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I always had this one staple eyeshadow palette from Tarte Cosmetics which to me was the holy grail of my makeup routine. I’ve spoken about cult eyeshadow palettes here but since then, there have been an insane amount of eyeshadow palettes product launches and here are the best eyeshadow palettes 2018
The beauty community had exploded into this territory of “cult eyeshadow palettes”. I would say there are a few brands that helped to propel this such as Urban Decay, Anastasia Beverly Hills and Tarte.
Celebrity Eyeshadow Palette Launches 2018
Most recently, celebrities are starting to get into the makeup game with the launch of Rihanna’s Moroccan Spice
Palette, Kim Kardashian’s collaboration with her eyeshadow palette with makeup artist Mario and Chrissy Teigan’s collab with Becca Cosmetics.
Just as I posted this, Novina, Anastasia Beverly Hills creator’s daughter just launched this game changer of a palette. The Norvina palette is one that this beauty reviewer wants so badly but I’ll have to refrain due to lack of eyeshadow organization space left. Anyway let’s get into the article but here’s a snap of the new Norvina x Beverly Hills Palette which launches on Sephora Canada August 8, 2018.
Brands that Shaped the Status of the Eyeshadow Palette
TooFaced is known for their kitchy packaging and of course the smell that corresponds to the product. For example, the entire Sweet Peach Collection including the Peaches and Cream Eyeshadow Palette (Click here to shop pictured above), foundation and the Peaches and Cream Lip Oils all smell super peachy!
TooFaced has put out a lot of cult palettes that are positioned as “must-haves” and “staples” in your collection. They also enforce the idea behind collecting these said palettes. Every beauty guru knew that when the Sweet Peach Palette came on the scene – they needed to at least showcase it in their vanity to show the fact they are on top of the trends.
There are other collections by TooFaced which play off of candy, chocolate and even pets! Some of these are limited editions which provokes a sense of urgency just to obtain the palettes or else they will disappear (i.e. Clover Palette).
Anastasia Beverly Hills as a brand, has always been thought of as the leader in eyebrows.However, with the successful launch of their eyeshadow palettes, namely Modern Renaissance followed by Soft Glam (pictured above) which launched this year (check out my review here), I have never seen a bigger following of makeup in my life. Let me preface by saying I have both palettes and I love them. They are so easily blendable and work so well to get a variety of looks.
This summer 2018, I find myself reaching for Soft Glam every single day and it is definitely my 2018 eyeshadow palette pick. I can see why my fellow Beauty Gurus reach for this as well. The colours are soft and blendable and can be turned up with a swipe of a brush.
Last on the list but quite possibly the first to start the entire eyeshadow palette craze. With the launch of the Naked Palette and following with the second and third editions later on – everyone couldn’t wait to get their hands on these more natural looking palettes.
Urban Decay then expanded the Naked line which to me is basically the forefront of their brand today.
With the launch of the Born to Run Palette in July, I’m wondering if people have lost their faith in Urban Decay or they will continue to be loyal to the brand. Since this post, Urban Decay also launched their new Cherry palette which is basically a mauve and red palette. A lot of people seem to really like this palette but I could take it or leave it.
How Many More 2018 Eyeshadow Palettes will launch this year?
This year, we saw an explosion of Eyeshadow Palette launches with some of the following:
Natasha Denona – Tropic Eyeshadow Palette – $162!!! (omg) – Relaunched in July
Urban Decay – Born to Run – $59 CAD (Launched in July)
Huda Beauty Rose Gold (Remastered) – $85 (Re-Launched in June)
Jeffree Star – Thirsty Palette – $62 CAD (Launched in July)
KKW Beauty x Mario – Eyeshadow Palette – $45 US (Launched in May)
TooFaced – White Peach – $55 CAD
Fenty Beauty – Moroccan Spice – $69 CAD (launched in July)
There are many more 2018 eyeshadow palettes that were released this year but then this list would go on forever! Not to mention the price point of all of these new eyeshadow palettes to obtain would probably have you starting to get a side hustle just to get by.
There are some mini eyeshadow palettes by Huda Beauty which work amazing if you’re looking for 2018 eyeshadow palettes under $30:
2018 Eyeshadow Palettes Are Too Expensive
With the recent launch of Fenty Beauty by Rihanna called Moroccan Spice at $59, I started questioning if I would think of purchasing this. I’ve seen it already. The pop of blue and some matte muted colours with some sparkle and shine. Yawn.
Urban Decay’s Born to Run is $55, which is still expensive and very comparable to Moroccan Spice. It is to the point where I can’t even find a common colour story within the palette – it’s all over the place.
I feel that the 2018 eyeshadow palettes have become over saturated with brands trying to get a block of eyeshadow in your hands. You may not use all of the colours but if you love the beauty industry and follow some of your favourite gurus, there are certain pieces that you feel that you may need in your vanity.
What does the Future Hold for Cult Eyeshadow Palettes?
I’m leaning toward single eyeshadows as staples next year. After I use up my favourite colours in the 2018 eyeshadow palettes I have – what will I do with the colours that would not suit me?
Single eyeshadows although may take up more space, will have been properly selected by the end user so you can have full control over the colours you think you’ll wear more often.
Eyeshadow Palettes 2019
My suspicion is that there are a lot of brands just releasing in order to try and hit cult eyeshadow palette status but end up compromising quality. Urban Decay may be one of those brands, slipping past the innovator spot of eyeshadow palettes with some poor releases (Back Talk Palette and the collaboration with Kristen Leanne which in my opinion fell flat if Sephora is discounting it).
As a beauty blogger and makeup reviewer, I’m all for staple items that make sense from a colour and price point. However, I have to take a step back and question if the marketing behind these palettes have taken the fun out of them for me?
Time will tell if I purchase another 2018 eyeshadow palette in the near future but I know that I’m going to get my money’s worth out of all of the ones I’ve already invested in. How about I update you guys in December ;).
OH and just wait for the FALL 2018 eyeshadow palettes to launch!
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