Top 12 Best & Affordable Eye Shadows in India

By Sanchita

Hello everyone! I am a complete eye shadow junkie. Palettes are my favorites and I swear by Rimmel and Sleek Makeup for eye shadows. Now-a-days eye makeup looks are the biggest ‘in’ thing and we love to add the dash of eye to brighten up the entire makeup look. The whole aura of any eye makeup look – be it a smoky and sultry or simple neutral eye makeup, you need some really good pigmented eye shadows. In my opinion, the Indian market really lacks budget friendly pigmented eye shadows. Be it palette or mono pans, whichever decent product is there, it is priced very high. There is another thing I noticed is that the shades are very repetitive and mattes are almost missing. Nevertheless, today I have compiled the top 12 eye shadows available in India (online and retail) which are pretty economical.

1. Rimmel London ScandalEyes Eyeshadow Stick – 415 INR

These are my favorite eye shadow sticks and I love the kind of colors they. From matte browns to beige and deep blues and greens – they have it all. It comes in a chubby fat sharpenable pencils. The texture is so smooth that it glides like a dream and blends very easily. Pigmentation is top notch and single swipe gives you the saturated color. It gives you enough time to smudge and set the color and then doesn’t budge at all. It is thoroughly water proof and smudge proof as well. The colors, when set properly, hardly creases (after 9-10hours) and can also be used a base for powder eye shadow. For the price, they are a steal. (P.S: Bronze is my Favourite!)

2. Makeup Revolution Single Eyeshadow – 295 INR (BUY HERE for 234)

Makeup Revolution has been one phenomenal budget friendly brand and has got popular among various bloggers. A lot of e-commerce sites have been stocking their mono eyeshadows and palettes and we love the variety they have. The mono eye shadows and pigments in particular are very convenient to use. They are richly pigmented, blends really well and doesn’t crease much on the lids. These are appropriate for creating various makeup looks and lasts longer on the lids without fading off.

3. NYX Single Eyeshadow – (300-400 INR)

They have a variety of matte, pearl, shimmers and duo chrome eye shadows to choose from. There are numerous colors and quite some popular ones as well. The packaging is sturdy and great for travelling. The texture is good and gives a nice color pay off. From shimmers to matte and neon, you will get every possible color. These are ideal for beginners and they perform wonderfully. You can also try the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils (Review HERE) which are equally raved among beauty bloggers. (P.S: Absolutely love ‘Yogurt’, works amazing to highlight inner corners and brow bone. The shade ‘Milk’ acts as a perfect eyeshadow base for lighter shadows)

4. Inglot Single Eye shadow single – 550 INR (They have raised the price to 550 INR, also they discontinued the round refills which were a bit cheaper. Now they only have square ones) (Some available on Nykaa & on MajorBrands HERE)

When Inglot was available online, I couldn’t be happier about it. The only reason was to shop eyeshadows. They have an amazing collection of eyeshadow pans and most of them are great dupes for MAC (MAC eyeshadows costs a bomb!). The Inglot Freedom System palette is also available which enables you to choose the perfect color combination palette you want in your life. They have pearl, shimmery as well as matte finish and more than 400 shades to choose from. The texture is wonderful to blend in and pigmentation is top notch. They hardly crease and stay put the whole day. You can also try their rainbow pans (consisting of three hues of a same color)

5. Coloressence Single Eye Shadow – 170 to 200 INR (BUY HERE)

Coloressence is quite a well-known brand in the market and they have some really good products. One of them is the mono eyeshadow collection which comes in a durable black casing. The numbers of colors in this range is slightly low comparatively but the quality is surely great to work with. They have pearly and satin matte collection and some of the very famous are the gold, burgundy, blue, black and brown. These are soft in texture and I found pigmentation is superb with one swipe.

