Urban Decay’s all-in-one palette features 14 shades that can be used as eyeshadow, eyeliner, contour, highlighter or brow color, so it’s especially ideal if you have limited space in your makeup drawer or if you need a well-rounded option for travel. The four finishes are beginner-friendly, the colors blend seamlessly and are long-wearing, and they can be used for day or night. This palette comes in two options—cool or warm—so it’s easy to find shades that flatter your skin tone. 

Makeup By Mario’s Master Mattes have with smoothing amino acids to give them a silky rather than dry feel, which is unique for a long-wearing formula. While I found I had to pay special attention when blending these, they didn’t crease or crinkle, and they stayed put without feeling heavy. I love the Mauve and Chestnut shades—which worked well with my brown hair and eyes—and Slate, a deep blue gray, is another foolproof fall color.

Celebrity makeup artist Hung Vanngo’s rainbow-inspired palettes from his new line are both style-forward and refreshingly wearable. Each palette is arranged by color family and offers four finishes. And shadows are formulated with skin conditioners and vitamin E for blendability and a smooth finish. There are eight palettes to choose from, although we’re partial to Passionate Purple, Generous Green & Yellow, and Composed Cool, a moody assortment of grays, silver and black.

These creamy shadow sticks were initially launched in February 2025 and quickly sold out, but they’re now restocked. What I love: They’re easy to apply and blend, they don’t crease, and they come in a wide range of shades (eight mattes and twelve shimmers). If you’re looking for a warm matte brown, try Noble; for an eye-opening shimmer in a fall-appropriate golden olive color, I love Patina (shown above).

The Ever Icon Palette features six shades in a variety of finishes—matte, satin, metallic and sparkle—for both day and night looks. Each creamy shadow has smoothing Italian pistachio, revitalizing oleic acid and hydrating almond oil, and they’re encased in beautiful gold heart compact with a weighty feel. Chrome Star (pictured above) is filled with sophisticated, sleek greys; if you’re looking for browns, try the Ever Icon Palette in Amber Venus.

This newly released shadow stick can be used to line, shape or highlight. Smashbox Always On Shadow Sticks glide on smoothly with no drag, and they come in eight shades, including five neutrals and three high-impact brights. The best part: The color can be what you make it—whether you’re hoping for something more subtle, or a bold, built-up shade.

If you’re going for glowing and radiant, celebrity makeup artist Patrick Ta’s eyeshadow pairings offer multidimensional shimmer. The slurry formula glides on easily, starting out soft and sheer, before building to a more opaque, intense result. Patrick Ta’s eyeshadow duo comes in nine shimmering colors—four of them new this fall. We like Slow Burn, a burgundy sparkling shade, and Always On Your Mind, a metallic silver.

Bobbi Brown’s cream eyeshadow sticks are notorious for their smooth glide, staying power and ease of use. They come in an impressive 27 shades—11 are new this fall—and in three finishes—matte, shimmer and metallic. For a fall eyeshadow refresh, we like Midnight Olive, Lavender and Rose Haze, a pinky brown shade that’s great for everyday.

Mac’s Dazzleshadows come in 10 sparkling glitter and metallic finishes. The doe-foot applicator allows for precise lining and highlighting, or for full-lid coverage when angled. They’re waterproof and transfer-proof, too, so they won’t smudge after hours out on the town.

If you’re going for vivid pops of color, Pat McGrath Labs’ new limited-edition palette features 12 bold shadows in metallics, chromes and velvets. There are amped up gold and bronze shades as well as cherry, orchid and (our personal favorite) aquamarine.

It can be hard to get your hands on Danessa Myricks’ beauty palettes, but we also like these two-in-one sticks because they offer high-impact sparkle in an easy-to-apply format. Featuring a foil shade opposite a complementary metallic shade, they’re infused with pearl pigments to reflect light for an effortless, sophisticated shimmer. What this means: They only require a quick makeup session in front of the mirror before you head out for the night. 

Made with skin conditioning vitamin E and smoothing fatty acids, Jouer’s pigmented, blendable colors are makeup-meets-skincare that can be layered over powder eyeshadows for extra oomph. For a shimmering soft bronze, try Baroque; for a versatile champagne shadow, opt for Beige Glitter. 

British makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench’s eyeshadow palettes feature 14 long-wear shadows that have a chic, futuristic vibe. The sculptural, kidney-shaped case houses elevated metallics and color-shifting shades that are as subtle or bold as you want them to be. So don’t be intimidated by these avant-garde shades if you’re color-inexperienced. We found Sodium, a baby blue with gold shimmer shade, and Lead, a cool bronze color, to be especially wearable. You may also like the Core 1.0 Palette.

For those who want shimmer without in-your-face sparkle, Make Beauty’s range of metallics is elegant and luminous. It also has zero fallout so you don’t end up with glitter all over your finished face makeup. For fall 2025, Stardust is a gorgeous emerald hue, and if you’re looking for a denim blue eyeshadow, we love Spark. 

This formula is infused with hyaluronic acid and squalane to prevent dryness—which also makes a primer unnecessary. Sacheu’s eyeshadow is available in three matte and three shimmer finishes, and the tapered doe-foot applicator allows you to swipe it across your lid or use it as a liner for winged looks. 

A longtime favorite of deputy editor Jane Sung’s, Violette_FR’s shadows can seem intimidating at first due to their rich color pay off—however, while a little goes a long way, they can be blended and diffused to be toned down or built up. They come in nine matte shades and eight twinkling shades, from neutral browns to intense blues and lavenders. These colors aren’t new this year, but for fall we especially love Café Serre, a chic deep brown with a hint of purple, and Poison des Délices, a bold berry hue.