We don’t know about you, but we love to experiment with every eyeshadow that comes out. With finishes from shimmers and metallics to glitters, there’s no shortage of shadows that can amp up your eyes from dull to deadly. But if you happen to be a little older, (we won’t mention any names here,) those shadows don’t always look great like they did when you were 20. That’s why a matte eyeshadow palette should become your new best friend.
Just like there are foundations for more mature skin that help blur pores and minimize the look of wrinkles, matte eyeshadows help to minimize that crepey look your eyelids seem to get later in life.
Whether you’re wanting to create your everyday look, or you’re game for some serious drama, these palettes deliver the goods. We looked for stay-all-day power, rich pigments, and shadows that, when used wet, can do double duty as liners.
Depending on how often you use eyeshadow, we’ve reviewed smaller four color combos as well as palettes with up to 96 colors. If you’re the adventurous sort, by all means, go for the big ones. Whichever you pick, these matte eyeshadow palettes are sure to induce many a jealous stare.
Let’s be honest here, we all get sucked in by clever packaging, and the Balm has it in spades, but after the giggling ceases, it’s the quality of their eye shadow we’re totally nuts about. This palette features a mix of matte and shimmer shadows that blend like butter.
Triple milled and highly pigmented, these bold and beautiful shadows are perfectly paired so there’s no guesswork about which ones go together, although your own creativity is unlimited, so, by all means, mix them up to your heart’s content. These colors are cruelty-free, so you’ll feel good about using them every day.
The Meet Matt (e) Nudes Palette gives you nine true color nudes, with all matte shades and no shimmers if you’d prefer to stick to the basics. And of course, we can’t leave out the Balm Nude Dudes palette, because it was our first love. With 12 lusty looking mattes and shimmers, it’s one of our go-to choices for both shadows and used wet as liners.
This 12 shade matte palette can take your eyes from simple to sultry with colors that look far from basic. Made with natural Amazonian clay, and enriched with vitamin E, these shadows are even better than they look. With ivory, cream, nudes, pink, plum, chocolate brown and black, you can create a diva worthy smoky eye, or something more subtle.
They feature smooth blending without chalkiness and deliver great color payoff. The mixture of warm and cool tones makes this palette great for every season of the year. The mineral tints are moisturizing and good for that tender skin around your eyes, so you can feel and look amazing at the same time. These shades last and last, even without using primer. A total bonus.
The tartiest Prime Pretties Collection features a lip, lash and liner combo that would pair nicely with this eyeshadow palette for a totally runway worthy look.
Whether you’re simply playful or a total makeup pro, this insanely wide array of matte eyeshadows will have you wanting to try all kinds of fabulous color combinations. This huge eyeshadow palette features 96 (yes, 96) different color options to create an endless array of looks.
These highly pigmented shadows are smudge proof, so they’ll last through whatever you might have in mind, but worry not, they also easily wash off. SHANY also makes a wicked combination color kit that features both matte and shimmer shadows as well as six blush options all in one. It’s a killer deal too.
If you love makeup from Smashbox, you’re going to be nuts about this matte shadow palette. Like many of our favorites, this set features two big base shadows, and then six more saturated colors that blend perfectly to create the looks you want. We love palettes that have this option because it’s frankly just smart, and customer friendly.
Rich pigments and great blendability make these shadows worth experimenting with. They have great staying power so they won’t disappear as the day wears on. They deliver high coverage and their creamy texture feels lush. You’ll love the fact that these cruelty-free formulas, so no bad bunny treatment occurred in their production.
If you begin your shadow dance with the Smashbox Photo Finish Shadow Primer, you can feel confident your eyes will look as gorgeous before bed as they did when you applied your makeup in the morning. For shadow on the go, the Smashbox Mini Photo Matte Eyes Palette features eight shades that you can use wet or dry.
When you buy a big palette like The New Nudes, you’re after the ultimate in flexibility so you can create whatever looks you want. This palette delivers in such a huge way. First, we’re nuts about the colors in this set, which range from pale and peachy to dark and plummy. They’re colors that look fabulous on almost any skin tone.
This palette features 18 shades total – ten highly pigmented mattes, two glitter shades, one pressed pearl shade and one concealer base shade. This allows you to erase any imperfections, and precisely highlight your best visual assets. These long-lasting colors are waterproof so they won’t fade even if you tear up, which makes them perfect for special occasions like weddings. A similar shadow palette features even lighter rosy tones that would be perfect for those with very fair skin and blonde or red hair.
