For the longest time, I thought I was allergic to Anastasia Beverly Hills (ABH) eyeshadows. (The greatest tragedy of our time.) I bought the Soft Glam Palette almost immediately after it was released and had issues upon the first use. My eyes were clearly red, itchy, irritated, and slightly swollen. After barely two uses, it went straight back to Ulta. I assumed the worst possible scenario and vowed to stay clear of ABH shadows. That is, until this latest palette dropped.

When I saw the color scheme for this Anastasia Beverly Hills x Carli Bybel Palette, I knew I needed to try it. (Side note: I don’t actually watch a lot of Carli Bybel’s videos, so I’m not a dedicated fan, but happy to support her nonetheless!) If I was allergic, I’d just return it and accept the peace that I’d never buy another ABH eyeshadow again. (Cries*) Of course, I was hesitant at first (11/10 don’t encourage people to use things they think they’re allergic to) until my best friend assured me that maybe the last palette was just a fluke. Hopeful that was the case, I placed an order and the rest is history. 

Packaging: 

The packaging on this product is quite stunning. The palette is the same rectangular shape as the other 14 pan ABH palettes, so there’s nothing new there. However, the cover is beautifully designed. The pink and gold circles look like either bubbles or pearls and they stick out a bit from the actual palette. In my mind, the design is elegant, but youthful. Uh, hello, that’s an entire vibe. The base color of the palette is white, so expect the inside to get dirty as soon as you dip into the eyeshadows. For me, that’s definitely not a deal breaker because I’m more concerned about the quality of the product than making a mess. And yes, I WILL make a mess. 

Product: 

Like I briefly mentioned, you get 14 eyeshadows which come in a variety of finishes. There are some gorgeous mattes, a few beautiful shimmers, and various foiled/glitter shades. Guess which ones I bought this palette for? If you said the mattes, do you even know me? I’m ALWAYS drawn to the dramatic shades of a palette first, so when I saw OA (purple based eyeshadow with a shit ton of multicolored glitter) my mouth almost fell to the floor. I can unashamedly admit this is the color I wanted the palette for. Obviously, I liked the rest of the shades too, but there is nothing like this specific eyeshadow in my collection. 

To be quite honest, all of the foiled shades are simply breathtaking. I’m not even sure if I can pick a favorite after trying most of them on my eyes already. I also think Carli Bybel did a great job at choosing matte colors. Boie, the more cool-toned brown shade, can pretty much be paired with any shadow from this palette. Chai and Cindy are perfect crease shades as well. I would prefer Cindy to be a bit more peachier than coral, but that’s just personal preference. And that pop of red in Stev really rounds out the palette for me. From the shimmers, Mandala calls my name the most, even though it seems like it might be more of an eyeshadow topper than anything else. All in all, I really don’t think the color scheme could have been better. 

Like standard ABH palettes, this one includes a dual ended brush. It’s actually pretty good quality considering most brushes that come with a product aren’t usually the best. One end is perfect for blending crease colors while the other is more for packing shadows on the lid. It’s a nice little bonus, but the addition of a brush wouldn’t have swayed me from buying this palette or not. 

Price: $45

When I first started playing with makeup, I exclusively bought prestige palettes from Ulta and Sephora. However, now that the drugstore has stepped up its game, it’s more uncommon for me to splurge on a high end palette such as this one. It’s also important to note that I didn’t pay full price for this product. I used a 20% off Ulta coupon which brought this palette down to $36. Compared to the price and amount of shadows that come in a standard Morphe 35 pan palette, you’re clearly getting a better deal going with Morphe over ABH any day. If i had to pay full price, I might have splurged, but I also might have passed. It’s a toss up. Sometimes these 14 pan ABH palettes go on sale at Ulta without a coupon, and I may have waited until then to buy it as well. If we’re being quite honest, $45 is a pretty hefty amount to shell out for an eyeshadow palette. Especially one that only contains 14 shades. Some people might see its worth, but I’m on the fence. Even $36 is a bit up there for me, but I wanted this palette before the holidays (I feel like I can get some cute Christmas looks from it) so I figured this was the time to rip the band-aid. At the end of the day it’s all personal preference. Oh, and don’t forget your budget!

Performance: 

The performance of these shadows definitely deserve high praise. It’s rare that ABH shades are duds and these prove to be anything but. The mattes blend almost effortlessly. Jode, (the one shimmer I’ve used so far) packed on my eyes with no trouble. And of course, the foiled shades go that extra mile. I will mention that when it comes to using these shadows, DO YOUR EYES FIRST. I cannot stress this enough. I find there to be a decent amount of kickup/fallout with a lot of these colors, but mostly the foiled ones. However, this issue is 100% preventable if you just do your eyeshadow before your face and use a makeup wipe to clean up whatever mess you made. I also recommend using the NYX Glitter Glue to help the product stick and get that extra oomph. 

Final Thoughts:

I have 0 regrets buying this palette. First of all, the shadows didn’t bother my eyes like they did the last time, so that’s a major personal victory. I feel like you can easily get a cohesive look from the colors alone in this palette, while also being able to experiment with more fun shades. Plus, the quality is there so you should have no issues with shades being patchy, unblendable, or anything of that unfortunate nature. The biggest gripe for me is the full price of this palette. If you break it down, each shadow costs about $3.20, which isn’t awful, but adds up quickly. I was lucky enough to use a coupon, so I saved $9 total. If you’re concerned about the price, I’d highly recommend waiting until this palette goes on sale or buy it when you have a coupon. If the price isn’t an issue, what are you waiting for? Go on, git! 

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