Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance eyeshadow palette

So many great fall eyeshadow palettes have been released these past few months and it took some time, but I finally managed to get my hands on a few and do some looks with them. Kicking off the fall shadow series is Anastasia’s brand spanking new palette Modern Renaissance. It’s the brand’s first permanent palette and since ABH’s shadows are of great quality, I knew I could not pass up this palette.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance eyeshadow palette

The only downside to this palette is that it is on the pricier side, especially if you order it from The Netherlands. From the US Sephora this retails for $42, at Greatbeautybar.nl, the official Dutch ABH retailer, the exact same palette will cost €55. That of course includes duties and taxes that you would have to pay otherwise, but still, that’s a pretty steep increase in price.

The packaging of this palette is a soft dusty rose shade. Both the cardboard box and the palette itself have this color. The palette itself is covered in a soft touch velvet material, much like the Urban Decay Naked 1.

Of course with such a light shade and this type of material, the palette is bound to attract dirt, but other than that the packaging is pretty decent. The palette is made of cardboard and closes with a strong enough magnetic closure. In addition, the lid is covered in a decent sized mirror.

As an extra a dual ended brush has been added to the palette. Where some palettes come with absolutely useless brushes, the ABH palettes are equipped with a very workable little brush. One end is a blending brush, while the other is good for packing on colors onto the lid. A nice edition to the palette if you ask me.

What drew me into buying this palette was the interesting color selection. Yes, this is a neutral palette, but this isn’t like all those other neutral palettes you and I already own. As you can see this palette has some reds and pinks, warm toned oranges, an intense reddish brown and some good overall lid, highlight and transition shades. Let’s have a closer look.

• Tempera: matte cream
• Golden Ochre: matte soft ochre
• Vermeer: shimmery dusty pink
• Buon Fresco: matte mauve with a pink undertone

• Antique Bronze: satin red toned bronze
• Love Letter: matte red toned fuchsia
• Cyprus Umber: matte red toned deep brown
• Raw Sienna: matte yellow toned beige

• Burnt orange: matte orange toned beige
• Primavera: shimmery gold
• Red Ochre: matte brown toned red
• Venetian Red: satin pink toned red

• Warm taupe: matte yellow toned taupe
• Realgar: matte brown toned orange

Tempera – Golden Ochre – Vermeer – Buon Fresco – Antique Bronze – Love Letter – Cyprus Umber
Raw Sienna – Burnt Orange – Primavera – Red Ochre – Venetian Red – Warm Taupe – Realgar

Swatched, you can immediately see the intensity of these shadows. Anastasia Beverly Hills shadows are some of the best out there. They are very soft and do kick up quite a bit of powder when you stick your brush in, but they do not have a lot of fall out. They blend very easily into a soft haze and are quickly built up to their fullest potential.

Stand out shades in the palette are Red Ochre (most intense), Buon Fresco (most versatile), Tempera (good highlight and blend shade) and Realgar (stunning in the crease). There is only one shade that doesn’t appeal to me much and that is Warm Taupe. It seems to be a bit of an oddball in this palette and where I usually am all about the taupes, I just think it is a bit misplaced. I also don’t see the point of having both Raw Sienna and Burnt Orange. They each have a different undertone for sure, but on the lid, they end up looking too similar.

Look 1:

Red Ochre (lid)
Antique Bronze (lower lashline)Cyprus Umber (Outer V)
Venetian Red & Realgar (Crease)
Golden Ochre (blend shade)
Tempera (brow bone highlight)
Vermeer (inner corner highlight)

For the first look I went intense and red. This type of look is stunning if you have green eyes, or if you are like me and have brown eyes with a hint of green. Paired with purples and also reds, the hint of green is nicely accentuated and brought forward. I wanted to make sure I did a very red look with this palette. Reds can be tricky to work with, but since each shade has more of a red undertone rather than being a full on red, you can easily create an eye look that doesn’t make you look like you’re sick.

Look 2:

Burnt Orange (Crease)
Tempera (Brown bone)Buon Fresco (blend shade)
Realgar (Crease & lower lash line)
Antique Bronze (Lower lash line)
Primavera (inner corner)
Vermeer (lid)
Cyprus Umber (liner)

Look no. 2 had to be more neutral. There are plenty of neutral in this palette that will be great for an every day look. I did want to make this a touch more special, which is why I went about building up the look differently from what I usually do. I managed to film this one for you, so the full look will be up in a few weeks time. It is intense and warm, but not too over the top.

Look 3:

Golden Ochre (lid)
Raw Sienna (crease)
Red Ochre (Outer V)
Warm Taupe (blend shade)
Tempera (brow bone)
Primavera (inner corner)
Antique Bronze (liner)

The final look is far more simple than the other two and I think the most wearable of the three. I actually wore this to work the other day and that is why I wanted to include it in this post. I wanted to show how you can still use those intense reds, but with a proper blend and a light hand you can easily transform them into a great office look.

I love the variety this palette gives you. I do also think this palette isn’t for everyone. It is not the best palette to use if you’re new to make up. Not because of the quality of the palette: the shadows in this palette are outstanding. It does, however, take some practice to get the most out of this palette. Not all shades go together and not all shades are great for everyday wear if used full on. The option is there, but if you’re a newbie you may want to start off with something safe first.

What do you think of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette?