I was lucky enough to be given quite a bit of money for my birthday but, like all mums, it was soon frittered away on days out, food shopping and treats for the little lady. I was down to my last £45 and I decided to treat myself. I thought to myself, what high-end eyeshadow has been calling my name recently? The Modern Renaissance palette was the first to pop into my head, however, as beautiful as it looks and amazing as the reviews are, I knew in my heart that I wouldn’t get much use out of it. As much as I love cranberry reds and sunsets yellows, I just can’t pull them off and when I do want to experiment with warm tones I usually just play around with my Urban Decay Naked Heat palette. Let’s face it, spending over £40 on any one piece of makeup is an investment and I wanted to splurge but still spend my money wisely. That’s when the Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette caught my eye…
I know what you’re thinking, another nude palette? Hardly revolutionary, I know, but I just knew I’d get a lot of use out the shades plus, a huge part of me, despite the hype and controversies, has been wanting to put the ABH eyeshadows to the test for years. I bought this palette without reading any reviews or knowing much about it. Would it be another Subculture disaster?
The palette is covered in soft beige velour material, which is already starting to look grubby so who knows what it’ll look like in a few weeks time. Soft Glam comes with a dual ended brush with a fluffy blender on one side and a flat, denser side to pack on colour. There are 14 cruelty-free shades inside, 9 mattes and 5 shimmers.
The Top Row
Tempera: Ultra-matte velvety beige
Glistening: Iridescent gold with a hint of pink reflect
Orange Soda: Ultra-matte pastel peach
Rose Pink: Rose gold with a soft pink iridescent hue
Sultry: A hybrid satin metallic finish warm chocolate brown
Bronze: Metallic gold bronze
Mulberry: Ultra-matte mulberry
The Bottom Row
Dusty Rose: Ultra-matte dusty lilac
Fairy: Multi-imensional light gold
Burnt Orange: Ultra-matte deep orange
Sienna: Ultra-matte earthy brown
Rustic: Ultra-matte deep cinnamon brown
Cyprus Umber: Ultra-matte dark coffee
Noir: Ultra-matte deep carbon black
I guess the million dollar question is, is there a lot of fallout? Yes, there is and it doesn’t bother me one bit. If I swirl my brush vigorously into each pan on Instagram, yes, each shade probably would crumble away and the same could be said for many of my eyeshadow palettes. The shimmers are beyond beautiful. They have the same wet texture and foil-like appearance as my ColourPop ones and because of this apply better with your finger and intensify when applied with a damp brush. It sounds silly because I’ve never tried the palette myself, but the texture and look of the shimmers really remind me of the Huda Beauty Rose Gold Palette. Every shade, with the exception of the black, blends flawlessly and last well throughout the day. The shade ‘Noir’ and I just don’t seem to get along. Even though it’s richly pigmented for a black, it seems to grab in areas on my eyelids and not blend the way I want it too. I love the ratio of mattes to shimmers and the collection of shades. It’s a step away from vibrant reds and towards muted oranges, golds and dusky lilacs which I tend to find more wearable and versatile, especially for anyone with limited makeup skills like myself.
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette retails for £43 and is available here.
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