Hey Everyone,
I hope you’re all doing well! Today’s post is all about the latest addition to the Anastasia Beverly Hills family of eyeshadow palettes, Soft Glam. Since their cult favourite, Modern Renaissance, the ABH palettes have been somewhat of a collectors item within the beauty community. I have to say, they are some of the best palettes that I’ve ever used so I’m sure you can guess which direction that this review is going to go in…
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As soon as I saw a picture of the palette online, I knew it would be full of neutrals and warm-toned shades. The name “soft glam” sounds loike a combination of subtlty and sophistication, which is right up my street! As much as I love embracing my crazy inner MUA, sometimes I love to keep it simple! I’m drawn to nudes and neutrals just as much as I am to vibrant and dramatic colours, so I know that I will still really enjoy using this palette. It seems to me that this is the kind of palette you can take anywhere and you’re good to go – which is ideal for people that travel a lot! The packaging, as expected, has the same gorgeous velvety exterior as the other ABH paletes, which I absolutely love! It looks and feels so luxurious and it’s so much nicer than the usual plastic and cardboard most other brands use. The only slightly “hmmm” part about this palette, is the price tag. At £43, it’s a rather expensive addition to any makeup collection. The question being, is it worth it?
The palette contains 14 beautiful shades, including essential mattes to stunning shimmers. Just like I thought, the shades are warm-toned and neutral, perfect for both day-time looks as well as night-time glam. They’re also the kind of shades that can work all year round, meaning you can easily get your money’s worth when it comes to usage! So many looks can be created with this palette, from elegant and understated to bold and glamorous. There is a slight overlap with some of the shade from the Modern Renaissance palette (Tempera, Burnt Orange and Cyprus Umber), which is kind of frustrating as I paid a lot of money in the hope that this palette would be a totally new addition to my collection, however, I do love all three of those shades and I’m quite glad to have some replacements. I’ve been wearing the shadows for a couple of weeks now and I have reviewed every single one below!
Tempera – Ultra-matte beige with warm undertones – One of my favourite base shades ever. I always use this before I apply anything else to my lids. It always makes my eyes look bigger and brighter, and it compliments any shadow that I wear it with. It’s velvety soft and yet it’s so richly pigmented, I don’t know how they do it. It blends like a dream without losing any coverage either, 10/10!
Glistening – Iridescent gold with orange undertones – This shade doesn’t have the same “wow” factor that the other shimmers do as it’s not as pigmented. It blends out to be quite sheer on me, however when applied with a wet brush, I can build it up a fair bit. However it’s a shame it isn’t more intense. I guess the palette is called “soft” for a reason though, right? It’s probably the ideal shimmer for someone that prefers a subtle look.
Orange Soda – Ultra-matte pastel peach – How gorgeous is this shade? I can see myself wearing this all year round as I love warm toned shadows! It’s pigmented and blends really well too. It tends to fade after a while so I like to combine it with other shades or just use it as a subtle transition into something darker.
Rose Pink – Rose gold/copper with warm undertones – Now we’re talking, this shade is right up my street! I love anything rose gold – especially when it comes to makeup! It’s pigmented but can sometimes be difficult to apply so I like to use a good base as well as setting spray to help it along a bit.
Sultry – A medium-dark coppery chocolate brown – YES – I love this shade! The colour payoff is amazing and it adds a touch of drama to any look. I love using this on the outer part of my lid to create some depth. I nearly always use it with a damp brush to make it more intense.
Bronze – Metallic bright bronze-gold – The sparkle that this shade gives off is amazing, I feel so glam when I’m wearing it and I always get compliments whenever I have it on. It’s so bright that it makes me look ten times more awake! Again, I tend to apply it with a wet brush, which always intensifies the payoff.
Mulberry – Ultra-matte deep mulberry/plum – The formula is velvety soft and it blends beautifully. I was worried it would be patchy but it was totally fine and applied evenly.
