Two major requirements for mattes. First, I don't necessarily need eyeshadow to be super pigmented, but matte eye shadows need to apply decently without having to be packed on first. I don't have time to sit there and pack a single shade over my entire lid before I can even start blending. BH Take Me Back to Brazil does not meet this standard because most of the shades in it are barely visible until packed on. A palette that meets my standards is the Kaleidos Escape Pod palette because those shadows can be swiped on or built up through packing and they look great either way.

The other requirement is that they need to stay true to color when I start blending; I've had issues with reds blending out into hot pink, purples blending out into pink, and blues blending out into purple. It's hard to describe because when you blend out into the transition area the color should technically become closer to your skin tone but some formulas really seem to separate when you blend. The pink Neon Obsessions palette from Huda Beauty has one shade that does this to me, and it's the light purple one. It's beautiful in the pan and applies nicely but it just turns pink the second I blend it even a little. However, the other mattes in that palette blend beautifully and meet that standard.

For shimmers, my only real requirement is that they don't have a ton of fallout, and even though I'm willing to use glitter glue I don't like shimmers that need glitter glue because it usually just means less fallout rather than no fallout (or minimal fallout as far as shimmers go). The shimmer in my Kaja bento does not meet this standard, which I was surprised by because the glitter is super fine and the formula was raved about. But I swear that thing has more fallout than any other shimmer I've ever used. The shimmers in the NARS Ignited palette are good though... they're dry enough to apply with a brush or a finger and I never have major issues with fallout.