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Best Eye Shadow Palettes for Beginning MUA's


Eye shadow palettes are a staple in out kits, they are important for pretty much every look we need to create. As a MUA things to consider when purchasing an eye shadow palette are:

Size - How much room will it take up in your makeup case and the dimensions, will it fit nicely into your kit?

Quality - Quality does not mean expensive, there are many palettes for when you start out that are great quality and great pricing. People that hire you expect to have their makeup last all night. I find that the lower quality eye shadows last a few hours, lack pigmentation, and do not blend well.

Return of Investment - How likely are you to use these eye shadows? How many looks can you create with this palette alone? When working with clients is this a staple in your application? Right now my favorite palette for brides are any of the Naked or Lorac palettes. Eventually you want to build your kit to either a customized palette I like Make Up For Ever artist palettes. If you are working with high end clientele you want to purchase eyeshadow quads from Armani or Dior for example.

Urban Decay's Naked Palettes 
Urban Decay created their Naked palette and people loved it so much they created two more palettes in similar tones. As you can see they are all variations of nude, bronzy, colors with only one dark color per palette. It's perfect for bridal, special events, proms, attending a wedding, or any look from natural to glam. These palettes retail for anywhere from $48-$52/each. 

Lorac Pro Palettes
Lorac created their own palettes with neutral tones, they have the Lorac Pro Palette 1 and 2 it was so successful that they created the Lorac Mega Pro palette. As you can see, it is also a neutral palette but with variations of blue, purple, and even green. They retail from $42-$50


Bobbi Brown Nude on Nude
Bobbi Brown is the queen of neutral eye shadow palettes and makes the natural look, look fabulous. This palette only has 12 colors but three finishes, and a variety of shades. It is a little bit more limited in color range but choosing the right colors there are so many combinations that can be created. This palette retails for $45-$55


Smashbox Full Exposure 
When I purchased this palette I didn't touch another palette for months. I was in love with the variety of looks I could create with this palette alone. I like that it has a nice mixture of browns and blacks with a few in between shades with a total of 14. When using mine I do notice that the shimmery shades are hard to pick up, and transfer on to the skin but if you use a primer or base it is much easier. I'm not sure if that's just my particular palette or if anyone else had that experience? Let me know in the comments below, this palette retails for $52 and they even created a travel size with 8 shades.


So from anywhere from $42-$55 dollars or so you can purchase any of these palettes when you're first starting out. I feel that you can buy any of these palettes and start working on clients, it really comes down to your confidence, ability to combine colors, and blending. What are your favorite palettes? 

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