It may come as a surprise to you that, as an in-no-danger-of-being-reformed eyeshadow junkie, a relatively small neutral drugstore palette would be my collection staple. It’s just so, well, basic. But that is exactly the appeal. This is the only palette that is always in my makeup bag, because it contains the perfect shadows to complement any other palette. The palette you’re using that day has no good crease shade? CG’s got it covered. No browbone highlight? Done. Need a dark shade to deepen the outer crease? This palette has it. It can create complete looks on its own, but it really shines when used alongside other shadows.

This palette contains 8 shadows. There are 3 mattes: a pale cream shade that is an ideal brow bone highlight or lid shade, a medium taupe that is the perfect crease shade, and a deep brown for darkening the outer corners or using as a liner. There are 2 satin shades: a pearl shade, perfect for the inner corner, and a very deep brownish-black. These are the lightest and darkest shades in the palette. Finally, there are 3 shimmers: a pale pinky-taupe, a true cool-toned taupe, and a deep warm brown. Here are the swatches:

One interesting note about this palette: Like Ulta’s Miss Fabulous palette (which I’ve reviewed here), the shadows are actually so soft that they don’t swatch nearly as well as they apply on the eye.

The shadows themselves are quite soft and nicely pigmented. It remind me of a cross between Ulta and Lorac eyeshadows. These shadows are not as pigmented as Lorac (closer to the medium pigmentation of Ulta shadows), but they are very soft and easy to blend. They do kick up quite a bit of powder, though, so do tap off that brush!

I’m not saying this is my favorite palette, but it is certainly my most used, because it works for so many purposes. It reminds me a bit of the Urban Decay Naked Basics palettes, because while it can be used for a full eye look, it seems like it works best in a supporting role. And we all need palettes like that.

I’d love to hear your eyeshadow or palette staples! Do you have a daily go-to? Please leave a comment and let me know!