Tag: ABH

Modern Renaissance Eyeshadow Palette Review

by Mackenzie

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Anastasia Beverly Hills ‘Modern Renaissance’ Palette 

A few weeks ago, I made the realization that I hadn’t couldn’t remember the last time I purchased a new eyeshadow palette for myself. The thought never really crossed my mind all summer as I opted for a ‘no makeup’ look pretty much the entire course of May, June, July and August. Every winter, I find myself reaching for the glitter, false lashes, and, of course, vampy lip shades. On a quest to find a new eyeshadow palette for winter, I watched what felt like hundred a Youtube videos to get some recommendations. The number one most raved about palette was definitely the Anastasia Beverly Hills ‘Modern Renaissance’ palette. I figured most of the reviews on YouTube were biased, sponsored reviews, so I headed to the Sephora website to see what other opinions I could find about the palette. The reviews were stellar and the palette was currently number one on the ‘most popular’ products on the site. My mind was made up. I headed to my local Ulta, only to discover it was completely sold out! Luckily I was able to get my hands on the palette at Sephora. After showing this palette on my snapchat, I had several of y’all reach out and request a review. I have lots of thoughts about this palette, so I hope that you can find my opinions helpful if you are considering this eyeshadow palette.

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ABH palette

   I have now been trying out the ‘Modern Renaissance’ palette for a week or two now, and even in that short amount of time, I can honestly say that I am obsessed. What drew me in was the beautiful variety of warm shades. I love how there are a ton of everyday neutrals, but there are also a handful of fun colors that are still incredibly wearable & on trend. I also find that this eyeshadow palette looks beautiful on all eye colors and all skin tones. The Modern Renaissance palette has definitely re-sparked my love for makeup, and it’s really encouraged me to be a little creative. I can’t imagine myself getting bored of this palette, and I am constantly discovering new color combinations. It has shades like tempera and golden ochre that are perfect for a daily basis. However, with shades like venetian red and love letter, you can totally make some really unique, glam looks for night. Lately I’ve been loving how the berry tones compliment my favorite single eyeshadow, ‘Solstice’ by Urban Decay, perfectly.

Here are a few of my favorite shadow combos with this palette:

golden ochre in the crease + primavera on the lid

burnt orange in the crease + antique bronze in the outer corner + tempera on brow bone

realgar in the crease + primavera in the center of the lid 

venetian red all of the lid + Urban Decay ‘Solstice’ in the center

[ps: If you want to see some amazing swatches of these shadows, definitely check out Temptalia’s post!]

ABH palette

 This is definitely a palette I would repurchase in the future. My sister, who does not wear a lot of makeup on a weekly basis, was stealing this palette from me almost daily last week. It looked gorgeous with her green eyes. However, I also feel like it compliments my blue eyes very nicely as well! The shadows are very pigmented, smooth, and easy to apply and blend. This was my first time trying any Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeshadows (I usually opt for Urban Decay or Too Faced), but I have to admit I am a huge fan now. I would definitely consider purchasing another ABH palette in the future! An additional thing I really like about this ABH palette is the brush that comes in the palette. In the past, I have hated every single brush that was included in an eyeshadow palette. Most of the time, they tend to be cheap and unusable. However, I actually really love the brush that comes with the palette, and I’ve been using it every single time! Though I absolutely love this palette, there are a few cons for me. One con is definitely the price. This palette retails at $42, which isn’t awful, but it is on the pricy side. Another con is the packaging. Though the palette packaging is a beautiful pale pink and quite sturdy, it does get incredibly dirty due to the material on the front of the palette. I have had mine for less than two full weeks, and it already is getting dirty. Lastly, another con is that this palette kicks up a little dust. I heard this mentioned on several Youtube reviews, and now that I own the palette myself, I can definitely agree with that. This personally doesn’t bother me much and isn’t a ‘deal breaker’ by any means, but it is something to note!

Pros: great variety of shades with everyday neutrals and wearable pops of color, very on trend, flattering for every eye color, great pigmentation, easy to blend, not limited edition

Cons: packaging gets very dirty, on the pricy side, shadows kick up a little dust

In summary, I love this palette! I think it would make a great Christmas gift to a friend, sister, mom, or yourself (treat yo self). This is a palette I would 100% recommend, especially if you are looking for a unique palette that has a variety of versatile nudes and wearable pops of color. It’s by far my favorite makeup purchase this semester!

