While it’s always fun to wear a statement eye makeup look, you’re going to get the most use out of a reliable palette of colors that you can wear daily to enhance your natural look and coloring. The makers of the Urban Decay Naked Your Way Mini Eyeshadow Palette understand this and have curated three mini sets of six shades each, in complementary colors that match different skin tones and preferences. Whether you’re looking for cool, warm or rosy colors, these palettes offer long-lasting wear and a flattering range of hues that can be blended into different, wearable styles. I like that every palette features both mattes and shimmers, so you can play around with your look yet keep it practical enough for every day. The smaller palette size also means you can throw this in your bag for an afternoon touch-up or a weekend trip, without needing a whole host of other eye makeup supplies. If you’re looking to add a touch of glam to your daily makeup routine, this is a great place to start.

The best palettes provide both versatility and reliability, letting you create a range of different looks from the same mix of colors. This can be hard to find in a mini when you only have so many shades to choose from, but Too Faced has packed an impressive range of hues into its Mini Born This Way Complexion-Inspired palette. Available in either warm or cool tones, the six shadows range from pale highlighters to medium shimmers and dark glitters. All colors are complementary so you can create softer blends or go big and glam. If you’re only going to have one palette in your purse, this is the one that is going to offer the biggest choice for its size. Now, the nearly $30 price tag can feel a bit steep considering how small the palette is and how little product you get. However, I’ve found the color payoff to be so good that you only need to apply a little at a time. This palette will last you longer than you think.

Sometimes it’s worth paying a bit more for the luxury version of a product. With the Tom Ford Eye Color Quad Eyeshadow Palette, that price tag delivers high-quality packaging, the inclusion of two double-ended applicators, a richly pigmented formula and the Tom Ford name. If you’ve got $90 to spend, you can do a lot worse than these gorgeous mini palettes. Although each set only has four shades, you can pick from a range of 18 different combinations, including three all-metallic collections and one all-shimmer collection. If you’re looking to spice up your eyeshadow collection with a couple of brights, you can do so with the Dark Opulence or Ambrosia sets, or keep it classic with any of the neutral combos. Because of the carefully chosen color mixes, you’re sure to get full use of every shadow, with none left unused. The formula also has great color payoff and blends nicely, allowing you to create layered looks or simply swipe on a single shade for a more casual look.

Sure, you can wear eyeshadow to elevate a daytime look, but some of the most fun I have with eyeshadow is when I’m embracing soft glam. The Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam palette offers 14 colors in a full spectrum of warm tones, bookended by the palest pink highlighter and deepest black shadow. In between, you’ll find a mix of saturated mattes and shimmers, plus the brand’s signature duo chrome and metallic finishes. This gives a modern edge to classic colors, so your eye makeup is guaranteed to pack a punch. I love how easy it is to create a fun evening look that feels bold yet sultry, thanks to the careful color selection. The only challenge is making sure these warmer tones flatter my cool-toned skin — others with cool undertones may notice this as well. However, application couldn’t be easier thanks to the long-handled brush included with the palette, as well as the wide mirror which gives you clear visibility over both eyes at once. That all this is included in the $45 price tag makes this palette feel like a particularly good value.

There’s a time to be subtle and a time to make a statement. When you’re looking to splash out and paint your eyes with something dramatic and vibrant, I steer you toward Pat McGrath Labs and the Mothership IX Huetopian Dream palette. The mix of 10 shades features a unique color story, with duo chrome and even tri-chrome metallic shadows that infuse golds and bronzes with lilac and chartreuse. Of course, there are also the workhorse mattes and shimmers to pull the final look together, but it’s the bold shadows that are the star of this palette. Color saturation is impressive and blendability is superior, allowing you to build out statement designs or go for something a little more delicate. The only reason I don’t have all of Pat McGrath’s palettes is the cost: At $128 per palette, this is an investment. If you don’t love a bold makeup look, then it won’t be worth it. But if you do, this is worth saving up for.

There’s something about glitter that will always appeal to me, but not all glitter eyeshadows are created equal. The Colorpop Truly Madly Deeply Pressed Powder palette features 16 shades that include a couple of matte shadows but mostly feature a range of different glitter finishes. In addition to the more traditional shimmer textures, Colorpop has also included multidimensional pressed glitter shadows that increase the sparkle factor exponentially. In fact, they’re so dense with glitter that they put other products to shame. These shadows are mostly rose-toned, with a couple of warmer metallics in the mix, so be warned if you’re not into the pink aesthetic. However, there’s enough range and depth of color here to experiment with different looks, even softer ones for day — who says you have to save glitter for the evening? Another thing I love about this palette is the price, which comes in at just $24 for the whole collection. Such affordable longevity and quality is a true steal.