The Twilight Palette features more bold and dramatic colors for evenings out or whenever you want to make a huge impression. It includes eight buttery matte shades, six pressed pearl shades, three duo-chrome toppers and one glitter option.
Cruelty-free and 100 percent gorgeous, you’ll want both palettes for different occasions.
This clever and colorful matte shadow palette has a dozen different colors to choose from ranging from pretty neutrals to rich darker hues. The way you mix and match them, whether choosing colors from side to side or top to bottom determines how your shadow style will look.
These mattes are beautifully pigmented and can be used to contour and define, or simply be swiped on lightly for a fresh and natural look. The Soft & Sultry Palette features eight gorgeous matte shades and four more shimmery metallics to create a seductive look that will catch everyone’s eye.
If you’re looking for more rosy tones, the Pure Passion Palette has a mix of matte and metallic shadows that will give your lids tons of depth and dimension, along with a gorgeous rosy glow.
We love Too Faced cosmetics because they’re gluten free and cruelty free, but more importantly, they’re super practical about how they prepare and package their products to ensure you have the most pleasure and success when using them. This awesome matte shadow palette is perfect, because it gives you three big base shadow colors and then six smaller shadows in deeper pigments that you can use to contour and define.
Our happiness doesn’t end there, however, because Too Faced also gives you a beauty tutorial guide, with three basic patterns to ensure your makeup success. Genius, right? Even though these shades are richly pigmented, they work well with all skin tones because they can be applied lightly and built upon if desired.
The colors have stay all day power, so you’ll want to make sure your mascara can match up. The Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara is an ideal companion to these matte shadows and you can feel free to cry happy tears of joy over your beautiful look, because this mascara won’t run.
Whether you want to add depth and drama, or simply want to highlight and define you gorgeous peepers, this pretty eyeshadow palette will do the trick. It features 20 beautiful shades with a far greater range of light shades compared to most palettes. You know how those always run out first because you use them as your base? Well, not a worry with this collection which allows you tons of flexibility to build any sort of look you desire.
These shadows get rave reviews for their stay all day power, and complete flexibility to build more dramatic looks with layers. We love the price for this flexible palette and predict it will become our daily favorite. The Revealed Smoky Eye Palette is another of our favorites, but it mixes shimmers and mattes, so it might not be your fave.
We love makeup that serves dual purposes, and these mineral enriched shadows in LORAC’s matte eyeshadow palette do more than define your sultry lids. These shadows can be used wet to create the perfect lid liners as well. Infused with soothing botanicals, these shadows are good for your skin and great for your look.
With eight ultra pigmented shadows, you can create almost any look with shades from Bare to Burgundy and Jet Black. They blend beautifully, so shading and defining is super easy. Matte shades are great for day and evening looks, but if you want a shadow palette with a mix of matte and shimmer shades, we’d highly recommend the LORAC Unzipped Eye Shadow Palette which offers a mix of both in pretty earthy shades.
If you’re looking for a matte eyeshadow palette that’s vegan and cruelty-free, this one from Lamora is a great option at a killer price. It features 16 sensational matte shades that you can use dry or wet. They’re velvety smooth, richly pigmented and actually conditioning for your lid.
You can use these to shade, shadow, line and contour your eyes, for some seriously envious stares. These ultra-micronized shadows are supremely blendable. The light and up to date colors will make sure you’re au courant, and the fun Lamora touch is the empowering messages inside their palettes – in this case, “Start your own beauty revolution.”
The perfect matte palette for spring and summer, the Peach Dreams collection features luscious shades of pink, peach, rich browns, and perfect pale beiges. This palette has 12 blendable matte shades that go on silky smooth and let you define and contour to your heart’s content.
These colors are super vivid, long wearing without a lot of fallout. With several of the most difficult to find true peach shades, you can create an eye-popping look that is especially flattering on brown and green eyes. We do recommend primer for most shadow users and this palette definitely looks and last better on top of it.
The Prism Pro Palette features 18 colors, and a blend of matte shadows and shimmers. Get it in three different color collections, all at a terrific price.
From natural peachy nudes to warm browns and delicious deep chocolates, this matte eyeshadow palette features lush shadows that are deeply pigment and supremely blendable. Mix them to create a beautiful base, or wear them alone. Either way, you’ll love their long lasting impact.
