Eyeshadow Sticks Are the Key to Compliment-Earning Makeup, Even for Beginners (2025)

Our Top Picks

Why We Love It: Beautifully blendable, with tons of color payoff and nary a crease in sight, this product wowed us in every category. Our tester could easily blend the pigment using the stick itself, but a brush worked equally well. She loved that it packed a punch of color even with just one swipe—no need for layering (though it's very buildable if you want to up the dramatic ante). And despite its creamy texture, it still dried down quickly without creasing or settling into lines.

Who It’s For: This stick is a universal crowd-pleaser and is perfect for those who just want to swipe and go. Do note that if you love blending with your fingers, this dries pretty quickly, so make sure to work fast.

Finishes: Shimmer, matte, metallic | Shades: 30 | Size: 0.05 oz

Joanna, tester with almond-shaped brown eyes: “I love cream eyeshadows but find that blending can sometimes be tricky. That problem is solved with this beautiful eyeshadow stick that gives the look of a cream but blends so much easier.”

Why We Love It: This wallet-friendly pick from Nyx is almost too easy to apply. The texture strikes the perfect balance between being neither too creamy nor too chalky, and the buildable color could easily be sheer, opaque, or somewhere in between depending on how it's applied. We will say the staying power isn’t the best, as it tended to fade and settle into fine lines a bit. But for $6, a little settling isn’t a deal-breaker.

Who It’s For: Don’t want to shell out the big bucks for a shadow that performs well, or still experimenting with the stick format? This is the pick for you.

Finishes: Shimmer, matte | Shades: 16 | Size: 0.18 oz

Talya, tester with almond-shaped, brown eyes: “It's not overly creamy, but it's not dry or chalky either, so I found it easy to blend. The colors mesh well together, so it was easy to create a gradient between the main lid color and the highlight.”

Why We Love It: The layering capabilities of this creamy pick is its standout feature. In our tester’s experience, both the lighter and darker hues could easily be built up to achieve her desired pigment level. Also nice: This didn’t dry too quickly, allowing for plenty of playtime. The stick is super creamy and glided smoothly across our tester's lids without any pulling or tugging. Another pro? The colors come across as natural and wearable.

Who It’s For: This is a great choice for those who like to build up or sheer out their shadow color. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also incredibly affordable (less than $10!) and comes in a nice lineup of light and dark shades, with both matte and metallic finishes.

Finishes: Matte, metallic | Shades: 22 | Size: 0.048 oz

Lor, tester with almond-shaped, blue eyes: “Both shades I tried were easy to build. Since you’re able to layer more, it feels like you can make more mistakes without having to start your makeup routine completely over.”

Why We Love It: One swipe was all it took to achieve our tester’s desired color with this standout stick. (That said, you can totally layer on more if you choose.) The dry time was another pro. It took long enough that she could apply and blend to her heart’s content, but fast enough to avoid any smudges. The moisturizing formula also resisted creasing. Our tester's favorite feature was the unique shape of the stick, a tapered tip that allows for more widespread swiping and coverage, as well as more detailed application. The shimmer shades in particular were super intense, almost foil-like. And, thanks to the applicator's tapered tip, this also works nicely on a variety of different eye shapes as well.

Who It’s For: Anyone who wants their shadow to pack a serious punch with pigment will appreciate this formula's intensity.

Finishes: Shimmer, matte | Shades: 16 | Size: 0.056 oz

Alexandra, tester with round, brown eyes: “This stick's pigmentation was strong; just one swipe in each area was enough to achieve a solid look.”

Why We Love It: Eyeshadow sticks tend to have impressive staying power, but this one particularly excels in that department. Our tester couldn’t get over how well it lasted, and, as the superlative indicates, it’s also totally waterproof. She also lauded this pick for its creamy consistency, and that the stick's shape made it easy to create precise lines. The formula’s skin-loving ingredients, including peptides and caffeine, give a great boost to dry and mature skin types. Just keep in mind that it does set pretty quickly, and was easiest to blend with a brush in our experience.

Who It’s For: Reach for this long-lasting pick for special occasions like weddings, or any time you need to ensure your eyeshadow stays put. Its pearl shimmer also makes it a great choice for anyone who doesn’t want a totally flat shade but doesn’t want full-on shine either.

Finishes: Matte, pearl | Shades: 14 | Size: 0.05 oz

Lor, tester with almond-shaped, blue eyes: “I think this product has the best staying power of any stick I’ve ever used…it won’t budge at all!”

Why We Love It: There are not 20, not 30, not 40, but over 50 (!) shades available for this winner. The shades are in a wide array of shimmer, matte, and metallic finishes, meaning there’s a little something for everyone. Our tester decided to mix and match, as she loved how nicely the colors and finishes could be layered and blended together for a totally customized experience. (Although FYI, she did find the matte shades tended to be slightly drier and didn’t go on quite as smoothly as the shimmers.) Another plus: it never creased or created fallout. There’s also a built-in sponge applicator on one end of the stick for easy smudging and blending.

