From Charlotte Tilbury’s new limited-edition Beautifying Eye Trends to Victoria Beckham’s luxurious new beauties, you’ll want to get your hands on these pretty, practical palettes …
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We thought we were over eye palettes, to be honest. For a while now, there has been a focus on single eye colours, which feels like a good way to go – just pick one or two shades you really love, then commit. This approach to eye make-up means that a vast palette can feel a bit wasteful – after all, there are always a few colours you literally never touch and who wants to lug around a giant palette full of every conceivable shade?! (We’re excluding Pat McGrath’s Mothership palettes, though – they are works of art worthy of displaying on a shelf like a mini painting).
This spring, we’re seeing carefully coordinated smaller eye palettes that actually work. That means you’ll use every shade as they’re well thought-out and complementary. It’s really all about the textures and formulas – these are beautifully subtle colours that stay in place, while avoiding being cakey or powdery on the eyelids.
Here are the new season palettes on our radar, whether you’re going full-colour or naturally chic:
TO DAZZLE
Charlotte Tilbury’s new Beautifying Eye Trends palettes. I don’t rave about every single Tilbury launch, but these six palettes are cosmetic catnip! The kind of jewelled beauty treats that are hard to resist. Each one has a lovely combination of nine different finishes including matte, sheer sheen and iridescent shimmer. I like the Super Neutral, which encourages you to wear something with a hint of reflective, non-glittery sparkle, even for everyday. They’re not cheap at €60 each, so choose wisely. I recommend asking any make-up artist on store counters to help you experiment, which tends to lead you to trying something you’d never usually wear for a total revamp. When you think that the Hypnotising Pop Shots for eyes are €30 for just over one gramme of product, here you’re getting more for your money. Available online from February 11 and in store from February 13.
Wear with: pair with the excellent Exagger-Eyes Mascara, which creates genuinely ginormous inky lashes (from €16 for a mini travel version; €32 full size).
FOR VALUE
Like the Charlotte Tilbury palettes, Hildun’s Luxe Eyeshadow Quads are made in Italy. With four shades in each, these look remarkably similar to Tilbury’s original burgundy palette packaging. These are good value at €25 each, offering both matte and pearl finishes. There are two options: one with more hot chocolate shades (Naked Diamonds), and a cooler-toned option with soft lilac and clay shades, (Mythical Romance).
Wear with: Hildun eyeliners, available in many stunning shades including icy silver – the best €18 you can spend on make-up right now, in my opinion.
FOR FOREVER STYLE
Victoria Beckham Beauty has four new alluring eye palettes. “We used the highest-quality pigments and created more finishes; each palette now includes matte, shimmer and metallic to create a wardrobe of eye looks,” says Beckham. At €83 each (the empty compact alone costs €28), you’d expect as much. The packaging in sleek tortoisehell is plastic-free and can be refilled (for €55); making this a life-long investment. If you’re into blues, go for the Smoky Eye Brick at Brown Thomas, €66.
Wear with: Beckham’s eyeliners are justly renowned and there’s a shade to match each palette, from navy to olive. We recommend the Posh Balm for lips, too, for moisturising colour.
FOR MULTI-TASKING
The Jeux de Lumieres Multi-Use Palette from Chanel features both eyeshadow and highlighter shades (€85), with golden goodness designed to wear across the face and eyes, either separately or blended together. A welcome flush of light on a grey day. At counters nationwide.
Wear with: Rouge Coco Balm, a softly hydrating lip colour.
FOR NATURAL SHADES
This Ayu palette offer comes with a set of five brushes; making it a great gift (€50). Choose from the Signature or Glamour palette, each with five wearable shades. For bolder colour, note that the Emerald palette is currently on offer for a tenner. Ayu’s long-wear shadow sticks are another handy way to wear eye colour (€16.50 each).
Wear with: Tan! Ayu Glow sets are currently 50 per cent off on their website.
SEE MORE: We Love This New Irish Self-Tan
