulberry shades not your thing? Huda has you covered. The Huda Beauty Mercury Retrograde Palette [6] (£58) is the newest release from the brand and contains a whopping 18 matte and metallic shades. The vast selection of colours include lavender, peach, turquoise, and metallic silver to name a few — all are guaranteed to create a standout festive look, that's far from traditional.
Kevyn Aucoin Jewelpop Face and Eye Palette
If you're looking for an investment palette that does it all, turn to the Kevyn Aucoin Jewelpop Face and Eye Palette [7] (£47). The eight-pan palette comes with powder eye shadow colours (matte, metallic, and glitter-flecked), a two-toned blush, and a contouring powder (for light skin tones only, unfortunately) all in one. The incredibly pigmented and textured shadows make them great for a festive pop of colour or flash of shine, while the dual-toned blush can be used on the cheeks or as an additional shadow shade.
Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eye Shadow in Noir Suprême
The Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eye Shadow in Noir Suprême [8] (£44) is a slice of eye shadow palette luxury, and we want the entire thing. If you're looking for a palette that's not fussy, easy-to-use, and has incredible colour pay-off — and feels incredibly festive — well, here's your beauty soulmate.
Urbay Decay Party Favor Eyeshadow Palette
The Urbay Decay Party Favor Eyeshadow Palette [9] (£19, originally £25) has six mini pans containing some of the most beautiful shimmer shades we've seen this year. Although it might look bright, for those who might be a little turned away, the palette is slightly lighter in coverage, but will has great colour pay-off. It leaves a slightly more sheer sparkle, which can be used alone as a faint glittering hue, or applied over an existing shadow base to top off a bold look. It's just calling out to be used at a New Year's Eve party.
Charlotte Tilbury Starry Eyes to Hypnotise
Charlotte Tilbury Starry Eyes to Hypnotise [10] (£60) is definitely more of an investment palette, but boy, is it worth it. Divided into four sections of three pans each: Happy Glow (golden, brown tones), Love Glow (bronze, burgundy tones), Dream Glow (green shimmer tones), and Seduce Glow (deep blue and silver tones), there's a section for every mood. And we all know it's what's inside that counts, but the packaging of this palette really does have us starry-eyed.
Becca Pop Goes The Glow Champagne Pop Face and Eye Palette
The Becca Pop Goes The Glow Champagne Pop Face and Eye Palette [11] (£42) is another great investment palette as it's multiuse and has a wearable range of shades. If all you want this Christmas is shimmer, look no further. There are five colours in total, and while each can be used on the eyes and cheekbones, there are four main shadow shades (dusty pink, warm gold, caramel bronze, and mulberry) and one highlighter — which is the much-loved Champagne Pop shade. To be honest, the packaging alone (it has actual glitter inside of it) is festive enough to warrant going straight in our basket.
Collection Eyes Uncovered Rock On
If you're looking to try a few new hues this festive season but don't want to invest in an expensive palette, Collection Eyes Uncovered Rock On [12] (£5) is a great choice. The palette includes six shimmer shades — candy red, royal blue, emerald green, bronze, silver, and yellow-gold — and a bigger pan of black and white.
Too Faced Gingerbread Spice Eye Shadow Palette
Burnt orange, magenta, and olive all in one palette — we have something to say about that: we're in love. The Too Faced Gingerbread Spice Eye Shadow Palette [13] (£39) screams Autumn and is definitely for those proud Pumpkin Spice Latte drinking, Hocus Pocus [14] watching people. Better yet, the 18-pan palette will take you from Autumn right through Winter, and we bet those gold hues will look amazing for a New Year's Eve party beat.
Sleek Major Morphosis Eye Shadow Palette
The Sleek Major Morphosis Eye Shadow Palette isn't launching until November, but it deserves a mention already. If you love brightly coloured shadow, this bold palette is shouting your name. But it you're someone who has been intimidated by supervivid eye shadows in the past, this may also be a way to experiment. Many of the electric-bright hues are shimmery in texture, making them easy to blend and easy to pull off (especially if you add a bit of black liner and mascara). In my opinion, this entire palette is worth it for one shade: Intervention, a light gold with silver-blue pigment that reflects the light beautifully.