BLOG 1: ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILL - SUBCULTURE PALETTE

Hey Y'all

I finally managed to get my hands on the controversial Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture palette.
Initially, I was hesitant to purchase because of the overwhelmingly negative reviews. So much so, I needed to have a feel for it myself and see how it worked. I was prepared to lose $42 to see what this palette was all about.

Having purchased this palette myself and not on from a PR list, I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I love this palette. I have no idea why everyone on YouTube was so disappointed.

A quick summary of the palette:

I'll start with the cons -

1. The palette is so softly pressed that it is powdery.

That's it for the cons!

Lets look at the pros -

1. It's SO pigmented. So much so, I'd say this is a palette of softly pressed pigments rather than eyeshadow. A little goes a long way.
2. There are some potentially stunning, vibrant looks.
3. The colour combinations are another level. Looking at the palette, it initially seems confused and detached. Take a closer look – the colours are cleverly created and artistically coherent.
4. I love the grunginess and edge of the colours.
5. The shade CUBE is just so cute. It looks white in the pan, however, it’s this pinkish duo chrome shift, popping with fabulousness.

This palette retails for $42, there are 14 shades. 2 are glitter shadows, 1 duo chrome and 11 matte shades. Each shade costs $3. Each shade has 0.7g worth of product. This palette is cruelty free but isn’t vegan.

Here is a swatch of all shades…

…I didn’t put a base down, because, well, they’re that good, they don’t need one!! That being said, I did a quick test of the palette and came up with this look…

… I used my Estee Lauder Perfectionist concealer as a base for this eye look, blended it out using a Beauty Blender and set it with banana powder.

The shades I used for this look…

… and where I placed them.

All in all, I think this palette has a sense of cohesion that perhaps people aren’t quite ready for. I was wishing for something that wasn’t warm browns, oranges and nudes. This palette has hit the spot for me. I love the edge it brings an eye look and whilst I don’t think it’s an appropriate contribution for bridal looks, I cannot see where this palette fails. I can see it being used in conjunction with the Modern Renaissance palette and see it as a continuation of that palette. It’s suitable for most skin complexions (if not all) and there is a colour to make every eye colour pop (lenses optional)! The pigment is just A1 and whilst it isn’t as buttery feeling as the Modern Renaissance, it’s aptly named SUBCULTURE because it breaks the boundaries of commercial make up.

*The palette is made in the USA and the brush in the palette is made in the PRC (Peoples Republic of China).

See you in the next one...

• Monalisa xo