Nude eyeshadows can be boring, but they don’t have to be. In fact, they’re a great way to experiment with texture and finish while still keeping to a classic color palette, and that’s exactly what you get from the Natasha Denona I Need A Nude eyeshadow palette. With 15 different shades to choose from, you’ll find a wide range of finishes from mattes and metallics to foils and even a new wet-look formula. This allows you to play around with different styles while keeping within a complementary color story — every shade can be mixed and matched. The nude tones can pair with any skin tone, eye color and outfit, so this is a great eyeshadow palette to have on hand as your fail-safe option. I love how you can blend the more subtle colors and textures for easy daytime looks, and then supplement with bolder finishes for nighttime glamor. This palette really can do it all.

Matte shadows are often overlooked in favor of their shiny counterparts, but they don’t have to be boring or subtle. Tarte understands that mattes can be a great way to introduce color and structure to your makeup, in a more wearable way than glitter shadow. The Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte palette is a perfect example of this. The texture is smooth and almost creamy, thanks to the clay-infused formula which ensures the shadows are easy to apply and blend. This set features 12 different matte shades in a mix of warm and cool tones, making it a great match for any type of skin tone. This also means you can play around with a range of different looks, all in one compact palette. If glitter has never been your thing, this could be the perfect eyeshadow solution.

Buying a palette is usually pricier than buying an individual eyeshadow, but it doesn’t need to be expensive. Maybelline’s The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette offers 12 different shades and somehow costs less than $12, making this an incredible deal before you get into the quality of the palette itself. The color story spans from light to dark and warm to cool, allowing you to create a range of different makeup looks to suit different skin tones, eye colors and outfits. While the finishes skew shimmery, there are also some classic mattes to help provide important shading and structure. I love how easy it is to combine different shadows into very different looks, with Maybelline selecting its shades well for maximum cohesion. You’ll even get a dual-ended applicator and a nice, wide mirror that makes it easy to apply shadow on the go. While the pigment and longevity of the product isn’t quite as high-quality as more expensive palettes, this is a great option for anyone looking to spend a little less without compromising on range and versatility.

Metallic eyeshadows are similar to shimmers but stand in their own category. They appear more shiny than sparkly on the lid and tend to evoke classic metal colors like bronze, gold and silver. With Pat McGrath Labs’ Mothership V Bronze Seduction palette, metallics are really the star. You’ll get golden bronze, rose gold, metallic crimson, white gold and fire opal shadows to play with. Then there are two shimmers (light and dark), plus a trio of warm mattes to add shading to all your makeup looks. One thing that surprised me with this palette was how easy it is to create more subtle looks that have just a little bit of edge, as well as more statement designs. This versatility really raises this palette above its competitors when it comes to metallics, as it’s hard to find a product that commits to the metallic story without sacrificing color depth and range. As with other palettes from the brand, the formula is highly pigmented, easy to blend and long-lasting, which makes the $128 price tag a little more reasonable.

One way to ensure that your palette will work together seamlessly is to stick to either warm or cool tones. If you have a warmer skin tone or simply prefer a golden makeup look, then look no further than the Natasha Denona Golden Eyeshadow Palette. The 15 eyeshadows include seven mattes, five high-shine metallics, a sparkling foil and one wet-look-effect product. This range of finishes ensures that you get as much versatility and depth as possible from your palette, while the color story focuses on lighter and midtoned colors that are easy to wear for any occasion. Of course, you can easily go glam or smokey, but I like that this palette really focuses on the gold aspect of warmth, which also makes it more wearable for cooler-toned folks. While this is one of the more expensive palettes on the list, I think the quality justifies the price.

Eyeshadow can be a bit intimidating, especially if you want to achieve a smokey eye or multitoned makeup look. Beginners may not know where to start, but I’m here to tell you that the Charlotte Tilbury Super Nudes Easy Eye Palette is a great product with which to begin your eyeshadow exploration. Made up of just six mix-and-match shades, Charlotte Tilbury has designed this palette to work as standalone colors, dual-toned designs or as part of two signature looks: the day eye and the date eye. The warm and cool tones are all chosen for their universally flattering nature, so you don’t need to worry about whether a particular eyeshadow looks good on you. This allows you to just go in and get practicing, safe in the knowledge that it’s probably going to look good no matter which shadows you use. While I do find $60 quite expensive for only six shadows, the peace of mind and extra guidance are invaluable, and you won’t have to use too much makeup remover.