Nothing strikes the heartstrings of eyeshadow lovers like the best neutral eyeshadow palettes in their beauty arsenal. To give you an insight into the world of nudes, naturals, and neutrals, imagine a lovely shadow palette packed with all shades from beachy beiges to earthy coffee tones and everything in between. The best part is how these flawless shades go with every skin tone. The most coveted and makeup artist-approved palettes are available in shimmers and matte to match every mood board and makeup memo. 

Our contributor Ghanima Abdullah, an experienced cosmetologist and beauty consultant, shares, “If you're using neutral eyeshadow, consider using the same or similar shimmery shades. This helps make your eyes pop while keeping a neutral look. White, copper, bronze and gold are all fantastic shimmer shades to compliment neutral eyeshadow.”

Whether you have an old love story with Urban Decay’s Naked2 Basics or are willing to try out something fresh off the oven like Revlon’s Illuminance Crème Eyeshadows, keep scrolling to find your best suitor for the season. With holidays and winter breeze around the corner, what’s better than some neutral shadow palettes in the collection with hot cocoa on the side? 

For a simplistic everyday wash of nude or some muted glamour on the go, neutral palettes are the go-to! We swatched the most popular palettes and did some research on real-time user feedback to culminate our wholesome low-down based on our observations. High pigmentation, long-lasting stay shadows, and soft blendable formulas are some of the top things we looked for while finalizing the round-up. Get ready to bring home the best nude eyeshadow palettes right away.

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  Best Overall

  NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP Ultimate Shadow Palette-Warm Neutrals

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NYX Professional Makeup is one of the most popular brands among makeup mavens for their curation of phenomenal eyeshadow palettes, and they have done it again with their Ultimate Shadow Palette: Warm Neutrals. The 16-pan palette features highly pigmented warm and autumn tones. The varying finishes include matte, satin, shimmer, and metallic, which are easy to glide on the lids. If you crave soft sandy hues and espresso tints, we highly recommend opting for this perfect palette.

2

Best Vegan Palette

Lamora Au Naturel Nudes

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One palette that offers smoky neutrals and luminous shimmers? Meet the Lamora Au Naturel Eyeshadow Palette. Trust these luxuriously pigmented colors in mattes and glitters to help you achieve your desired look every day. With 16 shadows inspired by earthy notes, you get the best of both worlds, be it glam or subtleness. Owing to its high-quality ingredients, the shadows have the perfect blendability and staying power.

3

Best Long-lasting Finish

JAPONESQUE Velvet Touch Eyeshadow Palette

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This eyeshadow palette by JAPONESQUE can level up your eye makeup game and enchant everyone with your beauty. With the inclusion of 8 different ultra-pigmented and highly blendable matte shades, this eyeshadow has got you covered. Whether you are prepping for a night party or a formal day occasion, this is a go-to product to create versatile looks. The richly pigmented formula ensures a long-lasting stay of shades to allow you to flaunt makeup looks effortlessly. 

4

Best Buildable Formula

Revlon ColorStay-Moonlit

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Bridging the gap between cream shadow’s application and powder’s finish, Revlon’s ColorStay palettes are bound to be an instant favorite. The mini, four-pan palette has soft shimmery shades, perfect for everyday makeup that can be topped with some metallic tones for added drama. Offering immaculate blendability and a true color finish that stays on for up to 24 hours, this palette is a steal for the price. The Moonlit palette is a cool-toned eyeshadow cluster with neutral and natural hues.

5

Most Pigmented

LORAC PRO Matte & Shimmer Eyeshadow Palette

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When you have the LORAC PRO Matte & Shimmer Eyeshadow Palette, you don’t have to worry even a bit about creating versatile and unique eye makeup looks and making heads turn. It includes eight eye shades, including bare, latte, corduroy, chocolate, linen, pink mauve, burgundy, and jet black, to help you transform your eyes into a masterpiece. When I tested this product, I observed that it is easy to blend and imparts a long-lasting velvety finish that can easily grab all the spotlight.

6

Best Drugstore Pick

COVERGIRL Eye Enhancers Eyeshadow Kit-Sheerly Nudes

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Another mini version of the neutrals and nudes palette under our radar is Covergirl’s four-pan eyeshadow kit. Whether you crave a subtle wash of beiges or wish to add some depth to your eye contours, this shimmer collection has it all. Its creamy-soft, velvety texture is extremely wearable with the reflective shimmery hues. The complimentary colors are blendable and buildable for creating all assorted looks, whether it’s an ombre for the day or gilded metallic drama for the night.

7

Most Pigmented

RIMMEL LONDON Magnif'Eyes Nude Edition

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An aesthetically pleasing gradient palette, the  Magnif'Eyes Nude Edition is a mix of 12 indulgent shades. From mellow beiges to intense browns, the array of shadows offers creamy matte and shimmer finishes. On trying the product we found that the highly pigmented color cakes deliver the best results and offer a breezy application. The buttery texture glides on smoothly for blendable shadows, allowing you to play and experiment with fresh looks for every mood.

8

Best Cream-Based

Revlon Illuminance™ Crème Eye Shadow Palette

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Encapsulated with silken beiges, buttery peach, and a dose of rose gold shimmer, Revlon’s Illuminance™ Crème Eye Shadow Palette needs your attention STAT. The four sheer shadows have a light reflective finish and a luminous glow that can adorn the lids with an infinite repertoire of makeup looks. All you have to do is swipe the color on your lids using your fingertips or a small brush. You can mix the shades or create an ombre effect with minimum effort for maximum glam. To intensify the shades, build up layers and you are good to go.

