Sure, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. But as beauty companies one-up each other with beautifully designed palettes, there’s no reason to bust out blah-looking compacts to get your look on when out and about.Need proof? This spring, dozens of brands have released eye-catching compacts filled with even more gorgeous makeup. In an effort to give our makeup bags a serious dose of artistic flair, we combed through hundreds of the latest releases to find the prettiest of spring makeup — both inside and out.
Ahead, you'll find compacts that are so attractive, you might even feel bad using them. That is, until you smooth on the pearly highlighter, radiant blush, or vibrant shadow. After all, it would be a shame to waste such beauty.
Does it get chicer than this agate-inspired compact? Inside, a pan of ultra-fine powder helps color-correct redness and dullness, while brightening with a touch of highlighter.
Yves Saint Laurent Boho Stones Gypsy Opale Couture Palette, $47, available at Nordstrom.
Oh, the school spirit we could have mustered up if our uniforms looked this cute! The bronzer, blush, and highlighter inside also score points for their subtlety — the look they deliver is more Friday Night Lights flush than chiseled contour.
Kiko Milano All Star Face Palette, $16, available at Kiko Milano.
From the makeup artist responsible for some of Kate Hudson, Jessica Chastain, and Jennifer Garner’s red carpet looks comes this soft-focus, luminizing palette stocked with three shades of light-diffusing, glow-inducing powder.
Fiona Stiles Beauty Light Illusion Prism Palette, $28, available at Ulta Beauty.
You can pick up sueded ribbons of five colors all at once with a fluffy brush, or apply them individually as bronzer or blush with the included duster. If the design weren’t cool enough, this compact faintly smells of fresh-cut roses to boot.
Chanel Sunkissed Ribbon Blush, $70, available at Chanel.
We’re all for '70s chic, but #TBTing to blue-shadowed eyes can be tricky. Thankfully, this new palette — appropriately dubbed Last Dance — manages to make metallic blue wearable, thanks in part to olive and neutral pairings that read pure disco magic.
Tom Ford Eye Quad in Last Dance, $80, available at Tom Ford.
Have to contend with oily lids? This 12-shade palette may be your godsend: It’s made with the mattifying power of Tarte’s signature Amazonian clay, which is included to help absorb surface oil and smooth the skin’s surface.
Tarte Tartlette In Bloom Clay Palette, $45, available at Tarte Cosmetics.
This studded palette is certainly a bit...intimidating-looking. But its tough exterior gives way to a quad of felted mattes and high-sparkle finishes perfect for creating depth and shine.
Givenchy Special Edition Eyeshadow Palette, $40, available at QVC.
Hot pink looks striking in a palette. But on the eye? A bit tricky to pull off. This black and rose-gold palette, from a new-to-the-States London brand, skips the tricky colors that often don’t translate and gives us 32 sparkle, satin, and matte greiges, coppers, browns, nudes, and blacks — plus a few blues and purples. The result is a fully wearable wardrobe for an unbelievable price.
Makeup Revolution Affirmation Palette, $15, available at Ulta Beauty.
This circle of silky-soft cream shadows is built to pop hazel eyes; aubergine and copper accentuate the green, while rose tones bring out yellow flecks.
Elizabeth Arden Sunset Bronze Prismatic Eye Shadow Palette, $42, available at Elizabeth Arden.
Never a brand to skimp on sexy, NARS delivers double-sized portions of basics — matte black, nude, gold-flecked browns — with rich accent colors that are fitting for Kate Moss on a night out. Its mirrored exterior makes the perfect surface for checking our makeup or powdering our nose.
NARS NARSissist L'Amour Toujours L'Amour Palette, $59, available at NARS Cosmetics.
The abstract graphic that fronts this full-spectrum palette has us channeling our inner expressionist. The 24 colors inside — including soft shades of Pantone’s colors of the year, Serenity and Rose Quartz — go on lighter than expected, so reach for a watercolor wet brush for a more pigmented color payoff.
Sephora x Pantone Modern Watercolors Eyes Palette, $39, available at Sephora.
Each shimmering cube in this tin is individually cased, allowing for more creative control. Apply a single shade with your fingers to give the eyes or lips a glistening effect, or sweep a brush across a range of colors to brighten the cheeks and highlight.
Lancôme My Parisian Pastels Shimmer Cube, $59, available at Nordstrom.
This eye and cheek palette isn’t just pretty — hello, universally flattering colors embossed with magnolias — it’s designed to pay it forward. Five percent of proceeds benefit an organization that advocates for rural plant producers and works to ensure that wild plant ingredients (like the magnolia, widely used in Chinese medicine) are sustainably harvested.
Chantecaille Magnolia Eye and Cheek Palette, $83, available at Chantecaille.
Who doesn’t delight in a pop-up book? This one makes us especially happy because it contains complexion-brightening eyeshadow and creamy cheek tint instead of words.
Paul & Joe Face and Eye Color CS in Floral Nectar, $39, available at BeautyHabit.com.
Physicians Formula is known for its bronzers — for both the smooth application and natural-looking colors — but this one could be the most beautiful version yet. Part of a collection infused with argan oil, the palette has an ornate motif that pays homage to the cult Moroccan oil that it contains.
Physicians Formula Argan Wear Ultra-Nourishing Argan Oil Bronzer, $14.95, available at Physicians Formula.
We admit it: We weren't expecting a wallet-friendly brow compact to look this luxe, but the brown nickel finish and subtle branding have us impressed. Inside, we’re equally impressed with the clear shaping wax, two powder shades and brushes — they give you everything you need to define and darken. But our favorite surprise is an included highlighter that looks just as good on the cheekbones, Cupid's bow, and bridge of the nose as on the browbone.
Boots No7 Beautiful Eyebrow Kit, $13, available at Target.
Architect Hatori Sando’s pencil drawing of the NYC skyline on the outside of the compact makes this palette almost too cute to use. Almost. Inside are microfine highlighter, blush, and shading powders — all with little to no shimmer — perched atop a pull-out drawer that houses a double-ended brush.
Too Cool for School Dinoplatz Triceratops Multi-Face Palette, $48, available at Sephora.
The all-nude eye palette is like the LBD of the makeup world — everybody needs one. This offering from Demi Lovato’s capsule collection with NYC offers every shade of neutral without breaking the bank.
NYC Lovatics by Demi Eyeshadow Palette, $7, available at Target.
The lacy pattern embossed on this illuminating powder not only looks dainty, but offers a delicate way to intensify a highlight without going full-on strobe. Sweep it atop cream highlighter to set it and amplify light-play.
Burberry Spring/Summer 2016 Runway Palette in White No.01, $68, available at Burberry.com.
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