ABH Spring Collection: Worth the Hype?

Spring is around the corner - and with that comes new makeup (well, let's be real it seems there's new releases from brands nearly every week (eh em, Colourpop), but then there are those brands that have full collection launches, like Anastasia Beverly Hills most recent.

I had the privilege of getting the collection months in advance thanks to the ABH team, and I wanted to share my thoughts with you all. 

This year's collection consists of a new eyeshadow palette, "Soft Glam," which is a sister and sort of bridal version of the beloved Modern Renaissance palette. The collection also features six matte bronzers, eleven new liquid lipstick shades and of course the most talked about collab of the year, the ABH x Amrezy (Amra Olevic), highlighter.

Soft Glam

Let's start off with the palette - which features fourteen shades - 9 of which are matte and 5 of which are metallic, or iridescent shades.

The Soft Glam palette ($42), is the palette that goes from day to night so easily and effortlessly. I'll be honest these are my shades. I absolutely love the neutral and mauve tones.

Shades featured in the palette include:

Tempera: Ultra-matte velvety beige
Glistening: Iridescent gold with a hint of pink reflect
Orange Soda: Ultra-matte pastel peach
Rose Pink: Rose gold with a soft pink iridescent hue
Sultry: A hybrid satin metallic finish warm chocolate brown
Bronze: Metallic gold bronze
Mulberry: Ultra-matte mulberry
Dusty Rose: Ultra-matte dusty lilac
Fairy: Multi-dimensional light gold
Burnt Orange: Ultra-matte deep orange
Sienna: Ultra-matte earthy brown
Rustic: Ultra-matte deep cinnamon brown
Cyprus Umber: Ultra-matte dark coffee
Noir: Ultra-matte deep carbon black

I swatched the palette below. These mattes are deemed ultra-matte and I completely agree with that as these shadows are incredibly pigmented and alittle goes a long way. I personally like to tap in the color very lightly and work with the shadows by building them up. It's easier to build up color, then remove it. (Believe me I've learned the hard way with my other shadows).

Looks

When I first got this palette in my hands, I knew I wanted to create a bronze gold look since all of the gorgeous shimmers were staring back at me.

Golden Grunge

I used Orange Soda, Burnt Orange and Sienna for the transition shades. I found that these blended really well and did not have fallout, like the Subculture palette did. For the outer v, I used the shades Mulberry and Cyprus Umber. I absolutely love the Mulberry shade color, however I did find this was a bit tough to blend. I'm not sure if it's because of the concealer underneath (I used concealer to prime my lids), but for some reason this shade took some work until I was pleased with my results. A tip I use to get the sharp edges is to apply scotch tape to the corner of the eyes. For the lid, I used my Mac 239 brush to pack on the shades Fairy and Bronze. I was amazed at the stunning pigment these shadows had.

For the lower lashes, I did the same and used Mulberry and Cyprus Umber to complete the look. I also applied Fairy to the middle of the lower lash line for a pop of color. To brighten up my look, I used the new bronzer in the shade Rosewood, which is the lightest in the collection. These bronzers have a bit of a reddish undertone, which I don't mind and works well with my yellow/neutral undertones. I also used the ABH x Amrezy highlighter and am in love. It literally looks wet on the skin and so bright, I wish my lights captured all of its beauty. I finished off the lips with Dazed liquid lipstick to complement the eye look.

Mauvey tones

The next look I created was based on the stunning mauve and pink shades in the palette.

For the below look, I achieved this by using Sienna, Dusty rose and Mulberry for the transition. Once the transition was complete and blended, I put concealer all over my lid to create a cut crease effect. I then took a flat brush and applied Rose Pink to the outer half of the lid. There was no fallout whatsoever, which I was really happy about. I then used the shade glistening, for the inner half of the lid, and blended both shades slightly together. I felt the look needed more pizazz, so I added some Urban Decay Heavy Metal glitter in Grind to the crease for a cut crease glitter effect. I really like how this looked. I then added my fav Kat Von D tattoo liner for a crisp black line. For the lower lash line, I used Mulberry, Dusty Rose and the Rose Pink shade. To tie the look together, I finished off with Poet liquid lipstick, which complimented the monochromatic look. This is my favorite lip color from the new spring collection, I think it will be stunning all year around especially for the fall.

These shadows last all day on my lids and do not crease, whether I use a primer or not. I am stunned at the formula and so glad ABH went back with the Modern Renaissance one. This palette is very easy to use whether your a beginner or a pro.

Bronzer

One big surprise with the spring ABH collection, was the introduction of six matte bronzers.

The bronzers ($28) come in six shades: Rosewood, Tawny, Mahogany, Saddle, Rich Amber and Cappuccino.

Bronzers for me have a place in my heart, especially during this winter season. I don't own too many primarily because I know what works best for me and some more than others are usually too orange for my skintone.

I was interested in seeing how these would work for me when ABH previewed them on their Instagram page.

I decided that the shade Rosewood, which is the lightest tone geared towards fair to light skin tones with warm undertones would work best.

Other shades according to the Sephora website include:

Tawny: If your skin has light to cool or neutral undertones
Rich Amber: If you’re light to medium with warm or neutral undertones
Saddle: If you’re light to medium with warm, cool, or olive undertones
Cappuccino: If you’re medium to deep with cool or olive undertones
Mahogany: If you’re medium to deep with cool or olive undertones

See swatches below:

I used these bronzers in the looks above and have to say I was extremely pleased with them. For me, it's very tough to find a bronzer that does not look muddy on me and blends well. I currently have hit pan on my Benefit Hoola bronzer and Colourpop CA Dreaming, so it was perfect timing when I got these bronzers in my hands.

Rosewood has become my everyday go-to bronzer. It blends effortlessly and looks seamless and natural.

Highlighter

I mean...can we talk about this glow, or can we talk about this glow! The biggest and most talked about collab of the year the ABH x Amrezy highlighter definitely did not disappoint.

If you know me I've got dozens of highlighters in my collection, but let me tell you as soon as I gave this product one swipe, I knew all of the highlighters in my collection would be taking a back seat for a while.

The Amrezy highlighter ($28) described as a light brilliant gold gives off such a stunning wet glow that glistens and lives up to Amrezy's glow.

As we know Amra is all about that glow life and this definitely compliments that and lets us all be glow queens alongside the queen of glow herself. This formula is unlike any other highlighter I own; there is not one ounce of kickup when swatched with the finger which literally took me by surprise.

Liquid Lipsticks

The liquid lipstick color range expanded with new shades for this season.

I was sent eleven new shades including Hudson, Poet, Dazed, Bohemian, Bittersweet, Maude, Malt, Grim, Insomniac, Requiem and Nocturnal.

I'm already a huge fan of this formula, Ashton, Stripped and Crush are my go to's. The lip colors last through eating and drinking and don't dry my lips like other matte lipsticks do.

The additional colors introduced in the collection acted no different and lasted all day on my lips.  See swatches below:

Overall Anastasia and Norvina, really hit it out of the park with this collection. I was impressed with every product; from the shadows, to the bronzers to the liquid lip shades and of course the amazing limited edition highlighter. Let me know what you picked up from this collection and follow me on IG to see what new looks I create.

Talk to you soon!