I feel like the makeup industry has really stepped up its game in the past few years thanks to High Definition and all sorts of platforms to post a selfie. Sometimes, though, it's nice to stick to tried-and-true staples, like power eye shadow, and this newest release from Urban Decay does not disappoint. In fact, I'm going to just put it out there:

The Naked Ultimate Basics is the best eye shadow palette I own.

via GIPHY

Even if you don't want this one, here's what to look for in a good palette and how to use it.

Light, Medium, and Dark Shades

A big complaint with most shadow palettes is that the colors are too similar, or there isn't a good balance of shades. Remember: light colors make things look like they're coming towards you, dark colors make things look like they're going away, and sparkle brings attention to an area, so make sure your palette has a good range of at least three shades for dimension.

Skip the Sparkle

I love shimmery and metallic shades, but I don't wear them every day.  And, when I'm doing someone's makeup, I am extremely conservative with sparkle placement because when it's good, it's good - but when it's bad, it's really, really bad. Unless you are a unicorn, I like all-matte palettes with a coupe of individual shimmer shadows on the side.

So Many Options

One of the biggest drawbacks I hear about palettes is that people get overwhelmed with all the choices. Well...there's this phenomenon called YouTube, and this makeup artist has a channel to give you several ideas. If you need more in-depth help, I offer makeup lessons and your own, personal makeup tutorial video - head over to the "services" tab for more details.

Here are a few short videos to get you started:

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I'm so glad you stopped by Electra Lane, and I hope you learned something! Please don't hesitate to ask questions - Instagram is a great place for that, and you can find me @ElectraLane.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Images c/o UrbanDecay.com 

This post is NOT sponsored!