Back in the day, eyeshadow palettes (at least, for me) felt like a major splurge, because not only were they almost exclusively offered by high-end labels, but also because they just weren’t as popular and widely available at all a decade or so ago. I would personally argue that Urban Decay’s ubiquitous Naked palette was at least in part, responsible for putting palettes on the map.

Fortunately, affordable and drugstore labels have finally caught up with prestige brand’s expansive offerings in the category, and it’s become pretty easy to score a quality palette on par with pricier options. Affordable eyeshadow palettes have become more and more impressive, making it so much less guilt-inducing to have a few of them on hand in your current makeup lineup. Not only are the formulas blendable, long-lasting and pigmented, but the shade selections are also highly nuanced and innovative, meaning you won’t be stuck with a few everyday muted taupe and basic brown hues to play with.

And while I’m personally totally okay with putting up with less-than-stellar packaging if it means the product’s formula is superb, the drugstore palettes highlighted below happen to deliver in both arenas (which is a major plus if you’re a frequent traveler or a bit on the accident-prone side of the spectrum).