EYE SHADOW - POWDER
Oooh, our testers DO love a palette. Both the Gold and Silver winners here offer a range of glorious shades, while the Bronze winners are available as singles.
The reality is that singles can prove less wasteful, as generally, there are some shades in a big palette that get completely neglected. But there is something about a palette that feels glamorous, feminine, elegant and playful.
Bottom line: whether you opt for a pre-selected palette or choose a single perfect shade, nothing beats a powder shadow for buildability, staying power and the non-crease factor – all of which we ask testers to assess while they're trying and testing for us.
With all our trials, we ask brands to submit shades that will work across many different skintones. Will you love them? Without a shadow of a doubt!
GOLD AWARD delilah Colour Intense Eyeshadow Palette
This nine-shadow soft palette showcases a mix of matte and softly gleaming shades, across slate greys, pewters, matte mink pinks and more, ‘formulated with micro-pigments for lasting wear and intense colour pay-off.’ As with all of proudly British brand delilah’s range, they’re vegan-friendly. There’s a mirror in the soft gold-toned compact – and if this Damsel combo’s not for you, check out Jezebel, with a range of browns and golds. Testers almost universally remarked on its staying power.
£36 - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘Normally when I wear eye shadow it starts out lovely, but then after a couple of hours disappears as I have oily eyelids; this was really long lasting. A great combo of nine eyeshadows that work well together or alone’ • ‘This had real staying power. I also liked the packaging; some eyes make palettes are awkwardly big and bulky, whereas this was compact and perfect’ • ‘Went on very easily; I used it over an eye primer with the lighter colour as a base for the darker colours’ • ‘Seemed to give a more intense colour and finish than some of my usual brands; with the variety of colours so you are able to create many different looks – always a strong and a light colour for any occasion, to make your eyes look perfect!’ • ‘No creasing and I never needed to top up, as it lasted really well for a long time. I did a 12-hour shift in a busy hospital and still had a full eye makeup on when I came home! The shimmer had worn down a bit if I’m honest but there was no creasing in the eye socket, and considering I have slightly hooded eyes this was a very good result.’
£36 - click to buy
SILVER AWARD Urban Retreat Up Town Eyeshadow Palette
No less than 18 matte, satin, metallic shimmer and even glitter neutrals feature in this palette – a suits-all-skin tones mix of nudes and deep browns, offering a real day-into-night range of options. (We can’t quite figure out the maths for the number of combos you might create, but it’s A LOT.) In this case, the mirrored palette’s packaging is created from sturdy brown cardboard; we can’t see that it would survive too much wear and tear if you carried it around everywhere but applaud its recyclability.
£29 - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘The shadows are all highly pigmented and really deliver a pop of colour with the minimal amount of product, blending beautifully to create a silky, smooth effect’ • ‘I'm a bit rubbish at eyeshadow, but these blended nicely; they also worked well as single colour shadows with one of the shimmery ones on top for a pop of colour. A good range of pretty neutral colours’ • ‘You didn't need to much of the product, and the palette will last ages. It has a supposed expiry date of about two years, but it will last way longer than this! (Possibly an entire lifetime)’ • ‘The colours really did stay put and didn’t crease; I was really impressed with their staying power; I didn't need to touch up again! Though I worry the cardboard box will get dirty/greasy over time, which is a downside of an eco-friendly box’ • ‘There is a brilliant large mirror the full length of the palette which is great when touching up on the go. I like that I could use the palette to dress the down during the day, and then up at night.’
£29 - click to buy
BRONZE (JOINT) AWARD e.l.f. Cosmetics Bite-Size Eyeshadow
Wowzer. This is properly affordable (no mirror – but really, what do you expect for under a fiver???). e.l.f.’s winner really is ‘bite-sized’, as the name implies: dinkily-sized quartets of ultra-pigmented shadows, in a mix of blendable matte and shimmer shades. (There are eight combos to choose from ranging from pinks to mauves to blues, if you’re feeling daring – but our testers trialled this versatile neutral ‘I Love You Latte’ caramel-coloured combo). Certified cruelty-free and vegan, too.
£4 - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘A really useful, well-priced set of neutral shadows to have in your emergency make up bag’ • ‘The range of browns and creams offers a convenient solution to anyone who likes a natural look. They can also be used to highlight (the light cream) or shade (the mid beiges)’ • ‘The case is small and light and great for travel. A no-frills product that has all you need for a natural, or light smoky eye’ • ‘I have other products that are expensive and invariably the case breaks, the shadows crack, or something happens…this is simple and on the cheaper end, so I would not be too worried if it needed replacing’• ‘Very easy to apply, either with a finger or with a brush’ • ‘Did not dry my eyelids or irritate skin when I removed product at night. It was long lasting, easy to apply’ • ‘I love the neutral colours in the palette; I could build the depth and tone of the colours up if I wanted to – and my friends said it looked nice, so that’s a win!’ • ‘Easy to apply and you don’t end up with eyeshadow specks dropping all over your face’ • ‘The four colours in the palette all work so well together and they are long lasting, blending beautifully to can create so many different looks. I would buy this palette again, but I would also buy other shade combos in this range.’
£4 - click to buy
BRONZE (JOINT) AWARD Tropic Eyes on You (Aura)
The single Tropic shadow that this tester panel trailled doesn’t come in its own palette – because the Eyes on You shadows are actually designed to be slipped into a sleek compact that allows you to build a personalised combo of blusher, bronzer, shadow, brow groomer and more, across Tropic’s make-up range; it’s really rather clever. So, this shadow is served up in a cardboard ‘outer’ – and if you don’t get the sturdy palette, you need to be aware that the packaging for the Eyes on You individual shadow won’t last forever (especially if you take it out and about). Another worthy winner to add to Tropic’s major haul of Beauty Bible Awards over the past few years, though. Of 23 shades available, out testers were assigned Aura, a shimmering pinky-beige neutral.
£8 - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘This was lovely to use – the texture was light, and it was easy to apply. I had heard so many positive things about Tropic as a brand, and this eye shadow lived up to its reputation’ • ‘Very easy to apply, both with a brush and fingertips’ • ‘A friend commented that the effect was lovely. The finished look (with the colour 'Aura') was very natural, with a slight shimmer; it complimented my existing eye make-up and my colourings. Good coverage and ideal to suit all skin tones; if you built it up it did cover well and was easy to blend, too’ • ‘Did not irritate my sensitive eyes, which is a huge plus for me; many eyeshadows irritate my eyes so when I find one that doesn’t, I tend to stick with it for a very long time. This is a keeper.’
£8 - click to buy