A neutral eyeshadow palette is a basic makeup must-have. It's the best way to enhance and contour your eyes for any occasion, be it in a job interview or a fancy event! 

Now, if you can afford to splash cash on Bobbi Brown, MAC, Urban Decay, or Shu Uemura, then just go for it. These brands make the best eyeshadows out there, and the price tag is definitely justified since it'll take forever to finish up one pan! Their eyeshadows are silky smooth and has this rich pigmentation that's hard to find in drugstore makeup. 

However, if you're on a budget (ain't we all) then there are a lot of great drugstore options out there. Here are five neutral eyeshadow palettes that are affordable yet offer good color combinations and pigmentation! Click the links for the full review, although I've posted swatches here so you can compare too.

Ready?

Clinique is probably not the first brand on our minds when it comes to eyeshadow, but it won't fail to surprise you in that department. Remember the Clinique Chubby Stick for Eyes? Those are pretty good! Recently, the brand released an all-new, reformulated eyeshadow duo. Is it worth a look-see?

The Clinique All About Shadow Duo (P1,250) comes in a luxe silver case just like the brand's powder foundation. I'm really liking this direction; silver is a much more updated color than Clinique's minty green! Remember when their duos came in green plastic? Haha. This time, thick acrylic case looks more expensive and sturdy.

Do tell me, after all the persuasion I've thrown your way, that you have one or two cream eyeshadows already in your possession. Please. No? Bah! If you can trust this blog on ten things, one of them would be the fact that you MUST have at least one basic cream eyeshadow for quick looks. You're missing out if you haven't tried it yet!

I think some girls are scared that cream eyeshadow would just slide right off their oily lids, but with new formulas like the Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadows (P320 at Bon Marche), you never have to worry about silly things like staying power. Or brushes. Or eyeshadow primers!

This Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadows have received a lot of raves because they are practically waterproof, smudge-proof, and crease-proof. It's true! You can run a marathon and these things would most likely still be on your lids. 

The product comes in a sturdy glass jar, and a cap that seals completely

They are easy to apply with just fingers although I prefer to use my MAC 217 to blend them properly.

A lot of girls seem to be intimidated by smoky eyes - I can't blame them, it is a tough look to pull off if you're just starting to play with makeup. I had to practice A LOT to get the blending and the shape juuuust right; it helped to finally acquire the right brushes for the job, too. But it was a rewarding adventure. I'm gonna call it an adventure because I can recall with horror how my early smoky eyes looked like. Hehe.

Still, I hope I'm not totally scaring you off this dramatic eye look. It can elongate and widen your eyes, perfect for evening engagements or instances where you'll get photographed! Now one drugstore palette that I really like to use for smoky eyes is the BYS Eyeshadow Palette in Guilty Pleasures (P499). This has a nice selection of colors with good pigmentation - not bad for the price!

This caught my eye while I was shopping at Watsons (only place where you can find BYS since they're exclusive)!Anyway, I like the payoff of the colors, especially the darkest ones; you'll really get an opaque olive or black if you layer it properly. You'd still need an eyeshadow base to make the light and medium colors to show up, but I use a base with almost all my eyeshadows so no biggie.

The texture is smooth albeit chalky. As long as you tap the brush before applying the color, you'd be okay. ;) Check out the swatches and my FOTD wearing it after the cut!

Have you tried Avon eyeshadows before? I have, but they were woefully unimpressive last year. The texture and pigmentation needed a lot of work, and the sponge they came with? Useless. I have good news though! Avon has finally refomulated their quads, and I tell you, they are pretty good! 

I've been using them quite often since I got them, so I thought I'd start Eyeshadow Week at Project Vanity with the new Avon True Color Eyeshadow Quads (P449).

The new formula is a lot smoother and more pigmented than before. I also love the sophisticated color selection, and how well each color in the quad goes together. You can get a nice day look by mixing just two colors or a dramatic evening look by combining all four. The darkest shade in each quad is a deep matte that's pigmented enough to be used as eyeliner (wet or dry works!).

Chocolate Sensation is a lovely smoky neutral palette. I love ALL the colors, and I think they'd look good across most skintones!