These shadows come in a cool tin that keeps them safe from breakage when you toss them into your purse or makeup bag. These colors are nice and buildable, so don’t be afraid to start out with a minimal coat and add until you’re satisfied. It’s a great way to avert disasters like too much shadow and not enough time to wash and start over.
It seems so often that you have to buy a number of eyeshadow palettes to get enough variety that you can mix up the colors depending on your mood or your clothes. Not only can that be a spendy endeavor, but they can also take up a lot of space you might not really have available. That’s why we love this matte eyeshadow pallet from NYX – it has tons of variety in one convenient case.
With 24 soft matte shadows, plus two matte blush colors, it also comes with two double-ended applicators to let you mix and match to your heart’s content. With a wide variety of earthy tones, along with a variety of blue and green tones, you can create that boho chic look in a snap.
Looking for more brilliant shadows that deliver big color payoff? The NYX Ultimate Shadow Palette features a rainbow of 16 brilliant shadow shades that come in mattes and satins as well as shimmers and metallics. Or you can snag a palette that features four of your fave colors, but in three different finishes. That’s a pretty cool idea for using what works with your eyes, but treated differently for day and nighttime looks.
This trendsetting company out of Australia gives you a 12 shade matte eyeshadow palette to take you from modest and demure to dangerously dramatic, all at a great price. These cruelty-free shadows are made with you in mind, so they come in a case with two double-tipped blender applicators and a sizeable mirror. That means you can touch up your look no matter where you’re at.
The highly pigmented colors just require a light hand, unless you’re looking to build a dramatic look. They’re super blendable and reasonably priced, but on the downside, to do crumble more easily than some, which is just something to be aware of if you’re planning to carry them in your purse.
BYS also makes a wide range of palettes in brilliant shimmers, shines and metallics. You might love the Matte Fantasy Palette with a wide range of vivid colors, and if you’re feeling super daring, the BYS Metals Eyeshadow Palette can deliver major impact with deep pigments and ridiculous shine.
Is very vibrant color high on your list of eyeshadow requirements? This 35 color set gives you wildly varied options to create any kind of look you can imagine. Brilliant yellows, blues, greens and plums are nestled in with the tried and true favorites, so you’ve got lots of earthy and jewel-toned options in one affordable set.
These highly pigmented shadows can be applied either dry or wet, so you can get crazy definition as well vivid color. Because these are somewhat waterproof, be aware that you’ll want to use makeup remover to get your lids completely clean.
If you’re not yet convinced that matte eyeshadow is the route you’re ready to take, getting a mini-palette is a great way to test it out without making a major investment. That’s one of the things we like about this color palette, because the Brooklyn Nudes shades are among everyone’s favorites, but you get six rich matte colors for what we’d deem a downright cheap price.
Besides, you can feel secure that you’re getting some decent quality shadows because Maybelline’s been making beautiful makeup for more than 100 years. Can’t really argue with that kind of success. This selection of taupe, tan and brown shades will let you create the perfect smokey eye, or use a couple of the lighter shades for a day time look.
The other thing we like about these mini-palettes is that they come in so many color options, from Sunset to the pink and plum toned Skyscrape Dusk. While some contain a mix of mattes, shimmers and metallics, we like the three matte combos we’ve mention best.
From cream and taupe to mocha and matte black, this eye shadow palette can create some serious eye drama. Because the shadows are super finely milled, they flow on smoothly and you can keep building them for added effect. We really like the fact that they are true to color, so what you see in the palette is what you get on the lid.
This cosmetics company does recommend that you use an eye shadow primer for even more true color and staying power. We’re fans of Put A Lid On It Eyelid Primer because it’s quick drying and smooths the look of crepey skin, which is an issue as we age.
Long lasting and crease resistant – two traits we’re always in search of when testing out eye shadows – are the hallmark of this great matte shadow kit from jane iredale. These mineral-based shadows stay put to keep your eyes looking morning fresh all day long.
This compact features a large neutral shadow, with four more blendable colors, and an added bonus is definitely the dual ended shadow wand/applicator that comes with it. Safe for even them most sensitive eyes, this selection of earthy colors is ideal for office wear when you’re looking for a more subtle and professional appearance.
When you’re ready to ramp up the drama with darker shades, this eye shadow palette delivers the goods, but still comes with that larger base color to create a foundation for what’s to come. The unique jane iredale Eye Steppes unfolds to reveal five interesting shade and color combos, and comes in four different options.
