Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette Review

I've been in love with products from Anastasia Beverly Hills products ever since I took my first trip to the States last year. Although I've tried products such as their contour kits, glow kits and brow products, I was yet to try their eyeshadows. At Christmas I received the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette (£41/$42) from Andy and fell in love with the colours immediately upon opening it. It includes 14 eyeshadow shades, a double-ended brush and a large mirror which upon first glance means it's off to an excellent start. According to ABH it is the first permanent palette, and judging by the amount of times this has sold out it doesn't surprise me that it's pretty popular. The palette is filled with a mixture of neutral and warm shades, with three finishes in total. Most of the shades are ultra-matte, two with a metallic finish and one satin finish.

The formula makes me wonder why other brands don't opt for something similar. The shadows are incredibly soft and buttery in texture, making them easy to apply and blend. As always, I try out all eye products on top of my Benefit Stay Don't Stray and the shadow lasted all day until I removed it with my trusty Garnier Micellar Water. To me, the shades are so unique to what you see in other palettes, and is a great introduction to future ABH eyeshadow palettes. The pigmentation isn't consistent throughout which was expected, but from the swatches below I am very impressed with how they turned out. There is minimal fallout and from shades like Love Letter, Cyprus Umber, Realgar and Red Ochre, the pigmentation is mindblowing. The two metallic finish shades; Vermeer and Primavera are two of the prettiest shimmer shades I've come across and honestly can't get enough of them. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette Shades:

Tempera - Velvety beige/cream (ultra-matte finish)

Golden Ochre - Earthy yellow-beige (ultra-matte finish)

Vermeer - Iridescent shell pink (metallic finish)

Buon Fresco - Antique lavender/mauve (ultra-matte finish)

Antique Bronze - Metallic sable (satin finish)

Love Letter - Bright raspberry (ultra-matte finish)

Cyprus Umber - Dark coffee (ultra-matte finish)

Raw Sienna - Neutral amber/mustard (ultra-matte finish)

Burnt Orange - Deep true orange (ultra-matte finish)

Primavera - Shimmery gold dust (metallic finish)

Red Ochre - Sienna orange-brown (ultra-matte finish)

Venetian Red - Crimson (ultra-matte finish)

Warm Taupe - Earthy grey (ultra-matte finish)

Realgar - Brick orange (ultra-matte finish)

The packaging itself mimics suede or velvet and I was lucky I took a photo of the exterior when I first opened it. Although it's a beautiful shade of pink, it gets dusty if you leave it out (for me on my makeup desk) and is close to impossible to get back to its original state. Aside from that, it's made from a sturdy cardboard with a magnetic closure to ensure the brush doesn't fall out. The brush alone is double-ended and works quite well for a palette brush. The palette is definitely worth the money and makes me so excited for future palettes by Anastasia Beverly Hills. If you're into your eyeshadow palettes it's worth checking out, especially if you look at it as each shade is roughly £2.93 each and that's without counting the brush too. You'll see this palette in future favourites posts I'm sure.

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What I Got For Christmas 2016

I write this post every year, with the usual disclaimer of course. I thought I would pick out my favourite bits that I received this Christmas and why I love them. Of course most of my presents were beauty based and I have left the homeware and stocking fillers out otherwise I wouldn't have the table space nor the patience to stop myself from eating chocolate before taking the photos. You may notice that my backdrop is a bit different to usual, and that's because I brought my marble board 2 hours away to Derbyshire where I'm staying with my boyfriend's mum because I wanted to get this post up before new year. Dedication!

As I mentioned, the majority of my present were beauty based so I'll start with the makeup. I received two palettes this year, one was the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette, and the Anastasia Beverly Hills Ultimate Glow Kit. I really wanted the Modern Renaissance palette when it came out earlier in the year but didn't have the money to pick it up, so when it finally came back in stock on Cult Beauty, Andy picked it up for me along with some Morphe Rose Gold Brushes which I just realised I forgot to photograph. I had asked my family to repurchase some items I was running out of, as they were asking for ideas and I couldn't think of much! They bought me the Benefit Gimmie Brow and Stay Don't Stray which are two items I couldn't live without, as they keep my brows strong and my lids perfect so my makeup doesn't come off during the day. As I'd tried the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara in mini form but it didn't stay on too well, I now have the waterproof version so hopefully it will last all day.

