Favorite Makeup Products of 2018

So, it's the end of the year, and everyone is making their lists of the best and worst makeup of 2018. The older I get and the less involved with the "influencer" side of the beauty industry I become, these lists matter less and less to me. That also might be because we are so inundated with new releases that it's hard to hold onto a few select products as "the best." And even if they do make that cut, where will they be six months or a year from now?

I didn't try a ton of new makeup this year. I did buy some things and I was gifted a few things, but I was generally less concerned with buying.

Because of this, it didn't make much sense to me to create my own "best of 2018" list, since I didn't buy many new releases and mainly just used and loved what I already had. And then it struck me—that's the entire point of this blog. To encourage mindful shopping and using what you already own.

So I decided to write a post on my favorite makeup items of 2018—most of which I acquired before 2018.

FACE

Foundation: Fenty Pro Filt'r 

I talked in depth about this foundation in a recent post, but this is a really fantastic foundation. It gives my skin a light, skin-like finish and provides a lot of coverage while also not looking like a mask. I love the shade range, and it is a brand that I feel good supporting. 

Primer: Australian Gold Tinted Sunscreen

I've used this sunscreen as a primer for a while, and despite trying several different primers this year, it still came out on top for me. My previous favorite foundation (It Cosmetics CC+) had SPF 50 within it, so it is even more important to me now to have SPF in my primer. I've raved about this sunscreen before, and I will continue to do so. It's non-greasy and yet really holds onto foundation well. I love it. 

Multi-purpose spray: MAC Fix+

I have used MAC Fix+ for many years, but I used it more this year than any other. And that's because I finally started wetting eyeshadows. This was never something I was all that interested in, mainly because I didn't feel I should have to wet an eyeshadow in order for it to work. And I still agree with that (I'm looking at you, Makeup Revolution The Emily Edit). However, some shadows still perform dry but pack a little more punch when wet, and those are the ones for which I don't mind putting in the additional effort. To wet shadows, I'll only use Fix+. This product was also heavily used when I was finishing my Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot powder and my face looked like it was caked in product. Fix+ took down the powder look and made my skin appear a bit more natural. 

Bronzer: Hourglass Luminous Bronze Light

It's not surprising that my favorite bronzer is from Hourglass, since all of my favorite powder face products are from Hourglass. I didn't use bronzer for years (I didn't understand the point of it, to be honest), and I still only use a small amount, but I have come to really love the warmth it gives my face. With that said, I'm unsure how anyone ever finishes a bronzer. I have had this product for a long time, and I use it almost daily, and I have only made a small dent in it. 

Setting powder: Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder

This is a relatively new product to me, so it might be a little unfair to call it a favorite already, but I don't care. It is. I purchased this powder to replace my One Heck of a Blot powder when it was finished, and I absolutely love it. It makes my skin look airbrushed. That shouldn't be surprising—so many Hourglass products do that. I feel like you might not notice a huge difference with this powder (and other Hourglass products) until you stop using it. That happened to me with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder, and I just couldn't understand why my face looked so dull when I didn't use it. I feel the same about this. 

Finishing powder: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light

I've talked about this product so much at this point, so all I will say here is that I can't really see anything ever topping this powder for me. I plan on using it as long as Hourglass makes it. 

BLUSH

I have a sizable blush collection (though it probably appears small when compared to a large number of beauty content creators), and these four are the ones that stood out to me this year as the best. 

Marc Jacobs Lines and Last Night

Lines and Last Night is a perfect peach/orange blush for my skin tone, and it lasts all day without fading. I have two other Marc Jacobs blushes in this formula, but neither are quite as special (on me) as this one.

NARS Exhibit A

I've talked about this blush several times before, but this is my all-time favorite and the blush I wear the most.

MAC Gingerly 

This blush is such a great color, but unfortunately, the staying power isn't the greatest on me. I really like to pair Gingerly with a yellow-gold highlighter and warm nude (on me) lipstick. It also looks great with green or mustard eyeshadow!

Hourglass Mood Exposure

Next to Exhibit A, this is my favorite blush. Whenever I can't quite figure out what blush to wear, I go for this one. When I'm traveling, this is usually the only blush I take. I think what everyone else loves about Tarte Exposed is what I love about Mood Exposure.

HIGHLIGHTER

I firmly believe that a highlighter is a highlighter is a highlighter. I picked my three favorites from the year and the three I've worn the most, but honestly, while there are differences between them, I think they all look pretty similar on the skin—like almost every highlighter. 

Becca Vanilla Quartz

For years, Becca Moonstone was my top favorite, and it probably still is, but I wore Vanilla Quartz the most in 2018. I like that it has a yellow/peach base instead of a champagne base, which sets it slightly apart from Moonstone. Becca highlighters will likely always be my favorite, and Vanilla Quartz is a stunner. 

