the Hannah Hardy

When I first got into makeup, I was all about eye shadow. I couldn’t get enough palettes, singles, it didn’t matter, I just wanted more. Then I discovered my one true love, lipstick and eye shadow took a back seat. I prefer a bold lip in lieu of a smokey eye.

I have a couple of go-to palettes, but I love to create my own palettes with single eye shadows. The problem with palettes is there are always a few shades that you never touch. Creating your own eliminates that waste.

There are TONS of single eye shadow brands on the market, but I’ve picked 4 popular brands to dive into.

Colour Pop
—colourpop.com
–$4 for an individual pan, $5 for the compact for 0.053 oz
–142 shades (always adding and changing though)
–Vegan
–Cruelty free
–3 finishes: matte, satin, metallic
–Palettes, custom palettes, and bundles available

Anastasia Beverly Hills
—Ulta, Sephora, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Dillards, anastasiabeverlyhills.com
–$12 for 0.5 oz :: 4 for $40 at several retailers
–112 shades
–Vegan
–Cruelty free
–8 finishes: matte, duochrome, glitter, ultra matte, metallic, satin, shimmer, velvet
–Palettes, custom palettes, and bundles available

MAC
—maccosmetics.com, Pro stores
–$6 for pan 0.05 oz
–120 shades
–8 finishes: matte, frost, satin, veluxe pearl, velvet, matte2, lustre, VXPL
–Palettes and custom palettes available

Makeup Geek 
—makeupgeek.com
–$6 for 0.064 oz
–129 shades
–Cruelty free
–Paraben free
–3 finishes: matte, foiled, duochrome
–Palettes, custom palettes, and bundles available

Breakdown

• Cheapest: Colour Pop
• Easiest to access: Anastasia Beverly Hills
• Most expensive: Anastasia Beverly Hills
• Most color options: Colour Pop
• Most finish options: MAC and Anastasia Beverly Hills
• Most product: Makeup Geek

Colour Pop and Anastasia BH are newer formulas for me and I’ve been enjoying both. Anastasia Vermeer is my new obsession. However, Makeup Geek is still my tried and true favorite. The shadows and shipping are both affordable and they are so pigmented and easy to blend. Plus, I love Marlena, the CEO of Makeup Geek.