Best Cool-Toned Neutral Eye Palette?

[Brutalitops]

Hi Guys,

So I've looked at some of the other threads on this topic, but I still have some questions. I am looking for a cool neutral palette. I LOVE taupes but greys and silvers are fine too, I would prefer more matte than shimmer leaning but preferably a mix of both.

I plan to buy the Biba palette for sure, but that only seems to have a couple cool toned shades. I already own the Naked2 mini and the Huda new Nude (though that's pretty warm) as well.

I'm on the fence between the below. I would like to get 1-2 that will play well with each other/ my other palettes but all are from brands that I haven't tried before and (with the exception of the Marc Jacobs Palette) aren't available to me to swatch/try in store. If anyone has a favorite from the below, or even another recommendation, what is it you love about the formula/performance/colors? And if you happen to know, how well do they blend with other formulas?

KEVYN AUCOIN - Emphasize Eyeshadow Design Palette - Magnify

MARC JACOBS BEAUTY - Eye-Conic Multi-Finish Eyeshadow Palettein Steeletto

Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Eyeshadow Palette The Rock Chick

PAT McGRATH LABS MTHRSHP Subliminal Platinum Bronze Eyeshadow Palette

[sunny1903]

I dont have any of the exact palettes you're looking into but I have other eyeshadow palettes from Kevyn Aucoin and Pat McGrath. I think Kevyn Aucoin mattes lay down nicely and are easy to blend and build. The shimmers are more on the subtle side. To me, KA is more user friendly. Pat McGrath mattes are more finicky. They can stick to spots if you don't set your base to a dry touch but when properly blended out, they have a finished look that is like nothing else in my collection. Pat McGrath shimmers can be punchy or you can sheer them out to a more satin finish. They are my favorite shimmers. The PMG 10-pan palettes have a glitter formula that you'll either love or hate, depending on if you like sparkly looks. Both PMG and KA play well with other palettes. A little note: I've noticed the majority of "cool" tones in eye makeup would actually be considered neutral toned and mid-chroma (gray leaning, unsaturated) in traditional color theory. Now for actual cool-toned palettes I own and enjoy, I have UD Naked 2 and Naked Smoky (available on UD site) and PMG Mothership 1 Subliminal (10-pan). Naked 2 only has one 1 matte shade but many of the shimmers can be buffed to either a matte or satin finish. I find that this palette tends to look too deep on me but if you want a taupe theme, go with Naked 2. Naked Smoky is mostly satin shades but they can be buffed to a matte finish. I would recommend this if you want a range of light and deep cool-leaning neutrals. Every shade in PMG Subliminal is "cool" toned. The mattes are all neutral colors and the shimmers can be buffed to a soft satin finish. Since this palette is expensive, I would only recommend it if you want different textures (around 4 to 5 in this palette) that are "cool" without being too muted. I also own Naked 3 and Huda New Nudes. Naked 3 is the neutral-cool, mid-chroma version of Huda New Nudes... if you like pink tones but want something cooler leaning, Naked 3 hits the spot. ABH Norvina is fairly cool toned, even the mustardy shades. If you like simple eye looks Norvina is fine. Anything more than 3 colors, I would pass. Norvina is so gray toned overall that it lacks contrast to create dynamic looks. Cool palettes I've been eyeing for myself are Kevyn Aucoin Nude Pop, Viseart Liaison, Viseart Cool Mattes 1 or 2 (both are all mattes, however). I saw ABH Sultry the other day and it's also cool but I own a majority of the colors already, so I passed on it. The Viseart palettes, based on swatches, are the most true-to-color-theory cool palettes I've seen. The colors have a blue tone, although they still are muted. I like the Viseart swatches because I need higher saturation for my eye makeup or I end up looking gray.

[Brutalitops]

@sunny1903 Thanks for the awesome (and very well thought out) feedback! With the upcoming sale I'm going to splurge on the PM 10pan but I've also definitely had my eye on the all the Viseart mattes and the Liason. I think I'll wait on them though until I actually start using more of my eye makeup regularly enough to justify the spend. I also have the Naked 3 and totally agree with your thoughts, I just wish there were more mattes but I do like the range of textures and colors. 

I like the Nude Pop too, but I just question how much I would actually use it since I have the HUDA -even though they're very differently toned, I just feel I won't really use that much pink in my day-to day.

[sunny1903]

I ended up buying the Liaison palette and on me, the shadows are like a soft lilac gray. There's definitely a purple to it, so not too gray leaning. I have dark brown eyes but I imagine this would look amazing with your green eyes!

[sunny1903]

No problem! I'm light-medium with cool olive undertones and if I remember correctly, KA Nude Pop didn't swatch too pink on me. I ended up not picking it up because I found that the purpley shades leaned a little too gray for my liking against my skintone. I'm hoping the Viseart Liaison will be more purple on me. Pat McGrath is probably my favorite eyeshadow formula/brand. If this is your first palette from her, have fun with it and experiment. I didn't like her palettes when I first got them but after playing extensively with them, I can see what all the hype is about.

[Brutalitops]

@sunny1903 Yeah, I fell in love with the formula when the mini was available for swatching in-store, but the sublime palette is the only one with a color story that I really like/find unique. I like some stand alone colors in her other palettes but it's just currently not in my budget to spend $100+ on a palette that I'll only use half of. I'm excited for thelaunch of her single colors though, so we'll see how that goes

The fact that the KA purples lean gray is actually a definite selling point for me, purples bring out the green in my eyes but I really like the look of cool toned brown and grey shadows. I'll probably get the Marc Jacobs and the KA too.... *sigh* 

[DavidBD]

im a huge fan of cool toned shadows , and to be honest i do feel the trend is going to shift towards cool soon as we have an abundance of warm pallets out there now. of the 4 you selected i definitely love the Charlotte Tilbury "rock chic" palette, its easy to use and a great formula. but i have another option you may not have considered that i think is a secret weapon for cool tones . the Sephora Pro palette Cool Tones is amazing! its also literally every shade needed in this tone. i use this a lot and it plays well with any other eyeshadow palette plus its super affordable!

SEPHORA COLLECTION - Sephora PRO Cool Palette

[Brutalitops]

That palette looks great! Thanks for the input

[lachaton]

Hi @Brutalitops !

Out of the 4 you're considering, my top pick would definitely be the Pat McGrath palette. It's a lovely one, and her eyeshadows are generally of very high quality. The only caveat I would add to that is the colours aren't as cool as you may be looking for. It wasn't as cool-toned as I was expecting, and I found some of the shades to be fairly warm. With that being said, it truly is a beautiful palette. It only has one matte in it though, and it's one of the warmer shades.

I don't have CT's Rock Chick, but I quite like her eyeshadows - they're a little powdery, but nice. Her glitter shades aren't my favourite, and one downside would be that you're only getting 4 colours as opposed to the other palettes which have more options.

I have KA Magnify and to be honest, I'm a little disappointed with it. It's fine, and I like that the colours are very cool-toned, but the formula isn't my favourite - it was definitely drier than I was expecting, based on previous experience with the brand. 

I don't have Steeletto, but I did see Temptalia's great review of it. It has a good mix of mattes in it, too, which you'd likely prefer. 

[Brutalitops]

Yeah @lachaton The Pat McGrath is so pretty, but it's definitely shimmer heavy. Thanks for the feedback! I loved the swatches of the Marc Jacobs I was able to try in store- super nice feel, pigmentation and very wearable. A couple colors in that run a *touch* warmer.  I'll probably get both for a nice matte/ shimmer mix with some more complimentary colors in each palette but I wanted to make sure I wasn't discounting anything simply because I'd never tried the brand before