If your eyes are sensitive, you might be looking for a vegan, gluten-free eye shadow formula that doesn’t have any chemical dyes or allergenic ingredients. This little shadow palette from Honeybee Gardens is an ideal option. With three creamy matte pale pink and rose shadows and one plummy shimmer, this palette is the perfect choice for everyday wear.
With rich pigments, each color is great for creating a subtle look that lasts all day. We love that the palette is refillable with other colors, so you have less packaging waste, which we applaud. We also think you’ll love lots of their refill colors, including Dragonfly, Ninjakitty and Drama Bomb.
Fragrance-free and dermatologist tested, this cute matte quad from Physicians Formula features some of the most popular shadow shades. Silky smooth, and highly pigmented, these eyeshadows blend beautifully and have great staying power. They’re ideal for contact lens wearers and anyone with sensitive eyes. The compact includes a dual-tipped applicator and features a handy mirror. It’s just the right size to tuck into your purse if you need to add a bit of drama before an evening out.
We love interesting, eye enhancing ingredients in the eyeshadows we try, and this pretty Pink Nudes palette from Pacifica Beauty gets a thumbs up from these velvety shadows that are infused with moisturizing coconut water. Highly pigmented, these mineral shadows are 100 percent vegan and cruelty-free.
With matte pinks, nudes and browns, this palette also offers a luminizing highlighter for that extra touch of wow when you want it. These shadows have great staying power, so they’ll last all day and still look fresh. With ten colors, this palette is versatile enough to deliver subtle daytime looks or that deadly smoky eye when you want more drama.
Pacifica Beauty also makes some coconut water infused powder blushes in lovely colors that are packed with natural pigments to give you the perfect all day glow. They turn to coconut oil for their strengthening Stellar Gaze Mascara.
Inspired by the sentiment that the eyes are the window to within you, this eyeshadow palette features 12 deeply pigmented shades to complement every eye color. From creamy pales to earthy rusts and browns, to dark and dusky colors, they’re beautifully displayed in a high quality compact.
Even without primer, these shadows have great staying power without sinking into the crease of your eye. With a velvety texture, they are easily blendable and make custom designing your eyes a breeze. You will need a good brush set however, because these shadows don’t come with an applicator included. This 10 piece set from Docolor is affordable and terrific, with everything you’ll need to create the perfect eye.
Gotta love eyeshadows that are powder but still feel buttery, and such is the case with this eight shade palette from Japonesque. This palette is color coordinated to blend perfectly, mixing and matching any combination of the shades. You can even use these velvety powders to fill in wimpy brows – a terrific idea for minimizing the number of products you have to keep in your makeup drawer.
With minimal fallout, these shadows are highly pigmented to give you bold color that lasts all day long. To give your eyes an even more dramatic look try curling your lashes after application. Japonesque makes one of our most recommended eyelash curlers, but to see all our favorites, browse here.
We can’t leave one of our fave bargain brands off the table when it comes to cool matte eyeshadow palettes. Bargain isn’t an insult by the way. We’ve often found that e.l.f. makes affordable dupes of some of our favorite luxury brands, and that certainly came true when we were testing face primers.
This pretty palette serves up ten earthy tones to add depth and definition to any eye color. Ranging from pale creamy colors to dusky dark charcoals, you can create as little or as much drama as your mood inspires. These shadows are PETA Certified cruelty-free and vegan.
Because of the favorable price point, this palette is perfect for beginners but gets many a nod from professional makeup artists as well. The colors are easily blendable, making experimentation even more fun. e.l.f. also has a combination palette of shimmer and matte colors that are infused with kaolin clay to help lock the colors in place. That’s a genius idea.
When you’re in search of luxury quality, without having to pay the luxury brand price, this 35 color matte eyeshadow palette is ideal. We also think it makes a perfect gift for someone who is spreading their wings at self-expression. From everyday colors to dramatic evening shades, this palette offers unlimited creative options.
Smudge and fade resistant, this richly pigmented shadows will take you from morning to evening without looking diminished. This warm color palette is perfect for soft and sultry looks. Plus we love that you can use these shadows wet or dry, which doubles the fun. Find more gorgeous palettes from Morphe here.
Discover the best matte eyeshadow palette for your style, whether you're looking for an everyday option or wanting to add definition and drama for evenings out on the town.
