Rachael Neale
The ‘Modern Renaissance’ palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills is a palette not to be missed. I bought this palette recently from the Anastasia Beverly Hills website as it is not available in Ireland. It arrived within a few weeks. It is inspired by the colours of the renaissance. The palette has 14 eyeshadows including 11 matte shades and 3 metallic shades that come in a mix of warmer neutrals and pops of pink and red.
The palettes packaging is neat. The palette itself is a soft pink colour. The material of the palette is velvet, which is one of the only things I dislike about this palette. This is because it picks up dust easily and also stains which is a nuisance because inevitably eyeshadows are messy and will stain the packaging. The palette comes with a built in mirror which is handy for on the go. The double ended brush which is included is surprisingly usable with the palette unlike most brushes that come with some palettes.
The overall quality of these eyeshadows is very good. They are creamy, easy to use and highly pigmented. These eyeshadows are very powdery so when using them, you need to ensure you tap your brush to prevent fall out.
People who are new to makeup tend to pass up the Modern Renaissance palette at first. They tend to use more neutral palettes like the Naked palettes. I am guilty of this myself as my first palette was a Naked palette. The modern renaissance palette has both neutral and bold colours which is why it is a better starter palette. This palette is perfect for someone looking for the next step up in eyeshadow. The choice of colours in this palette allows you to achieve great makeup looks. Although the colours are very bright and bold they are still very wearable.
Each shade in the palette can be used for a different purpose. ‘Tempera’ is a very light, peachy, nude colour. It can be used for brow highlight, inner corners and blending. ‘Golden ochre’ is a matte golden eyeshadow which can be used all over the eyelid or on the crease. ‘Vermeer’ is a shimmery pale champagne colour which can be used as a brow highlight and inner corners. ‘Buon fresco’ is a creamy matte lavender shade. It’s a neutral shade which can be used in the crease or all over the eyelid. ‘Antique bronze’ is a shimmery brown which gives a rustic look. This is the perfect shade for simple makeup look. ‘Love letter’ is one of my favourite eyeshadows in the palette. It is a raspberry ultra matte eyeshadow which can be used to create a pink smokey eye. ‘Cyprus umber’ is a highly pigmented dark coffee eyeshadow which can be used on the outer corners for eyeshadow looks. It can be used to intensify all makeup looks. ‘Raw sienna’ is a matte amber eyeshadow. ‘Burnt orange’ is a deeper orange than ‘Raw sienna’. This shade is perfect as a transition shade for dark smokey eyes or used by itself all over the eyelid. ‘Primavera’ is a shimmery gold which can also be used as a brow highlight and for the middle of the lid. ‘Red ochre’ is a dark red matte shade. It is a very warm and intense shade. ‘Venetian red’ is a shimmery dark red that mixes well with the shade ‘love letter’. ‘Warm taupe’ is a beige brown matte shade which can be used well as a transition shade. ‘Realgar’ is a matte rusty red shade.
- 1. Tempera
- 2. Golden Ochre
- 3. Vermeer
- 4. Buon Fresco
- 5. Antique Bronze
- 6. Love Letter
- 7. Cyprus umber
- 8. Raw Sienna
- 9. Burnt Orange
- 10. Primavera
- 11. Red Ochre
- 12. Venetian Red
- 13. Warm Taupe
- 14. Realgar
In conclusion the quality of the palette is very good. There is a wide selection of colours in the palette from nudes to bright red colours. There are both matte and shimmery shades. I would definitely recommend this palette to a friend although the packaging can be a pain. It is great value for money and I recommend you buy this palette if you’re interested in taking the next step up in eyeshadow.