7 Bold, Colorful Eyeshadow Palettes That Truly Turn Your Face Into a Canvas

Whether you’ve quarantined alone or with a bestie/significant other/your family, you likely aren’t seeing that many people IRL during the COVID-19 pandemic. But that doesn’t mean that beauty regimens have fallen by the wayside. In fact, research shows just the opposite: More people are playing with makeup than ever, using it as a form of self care. To help with the your-face-as-a-canvas movement, it’s prime time to invest in a colorful eyeshadow palette. Or two. Or three.

According to a new beauty and skin-care report done by Fullscreen, a media insight company, one rising trend in light of the pandemic is dubbed “face as canvas,” which involves using makeup as a creative outlet. “People are doing their makeup routines for themselves,” says Mukta Chowdhary, senior director, strategy and cultural forecasting, at Fullscreen. She points out that yes, people add touches of blush or mascara for Zoom meetings, but their research found that people are really doing it so that they feel good. Makeup is fun, and social chatter about it has been up 187 percent over the past 30 days compared to February of this year. Plus, there’s been a 103 percent growth in social conversation about experimenting with beauty products over the past month.

“It’s been so long that beauty and self care have been on opposite ends of the spectrum, but what we saw with the pandemic is that they’ve converged in an accelerated way that we hadn’t imagined, and people didn’t stop buying lipsticks or mascaras, [instead] they were still buying them and playing with them,” says Chowdhary of the findings. The protocol of wearing face masks only adds to the motive of getting bold with makeup looks—you’re only showing half of your face, so you might as well have fun with it.

Shopping app Klarna also found that between March and June of 2020, eyeshadow palettes, specifically, have been among the top beauty items on shoppers’ wish lists. To help you break down the endless virtual beauty shelves, keep scrolling to shop the most vibrant eyeshadow palettes out there that can aid in your at-home art therapy.

7 of the most colorful eyeshadow palettes you can buy

1. Uoma Beauty Black Magic Carnival Color Palette, $44

Choose from deep browns to bold yellows, with shimmery hues in between, in this palette, which also gives you both matte and metallic finishes. Bonus point: the formulas are water-resistant.

2. Lottie London Laila Loves Neon Miami Palette, $8

Neon is always a fun route to take with color, especially in the summer months. Swipe on any of these gorgeous, Miami-inspired colors—ranging from an alligator green to bright fuchsia—for an instant pop.

3. Pat McGrath Labs Mothership VIII Artistry Eyeshadow Palette Divine Rose II Collection, $125

Star makeup artist Pat McGrath’s palettes always deliver. This one’s got futuristic finishes for an otherworldly makeup look, and has matte, shimmer, and glittery options to pick from (or you can use ’em all at once).

4. NYX Professional Makeup Ultimate Shadow Palette, $18

Snag this 16-hue eyeshadow palette to play with every color of the rainbow. Whether you’re going for a monochromatic look or a splash of brightness, these pigments deliver.

5. Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Pro Pigment Palette Vo. 2, $60

Your eyes can really have a heyday with this multi-colored palette with the most gorgeous, pigmented shades. When you’re working with lime greens, neon blues, and school bus yellow, more is more, baby.

6. e.l.f. Retro Paradise Eyeshadow Palette, $14

Whether you’re feeling golden sparkles or lavender lids, the e.l.f. eyeshadows—with colors inspired by the Bahamas—give your canvas only fun, gorgeous options to get creative with.

7. Aether Beauty Joshua Tree Desert Matte Palette, $58

Sustainable beauty brand Aether Beauty was inspired by the stunning colors of Joshua Tree National Park, so the ultra-matte, ultra-pigmented shades are earthy: blues, greens, oranges, and more.

Now that you’ve got your products nailed down, watch how to apply makeup like a pro: