A good palette is mostly mattes. Shimmer sells the pan layout; matte transition shades are what make an eye look finished.
By Sawyer V. · Published October 7, 2026 · Last updated October 7, 2026
The short answer
The verdict: Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam is the reference neutral palette — fourteen shades, nine of them matte, which is the ratio that matters. For less money, Urban Decay Naked3 (12 shades, cool rosy neutrals) or Maybelline The Nudes (12 shades, under $15). If you want six pans instead of fourteen, Charlotte Tilbury's Super Nudes Easy Eye is the curated option. Buy on matte count, not on pan count.
Disclosure: Glow & Gild earns a commission when you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It does not change which product we recommend, and no brand pays for placement here. Read the full disclosure.
How We Picked
We compared palettes on three published facts — shade count, the split between matte and shimmer finishes, and undertone — because those are what decide whether you can build a full eye look from one palette. Shade counts and finishes come from each brand or a major retailer. Shades read differently on different skin tones, and we have not tested these.
Everyone in this category says they tested twenty of these. We have not tested any, and we say so. What we did instead: compiled the published concentrations and ingredient lists, checked each claim against what the formula can actually support, and wrote down who each product is wrong for. The full method is published so you can check it.
The Six, by Shade Count
Palette
Shades
Finish mix
Undertone
ABH Soft Glam
14
9 matte, 5 metallic
Warm neutral
Urban Decay Naked3
12
Mixed matte and shimmer
Cool rosy pink
Maybelline The Nudes
12
Matte and shimmer
Warm to neutral brown
Charlotte Tilbury Super Nudes Easy Eye
6
All velvet matte
Three cool, three warm nudes
e.l.f. Perfect 10
10
Matte and shimmer
Varies by colorway
wet n wild Color Icon
5
Matte, shimmer, metallic
Varies by colorway
Ignore the total and look at the matte column. You need one matte close to your skin tone to blend with, one mid-tone matte for the crease, and one dark matte for depth. Every shimmer in the palette is optional. A fourteen-pan palette with two mattes is less useful than a six-pan that is all matte.
How to Choose One
Count the mattes. Three usable mattes is the minimum for a complete look; nine, as in Soft Glam, means you will never run out of transition shades.
Match the undertone to what you own. Warm palettes read golden and bronze; cool palettes read rosy and taupe. A cool palette next to a warm blush fights itself.
Decide on size honestly. Most people use four pans from any palette. A six-pan you finish beats a thirty-pan you abandon, and small palettes travel.
Check whether it includes a brush and mirror. Soft Glam does; most drugstore palettes do not, which matters if this is your first palette.
Four Pans, One Look
Transition: the matte nearest your skin tone, swept through the crease with a tapered blending brush.
Lid: one shimmer or satin, pressed on with a flat brush or a fingertip.
Depth: the darkest matte, in the outer corner only, blended inward.
Brow bone: the lightest shade, tapped under the arch — or skip it, which is the more modern choice.
That is the sequence for every neutral palette on this page. The reason an expensive palette looks better is rarely the pigment; it is that the mattes are milled finely enough to blend into each other without a hard line.
The drugstore palette that genuinely competes. Twelve shades, enough mattes to build a full look, and about a third of the price of the brands above it.
Who it’s not for
Anyone who wants a mirror and brush included, or finely milled mattes that blend without effort.
Six velvet matte shades: three cool caramel browns, three warm bronzes
No shimmer in the palette
Marketed as a streamlined everyday edit
The opposite strategy and a defensible one: six mattes you will finish rather than fourteen pans where four get touched. The matte texture is the reason to pay for it.
Who it’s not for
Anyone who wants shimmer or metallic finishes — there are none here.
Sold in several colorways, including Keep It Ethereal
Vegan and cruelty-free, per the brand
The best shade-per-dollar on the page, and the right first palette for someone who is not yet sure whether they will wear eyeshadow twice a week or twice a year.
Who it’s not for
Anyone who wants consistent pigment across every pan — the shimmers outperform the mattes here.
It is the most tempting thing on any shelf: thirty-five shades for the price of a twelve-pan, in every color you have ever considered. The problem is arithmetic. You will build looks from four pans, and in a 35-pan the four you need — a light matte, a mid matte, a deep matte and one usable shimmer — are surrounded by thirty-one pans of brights that go chalky on skin. Buy the matte-heavy twelve-pan and spend the difference on a [blending brush](/makeup/best-makeup-brushes).
Frequently Asked Questions
A matte-heavy neutral palette. Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam has nine mattes; Maybelline The Nudes does the same job for under $15.
Four: a transition matte, a lid shade, a deep matte for the outer corner, and optionally a light shade on the brow bone.
Matte. Mattes do the blending and the depth; shimmers are a single accent. Count the mattes before you buy.
Bare lids are oily. Use an eye primer, or a thin layer of concealer set with powder, before any powder shadow.
Generally yes, and it is the mattes that differ. Finely milled mattes blend into each other without a visible edge; cheap mattes need more work.
By Sawyer V.. An enthusiast who’s genuinely into this: I read the manufacturer documentation, compile the published percentages, and do the arithmetic. No lab coat.
What I don’t do: test products, accept free product, or accept payment for placement. I hold no clinical credential and don’t claim one. How we pick.
Published October 7, 2026 · Last updated October 7, 2026
