Good morning!
I'm sure you've probably read a few posts on the fabulous Anastasia Beverly Hills palettes by now but I'd still like to add my own thoughts to the mix.
I bought the Modern Renaissance palette with some money I had pre Christmas and couldn't wait to share. The colours are perfect for this time of year so it was the best time to treat myself.....right?!
I'm sure you've already seen maaaaaaaaaaaany photos of it, but it's just the kind of palette that needs to be photographed. It's pretty and the colours are so rich, I couldn't wait to swatch the shimmery metallic shades.
This is my first product from ABH so I couldn't wait to try something from them. We've been trying to switch over to cruelty free products and brands like ABH make this easy for us. They have a great range of products and are so well known for their brow range.
The variety of colours available in the palette are all warm and I've seen so many different looks created with them. They appear to blend together seamlessly and although on first look the shades don't appear to be for the faint at heart and are probably not for first timers, they are gorgeous and so wearable.
A lot of the shades are matte and then there are a few shimmers (4 out of 14), 2 of these (Vermeer and Primavera) are easily wearable and classic highlighters so are the least scary of the bunch. Antique Bronze is a beautiful shimmery brown with warm red undertones and is a great starter colour if you're not sure what to make of the palette - it's where I started and got a feel for how the colours would blend together.
Venetian Red is the final shimmer and is a darker pink/red with a slight shimmer to it. What I loved about the palette was the number of lighter shades, Tempera is a shade I would buy in bronzer size pans as it's so difficult to find a lighter shade when you're super pale. It's a winner in my book and it's already getting a serious dent where I borrow it for use with other palettes too....must stop!
Raw Sienna and Burnt Orange are fairly easy to work with too, however Golden Ochre is a colour that I haven't been able to get on with yet. It just looks odd on my skin tone so it's not wearable for me but there we go. I think one bad pan isn't something to cry about!
Red Ochre is a gorgeous colour and one I have grown to love. I started by using this as a liner on my lower lash line for a subtle flash of colour but now I'm braver and I use it much more regularly and with other palettes too. It's such a bold colour and the matte finish looks great. Buon Fresco is a matte finish purple-mauve and I sometimes use this when I don't have much time. I'ts easy to swipe on for a bit of definition in the crease area and go!
Love Letter is probably the brightest in the palette and probably initially the scariest. Again I use it as a liner until I was more comfortable, I've found as long as i ensure i use a nude liner on the lower waterline I don't run the risk of looking like a devil child and is a valuable pro tip I have learned along the way of trying out new colours - always use a nude liner!
Cyprus Umber is a great dark brown matte shadow and it was love at first sight using this with Warm Taupe, they are great combination and another easy look. I did find that Cyprus Umber gets everywhere though so don't be too heavy handed like I clearly am! You don't want it down your cheek like a mud stain....
Lastly Realgar is a great addition to my collection as I own nothing like it. I've been pleasantly surprised how wearable it is and have been sneaking it onto my eyelids often for a warmer look. I've got some examples below so keep reading!
I bought the Modern Renaissance palette with some money I had pre Christmas and couldn't wait to share. The colours are perfect for this time of year so it was the best time to treat myself.....right?!
I'm sure you've already seen maaaaaaaaaaaany photos of it, but it's just the kind of palette that needs to be photographed. It's pretty and the colours are so rich, I couldn't wait to swatch the shimmery metallic shades.
This is my first product from ABH so I couldn't wait to try something from them. We've been trying to switch over to cruelty free products and brands like ABH make this easy for us. They have a great range of products and are so well known for their brow range.
The variety of colours available in the palette are all warm and I've seen so many different looks created with them. They appear to blend together seamlessly and although on first look the shades don't appear to be for the faint at heart and are probably not for first timers, they are gorgeous and so wearable.
A lot of the shades are matte and then there are a few shimmers (4 out of 14), 2 of these (Vermeer and Primavera) are easily wearable and classic highlighters so are the least scary of the bunch. Antique Bronze is a beautiful shimmery brown with warm red undertones and is a great starter colour if you're not sure what to make of the palette - it's where I started and got a feel for how the colours would blend together.
Venetian Red is the final shimmer and is a darker pink/red with a slight shimmer to it. What I loved about the palette was the number of lighter shades, Tempera is a shade I would buy in bronzer size pans as it's so difficult to find a lighter shade when you're super pale. It's a winner in my book and it's already getting a serious dent where I borrow it for use with other palettes too....must stop!
Raw Sienna and Burnt Orange are fairly easy to work with too, however Golden Ochre is a colour that I haven't been able to get on with yet. It just looks odd on my skin tone so it's not wearable for me but there we go. I think one bad pan isn't something to cry about!
Red Ochre is a gorgeous colour and one I have grown to love. I started by using this as a liner on my lower lash line for a subtle flash of colour but now I'm braver and I use it much more regularly and with other palettes too. It's such a bold colour and the matte finish looks great. Buon Fresco is a matte finish purple-mauve and I sometimes use this when I don't have much time. I'ts easy to swipe on for a bit of definition in the crease area and go!
Love Letter is probably the brightest in the palette and probably initially the scariest. Again I use it as a liner until I was more comfortable, I've found as long as i ensure i use a nude liner on the lower waterline I don't run the risk of looking like a devil child and is a valuable pro tip I have learned along the way of trying out new colours - always use a nude liner!
Cyprus Umber is a great dark brown matte shadow and it was love at first sight using this with Warm Taupe, they are great combination and another easy look. I did find that Cyprus Umber gets everywhere though so don't be too heavy handed like I clearly am! You don't want it down your cheek like a mud stain....
Lastly Realgar is a great addition to my collection as I own nothing like it. I've been pleasantly surprised how wearable it is and have been sneaking it onto my eyelids often for a warmer look. I've got some examples below so keep reading!
So, swatch time! Top row:
Bottom row:
All of them swatch well and the pigmentation is pretty good across the board, Tempura blends almost seamlessly with my skin which is why i love it!
Here's some quick looks:
I love the variety of the natural colours, the metallics and the extra pops of colour from the Venetian Red and Love Letter in the last image. It's definitely helped to upgrade my make up collection!
Special mention also to the brush that comes with the palette. This is actually a really good brush! It's soft, fluffy and great for blending at one end, and the other is great for blending a smokey eye into existence and applying the outer corner colours. It's not for a full look in my opinion but great for touch ups on the go which is essentially what it's for.
The Modern Renaissance palette costs £43 and can be found online from a variety of sites such as Anastasia Beverly Hills UK, Beauty Bay and Feel Unique.
I'd recommend giving it a try if like me, you rarely ventured out of the 'Naked' palettes range of colours unless it was adding a bit of green or purple. There's absolutely nothing wrong with wearing the classic colours, but if you're looking to branch out then this palette is perfect and absolutely on trend even a year later. Although I'm now drooling over the beautiful Prism palette colours, cos I mean those jewel colours speak to my soul and I'd love to blend them out with a few of the colours in this palette too!
I'd recommend giving it a try if like me, you rarely ventured out of the 'Naked' palettes range of colours unless it was adding a bit of green or purple. There's absolutely nothing wrong with wearing the classic colours, but if you're looking to branch out then this palette is perfect and absolutely on trend even a year later. Although I'm now drooling over the beautiful Prism palette colours, cos I mean those jewel colours speak to my soul and I'd love to blend them out with a few of the colours in this palette too!
Have you tried anything from ABH before? Have you got this palette or have you tried one of the others??
I would definitely consider buying a palette outside my typical wishlist in future!
L xxx
