Product Review -- Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Eye Shadow Palette and Amrezy Highlighter

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like Anastasia Beverly Hills has really been cranking out the eye shadow palettes in a hurry lately.

There was the Subculture Palette (which, unlike a lot of people, I liked just fine) near the end of  last summer and then the Prism Palette for the holidays (which I also liked quite a bit) -- and now, in time for spring, there's the Soft Glam Eye Shadow Palette.

While I liked both the Subculture and Prism Palettes, both color schemes were pretty intense. The Soft Glam's shade range, on the other hand, is right up my alley -- all bronzey, gold, rosy, and neutral tones that are just lovely.

The palette comes in the usual ABH sturdy cardboard packaging that's covered with a velvet-like material. The material for the Soft Glam is a pale golden yellow color, and there's a small mirror on the inside that's okay for touch-ups.

ABH Soft Glam Eye Shadow Palette

It also includes the usual double-ended brush that ABH includes with their palettes -- one end has a flat shader head, and the other offers a fluffy blending head.

ABH Soft Glam brush

The palette contains 14 shadows: Tempera, a matte beige; Glistening, an iridescent gold with a pink reflect; Orange Soda, a matte pale peach; Rose Pink, an iridescent rose gold; Sultry, a metallic warm chocolate brown; Bronze, a metallic golden bronze; Mulberry, a matte berry brown; Dusty Rose, a matte dusty lilac; Fairy, a shimmery pale gold; Burnt Orange, a matte rusty orange; Sienna, a matte earthy brown; Rustic, a matte deep cinnamon brown; Cyprus Umber, a matte dark coffee; and Noir, a matte deep black.

ABH Soft Glam Eye Shadow Palette

(I will point out that there three duplicates from the Modern Renaissance Palette in the Soft Glam: Tempera, Burnt Orange, and Cyprus Umber.)

The formula for the shadows is like most of ABH's palettes -- they're extremely pigmented and soft, and blend relatively easily. Because they're so soft, though, they do kick up quite a bit of powder, so it's important to tap off your brush before applying the shadows.

The color scheme is beautiful, and as I mentioned, suits my tastes perfectly, but I was expecting the palette to be rather soft and subtle. These shades are fairly rich, so most of the looks I wind up with from the palette are fairly sultry if not dramatic.

From l. to r.: Tempera, Glistening, Orange Soda, Rose Pink, Sultry, Bronze, Mulberry

From l. to r.: Dusty Rose, Fairy, Burnt Orange, Sienna, Rustic, Cyprus Umber, Noir

Because the shadows are so rich, I think the palette will work across a variety of skin tones, including darker skin.

Personally, I'm a big fan, and have used it almost exclusively since I got it in the mail about a week ago.

The palette retails for $42, and is available on the ABH website and at Sephora. I think that it should probably turn up at Ulta sooner or later too.

ABH also released a highlighter as part of their spring collection, and though I suspected the shade would be too dark for my fair skin, the promise of an ultra-smooth, skin-like texture convinced me I had to have it.

The Amrezy Highlighter  comes in a plastic compact with a black lid and rose gold metallic bottom. There are lovely rose gold stars etched across the lid and a decent sized mirror on the inside.

ABH Amrezy Highlighter

The highlighter is a pretty light gold color that isn't too dark for my super fair skin -- it's actually just a touch darker than The Balm's Mary Lou Manizer, so if that works for you, this should too.

ABH Amrezy Highlighter

ABH Amrezy Highlighter

It has a thinner texture than Mary Lou Manizer, though, so it blends into the skin beautifully. It builds really nicely too, so you can get as subtle or as intense a look as you like.

I hesitate to say it's a must-have product because it's not a particularly unique shade when it comes to highlighter, but the formula is pretty fantastic so it is worth checking out.

It retails for $28, and is available on the ABH website and at Sephora.

Have you tried the Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Eye Shadow Palette or Amrezy Highlighter? Are you a fan?