My Top 3 Eyeshadow Palettes

I hold my hands up - I'm a bit of an eyeshadow palette junkie. I've built up quite the collection over the past 4 years or so because I just think there's just something about owning a palette that's so much more practical than having a line up of singular shades. I love having a number of looks all available in one place and they're so easy to store and travel with.  I find it so satisfying to see them all stacked in a row (surely I can't be the only one...) and I always enjoy choosing which palette I want to use depending on what sort of look I'm wanting to achieve.  As the festive season is well and truly upon us, I thought it would be a good time to introduce my favourite eyeshadow palettes and explain a little bit about why I love them so much and exactly what I use them for. Personally, I'm a bit of a neutrals fan - the majority of my palettes are all filled with brown hues and shimmery nudes and are all suitable for everyday wear. Of course, it's going to depend on what sort of shades/tones you prefer and what colours seem to suit your skin-tone, but hopefully this post might give you a little inspiration if you're after a new palette to treat yourself to this Christmas (I know it's getting quite late on now but there's still time - and of course, there's the inevitable post-Christmas sale treats...) I also have full reviews and swatches of all of these palettes so I've linked these posts in case you want to have a more in-depth look at any of them. So, in no particular order...

Stila //  In the Light Palette // £25.00 // Link // Full Review & Swatches

Stila's 'In The Light' palette is a stunner to say the least. I really enjoyed using it over the festive season last year and I've used it throughout the year since. I love the fact that there's such an amazing range of shades for all occasions - the addition of the midnight blue also makes for a nice little twist.  I absolutely adore the consistency of these shadows - the majority of them are super creamy to the touch and incredibly pigmented.  I also love the matte shades - sometimes, I find mattes can lack in the pigmentation stakes but the 2 in this palette are really impressive and make for a nice base for adding a bit of shimmer.  The palette also comes with a smudge stick eyeliner (not pictured) which has become one of my daily staples.  Its seriously one of the best eyeliners I've ever used.

Favourite shades: 'Kitten' - a gorgeous champagne shimmer perfect for the inner corners of the eyes .. 'Sunset' because it seems to work really well with my green eyes and it worked really well with a tan in summer .. 'Bubbly' is a gorgeous versatile gold shade which will suit everybody and 'Bliss' is such a stunning shade for creating definition in the crease.

Urban Decay //  Naked 3 Palette // £37.00 // Link // Full Review & Swatches

In true beauty blogger style, I own all 3 of the Naked palettes.  Although I really enjoy using the first one, I have to say I think the third has beaten it to the top spot.  I didn't think I'd get on too well with the rose gold hues but they really do seem to work with my skin tone - especially through the colder months.  I love the mix of shimmers and mattes and each one is amazing in terms of pigmentation - Urban Decay really do nail it every time when it comes to colour pay off!  I love the range of shades in here as there seems to be a little more choice in terms of colour compared to the other Naked palettes - there's everything from a neutral barely there look, to an antique gold or dusky pink, right the way through to smokey browns.  I love the brush that comes with this palette too - it's double ended so it's much more handy for on the go as you get a standard eye brush along with a fluffier blending option.  The mirror is also bigger in this palette too.

Favourite shades: 'Limit' and 'Nooner' are gorgeous crease colours and are probably my most used shades out of the palette simply because they act as a lovely base for further colour or work perfectly on their own. If I haven't got much time of a morning, a quick dusting of either of these and I'm good to go. 'Burnout' is the perfect everyday shimmer - it's not overly glittery and the pastel pink hue has a brightening effect on the lids. 'Trick' is also a really unique antique rose-gold sort of shade.

Jane Iredale // Daytime Palette // £39.95 // Link // Full Review & Swatches

Ok - so as the most expensive palette of the 3 you're probably thinking is it even worth it? I thought this too when I first tried it but I can hands down say that this is my most used palette ever - the first four shades are used on a daily basis (particularly the peachy shade - I reckon I'm going to hit pan very soon).  These matte shades are so pigmented and a complete dream to blend - the white shade has a slight bit of shimmer which makes it perfect for highlighting the brow bone and for using in the inner corners of the eyes. They all look so natural and are incredibly long lasting - I can apply these in the morning and my eyeshadow will still be in-tact at the end of a long day. This was the palette I took on holiday with me this year, and it's also come on a few UK breaks with me - it's just my ultimate 'go-to' and it's perfect to carry around in your handbag too if needs be because its so slim and lightweight.   I also adore the smooth rose-gold packaging.

Favourite shades: All of them! The only shade I don't use so much is the black - I save this for nights out or for smudging under the lash line if I want a more subtle eyeliner look.  'Almond' - the peach nude shade - is my perfect blending shade. I use this daily and sweep from the crease up to the brow bone and it looks so natural and flawless. I then blend a little bit of 'Cappuccino' (the greyish taupe) through the outer crease to create a natural shadow, and sometimes blend in a bit of the dark brown, 'Dark Suede' into the very outer corners for extra definition. I often wear 'Oyster' all over the lid and sweep a little on to the brow bone to highlight and accentuate my brows. It's my perfect eye look in a palette and I adore them all - they compliment each other perfectly.

I really hope you've found some inspiration (if you don't own them all already - I know what us bloggers are like with our eyeshadows!) and of course, if you want to see swatches of each palette - don't forget I've linked them all within the post! 

What's your favourite eyeshadow palette?