If you’ve tried the Modern Renaissance palette, let me know what you thought about it. Also, let me know your favorite eyeshadow palettes at the moment! I hope you are having a fantastic week.

xoxo,

Mackenzie

Brow Definer vs. Brow Wiz

by Mackenzie

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Brow Definer | Brow Wiz

Perfect brows were all the rage this past year, and I couldn’t resist jumping on the band wagon in 2015. I have very naturally sparse brows, so I’m always trying out new brow products to fake fuller brows. Over the past year, I’ve been obsessed with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz pencil (my sister, mom, and bestie love it as well). I’m not exaggerating at all when I say that I’ve purchased over five of them. The second I hear that clicking noise – letting me know the pencil has run out- I always run to the closest Ulta or Sephora ASAP. The Brow Wiz pencils are so incredible, have a great color selection, and do a fabulous job of filling in the brows. I heard that Anastasia Beverly Hills recently released a new, similar product, and I knew that I had to check it out to see if it was truly better than my holy grail brow product. I watched a few youtube reviews on the Brow Definer, which ended up not being too helpful given all the mixed opinions. So I headed to my local Ulta to try it out for myself. After swatching it, I was sold. I decided to pick up the color ‘Soft Brown’, which I have swatched above. The Brow Definer is described on the Ulta website as:

“This retractable mechanical pencil has a thick, triangular tip that outlines brows and fills sparse areas in one fluid motion. The smooth, creamy formula glides effortlessly to cover and define, while the soft-bristled end blends edges for a natural finish.”

The initial thing I noticed about the Brow Definer was the size. It is a lot larger than the original Brow Wiz. In addition to that detail, you also get more product, thus getting a better bang for your buck. The Brow Wiz is priced is $21 and .003 oz, and the Brow Definer is $23 and .007 oz. I go through the Brow Wiz pencils pretty quickly because I fill in my brows daily, and I have a lot of sparse sections to fill in. I figured it was worth the money to get the Brow Definer because it does have more than double the product amount and will definitely last me longer.

Not only is there a difference in the size, packaging, and price, there is also a huge difference in the actual product shape. The Brow Definer has a very slanted end that is much larger in size than the tiny, precise Brow Wiz tip. I find the Brow Definer very easy to use, and it does a great job of allowing me to fill in my sparse brows when I am in a rush. The Brow Wiz is definitely more time consuming, and it takes me a while to fill in my brows because of how small the tip is. However, the Brow Definer definitely takes half the time due to the shape and size of the tip. The slanted tip also makes it really easy to create a very natural arch to the brows and fill in the sparse areas with ease. I find the look of the Brow Definer to be a little more natural on me in comparison to the look that the Brow Wiz provides.

Brow Definer pros:

  • more product for your money
  • quicker to apply
  • slanted tip makes it easy to create a nice arch
  • great for sparse brow areas
  • comes in more shades than the Brow Wiz

Brow Definer cons:

  • slightly more expensive than the Brow Wiz
  • I prefer the small spoolie on the Brow Wiz
  • may be a little too large for those with very thin brows
  • may be too overwhelming and unnecessary for those with naturally thick and full brows

In summary, I definitely prefer the Brow Definer. Though I have been a huge fan of the Brow Wiz over the past year, the Brow Definer has won me over. Because I have lots of sparse areas in my brows, it can be very time consuming to fill them in- especially when I am in a hurry to get to class. The Brow Definer fills in my brows quickly and helps me easily create a nice, natural arch. The Brow Wiz may be a better fit for those that already have fuller brows and just want to just touch up a few spots. The Brow Wiz also might be better for those with thin brows. Anastasia Beverly Hills makes the best brow products on the market, in my opinion, so you definitely can’t go wrong with either! If I were to repurchase one of these two pencils though, I would definitely go for the Brow Definer for me personally. It’s fantastic, and I am so glad I picked it up.

Let me know what your favorite brow products are!

xoxo,

Mackenzie

P.S. Do y’all like my new camera lens? I found it in the back of my closet yesterday, so I thought I would switch it up!