The best matte eyeshadow palettes you can buy
The best overall
I can't discuss matte eyeshadow palettes without mentioning the Tarte Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Eyeshadow Palette. It's a blockbuster collection of 12 completely shimmer-free shadows with a mix of warm and cool undertones.
You have every neutral you need — soft creams, a range of browns, and even black — all infused with Tarte's raved-about Amazonian clay formula for a buttery, smooth, and creamy finish. You can use the lighter shades as transition colors, or the deeper ones as liner and even brow powder. But no matter which way you use them, the formula won't skip or tug on lids.
The shadows are very thoughtfully grouped in coordinating shades that go well together, so you can literally go across the rows for slight variations on the smokey eye. "This palette is one of the best for brow highlighting, base, crease, and transition color," writes Stylecraze's reviewer.
Refinery29 and Best Products have also featured the palette as a top matte pick, and it has an average 4.5-star rating on Sephora based on more than 2,000 reviews.
Pros: 12 shades ranging from light to dark, foolproof organization, mix of cool and warm undertones
Cons: some shades might look similar on the lid
The best smoky palette
Looking for something compact and easy to take on the go? You can't go wrong with the LORAC PRO Matte Palette.
There are eight shades for subtle or dramatic smoky eyes, and the selection is so well-curated that there's absolutely no filler — you'll hit the pan on every single color.
The PRO Matte Palette includes beige, brown, mauve, burgundy, and black shadows in LORAC's signature cushiony shadow formula. This brand makes some of the most heavenly matte shadows I've ever used; they're blendable, pigmented, and velvety. Plus, they're infused with soothing cucumber and calendula so they're a dream for sensitive lids.
The small size of this palette is an advantage if you find that a lot of neutral matte shadows end up looking very similar on your lids. Each one of these shadows has a place, and can be applied wet or dry to vary the intensity.
"This is the perfect all matte eyeshadow palette! The shadows are creamy, blendable, pigmented, and there's no fallout. Plus, it's super travel friendly because the packaging is slim and there's a mirror. Everytime I do my makeup I use this palette!" writes one Ulta reviewer.
Customers at Ulta give the palette an average 4.6 stars based on more than 460 reviews. Editors at Bustle, Best Products, and Refinery29 also rave about the extraordinary pigmentation ("a little goes a long way," according to R29) and versatility.
Pros: travel-friendly, pigmented, blendable
Cons: expensive for the size
The best large palette
Morphe is known for jumbo-sized palettes, and the 35O Nature Glow Matte Eyeshadow Palette is no exception. As the name suggests, it contains a whopping 35 shadows in a color story reminiscent of a beautiful sunset.
This palette is not for the cool-toned lovers as the selection leans heavily on an array of warm browns and oranges. But if you gravitate toward a rich, warm eyeshadow look, this palette has endless options.
Morphe is also known for inexpensive shadows that perform like high-end ones, and the rave reviews and 4.6 average rating on Ulta back that up. So do beauty experts at Elle, Bustle, and Byrdie.
"I have fine wrinkles on my eyelids and the matte eyeshadow goes on smooth and blends in well without creasing," writes one Ulta customer.
This version is an online-only Ulta exclusive, but there's another highly-rated version on Amazon with a slightly different color selection that plays in the purple family.
Pros: 35 shades in a large palette, affordable, buildable colors
Cons: some reviewers complained about fallout
The best warm palette
One of my personal favorite palettes is the Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat. Inspired by the brand's full-size Naked Heat palette, it contains six ultra-warm, spicy shadows. Five are matte and one (the shade Inhale) has very subtle shimmer for a demi-matte finish.
This mini palette is surprisingly versatile. Sometimes neutral palettes have several matte shades that are virtually identical on the lids, but each one of these is distinctive and serves a purpose. The downside is that this is a very orange-y palette, but I promise you can get creative with it and create subtle or more dramatic looks.
"This palette is perfect for everyday warm toned looks. It is pigmented and very blendable," writes one Sephora customer who rates the palette 5 stars. Another reviewer calls these shadows "perfect basics for WOC!!"
Overall, it has a 4.5 rating based on 180 reviews at Sephora.
Pros: compact for travel, mirror, pigmented and blendable
Cons: might be redundant if you already have the Naked Heat, expensive for the size
The best drugstore palette
Drugstore eyeshadows really run the gamut in terms of quality from chalky mess to pigmented dream that rivals formulas three times as expensive. The e.l.f. Mad for Matte Eyeshadow Palette is part of the latter category.
Described as a "satin matte formula," these shadows are completely shimmer-free but somehow, not chalky or dull. You have three color stories to choose from – "Nude Mood" is your basic neutral, "Summer Breeze" is warmer with a few pops of color, and "Multicolor" is loaded with jewel-toned mattes.
Each palette contains 10 shadows in long vertical pans for only $10.
Experts and shoppers both love the affordability and versatility of these palettes. Refinery29 and Bustle have also recommended the palette, and Best Products raves about the range of colors — "The warm neutrals will get you through a daytime shift, while the smoky end mixes things up for cocktail hour."
"If you are tired of glitters and too many brown/neutral/transition shades like i am, and you just want a reliable basic palette, this is what you need! it's beautifully pigmented," writes one happy Target shopper.
Pros: affordable, comes in three varieties including jewel tones
Cons: some reviewers complained about the shadows fading quickly without primer
What else we considered
- Too Faced Natural Matte Palette ($38): Too Faced sent me this palette when it first launched, and I actually reach for it pretty often to help ground looks with a bold color on the lid. The shadows perform pretty well, but the colors are similar to the ones in Tarte's Tartelette, and the reviews are not as great. Personally, I find some of the colors, especially the lighter ones, look very similar on the eye, and a few are tough to blend.
- Natasha Denona Safari All Matte Eyeshadow Palette ($129): Natasha Denona is a makeup-artist favorite, known for creating creamy, blendable, pigmented shadows. The Safari palette is indeed beautiful, but it's so expensive I couldn't recommend it over these other options. Some reviewers complained about patchy application and fallout, which is disappointing considering the price.
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