7 Of The Best Makeup Palettes

A subtly gilded eye is timelessly elegant and flattering on all eye colors and skin tones, and this quad from Charlotte Tilbury works well for both day and night. For the former, simply swipe one layer of shimmering bronze or gold over lids, but to really dial things up after dark, use the matte plum as a contour or a smudgy base before layering over any one of the three light-reflecting gold, copper and beige shades for a modern take on the classic smoky eye. Beautiful and wearable, this is an essential for your holiday-season makeup purse.

Essentially, this is what you need for a radiant, polished and perfected complexion. With three sculpting powders, two highlighters and a bronzer, what sets this Kevyn Aucoin palette apart is the incredible real-skin textures that go on so lightly, they allow you to subtly enhance and define your face and features. A real must-have, whether prepping for an event or packing for a vacation.

If there’s one lip look you want a palette of shades for, it’s the nude variety. Layering multiple beige tones together ensures your lips look multi-dimensional rather than flat and washed out. And this color quartet from Westman Atelier delivers sheer, melt-into-skin textures that are super-easy to blend and ideal for pairing with a dramatic party-perfect eye. Wear the Warm Rose shade on its own or blend with Café Crème, which Gucci Westman describes as a ’60s Mod beige. If you decide the pinky-nude Peony is too light, add depth with a smudge of the deeper-toned Mulled Wine; there’s a bespoke blend for everyone. What’s more, peptides, avocado and jojoba oils add volume, hydration and nourishment for a fuller, plumper finish.

What we want from a concealer is a high-coverage formula in a lightweight texture, so it hides areas you’re trying to conceal without settling into lines and creases. This palette by Surratt Beauty, which comes in six variations, ticks all those boxes. Plus, it includes two shades, a few tones apart, to mix and match to the different zones of your face, as well as a sheer setting powder for added longevity. Struggling to tackle party season’s dark under-eye circles (always notoriously difficult to cover up)? Use the darker shade in the palette as a base – blending it from the inner corner of the eye, down and outwards – then use your finger to press the lighter shade on top, focusing on the inner and outer corners to really brighten and lighten the area.

Anchored by a matte jet-black shade, Huda Beauty’s combination of moody gold, chrome and copper metallics, warm rosy neutrals and shimmer-inflected lilac and violet hues gives you everything you need for a variety of party makeup looks. Wear them muted and on their own with a hit of glittering gold dusted over the top to catch the light, or go for a dramatic purple worn underneath a blown-out black for a head-turning, jewel-toned smoky eye.

A true classic, this Kjaer Weis palette is one you’ll buy once and keep replacing – because the bright and cheerful hues are ideal for adding a pop of color to any makeup look. Ever better: it contains three creamy shades to add pigment, glow or shape – and they require zero skill to apply. Use your fingertips to pat the pinker tones onto the tops of your cheeks, and the taupe tone to add warmth and contour where shadows naturally fall on your face. Don’t just stop at your cheeks, either: apply one of the colors onto your lips for a subtle stain, then buff a thin layer onto eyelids to bring everything together.

If you love a highlight, this palette by Pat McGrath Labs is for you. Having earned its cult following for delivering a strobe-like effect in just one swipe, it makes perfecting your skin for party season and beyond a cinch. The powder formula achieves a creamy finish when swept over the high points of your face; plus, there are three shades to choose from, so you can tailor the highlight for your look, dusting a fine sheen over collarbones if they’re on display. Also genius: this heavily pigmented product can be successfully layered on almost every skin tone.

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