9

Best Shade Range

wet n wild Color Icon Eyeshadow-Nude Awakening

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You have got all the neutral shadows you need, packed in Wet n Wild’s Nude Awakening palette. A thoughtful blend of browns, beiges, and rosy hues, the flattering colors have varying textures from soft mattes to vivid metallic shades and shimmers. The ten sultry shades match every look and mood, transcending through seasons and trends. A medley of classics is all one needs to recreate the favorites or experiment with creative eye looks.

10

Most Popular

URBAN DECAY Naked2 Basics

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The eyeshadow mogul, Urban Decay never disappoints when it comes to nudes and neutrals. The infamous Naked collection is a record-breaking item, owing to the rich and velvety powders that deliver the softest matte finish. The varying shades and tints of brown and taupe are the right swipe for every skin tone and go well with every outfit and occasion. The travel-friendly palette will last you for a long time so you can create endless looks.

11

Best Color Payoff

NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP Ultimate Shadow Palette-Warm Neutrals

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Bringing all staple neutrals together, the NYX Professional Makeup’s Warm Neutrals is that one palette every makeup enthusiast craves. Starting with ultra-natural, muted beiges and sandy tones, you get rosy hues and gilded metallics next, followed by mocha browns and smoky shades. Translating your dream looks from Pinterest to reality is possible with this array of 16 classic shadows. Offering mattes and creamy shimmers, the palette is a balanced diet of glamour and timeless basics.

12

Best Blendable Formula

e.l.f. Perfect 10 Eyeshadow Palette-Nude Rose Gold

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One look is all it takes to get swooned by this beautiful layout of rose gold shadows. The cult-favorite e.l.f. shadow palettes are packed with ten shades, ranging from plum, pink, and brown shimmers to soft mattes. The creamy formula glides and blends immaculately for a glam-filled finish. This pigmented line-up of neutral colors is perfect for makeup freshers as well as for experts. Stunning looks are a click away with this drugstore buy that is meant to stay put and remain crease-free.

13

Sulily Eyeshadow Palette-Milk Tea

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Neutrals and nude shades with a hint of pinks and peaches? That’s exactly how this Sulily shadow palette in the shade Milk Tea is curated. The 10-pan palette is chock full of lovely mattes that deliver soft and bold looks. A mix of cool and warm tones, these colors are intensely pigmented and exude a rich color payoff. Blend your favorite shades and top them with some glitter or add an eyeliner to finish a polished look.

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EPILYNX by Dr. Liia Miracle Eyeshadow Palette

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People with sensitive skin struggle with some eye-shadows, but with EPILYNX by Dr. Liia, one can enjoy beautiful shades on the lids without worrying about any adverse effect. The formula is gluten-free, allergen-free, cruelty-free, and vegan, which makes it suitable for sensitive skin types. You get to play around with 15 flattering neutral shades and conceptualize endless looks. From classic smoky eyes to gilded glamour, there are mattes and metallics to choose from.

Muted shades like creams, beiges, taupes, browns, dusty pinks, grays, and a few more encapsulate the neutral eyeshadow palette. These shades are suitable for all skin tones and deliver infinite possibilities for eye makeup looks. Our list is a line-up of the best palettes available in the market, but before you take the leap and pick your favorite, here are certain things to bear in mind. 

• Neutrals primarily lie between cool and warm tones, however, each palette serves a mix of varying undertones and finishes. Look for the ones that best match your skin complexion and enhance your overall look. 

• Whether you are adding a new palette to your AM makeup routine or need a professional range of colors, the variety of shades matters the most. From compact four-pan palettes to 16 shadow panels, there are many options to choose from. A mini and travel-friendly palette is great for everyday looks, while a wide-ranging pan is ideal for creating detailed, glam looks. 

• Another factor to consider is the texture and finish. If your taste gravitates towards subtlety, stick to mattes only. For adding some glitz and drama, opt for palettes that have a mix of mattes and shimmery metallic eyeshadows. 

• For ease of application, ensure that the shadows are highly pigmented, give off a true wash of color, last for a long, and go on smoothly. A creamy-to-powder formula works best for every makeup lover. 

• Lastly, if you are someone with sensitive skin or eyes, ensure that the product formulation is hypoallergic, gluten-free, oil-free, paraben-free, and free from agents like talc. 

Check out our beauty gurus’ approved tips on applying eyeshadow and achieving the best looks with neutral and nude palettes.

Here are the steps for perfect neutral eyeshadow application:

Step 1: Begin by prepping your eyelids with an eyeshadow primer or concealer to create a buildable base.

Step 2: For a minimalist look, you can swipe your lids with one or a couple of shades, like beiges and muted browns, using your fingertips or brush. 

Step 3: Coming on to some added drama and gilded glam, enhance your looks with smokey, chromatic, or shimmery eye makeup by blending two or more shades.

Step 4: An eyeshadow brush is essential for blendability and color deposit on the lids. Begin blending the applied eyeshadow well.

Step 5: You can draw a bold stroke of eyeliner to complete your look and add much-needed definition to your eyes. 

Quick Tip: 

To avoid staining your makeup base with shadow fall-out, It’s advisable to begin your makeup with the eyes first. After finishing up the eye makeup, clean the face and then start with your full-face base makeup.

Contributor: Ghanima Abdullah, Cosmetologist, The Right Hairstyles