I spent most of my 20s reserving the wearing of eyeshadow "for good" - somehow believing it helped amp up my night-time look if I didn't wear it during the day.

In fact, I hardly wore much makeup at all to work in my youth - generally it was powder (the obligatory couple of shades too light), mascara and some red/brown lipstick, also Starlet. When I did crack open my one Starlet quad in frosted violet, I would simply wipe one of the shades onto my lids with the provided sponge-tip applicator and go about my evening.

Later I relied heavily on a Clinique quad, again with sponge tip applicator, but in much more accceptable neutral tones.

These days, thanks to YouTube tutorials, disposable income, a range of make-up brushes, the realisation that purple shades make me look like I have an injury and the inclination to do so, I usually wack at least three shades on my lids on any given make-up day and have amassed a little collection so I thought I'd share my feels on them.  Now, I love a pic of a pristine palette but have provided the legit realness for you to see.

My first of these palettes was the Tarte Poppy Picnic - a limited edition picked up for me at Sephora in the US by my friend Stacie in 2015, before it was even a thing here. This one is good because all the shades are wearable, plus you get a nice blush shade that can double as shimmer shadow, should you like.


This kicked off my love affair with Tarte products, so when I finally got over to Sydney later that year for my first in-store Sephora experience, I picked up the classic Tartelette palette. I feel like I've dug into this one heaps over the years and am frankly surprised that I haven't hit pan yet.


After two years of faithful dedication, I decided I needed some shimmer shades to up the ante and in this post, I go on about my first few failed attempts at finding the right one before finally using a $100 gift card on a trip to Melbourne to get myself the deliciously-scented Too Faced Chocolate Bar. I have had a fair go at this one too, except for the triggering purple colour.


The "Don't Quit Your Daydream" palette is another Tarte beauty that I ostensibly got for travel while browsing the fascinating bit in the line near the checkouts on another Sephora visit but find myself reaching for it quite often because it has a nice combo of buttery pigmenty wearable shades.


Finally, the big mother - the Tarte Sweet Escape collector's set that I gagged over in an email and was presented with for my significant birthday present last year by Stacie and Bridie. I haven't had a chance to go to town on this one as much yet. My daughter is fascinated by it. I told her she can look but not touch and if she does touch, she has to have clean hands and swatch a little on her fingers because frankly, how can you resist. (Her favourite shade is "Carry On" if you're interested.)


A modest collection compared to some but at least I tend to use most shades in most of them, notwithstanding the newer one above.

Tip: when looking to create some new looks, just google the name of the palette + tutorial for some proper specific tips. There are LOADS out there. Bonus if you can find one where the host's voice doesn't send you into a murderous rage.

What's your favourite eyeshadow palette? What was your first?