Every special event I always receive some Mac items since it's an easy gift for people to pick up and I'll never stop loving Mac. I received the Diva lipstick and the Cherry lip pencil which are both red shades that I know I'll love when I wear them. I received a Mac voucher too so I've ordered two more single eyeshadows to go into my Mac palette which I've not touched in a while so it needed some love. Another item I forgot to photograph (but brought all the way to Derbyshire regardless) is the Sigma Beauty Dry'n Shape Spa which is multi-purpose item to help with washing and drying your makeup brushes that can hold up to 18 brushes and has a detachable middle to aid with washing them. I have about 40-50 brushes right now and getting them all cleaned and dried has been a tough task, so this is going to help so much.

Of course it wouldn't be a haul without a bit of Colourpop. This as a gift from me to me, and also a gift to my best friend. I bought two of the value kits, the Persuede Me and Staycation and knew that e both wouldn't like all the colours, so took three out of one kit and swapped it with the other and we both adore the lippie stix we have now. From the two kits, I've got LBB, Goldie, Cookie, Le Freak, Hotline and Grunge. They're a mix of nudes and warm tones and since I have so many bright shades in my entire lipstick collection, it was time I tried some shades I wasn't to familiar with. Colourpop Lippie Stix are hands down one of my favourite lipstick products.

I received a few home and style items but I'll start with these beautiful silver heels from New Look, bought for me by my boyfriend's brother. He asked what I wanted and I sent him images of two pairs and told him to surprise me, and these were my favourite pair out of the two. They're more of a classic shape and style, with glitzy silver finish to make them perfect for this time of year. I was asked quite a lot what I wanted for Christmas this year and two items that I thought of was camera bags. I've had my Olympus Pen for quite a while and love being able to take my blog and Instagram photos with it, but I hated the bag it came with. I was looking for something that didn't look like a camera bag, and this one from Asos was exactly what I was after. It fits my camera in, phone and plenty of other things in without causing damage to the camera itself due to the soft lining. I've also had my Instax camera for most of the year but hadn't found a good bag for it yet. My best friend bought me this matching white Instax bag to carry it in and I'm in love.

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Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Ultimate Glow - Review and Swatches

Ever since I picked up my first Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Gleam, I've wanted to try out another. Over the past few months I saw other Glow Kits from ABH such as That Glow, Moonchild, Sun Dipped and Sweets but I wasn't fussed on them. There was at least one shade in the palettes that didn't capture my attention, but I looked on the ABH website a few weeks ago and saw a new Glow Kit in Ultimate Glow and knew it was for me. It's $45 to buy and I used a shipping service so it wasn't as cheap as the roughly £36 it converts to due to shipping and customs costs (that may have been due to Colourpop or Bath & Body Works but I'm not too sure). 

Ultimate Glow consists of six limited edition powder highlights available in shimmering and metallic pearl finishes. You can layer them up or wear individually, and can be used anywhere you desire on your face. The shades all compliment each other, as one is a bright white and all the others are of a gold shade. The formula is ultra-fine that claims it won't leave any shimmer particles for a smooth, even glow. 

Inside are three shimmering luster shades: Snow, which is a true icy white with a platinum reflect, White Sand which is a warm beige with gold reflect and Golden Dawn, a warm amber with a gold reflect. The metallic pearl shades are: Sunray which is a warm copper with peach-gold lustre, Amber Gold, a warm rose with gold lustre and Hot Sand which is a warm bronze with an amber lustre.

 It's definitely a palette made for an obvious highlight and is in no way subtle. The formula isn't as light as the Glow Kit in Gleam, and works best with a densly-packed brush. It works so well for eyeshadow too since it's very pigmented and lasts so long on the skin. I feel like it definitely leaves some sparkle on the face which you can see from the swatches above but I don't mind this. I have more subtle highlighters for when I want a hint of glow, but this palette is made for a more intense look. This palette is being released in the UK soon, so people in the US have enjoyed it for a few months ahead of us, but it would be perfect during the summertime. Snow is the perfect shade for the winter, especially on my pale skin but I'll definitely be taking this with me everytime I travel in 2017. For darker skin tones it might suit more of an everyday wear, but I'm going to be using this as an eyeshadow whenever I feel like it, especially using Amber Gold as it's the truest rose gold shade I've seen out there so far.

