Anastasia Beverly Hills

beauty, Review

Mastering the Master palette by Mario Dedivanovic

I have been WAITING for this palette. Like ~ W A I T I N G G G G ~ for this palette to come out. Makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic is famously known for his work with Kim Kardashian and the Kardashian family, but he’s also worked with classic beauties like Chanel Iman, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Bosworth, Gabrielle Union, Kelly Ripa and Jourdan Dunn to name a few. With his undeniable talent and ability to SLAYYYYY, it was obvious that Mario’s next steps would be to build his own brand with a beauty product. And if you follow Mario on his social media channels (Like I do) you know that he has a longstanding personal and professional relationship with Anastasia Soare, so when Mario hinted at a collaboration, it was only natural that Anastasia Beverly Hills be the brand platform. 

I woke up early AF to put in my order for 2 palettes. Thank goodness because (as I predicted) the palette sold out in a matter of hours. And on the glorious day when that blessed package came to my office, my heart was beating with excitement as I jumped up and down screaming “It’s here!! ITS HEEEEEERRRE!!". My male colleagues who do NOT understand my infatuation with makeup were concerned for my health and mental state due to the box of “powders” at my desk….. *eyeroll* boys smh…

Ugh, Its just SO pretty! Isn’t is pretty??? Just look at it! I was too scared to touch it— does that happen to anyone else? When I buy makeup, sometimes I have this fear that I’m going to ruin it by touching it. I’ll sit on my bed and stare at my makeup for an eternity hoping it will tell me its secrets…Is that not okay? 

Alright so here goes my review:

PACKAGING:
Like most Anastasia palettes I own, the eyeshadows are in a cardboard case with a mirrored cover that flips all the way around so the palette can sit flat on the table. As a makeup artist and lover of organization, can I tell you how MF CLUTCH this is? The only time I take out a palette that doesn’t sit flat is if it includes a powder that is detrimental to the process, and/or if the case is too hard to break apart. Otherwise, I depot you and put you in a Z-Palette with the rest of my friends. 

COLOR:
This palette comes with 12 neutral shades combined with a range of jewel tones in both matte and metallic finishes:

Hollywood (metallic wheat gold with a satin finish)
NYC (rich chocolate brown with a satin finish)
Kim (tan with a satin finish)
Muse (rose gold with a satin finish)
Marina (champagne with a metallic finish)
Claudia (slate with a velvet finish)
Lula (soft taupe with an ultra-matte finish)
Isabel (burnt orange with an ultra-matte finish)
Violeta (dark chocolate with an ultra-matte finish)
5th Ave (gold leaf with a metallic finish)
Bronx (metallic olive with a satin finish)
Paris (gilded brown with a satin finish)

SWATCHES:

FORMULA:
Soft, pigmented and SO pretty! Most ABH eyeshadows are soft and pigmented so this palette has the same quality in powders. But because the powders are so soft and luxurious, you have to be careful of fallout during the application process (Press, press, press and tap tap if you know what I'm sayin'). Otherwise, you can apply these eyeshadows dry or wet and still get the same quality pigment. 

LONGEVITY:
When prepped and primed well, the eyeshadows last a strong 6-8 hours without fading. Especially when foiling your shadows with the shimmers and Metallics, the pigment stays pretty true to color for hours. Check out this glowy look I did on my friend and fellow MUA Maria using: Hollywood, Lula, Isabel, Violeta & Kim. 

OVERALL REVIEW:
I am a FAN.. The colors in his palette work well with most skin tones— there's so much variety in terms of color and texture and it’s just PRETTY! It’s so GATDAMN pretty! And at $45.00 a palette, sold at AnastasiaBeverlyHills.com, Sephora and Ulta— this palette is a must have and will be a staple for your kit.     

 

beauty, Review

Glow GLEAM Kit, Review and Swatches

Ok so can we discuss these highlighter palettes by Anastasia Beverly Hills? I had no intention of purchasing these highlighters at IMATS and then bam! I am now the proud owner of the Gleam Glow Kit. Naturally I hovered over the “That Glow” palette for a while but for some reason the soft highlight and rosy tones in the Gleam kit called my name. These colors are meant to complement all skin tones so I had no doubt that the Gleam kit would suit my tan exterior. 

COLORS:
Hard Candy – A rosey pink highlight

Mimosa – Golden peach color

Starburst – Silvery pink highlight  

Crushed Pearl – Light champagne color 

Often times I’ll mix and match a ton of colors for a highlight that can be seen from space :)  For a more intense highlight, just apply water to your makeup brush before swiping the highlight color, this will help make the colors pop. Or you can cover your face in highlight and go running in the dark, the highlight serves as reflective running gear so cars and deer can see you from afar. I’m joking.. But that would be funny if it worked that way :) 

beauty

IMATS LA 2016 - The Year of Extra.

As some of you know, i wait all year long to attend the Mecca of makeup conferences.. IMATS. The International Makeup Artists Trade Show hosted in Pasadena, CA. Every makeup artist and beauty enthusiast within a 600 mile radius treks down to Southern California for two days of beauty worship and excessive spending. 

After 6 years of attending IMATS and armed with a full makeup kit, what else could I possibly purchase? Everything.. i bought everything.

Obligatory IMATS photo with my BFFs

Obligatory IMATS photo with my BFFs

House of Lashes had the BEST backdrop, i could stay in front of this stand forever :)

House of Lashes had the BEST backdrop, i could stay in front of this stand forever :)

At the Kat Von D booth :)

At the Kat Von D booth :)

IMG_7870.jpg
Meet my boo Jim.. He's my twin :)

Meet my boo Jim.. He's my twin :)

After all the fun and Debauchery of IMATS, the next day my fellow BFFs and MUAs wandered off to the local Naimies and Nigels to see what beauty products they offered. Again, i bought more than i wanted, but everything was well worth it.

Now on to the Haul!

Haul:

Dose of Colors: Mood, Desert Suede, Cork, Teddy, Corset, Scarlet Lace, Truffle & Poise

Anastasia Beverly Hills: Brow Wiz, Brow Definer, Glow Kit in Gleam, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Palette & Brow gel

Lashes in a Box: N 20 and E1

Dr. Peter Thomas Roth: CC Cream

Kat Von D: Blush in Hansel & Gretel, Lolita 1 & 2, Shade and Light Palette

Cinema Secrets: Brush Cleanser

Frankie Rose: Prime Addiction

House of Lashes: Bambi, Boudoir, Featherette 

KoKo Lashes: Flirty, Misha, Goddess, Soho

Elcie: Micro Silk Foundation in Warm Ivory

Z Palette: 2 sizes

Aloe: Hawaiian Moon Aloe

Crown Brush: Disposable lip brushes and mascara wands

 

And for those of you interested in the product breakdown for my war paint, check out the list below:

MOTD:
Face: 
Cover FX Natural Finish Foundation in G60
Cover FX Concealer in Medium
Laura Mercier Loose Translucent Setting Powder
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder: Luminous Light
MAC MSF in Medium Tan
Bronzer: The Balm - Bahama Mama & Betty-Lou Manizer
Blush: Milani - Luminoso
Highlight: Becca - Champagne Pop

Eyes:
MAC: Brun, Soft brown, Rule
Urban Decay: Bootycall
Eyeliner: Tartist eyeliner
Lashes: KoKo lashes in SoHo

Brows:
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Soft Brown
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow in Dark Brown

Lips:
MAC etcetera liner
Dose of Colors - Poise Lipstick