ABH Modern Renaissance Palette

It's been a little while since I've done any reviews and since it was my 30th birthday recently, I had asked for the ABH Modern Renaissance palette, so after playing with it for a couple of months, I finally decided to write a review so we can see if it lives up to the hype.... 

The first thing I will say is that there has been a lot of hype surrounding this palette, prior to deciding whether I really wanted it, I researched and watched many YouTube videos and read many blog posts. Secondly, priced at £41, this is definitely the most expensive palette I've ever owned!

But what's it actually like? Well, I love the name Modern Renaissance and the pink velvet packaging, I've never known a brand to do this before but I like it, even if it does attract stains and dust, the name sounds decadent and the packaging feels luxurious. The colours are mostly warm, so a lot of pinks and purples with some taupe thrown in. They are very creamy and blend like a dream! They are also extremely pigmented so a tiny dab of your brush into the colours goes a long way, this isn't like a normal eyeshadow palette and the first time I tried to use it, this caught me out. I tapped my brush into the colours as I usually would, however I wasn't prepared for how much eyeshadow ended up being dispensed onto my brush so that when I applied it on my eye it was very bold and intense. If you're after subtle eye makeup looks, it can be achieved using this palette, however my advice would be to go lightly and only tap your brush into your chosen eyeshadow once and then tap off any excess. 

The shadows also have a lot of fall out, for those unfamiliar with this, basically because this is so pigmented, each time you tap your brush into the colours, a lot of powder falls out, this is to be expected however, because this is almost pure pigment and also because of the way the shadows are pressed in the factory. Another tip would be to apply these shadows before the rest of your face, therefore if there is any fall out then it can easily be dusted off without ruining your foundation. 

I have seen many YouTube tutorials and whilst I attempted to copy some of them, I usually find that creating my own looks works best for me. I prefer to stick to the purple and taupe colours, with my absolute favourite shades being Vermeer which is a shimmery highlight shade, perfect for highlighting your brow bone, Buon Fresco which is a matte lilac colour and can be used as a transition shade and Love Letter which is a deep pink and looks great on the outer crease. I then use a darker colour on the outer corners of my crease to create some slight smoke and intensity. 

There are many different looks which can be achieved with this, unfortunately I find myself swaying to the same colours each time I go to use it so recently I've been creating different looks, some days I go for all the pinks and purples and then other days I go for the taupes and oranges. Here are a couple of looks I have achieved using this palette so far... 

Gold and bronze shimmer

Purple and pink shimmer, my favourite look so far 

So would I recommend this palette? Yes I absolutely would, so many looks can be achieved with this, it's super creamy and pigmented, the shades blend so well together and in fact these are the most pigmented eyeshadows I've ever used, the colours are absolutely stunning and it feels and looks luxurious. It looks so beautiful that I almost don't want to use it. Is it worth the price tag? I would have to be honest and say yes, however there are a couple of drugstore dupes available such as the Makeup Revolution Flawless 3 Resurrection palette which is a fraction of the price at £8 and which contains very similar shades, of course you're not going to get the same pigment or colour payoff as the ABH palette though but for the price it's a nice alternative. You can read my review of that palette here. 

The only negatives I have about this is the fact that sometimes if you're not careful which colours you choose to blend together they can turn into a muddy colour and that it is quite a tricky palette to use, I find that I have to take my time when using it and plan out which colours I want to use, one false move and the shadow ends up all over. I hope you enjoyed reading this honest review. 

Jen

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