My love for eye makeup is no secret. However, I wasn’t born with my affinity for a good shadow, liner and mascara. I remember the first time I wore eyeshadow. I smeared on so many layers of that light, slightly sparkly beige Clinique shadow my mom had received as part of a Bonus gift, that you could almost see it. I snuck into her makeup bag and stole every complimentary eyeshadow she scored until I could finally purchase my own. I didn’t discover the power of eyeliner until my senior year of highschool and with one stroke, I was hooked. MAC, Clinique, Maybelline, black, brown, blue – I had it all. Too much of it all, in fact.

So, it is no surprise that I have dabbled in my fair share of shadows. I’ve used various brands and had favorites depending on the look I was going for at the time. Choosing eyeshadows can be hard. Sometimes colors can be deceiving or the texture isn’t quite right. Before you know it, you’ll have acquired enough shadows to open up your own makeup counter – and you might have to in order to cover the cost!

A great way to introduce fun, new colors to your makeup routine is to consider purchasing an eyeshadow palette from one of your favorite brands. A palette is a case with multiple shadows, usually 6 or more, in varying colors to provide you with a range of basic colors and a few bold shades to play around with. You can expect to spend $40-$50 on a high quality palette, but it will last for an extended period of time since there are more colors to choose from.

It is important to play around with the different shades to make sure you like – and will use – at least 75% of them. Make sure you are satisfied with the texture of the colors and how they look when they are applied on skin. If you have a favorite makeup brand, check out their website or Sephora to see if they offer a palette. Here are some of the best bets I’ve seen:

Too Faced The Return of Sexy Eyeshadow Palette – $48
This palette groups colors into sets to make it fool proof to achieve several different looks.

Tarte Femme Naturale Eyeshadow Palette – $44.
I own this and love it. I’ve worked nearly every color into a look at one time or another and the more neutral shades are perfect.

LORAC Pro Palette – $42
LORAC liners and shadows are exceptional quality and the 16 colors are all wearable.

Urban Decay Naked2 Eye Shadow Palette – $50.
This palette is so popular it sold out twice! You might want to get it now while you still can…

Do you have a favorite eyeshadow palette, color or brand?