I can't wait for it to be released in the UK so other beauty bloggers and lovers can get their hands on this. I imagine it will sell out fast too! This is actually a Christmas present for me from my Nan, but I've been allowed to review it before having it back until the 25th. I'm sure over the next few months it will make its way into my favourites and you'll definitely see it in my What I Got For Christmas post!

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Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit Review

I bought this Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit in Light/Medium (£39/$40) whilst I was in Los Angeles back in April and included it in my Huge American Makeup Haul but didn't get round to reviewing it until today. As someone with combination skin I'm a huge lover of powder products as they keep my skin matte and I know they won't move during the day. Since I have quite fair skin I picked up the Light/Medium kit so that every shade would match me perfectly. There are six shades in the palette and the pans are exactly the right size for dabbing brushes into.

The palette comes with three powder highlights and three powder contour shades to create the illusions of higher cheekbones, softer jawline, a slimmer nose or a smaller forehead. The first shade is Vanilla which is a pale cream, which I mix with Banana (pale yellow) for under my eyes when I set my concealer as it helps cancel out any dark shades if my Urban Decay Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluids haven't already done the job. The last highlight shade is Sand which is described as a 'radiant chiffon' which is perfect for a subtle highlight along the nose and on top of the cheekbones. 

There are three contour shades, starting with Java which is described as a mocha shade, Fawn which is a tawny shade and Havana which is a 'warm russet'. I use Havana as a bronzer especially during summer to let me look a little sunkissed but couldn't contour with it as it's just too warm. Most days I use Fawn as it's the coolest shade out of the three and is the best shade to contour the hollows of my cheeks, by my temples and down the sides of my nose. If I'm going on a night out I sometimes mix Fawn with Java for a more defined look.

All of the shades blend easily and are incredibly smooth. Some powders feel cakey on the skin but these feel almost creamy and are a dream to apply. I tend to use brushes over beauty blenders as I feel I can really buff them in better. I'm in love with ABH products and since I'm using this almost daily I'm not going to jump to pick up the cream version. I think overall there are three of these Contour Kits and you can pick them up from a variety of places in the UK now. I did pick mine up in the Sephora in Santa Monica (CA) but places like Beauty Bay stock Anastasia Beverly Hills products. 

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Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit Review

I honestly never thought I'd buy the new Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Gleam as I'm not normally one to drop $40 (£39 in the UK which is a conversion rip off as it should be £28ish but anyway) on a bunch of highlighters. Whilst browsing Sephora in Los Angeles and was picking up quite a lot of makeup, I saw the stall and thought I'd just swatch the shades. I do tend to be one of those people who will just swatch products out of interest with no intention of buying them, just the same as I feel clothes in shops to see if they're made out of nice material. My boyfriend finds it hilarious but I'm just curious!

Now I was not expecting what happened. I'd already picked up the ABH Contour Kit as I had heard wonderful things and was going to get it regardless of the swatches. I swatched them and had honestly never seen such pigmented shades before, especially in highlighters. In the pan you can see there is a fair bit of shimmer in them and I was worried it would come out a bit chunky but it's so just finely milled. The highlighters just glide on and they're so light that you can't feel them on the skin. I honestly don't know how I'd ever even hit pan on these as you can barely notice when you swatch it let alone use it every day.

There are four shades in the palette, Hard Candy, Starburst, Mimosa and Crushed Pearl. Hard Candy is described as a Golden peach with a pink-pearl shimmer, Starburst is an iridescent pink with cooler undertones, Mimosa is a metallic peach with gold undertones and Crushed Pearl is a pearlescent pink with a frost finish. Crushed Pearl is the perfect shade for a light and bright highlight, and I use the darker shades to contour with. You can easily incorporate the shades into your eyeshadow looks too. Anastasia Beverly Hills also recommends that you should use it with a damp brush for a more intense glow which I am yet to try out.

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