Review: Anastasia of Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette

Okay, so I know I’m a little late to the party on this one–people have been raving about the Modern Renaissance palette since it came out. However, I am a VERY ENTHUSIASTIC guest at the party now! Ever since I got this palette a couple weeks ago, I have not wanted to use anything else. In fact, I am going to start forcing myself to use a different palette every week, since otherwise I would never put this one down! I do want to show the other palettes in my collection some love too though.

First off, let’s talk about the colors. In most palettes, there are a couple shades that I use a ton, some that I like, and one or two that I never touch. That is not the case with this palette though, I literally use every single shade. It has mostly matte shades, which I prefer, with a couple shimmers so you can really make your eyes pop. There are several warm toned browns in different shades, which makes it really easy to build up a look and have that gradient effect. There are also the GORGEOUS red and pink shades. You can make them dramatic if you want, but it is also easy to make them soft and more subtle for an everyday look.

Look how beautiful! I use Tempera every time I use this palette, to set my eyeshadow primer. I am obsessed with using Burnt Orange and Raw Sienna together in my crease, and Love Letter on the outer V, with Primavera on the inner third of my lid. I love playing around with all the colors though! Here are the descriptions from the Anastasia of Beverly Hills website:

Tempera – Velvety beige with an ultra-matte finish
Golden Ochre – Earthy yellow with an ultra-matte finish
Vermeer – Iridescent shell with a metallic finish
Buon Fresco – Antique lavender with an ultra-matte finish
Antique Bronze – Metallic sable with a satin finish
Love Letter- Raspberry with an ultra-matte finish
Cyprus Umber- Dark coffee with an ultra-matte finish
Realgar- Brick with an ultra-matte finish
Warm Taupe- Earthy gray with an ultra-matte finish
Venetian Red- Crimson with an ultra-matte finish
Red Ochre- Sienna with an ultra-matte finish
Primavera- shimmery gold dust with a metallic finish
Burnt Orange- deep orange with an ultra-matte finish
Raw Sienna- neutral amber with an ultra-matte finish

I think this palette is really cohesive, and can be used to create such a variety of looks. I’ve included some that I’ve created down at the bottom!

Not only are the colors beautiful, but the formula is hands down the BEST eyeshadow formula I have ever used. The shadows are buttery soft, and blend with next to no effort. I usually use a finger to apply the metallic shades, and that gives me a good payoff. Since the shadows are so soft, there is a bit of kickback when you put your brush in, which you may be able to see in the picture of my palette. However, this is not a huge problem for me, since the shadows themselves are such high quality.

This palette costs $42, which considering you get 14 beautiful, high quality shadows, is a pretty good price! If you don’t have this palette yet, I highly highly recommend it!

Here are some of the looks I’ve created during the short time I’ve had this palette (hover over the image to see the shades used):

Burnt Orange, Raw Sienna, Love Letter, Primavera

Raw Sienna, Burnt Orange, Love Letter

Warm Taupe, Venetian Red, Burnt Orange, Primavera

Golden Ochre, Warm Taupe, Raw Sienna

Buon Fresco, Vermeer

Overall, this is definitely my favorite palette that I own. Let me know if you want to see more looks, or tutorials for any! These were all workday looks for me, so I do want to have some fun making more dramatic looks as well.

ABH is coming out with a new palette, Subculture, which launches on their website July 25, online at Sephora and Ulta August 1, and in stores August 15. This palette looks like the cool toned cousin of Modern Renaissance, and looks beautiful! I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to get it–what are you all thinking? Yay or Nay on Subculture?

I would love to hear your thoughts on Modern Renaissance, and also what your favorite palettes are!