Experimenting with Colour (for the Neutral Eyeshadow Lover)

I've definitely been mixing things up with the YouTubers I watch, and over the past few months I've discovered creators like Angelica Nyqvist and Spooky Lips & Fat Hips, who are just so watchable but love colour on the eyes! I'm a neutral eyeshadow kind of girl - partly because it's what suits me (in my opinion) and partly because I work in insurance... However, when I'm not at the office, I've definitely been inspired to dip a little toe into the colour pool this year. Today I'm sharing my favourite products and also a few tips and suggestions if you're also a neutral eyeshadow lover at heart but you'd like to introduce a bit of colour into your looks that isn't going to be totally terrifying! I'll swatch my favourites from the palettes and link to my full reviews so you can see my complete thoughts and all of the products I've mentioned (I'm not going to go into formula because this post is all about the tones).

For the person with a million warm neutral palettes

ColourPop Yes Please Pressed Eyeshadow Palette | $16 | review & full swatches | This is summer in a palette to me! It's a gorgeous selection of reds, corals and yellows but you also have golds and very warm brown tones that make it more wearable if you're not that comfortable going all out. You also get a few of these sorts of peachy-copper shimmers in there, which make great lid colours. You can use these orange or coral mattes in the crease or across the lower lashline to add a pop of colour. My favourite shade from this palette is Mischief because I credit it with getting me into yellow mattes - I love using this as a transition for a warm-toned look.

Urban Decay Born to Run Eyeshadow Palette* | £39.50 | review & full swatches | I really like how easily this palette pairs up the warm golds and browns with deep pinks, blues and greens. You can definitely go all out and create a really bright look with this palette, however it's also not intimidating if you're new to colour. My favourite colourful shade in here is Hell Ride, a deep cranberry matte tone - it's so pretty in the crease and on the lower lash line with a gold or copper across the lid.

OPV Oshun Eyeshadow Palette | £29 | review & full swatches | This is definitely one of my all-time favourite warm-toned palettes and I think the fact it's a little bolder than most is what makes me excited to reach for it every time I do. You get the reds, the golds and the coppers in here but the mattes just add something a little extra - there's a yellow, an almost-neon orange (Vetiver) and a vibrant plum (Mystic). Vetiver really gives a bold look in the crease and Mystic is beautiful to add some depth and smokiness to a look.

For autumnal vibes

Gemini Dupe (single eyeshadow pan info below) | review & full swatches
Makeup Geek Creme Brulee | £4.95
Looxi Socialite | $5
Makeup Geek Mocha | £4.95
ColourPop 20 Something | $5
Nabla Radikal | £5.60
Devinah Bambi | $5
ColourPop Paper Tiger | $5
ColourPop Rose All Day | $5
Devinah Courtney | $5
Sadly I missed out on the Melt Cosmetics Gemini Palette, however Angela Mary Tanner found some amazing dupes, so I picked up all the shades I didn't have, bar one. I really recommend this mix of colours because I think they appeal to neutral eyeshadow-lovers but they're a very different take on the usual reds, oranges and golds. This is a green-inspired palette with some browns to balance things out. I love the gorgeous matte greens and they come in every tone you need to create a variety of looks. I really like Rose All Day from this palette, which is a shimmery green - it isn't too much but is a great way to do green if you like warm gold tones.

Ace Classical Paradise Eyeshadow Palette | $34.99 | review & full swatches | I suppose this is a warm neutrals palette, but not in the way you usually think of them. This shade selection has yellows, greens, purples, reds and oranges - the only actual brown is the light nude transition colour. I also like that a lot of these colours are mattes, as they're easier to work with in terms of more vibrant colours, I find. You can use a matte in the crease and a more neutral tone across the lid to add something extra to your usual looks. I love the olive green mid-toned matte Golden Apple for just that purpose.

For jewel tones

ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Telepathy | $5 | review & swatch | This is in a similar colour family to Rose All Day but it has a bit of a richer, almost more yellow tone to it. I love this for a swipe of colour all over the lids - it's been one of my go-to colours for summer and has a gorgeous wet-look shimmer to it.

Juvia's Place Saharan Eyeshadow Palette | £30 | review & full swatches | I think this (along with Yes Please) was one of the first more colourful palettes I ever tried. It's just a gorgeous selection of warm jewel tones - there are warm gold shades but also greens, pinks and reds. My top picks from the palette are Kia (a turquoise green shimmer) for the lower lash line and also Woodabe - which is pretty similar to Telepathy - for across the lid.

For wearable brights

ColourPop x Kathleenlights Dream St. Eyeshadow Palette | $16 | review & full swatches | This is another lovely palette for beginners when it comes to colour - on the whole, it's a more neutral palette with champagnes, rose golds and neutral matte crease colours and you can do totally neutral looks with it. However you also get this gorgeous pinky poppy matte (Spark), a turquoise matte (Water Bearer) and a turquoise shimmer.

Huda Beauty Coral Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette | £25 | review & full swatches | This is definitely on the brighter side of things but there's something so wearable about these soft coral tones. Again, I think it's probably because this palette mainly has mattes and the two shimmers are a little more muted and toned down, so will be within most people's comfort zone. Along with the corals, you get yellows and deeper pinks like Shade 2, which is a favourite of mine.

For an evening look

Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Eyeshadow Palette | £56 | review & full swatches | This is one of my go-to palettes for an evening look and it's also a great one if you want something warm-toned. I think the oranges and brown mixed in with the reds and purples make this palette so much more wearable and you can create everything from a neutral daytime look to a full-on purple glittery evening eye. My personal favourite shade is the pinky-red shimmer Turkish Delight.

Makeup Geek Eyeshadow Pans in Morocco, Flame Thrower, Cherry Cola | £4.95-7.95 each | review & swatches | Single shadows are a great way to go if you just want to add a subtle pop of colour to a look - Makeup Geek have so many options but my favourites from their brand are generally deeper, more sultry tones. I love Morocco, which is a tomato-orange matte for the crease, Flame-Thrower, which has a foiled finish and is a red-orange colour, and Cherry Cola is a deep reddish-purple matte I like to use on the lower lash line.

MAC Eyeshadow Pan in Cranberry | £10 | review & swatch | Finally, I have a MAC classic which is perfect for a winter evening look. Cranberry is a pinky-purple shimmer that's nothing too intimidating, as it has a muted finish. It looks gorgeous all over the lid.