Been quite busy lately and I could not find time to play with my eyeshadow babies. :(( Well, I guess I'll just satisfy my desire to play with my palettes by answering today's Fan Mail Fridays query by Karla:
Hi, Ms. Martha! 

Before I address my question, I will tell you a little something about myself. I am currently a college student and I am also taking up professional cosmetology training. As a student, I have a tight budget. As a trainee in the field of makeup artistry, I try to work with my budget to buy cosmetics that are high quality, yet affordable. Your blog has been very helpful. I have been following your blog since my early high school years. (Your posts "Recession- proof Your Beauty Bag" and "Finding Good Makeup" were my favourites. :D) 
Now, as for my concern, my question is regarding eyeshadow. I'm not a huge fan of eyeshadows because I have slightly hooded eyes and I wear glasses. I also have oily lids. :( I have a few palettes that I use for practicing on myself and some for the people I do makeup on. They are good but, the quality is not great. I'm looking for some high quality eyeshadows that are still affordable. I need ones that have plenty of colours (neutrals, brights, smokey colours, mattes, satins, shimmers, etc.) that I can use for makeup artistry purposes. I'm also looking for a palette that I can have for personal use that is student budget friendly and good quality. My major problem with eyeshadows is fading, even with primer. I'm looking for a palette that has mostly matte neutral shades with a mix of satins or shimmers and some shades that offer a pop of colour (like purples because they tend to work best with my eye colour). (I'm not too fond of shimmery and glittery textures. I prefer mattes and satins). I'm specifically looking for something that could be a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked Palettes (for cosmetology purposes) and a dupe for the Naked Basics Palette (for myself). Basically, anything similar to those in quality and colour range. My budget is less than 1k (for myself) to at most, Php. 1,500 (for makeup artistry purposes as I would want the best for my possible clients). What would be your product suggestions (for both categories), Ms. Martha? 
Thank you! 
P.S. I really love your blog! :) Also, I never got to thank you for this: because of you, I learned how to make eyeliner work for my eye shape without looking like I have bats on my eyes (I love winged eyeliner, but I used to be so bad at doing it, hahaha),  so, thank you, Ms. Martha!  
Karla



Hi Karla,

Thank you for that long, heartwarming and detailed letter. Looks like you spent time crafting it so I published everything as my way of appreciating it. :)

I'd always tell my readers that eyeshadow is one of the makeup products that they can skimp on simply because a lot of affordable brands have already proven that they can create really good ones at half the cost. While I'm still a fan of luxury eyeshadow brands, I'll say that affordable eyeshadows are already good enough! With that, let me show you my list of 7 really good eyeshadows below P1,000.00; you'll be surprised to know that there are luxury brands in the list! Click READ MORE and check it out. :)


- This professional German retail brand of cosmetics is a known manufacturer as well. Suffice to say, they make good makeups, especially eyeshadows.


- Inglot is one of the revered eyeshadow brands in the world because they've got one of the boldest, brightest, best eyeshadows around. It's also a favorite of a lot of makeup artists because of the Freedom Palette system that lets anyone customize their palettes according to their liking.

3. Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow (P875.00/refill)

- Surprise, surprise! Make Up For Ever, a luxury professional makeup brand owned by LVMH, is part of the list! Recently, MUFE made changes to their eyeshadow range to bring down the price by getting rid of the pans and turning the shadows into refills instead. MUFE has GREAT mattes and I would recommend this brand to you for personal use (and even for work) since you mentioned you love mattes.

4. Stila Eyeshadows (Refills are at P600.00+)

- You haven't been asking, but Stila is well- known for their buttery, ultra rich, and pigmented eyeshadows. Popular colors are Kitten and Diamond Lil'.
5. Tony Moly Eyetone Shimmer and Eyetone Matte (P298.00/piece)

- Here's a good one that I discovered lately. Tony Moly's Eyetone collections offer really wearable shades and they have good quality, surprisingly. Go for these for your practice sessions because they're affordable!

BEAUTY UK POSH PALETTE (P550.00)

- Beauty UK is a known drugstore brand internationally, specifically for their eyeshadows. This is what I would recommend to you as a semi-dupe to Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. Beauty UK is available at Makeupholics.

Prestige Total Intensity Eyeshadows (P545.00/pan)

- Prestige Cosmetics, in case you did not know, has AWESOME eyeshadows, specifically colored eyeshadows (you know, not the neutrals and basics). This is a fairly new discovery of mine and so far, I'm loving the overall quality of the Total Intensity Eyeshadow line!

That's all, Karla. Enjoy shopping!

How did you like this list? Feel free to share your favorite, great eyeshadow finds below P1,000.00! :)

**Got a burning question about makeups, skin care products, beauty, dieting, and health tips, relationships, and whatever? Just send them to martha.stabarbara@yahoo.com or shoot 'em up at The Beauty Junkee's FB Fan Page via the MESSAGE button and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. (Please, do not send me Math- related queries. :D)