Budget Beauty: Five eyeshadow palettes under P500

Eyeshadows

Mar 10

I find eyeshadows to be the most overwhelming of makeup products to shop for. There are just so many options in terms of color, texture, and formula. I wish makeup edit lists were as prevalent when I was just starting out. Luckily, you now have Project Vanity to help you find some great palettes without spending a ton of cash! I've compiled some of the best eyeshadow palettes under P500, and whether you’re a beginner or a smoky eye veteran, you'll definitely want to check these out.

Bobbie Cosmetics Into The Nudes Palette (P215). Yup, you read the price right. The Bobbie Cosmetics 12-pan palette costs less than P20 per eyeshadow. It’s not exactly what I'd call a “nude” palette BUT check out the swatches. Not bad, right? Let us know if you want an in-depth review and a makeup look using this palette!

Daiso Eyeshadow Quad (P88). A quick trip to Daiso lead to our discovery of this eyeshadow quad. The smooth and silky texture is surprisingly far from cheap. At first, it seemed like it would be hard to apply, but it turned out to be quite easy to blend and surprisingly not patchy.

Golden Rose Professional Eyeshadow Palette in 109 Smokey Eyes (P499). Golden Rose is a Turkish brand that launched in the Philippines mid-2015. I know the brand more for their lipsticks, but their eyeshadows are worth exploring, too. This 5-pan palette boasts of pigmentation and longevity. There are nine other sets to choose from but I’m not sure if they’re all already available in the country. Currently, Golden Rose is only available in select Watsons stores.

BYS Eyeshadow 8 Palette Neutrals (P499). This palette might not be as pigmented as I'd hoped it’d be, but it’s not so bad that it’ll take years to build up the color. To be honest, I prefer matte eyeshadows not to be overwhelmingly pigmented anyway. It deserves to be in the best list considering how hard it is to find an inexpensive all-matte neutral eyeshadow palette.

Wet ‘n Wild Eyeshadow Palettes (P319 to P499). No "Best Eyeshadow Palettes Under P500" list would be complete without including at least one of the Wet ‘n Wild Color Icon eyeshadows. The eyeshadows from the brand, especially those from the permanent collection, are some of the best eyeshadows I’ve tried. I’m not even going to qualify that statement by saying,“for the price”. They’re really that good. They are pigmented, creamy, and easy to blend. How Wet ‘n Wild made a powder product creamy is beyond me.

I’m a little disappointed that they discontinued their 6-pan palettes, which included the Color Icon Eyeshadow Palette in Vanity.

Fortunately, their Color Icon Trios and the Color Icon 8-pan palettes are still available. I’ve tried Walking on Eggshells and Comfort Zone, and I’m happy to report that the quality of both palettes is consistent with the discontinued 6-pan palette in terms of texture and pigmentation.