Suzie Q Reviews: Anastasia Beverly Hills Sun Dipped Palette

Hey Ladies,

Highlighting and highlight palettes are definitely one of the biggest trends of 2016 and when Anastasia Beverly Hills released their Glow Kits shit hit the fan and people lost their minds over the swatches and pictures on Instagram. ABH isn't readily available in Ireland yet but I managed to pick up the "Sun Dipped" palette when I was in Canada and of course, I have to review it.

First up let's talk about the obvious which is the packaging. On one hand I hate it, I think ABH really could have glammed this up a little more. Whereas, I do think the fact there is no mirror or brush means more product and no wasted space. I love the fact that the pans are removable so you could put these in your own palette for travel or in your kit if you are a makeup artist.

The pan sizes are HUGE and to be honest unless you are a makeup artist you will not need all four shades. If ABH releases these individually that would be ideal but the palette costs C$52 or £39 and if these were sold individually you'd be paying at least 20quid for one so maybe it is better just to buy the palette.

The powders are a super soft buttery texture and blend into the skin gorgeously. There is no chunky glitter and they do not show up skin texture issues as bad as other brands I have tried. There is two palettes in the range and as I mentioned I picked up the "Sun Dipped" as the "That Glow" palette was sold out. If you are a paler girl you wouldn't see this palette as the obvious choice for you but I promise you definitely can wear the shade "Summer". "Moonstone" is a beautiful shade for girls who have more of a tan. "Bronzed" and "Tourmaline" I have yet to try as I don't have skin dark enough to pull them off but I will be wearing them as eye shadows until I do!

These highlighters have been all over Instagram and YouTube! Often I have seen people doing a light swatch and the pigment appears to be so strong you can see them from about 10ft away? I find that these are insanely gorgeous but they are very different in real life compared to what is being shown online. They are very pigmented, more than most I've tried but they aren't *that* intense so don't get your hopes up if you do purchase a palette.

ABH is hard to find but you can pick up this palette from Cult Beauty for £39 both colour options are currently out of stock and I can understand why! Stay tuned as I will be reviewing more Sephora bits and bobs on the blog in the coming weeks but until then check out my Instagram and Snapchat where you will see all of these products in action.

The NYX Shadows You Do/Don't Need....

Hey Ladies, 

If you have seen my latest YouTube video you will know that recently I was in Canada and spent an actual bomb in Sephora on loads of bits and bobs.... and if you haven't seen that video there is a link to it here. A couple of days after I got back from my trip I seen online loads of buzz that a new NYX counter had come to my local Boots store, not that I needed anymore makeup after my splurging but it would be rude not to have a little look and see what the counter was like! 

I was very restrained and only picked up two eye shadows that were recommended by friends, Mermaid and Fireball and from those names and the image about I am sure you can gather which is which. My friend Gracey (@Longhairandlashes on the 'Gram) is always using Mermaid in her photographs and I instantly knew that colour was a must have and as for Fireball what can I say it is too pretty to pass up. I named this post "shadows you do/don't need" because I feel like these shadows aren't the most wearable and/or obvious choice but in terms of their quality and prettiness... sure buy them anyways.

The pigment of these shadows is super strong and they have a beautiful buttery texture. They blend like a dream! Price wise we're looking at 7euro for each which is so inexpensive for what you're getting for your money versus a MAC shadow. Side note about MAC... I feel like they aren't the be all and end all in terms of shadows anymore and there is so much variety now a days that they are slowly slipping from my top 5! 

Back to NYX, these colours are definitely two shades that you could add into your collection of neutrals nicely that will easily turn a look from drab to fab. Imagine this... NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk on the eyelid and then Mermaid pressed on top or in the inner corner, then throw on a bit of liner and add some glitter for good measure and you have yourself a seriously Instagrammable eye look. Fireball is a shadow that you could add to a brown smokey eye to give it that oomph but not go too far outside your comfort zone and it is the colour that you will constantly wear from October till January with a dark lip!

In short, if you're passing a NYX counter just buy these and thank me later!