Dusty Rose – Ultra-matte dusty mauve – I love this shade. It’s so elegant and even on it’s own looks lovely. It’s super pigmented and it applies evenly too. I reckon it’s the perfect springtime shade and would also look gorgeous in summer. I don’t actually own any shades quite like this either, so I’ve really enjoyed experimenting with it over the last couple of weeks.
Fairy – Multi-dimensional bright yellow-gold – Isn’t that the perfect name for this shade? It’s so soft and gentle and yet so pigmented and bright! I’ve been wearing this almost every day and I blooming love it. I always apply it on top of a concealer instead of a primer to intensify the brightness and it works a treat!
Burnt Orange – An ultra-matte deep orange – This shade is so pigmented! I didn’t even have to try to get it to swatch well either! It blends really well so I love using this in the crease as a transition shade and also on it’s own for a more subtle look.
Sienna – Ultra-matte earthy brown with red undertones – I love this shade! I’m getting some strong autumnal vibes, so as soon as September rolls around, I can see myself wearing this a lot!
Rustic – Ultra-matte cinnamon brown – I think browns are the shades that I reach for the most! Rustic blends out for a subtle look but can also be built ip up to be quite bold too. I love wearing this on it’s own with a tiny bit of shimmer on the lid. However, as lovely as it is, you may be able to see in the photo above, that it darkened in random places, which made it look a little bit patchy.
Cyprus Umber – Ultra-matte dark coffee brown – I feel like I’m repeating myself here but it’s another brown shade that I reach for all the time! This shade comes in so handy for adding a bit of depth to a look or for creating a smokey eye. Also, I have to say that the pigmentation is insane too, I’m very impressed.
Noir – Ultra-matte carbon black – I love it when palettes include black shades! There was a time where I used to wonder how they could ever be used, whereas now I’m using them all the time. Just like Rustic, it can turn a day-time look into night-time glam in seconds. I often blend this along my lower lashline to make my eyes look bigger and brighter. It’s not as creamy as the other mattes in the palette, so it takes a bit more work to blend out.
I actually really like this palette. I was a bit worried that it would be a tad too subtle for me as I tend to go for shades that I can go all out with. However although the shades are mainly neutral, are all rich in pigmented and with that comes the option to go all out if I wanted to, or I can keep it simple. That’s why I like this palette, it gives you the freedom to create what you want and even just looking at it, I can see so many different combinations! Some of the shades needed a bit of help from primers and wet brushes but I didn’t expect them to be as intense as some of the shades in their other palettes, as after all, it’s been named “soft” for a reason. I’m experimenting with the whole “less is more” idea, so I reckon this palette will come in handy when trying to create some more natural looks. I also think that ABH have been working on their matte formulas as they all felt velvety to the touch (more so than usual) and blended out beautifully. However, a couple of the mattes seemed to darken slightly in random places which isn’t ideal for a high-end palette. My main issue with this, is that I paid a lot of money for this palette, so in all honesty, any flaws aren’t going to go down well. If you’re going to charge a lot, the quality needs to be as close to flawless as possible.
So in conclusion, I like it! It’s a fantastic palette and I’m glad that I added it to my collection. It’s not perfect but it’s pretty close! The weird dark patches with some of the matte shades are a bit annoying but I can get over that as I’m able to use the shades and still get my money’s worth. I can see myself taking this on holiday with me as well as using it in winter so in my opinion it’s a palette that can be used all year round. Not only does it come with 14 gorgeous shades that can create so many different looks, but it also comes with a generously sized mirror, making it ideal to travel with for on-the-go use. Not everyone wants to go for the perky pinks or the vibrant violets, so I would recommend this palette to anyone that’s looking for something more delicate with a hint of glamour too.
Want to know what the other Anastasia Beverly Hills palettes are like? Check out my reviews of Modern Renaissance, Subculture and Prism palettes to find out!
N xxxx