Who It’s For: Versatility is the name of the game with this one and is perfect for those who want one stick they can use for multiple occasions. Conversely, you can also consider this stick if you want to experiment with a laundry list of different colors and/or finishes, or even just pick up a few to mix and match.

Finishes: Shimmer, matte, metallic | Shades: 54 | Size: n/a

Jill, tester with hooded brown eyes: “This has beautiful, opaque pigment that builds well. I was able to layer it a few times and the color deposited and didn't move the layers underneath.”

Why We Love It: Matte finishes often go hand-in-hand with dryness when it comes to eyeshadow and lipstick. Luckily, though, that’s not the case here. The creamy consistency has a plush, powder-like quality to it (once it set, however, it did look more like a powder shadow). The colors, while perfectly matte, never looked flat, and the pigment went on smoothly without any patchy streaks or creasing after the fact. That said, it’s worth mentioning that this dries and sets quickly, making blending a bit challenging. Finally, we must note that we love the versatile color range, which our tester found could seamlessly transition between more natural and more dramatic looks.

Who It’s For: At the risk of sounding obvious, matte shadow fans will love this choice. It’s a good pick for those more used to powder eyeshadow as well, given both the initial consistency and how it dries down to more of a powder-esque finish.

Finishes: Matte | Shades: 12 | Size: 0.05 oz

Stephanie, tester with round, brown eyes: “The texture of the eyeshadow stick was smooth and soft, yet very matte. I love the matte colors and soft, powdery finish.”

Why We Love It: Intense pigment payoff and a super shimmery finish (although there is one matte hue) make this our prime choice for bolder eye looks. It definitely makes a statement, but our tester felt confident that the color would absolutely stay put, as the formula is waterproof and lasts for 24 hours. In fact, she said it had the best staying power of any type of eyeshadow she’d ever tried. That said, this made it more challenging to apply and blend, and not quite as creamy as many of the others on this list.

Who It’s For: Try this if you want full-on drama and/or are creating a bold eye look that you don’t want budging (like, at all). Bonus: the precise, pointed tip means you can also use it as a colored eyeliner pencil.

Finishes: Shimmer, matte | Shades: 11 | Size: 0.49 oz

Lee, tester with almond-shaped, brown eyes: “This isn’t for everyday, natural looks, but is fun for a more bold and graphic eye.”

Why We Love It: Smooth, creamy, and with plenty of color payoff, this is truly a top-notch cream shadow. Our tester noted that it worked equally well when blended with either a brush or fingers, which is always a plus in our book. The gorgeous colors have a perfectly balanced, shimmery finish and come in shades that are just a slight step up from totally natural. Apply and leave it to create more intense, graphic shapes, or blend it out for a more diffused and subtle wash of color.

Who It’s For: This stick is a definite winner for anyone who wants to go brush-free since it works especially well when applied with fingertips. However, due to its creamy nature, we suspect that it might be a little too ‘slippery’ and slide off on those with more oily lids.

Finishes: Shimmer | Shades: 12 | Size: 0.05 oz

Alexandra, tester with round, brown eyes: “I don’t typically use cream shadow, but I’m a big fan of the smooth texture and color payoff.”

Why We Love It: This pigment goes on incredibly creamy and maintains that silky texture even as it dries down. Coupled with an array of subdued hues, it’s what made this pick our tester’s go-to for everyday wear, enhancing her eyes in a beautifully natural way. The shades are more neutral but still super pigmented, and the formula delivers even and crease-proof coverage.

Who It’s For: No-makeup makeup girls, this one is for sure for you. Anyone who loves a good multitasking product should also consider this, as there’s even a built-in eyeliner on the other side.

Finishes: Matte, luster | Shades: 5 | Size: 0.028 oz

Stephanie, tester with round, brown eyes: “While this is pigmented, the effect is soft and subtle, creating a color palette that brightens my eyes and opens them up without being too bold.”

Why We Love It: This formula is among the best eyeshadows for older women. It easily blended into our tester's eyelids, never accentuating any fine lines. She could blend it in just as well with a brush as her fingertips (although she did lament how quickly it dried down, so make sure to work fast). Also nice: The matte hues worked perfectly as a base color to layer other shadows over. It’s good for those who like lighter shades too, since, in our experience, the darker colors sometimes ended up looking a bit patchy and worked better smudged into the lash line like a liner.

Who It’s For: If you’re trying to camouflage unwanted texture on your eyelids, this is the surefire selection to do so.

Finishes: Matte | Shades: 10 | Size: 0.05 oz

Sunita, tester with hooded, brown eyes: “The product didn’t accentuate any fine lines or texture on my eyelids and gave them a smooth finish.”