Product Review -- Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Eye Shadow Palette

I've always had really good luck with the Anastasia Beverly Hills (ABH) eye shadow palettes.

Which means I've never purchased one that I didn't love.

And yet, I still haven't gotten around to purchasing any of the brand's single shadows.

Weird, right?

But that's sort of beside the point -- my real point is that I often decide to buy an ABH palette without ever seeing it.

I'll hear that they're coming out with something and just assume that it's something I'll want.

That wasn't exactly the case with the ABH Modern Renaissance Eye Shadow Palette.

The first time I heard about it was when I saw a photo on Instagram, and it was quite literally love at first sight.

All the warm red, pink, and orange-y tones -- could you get any more gorgeous?

The palette comes in a slim cardboard packaging that's covered in a pink velvet-like material. It feels fantastic, but it's the kind of material that you just know is going to be dirty in a hurry (In fact, mine already has a few smudges and I've only had the palette for a couple of weeks).

ABH Modern Renaissance Eye Shadow Palette

There's a small mirror on the inside that works okay for touch-ups, and a double-ended brush with a flat shader end and a fluffy blending end is also included. The brush is actually decent quality too, so I definitely think it's usuable in a pinch.

Inside, you get 14 shadows: Tempera, a matte beige; Golden Ochre, a matte dirty yellow; Vermeer, a metallic pale champagne; Buon Fresco, a matte purple-y mauve; Antique Bronze, a dark bronze with a satin-y finish; Love Letter, a matte raspberry; Cyprus Umber, a matte black brown; Raw Sienna, a matte tan with orange-y undertones; Burnt Orange, a deep matte orange; Primavera, a metallic light gold; Red Ochre, a matte deep red brown; Venetian Red, a matte crimson; Warm Taupe, a matte gray brown; and Realgar, a matte reddish orange.

ABH Modern Renaissance Palette

As with all of the ABH eye shadow palettes I've tried, the shadows have a really great formula. The majority of the shades are matte, and yet all of the shades are nicely pigmented, smooth, and creamy, so they're really nice to work with.

That said, I'm not sure that this palette will appeal to everyone.

Because while I think the shade range is absolutely stunning, I know not everyone is crazy about wearing red, pink, and orange tones on their eyes.

Personally, I love it because my eyes are blue so the contrast really makes them pop. I do have to be careful about wearing those colors, though, because my skin is so fair that it's easy for me to look sick if I get too carried away. The key for me is a light hand. I have a duo-fiber crease brush that's really wonderful for diffusing the deeper red and pink tones through the crease for a soft but still impactful look.

From l. to r.: Tempera, Golden Ochre Vermeer, Buon Fresco, Antique Bronze, Love Letter, Cyprus Umber

From l. to r.: Raw Sienna, Burnt Orange, Primavera, Red Ochre, Venetian Red, Warm Taupe, Realgar

When it comes to favorite shades, Love Letter, Red Ochre, Venetian Red, and Realgar are the obvious ones because they're just so rich and bold.

However, I absolutely love Buon Fresco, Raw Sienna, and Burnt Orange as transition shades and Antique Bronze and Cyprus Umber for crease and deepening up the outer corner.

It may seem fairly blah in the pan, but I'm also obsessed with Vermeer. It's just such a gorgeous brightening shade for the lid or inner corner -- and is super shiny, so it pairs well with all the matte shades in the palette.

I absolutely love this palette even with my fair skin, but I imagine that if your skin tone is deeper, it would be even more stunning.

So if you like the color selection in the palette, I would definitely pick this one up.

I believe it's a permanent item in the ABH range, too, so you may want to go see it in store and do some swatching to see if it's up your alley.

It retails for $42, and is available on the ABH website, Sephora, and Ulta.

Have you tried the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Eye Shadow Palette? Which shades are your favorites?