So, here is a little thought experiment that has lived rent free in my head over the years. If I were, to say, ever be approached by a brand to create my dream one and done eyeshadow palette, what shades would I include? It is a fun thought exercise. And with eyeshadow palettes regaining popularity for the first time in a while, I figured it would be a fun post to do today.
To make things easy for me, I went with a nine pan palette format. Four mattes, one glitter adjacent shade, and four shimmer/metallic shades. And these are all shades that I would happily use on a daily basis. I have a good range of base colours for simple looks. But enough variety to also create some fun, dramatic looks. My dream palette is definitely for the brown smokey eye lovers. But I also have to have my pop of colour in the mix too. That’s enough yapping, let’s get into it!
Kicking us off, I need to have a light transition shade if I’m keeping my eyeshadow look more on the simple side. And a shade along the lines of the MAKEUP BY MARIO MASTER MATTES EYESHADOW PALETTE in SHADE MM2 would work quite nicely. It’s light enough to create some subtle dimension to the crease. And would pair nicely with a deeper brown if I wanted to add more depth. A shade like this would also double as a setting shade for an eyeshadow primer if used sparingly.
Next up, I know I need a solid slightly warm tone brown shade that I can either use all over the lid or lightly buffed into the crease as a transition shade. And my all time favourite eyeshadow for that purpose is the MAC EYESHADOW in SOFT BROWN. This is an incredibly versatile brown shade that adds depth and dimension to the eye. But also look stunning blown out all over the lid.
Bringing us back to one of the Mario palette, the MAKEUP BY MARIO MASTER MATTES: THE NEUTRALS EYESHADOW PALETTE in MN8 and MN10 have been my go to shades for adding further depth and dimension to my smokey eyes for years now. I’m actually shocked there isn’t more pan here. MN8 is probably the shade I use most often for when I want to go full smokey eye. It looks gorgeous on the outer part of the eye. And MN10 is a go to outer corner/under eye shade. It’s also a solid pick for a powder wing liner shade.
Righty-o, that’s the base shades out of the way. Now, let’s get to the fun! I, without question, need to have some sparkle and glitter with any eyeshadow look that I make. And a shade like URBAN DECAY MOONDUST EYESHADOW in SPACE COWBOY would definitely have a home in any palette I make. More often than not, I would use a shade like this on the inner corner or on the brow bone. But let’s be real, I would also happily wear a shade like this blown out all over the lid.
Now we must talk about the shade that inspired this current thought exercise. Because if I were to ever make my own eyeshadow palette, a shade that is exactly like the TOM FORD FORBIDDEN ROSE EYESHADOW PALETTE in FORBIDDDEN PINK #2 would be a non negotiable. I have beaten this shade to utter hell. It is the most perfect slightly cool taupey brown. The pearl finish is just gorgeous. Easily one of my all time most worn eyeshadows. It belongs in my dream palette.
Every brown tone eyeshadow palette needs to have a random pop of colour in the mix. And my dream palette will have two pops of colour! Aren’t I just so generous? My first Random Pop Of Colour™ has to be some form of purple. My purple looks always get me compliments and it is a go to shade for me for a reason. And picking my dream purple was actually far more of a challenge than I suspected it would me. I actually had three shades in the running for this spot. But for maximum impact and wow factor, I had to go with the PAT MCGRATH SUBLIMINAL MOTHERSHIP EYESHADOW PALETTE in VR VIOLET. The base shade is similar to the aforementioned Forbidden Pink #2, albeit slightly warmer in tone. But the blue pink reflect is truly something to behold. I particularly love this shade applied wet all over the eye. It’s almost cosmic in it’s finish.
The other Random Pop Of Colour™, believe it or not, is not the stereotypical blue that you would expect. But a green! I’ve really, really been loving a bright but slightly swampy green blown out all over the lid. And I would love to include a green not dissimilar to the MARC JACOBS BORN STAR EYESHADOW in CANCELLED in my dream palette. The green is the right side of intense, but still wearable. And the slight gold reflect gives it some needed dimension.
The last shade I would include brings me back to my basic roots. Because when I really sit down and think about it, I know I need a bronzy brown metallic shade for my ultimate brown smokey eye. So, sing along if you know the words. MAC COSMETICS EYESHADOW in SABLE. It’s a classic in the range for a reason. The plummy brown tone compliments so many different skintones (this shades EATS on deeper skin). It’s not too cool, it’s not too warm, and it ties in nicely with the rest of the shades that I picked out.
And here she is, my dream eyeshadow palette! I have swatched all nine shades down below so you can really see the vision.
Oh yeah, this works wonderfully! Let me know what your dream eyeshadow palette would look like in the comments. And if you recreate a post like this, please tag me. I would love to see it.
Cheers and love
Emily xo