The Best Nude Eyeshadow Palettes for Natural Smokey Eyes, from Chanel, Dior, NARS, Gucci Beauty, M.A.C and shu uemura

Nude eyeshadow palettes are a staple in every makeup box. The right palette will take you from natural, flattering looks in the day, to intense smokey eyes at night. Choose one with a good mix of light and dark colours (preferably brown tones), and play with the highlight shade to add dimension and depth to the eye. And when you discover the one that’s right for you, you’ll be reaching for it every day. Here are our current favourites.

CHANEL LES BEIGES EYESHADOW PALETTE

I love almost every product under Chanel’s Les Beiges range of makeup, and the eyeshadow palettes have excellent formulas that are soft, smooth, pigmented and are able to create natural, healthy eye looks. These shades can be used as eyeshadow, a base, eyeliner or even to intensify brows.

CHANEL LES BEIGES EYESHADOW PALETTE, $116, AVAILABLE IN 2 SHADES AT CHANEL’S E-SHOP.

DIOR 5 COULEURS COUTURE – LIMITED EDITION EYESHADOW PALETTE IN 533 RIVAGE

This limited edition palette is from Dior’s Summer 2023 makeup collection, which is all about expressing creativity and personality. The eyeshadow shades are a complementary mix of golden browns with an intense coral, and have a marine-inspired pattern engraved with the Christian Dior logo on top.

As expected, just like all other Dior eyeshadows, the powder is soft, smooth and fine, and really easy to blend. It has just the right amount of metallic shimmer that isn’t over-the-top, but still manages to beautifully enhance the eyes by reflecting light. These are fairly nude colours that won’t create intense, smokey eye looks, but this palette combination is great for weekends at the beach, or visits to the in-laws.

Dior 5 Couleurs eyeshadow palette in 533 Rivage, $116, available at SHOP.DIOR.COM.SG.

 

NARS VOYAGEUR EYESHADOW PALETTE IN SUEDE

I love that this palette is so compact, I can toss it in my bag and bring it everywhere with me. There are six wearable shades that allow me to create natural day looks, and more intense night looks, which is why this is the one I’ll travel with.

The powders are pigmented as well — I wouldn’t expect anything less from a makeup artist brand — and are a very good mix of matte, shimmery and metallic textures.

Nars voyageur eyeshadow palette in suede, $49, available at SEPHORA.

 

GUCCI BEAUTY PALETTE DE BEAUTÉ QUATUOR MULTI-USE QUAD PALETTE

Gucci Beauty has some of the smoothest and most pigmented eyeshadow powders, as proven by its previously released limited edition eyeshadow palette. Needless to say, every product released by the brand is so pretty to look at and hold, giving us just another reason to want to own these new eyeshadow quads.

There are three colour palettes to choose from, with our favourite being 01 Summerina Brown — a good combination of light and dark colours. And with Gucci, what you see is what you get; these are great shades for everyday wear, with a rosy cream texture that can be used for eyes, cheeks and lips.

GUCCI BEAUTY PALETTE DE BEAUTÉ QUATUOR MULTI-USE QUAD PALETTE, $120, AVAILABLE IN 3 SHADES AT SEPHORA.

 

M.A.C CONNECT IN COLOUR EYE SHADOW PALETTES

M.A.C recently changed all their eyeshadows to these new 6 and 12 pan palettes, and they are some of the most beautiful products we’ve seen from the brand in recent years. The outside packaging features a surreal illustration designed by LA-based 3D Artist, Kathryn Blake, and there are new specialised hinges that enable the compact to stay open at any angle. The eyeshadow powders are extremely pigmented (we expect nothing less from M.A.C), and the colour combinations offered are well thought out and practical.

For the 12 pan palette, go for the shade, Unfiltered Nudes; these are flexible and wearable neutrals that can highlight and sculpt, and are easy to use. For the 6 pan palette, we recommend the colour combination, Bronze Influence; it includes earthy golds, olives and taupes, plus a deep sky black that you can create glamorous looks with.

M.A.C connect in colour eye shadow palettes, $77 (6-pan palette, available in 4 shades) / $99 (12-pan palette, available in 3 shades). Available at ALl M.A.C Cosmetic Counters, Lazada, iShopChangi and Home Concierge (88921214).

 

SHU UEMURA CHROMATICS4 EYE SCULPT EYESHADOW PALETTE

shu uemura recently launched four eyeshadow palettes with metallic, chrome-finish shades. The palettes are small and compact enough to travel with, yet the powders are large enough to last you for months. The shades are named after and inspired by the four seasons — Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter (the last two are featured here), with beautiful coppers, browns, greens and pinks.

The powders are extremely smooth and glide on skin beautifully — possibly one of the best I’ve ever tried in an eyeshadow formula. I love the mix of matte and metallic textures in each palette combination, and as you can expect from shu uemura, the powders are very pigmented; what you see in the pan is what you get on the eye. You can really have fun with these.

SHU UEMURA CHROMATICS4 EYE SCULPT EYESHADOW PALETTE, $75, AVAILABLE IN 4 SHADE COMBINATIONS AT SEPHORA.