The Beauty Insider: Lisa Potter Dixon’s Beauty Rules
Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte Darling, £45
This is one of Charlotte’s newest launches. It’s a combination of the warm earthy shades she wears every day. I love the size of this: it has six shadows and can easily fit into your make-up bag. Charlotte’s palettes always have a combination of mattes and accent shimmers. Just press a shimmer into the centre of your lid after applying a matte for brighter-looking eyes. I’ve worn this palette a lot recently and have had so many compliments.
Good For: Those who want a soft smokey eye and a palette that can sit in their make-up bag
Available at CharlotteTilbury.com
Diego Dalla Palma Red Carpet, £38.50
This is an all-in-one palette that is practical and compact. You get four shadows with a slightly satin finish. All the shades are natural and buildable. You also get two face powders, which can be used as blushers and a highlighter. Phew! This is one hard-working palette.
Good For: People that like all their colour products in one place
Available at DiegoDallaPalma.com
Elf The New Classics, £14
Elf is another great, affordable brand and I particularly love its palettes. The New Classics has a selection of 18 matte, satin and shimmer shades in neutral tones. The pigment and blend is very good; the shadows also layer really well, meaning you can create a simple one-shadow smokey eye – or a five-shadow version. The world is your oyster.
Good For: Lovers of neutral shades.
Available at Boots.co.uk
Nars Skin Deep Eye, £56
This is one of my all-time favourites. Nars shadows are always dreamy and this complements all skin tones, with 12 neutral shades in a selection of matte, shimmer and metallic finishes. The metallics are my favourite: the formula is so creamy, and you can transform your look just by patting one of these onto the centre of the lid. I also love to use the top row of matte shadows as bronzers.
Good For: Anyone wanting a luxurious palette with a touch of shimmer.
Available at LookFantastic.com
Pat McGrath Mothership II, £95.83
Pat’s products are divine, as you’d expect from one of the best make-up artists in the world. This palette is expensive, but the quality is incredible. The palette itself is weighty in a good way and the pigment of the shadows is second to none. With a combination of neutrals and jewel tones, of mattes and pressed glitter shadows, you can create away.
Good For: Make-up lovers and fans of a smokey eye
Available at NetAPorter.com
Makeup Revolution Reloaded, £2.77 (was £3.95)
This palette is a bargain, that’s for sure. It’s around a fiver for 15 eyeshadows. There’s a combination of mattes, satins and shimmers, and the payoff is surprisingly good for the price. There is a bit of fallout, so do your eyes first and then the base. But overall, this palette is pretty darn good – and it comes in a selection of shades so you can afford to experiment with new colours.
Good For: Anyone who fancies experimenting with new colours that don’t cost a fortune.
Available at BeautyBay.com
Suqqu Designing Colour Eyes, £46
This is one of my favourite quad palettes on the market. Suquu is renowned for the quality of its products and these eyeshadows are a great example of that. The shadows themselves are enriched with a blend of nourishing oils, meaning they blend incredibly well and the payoff is beautiful. There’s a selection of shades to choose from, but I love these soft pinks for every day.
Good For: People that want an easy-to-blend, long-wear formula.
Available at Selfridges.com
Urban Decay Naked2, £42
This palette is an icon. UD was one of the first brands to bring out a palette with 12 shadows in it. There's a combination of nudes and shimmers, meaning you can create any look with this one. The brush it comes with is also brilliant and very useable. This palette should be in everyone’s make-up bag.
Good For: Those who like a product that has stood the test of time.
Available at Selfridges.com
So there you are: my favourite palettes. Now here’s a couple of tips…
First, experiment. If there’s a shadow in your palette you’ve never used, give it a go. You might love it. If not, just take it off – it’s only make-up after all.
Second, keep your eyes open when applying your shadow. A lot of people tend to close the eye they are applying the shadow on. If you keep it open, you can really see and feel the placement of the shadow. Always go into the socket with a slightly deeper shade to your base colour, to create a shadow effect in the socket – this helps to define your eye.
Finally, always blend with a clean eyeshadow brush. This will give you the most flawless finish. A dirty brush will just drag the product around.
Until next time,
Love & lipstick,
Lisa xx
Lisa Potter-Dixon is a presenter, make-up artist and SheerLuxe beauty contributor. Follow her @Lisapotterdixon, tag her in your beauty pics with #LearnwithLisa and @Sheerluxe on Instagram.
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