I’m a huge fan of eyeshadow palettes especially while traveling, but I find myself always steering towards my single favorites. A monochromatic look also lets you play around with some bolder shades as well as a pretty neutral for a clean look. Let’s go from light to dark with a few must haves for your collection.

The most basic shade can sometimes be the hardest to find. A bare, neutral shade just to cancel out any redness will mostly be used as a base. This shade should not be too pink, too white or too yellow. Depending on your skin tone, try to think of this as matching your face powder by finding the perfect match for your eye area. This definitely needs to be a matte shade. This is the main reason palettes alone don’t work for me. Most brands have a shade that is too light for my olive complexion so I always bring along my MAC Brule for the base. 

Next up is the crease color. Bobbi Brown’s Essentials Eye Shadow in Antique Rose is a great transition shade because it’s not a harsh brown, but a softer warm tone. The transition shade depends on the overall look but this one works with most browns and neutrals.

My favorite shadow is a shimmery champagne, gold or bronzey shade that adds an instant pop to your eyes. Tom Ford Cream & Powder Eye Color in Golden Peach gives you the option of a cream or a powder. This looks amazing with a tan and used together will give you that extra kick of pigment.

Not your average brown eyeshadow, the NARS Single Eye Shadow in Mekong is a gorgeous golden dark brown shade. For a matte shade to darken up the outer corners, Coconut Grove is a rich dark brown.

Tip: use Matte in that area since we don’t want shimmer on any wrinkle prone areas.

Aline Agopian