6. Colorbar Emphaseyes Eyeshadows (Available in 27 shades and priced at Rs.550/-) and Emphaseyes Baked Eyeshadows (Available in 10 shades and priced at Rs.599/-)

Versatility of Colorbar is surely enthralling. All the finishes from matte to pearly to high shimmer available in both the ranges and hence you can create a lot eye makeup looks with these. With a proper blend of ingredients, the texture is satin smooth and a commendable pay off for your eyes. The baked eyeshadow can also be applied wet which gives an insane color pay off and rich effect to the eyes. The fall out issues are minimal and the long lasting formula makes these totally a winner.

7. Revlon Colorstay Shadow Links Eye Shadow- INR 195 (BUY HERE for 165) (Review & Swatches HERE)

If you are a beginner or want to create your own customized palette without bankrupting, this is the one for you. You can buy any desirable shade from the collection of 15 available shades and attached with one another to create the exact palette you want. The texture is smooth and really workable. Again some of them are super pigmented and nice, plus pretty economical. Definitely check out the shades Bhumika has swatched and the Copper and Gold shade is what she swears by!

8. L’Oréal Paris Infallible Mono Eyeshadows – INR 525 (Review & Swatches HERE and HERE)

With a small tub packaging, these mono eyeshadows from L’Oréal are incredibly good. It has the velvet powdery texture and soft and silky formula which glide on the lids like a dream. The pigmentation is very good and it gives a rich satin look to the eyelids. The staying power of 8-9hrs is truly praiseworthy and hardly creases even without primer. Most of the shades have metallic effect and the sheen is gorgeous for very occasion. This is one of the best quality eyeshadow available in India with such reasonable price tag. Bhumika has already reviewed the Endless Chocolate which is a stunning brown for warm skin tones. (P.S: Also love All Night Blue which is the most gorgeous blue eyeshadow in my stash)

9. MUA Makeup Academy Single Eyeshadow – 431 INR

MUA makes some really eyeshadows and be the palette or singles, each of them were great. The single eyeshadows, available in 34 amazing shades with a wide range of mattes and pearly touches, helps you creating a variety of looks for both day and night. The texture is extremely soft and super blendable and the color payoff is pretty impressive. The matte black (20) is greatly pigmented rich matte black for the smoky looks while the brown (19) can be used for neutrals and crease effect.

10. Freedom Makeup London Mono Eyeshadow – 350 INR

Very recently I bought few shades from their collection and I have to agree, they are great value for money. Comes in small round packaging, there are available in mattes, pearly (glided collection) and also certain base shades. The base shades are perfect for creating an even canvas or simple winged liner look. All the shades are well pigmented with soft textures, smooth and easy to apply for an everyday look.

11. Oriflame The One Cream Eyeshadow – 449 INR (Review & Swatches HERE)

Cream eye shadows are so beautiful and easy to work with that you won’t know until you use one! The Oriflame The One Cream Eyeshadows are available with a very reasonable price tag and definitely check out the swatches done by Bhumika. The color payoff is extremely rich, intense and creamy and the texture is so forgiving that anyone will find it easy to work with. Bhumika feels that these are just perfect to use when you are in a hurry, just blend, layer and set and you are good to go for the day.

12. Deborah Milano 24Ore Velvet Eye Shadow – 395 INR

Deborah Milano has some pretty beautiful shadows available in singles, duos and quad. Thse eyeshadows have a satin soft texture and gives a beautiful finish to the eye makeup looks. The pigmentation is worth talking about and when you use the eyeshadows in the wet form, you would notice the thrilling intensity of it. All the shades are so beautifully matches with the Indian skin tones is that, one wouldn’t be enough for you at all. It stays fairly long even without primer and dermatologist and ophthalmologist tested.

Editor’s Note: I love this list, have quite a few from the above. Absolutely love the Oriflame Cream one and the L’Oreal Infallible Monos. I used to love the Maybelline Color Tattoo, sadly they are discontinued now but I still have and love the Bad to the Bronze and Pomegranate Punk.

Which is your favourite eyeshadow? From this list?