Physician's Formula Butter Highlighter in Pearl

I've recently talked about Pearl, but I have to say that I'll never understand why people seemed to have skipped over this highlighter. This is the only highlighter from the Butter line that I personally felt was unique, but performs at a level that is far above its price range. I would think people would rave about the Butter line, but unless I'm missing something, I haven't heard anything. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills X Amrezy Highlighter

This highlighter was given to me as a gift at a time when I really wasn't wearing much makeup or focused on anything other than recovering from 5 years of unhappiness and environmental depression as a result of living in New York City. So, it took me quite a while to use it. But since then, I have worn it a lot, and it has become a favorite.

Honestly, I wouldn't have purchased this highlighter myself, and I debated even including it in this list. And the reason for that is because Amrezy is not a person who I personally feel comfortable supporting. I understand that she and Norvina of ABH are friends, but I don't think she's a good candidate as a brand ambassador.

The highlighter is really pretty, and I was surprised by how much I liked the strong yellow-gold color. I pair this highlighter with MAC Gingerly, and I think the two make a really nice combination.

EYESHADOW PALETTES (NEW)

The irony here, of course, is that my two favorite eyeshadow palettes that released in 2018 (or at least were new to me) are pretty far apart in terms of price. I purchased NYX Grind for $12 (when it was on sale), and the Pat McGrath Decadence palette was a hefty $125. 

NYX Grind

I've heard next to no one talk about this palette, and I really don't understand why. I think it's really fantastic and one of the best color stories to come out in a while. It performs at a level that is much higher than its price range, and I don't have to work to make the shadows perform. They are just high quality. It's always a treat to use this palette. 

Pat McGrath Mothership IV — Decadence 

I bought this palette as a "Congrats, you survived New York" gift to myself. Decadence is the nicest makeup item I have ever owned. (I was then gifted another Pat McGrath palette—one of the smaller ones—and I was not impressed with that.) I have no concept why Decadence was the only limited edition Mothership palette. That makes no sense to me because I feel like it's the best one. And I think it's really disappointing that people can't buy it anymore. 

I had a slightly hard time tracking it down (it was sold out online and I had to put this one on hold at a Sephora near me and then race to buy it), but I never made the connection that it was limited edition (and not a false scarcity tactic). I remember the Sephora employee gasping when I gave my name and said what I was picking up. And I remember thinking that was weird. 

This is a beautiful palette, and these are the highest quality eyeshadows I have ever used. That's especially why I was disappointed in the smaller PM palette as it doesn't seem that the quality is consistent across the board. Decadence is the perfect name for this palette. I only wish it was still available for people to purchase. 

EYESHADOW PALETTE (NOT NEW)

BH Cosmetics Zodiac 

Up front, I need to give a disclaimer. As I detailed in my last post, I'm not sure that I will ever buy from BH Cosmetics again because I have recently had the worst customer service experience to date after purchasing from them. Long story short: They took 28 days to ship a product to me, lied to me, ignored me, and then blamed the USPS for their errors. I was incredibly disappointed by how I was treated, and when I went onto their social media, the comments were littered with people like me who were being ignored and were frustrated. Customer service is a big deal to me (and most consumers), so, at present, this is not a company that I can or do recommend purchasing from. 

With that said, the Zodiac palette is my favorite palette in my collection. And I'm including it in this post because if you already own this palette, I wanted to maybe remind you of how great it is and encourage you to get more use out of it. Zodiac is a fantastic palette, and it performs better than a lot of high-end palettes that I've tried. It is beyond disappointing that BH Cosmetics handled their customer service so unprofessionally because I really do love a lot of their products. 

SINGLE EYESHADOWS

If you've read my blog for any period of time, you'll know that I love single eyeshadows. Reflecting upon which are my favorite of the year, I found that there was a nice mix of new and old shadows. They are:

Marc Jacobs Copperazzi

Fyrinnae Rapunzel Had Extensions

Fyrinnae Serendipity 

Urban Decay Space Cowboy

Marc Jacobs The Big O!

Hourglass Foil

Fyrinnae It Beautifies! 

I have talked about all of these shadows in previous posts, so I will just say that these are the singles in my collection that really stand out, either because of color, texture, or finish. 

SINGLE EYESHADOWS (HONORABLE MENTION)

This might be cheating, but I wanted to give a mention to my giant palette (from Coloured Raine) of single shadows that I either purchased individually or depotted from palettes. This giant collection of singles helps me dupe so many new releases, and my desire to own new things gets immediately curbed. Largely, I don't think singles get enough love, but they are the best tool I have to resist buying something unnecessary. Singles will forever be one of my favorite products. 

LIPS

If I'm honest, I haven't always been a huge lip product person. That's largely because:

• I drink coffee all day and hate getting lipstick all over my nice mugs
• I typically only apply lipstick in the morning 
• I very rarely reapply my lipstick throughout the day

But, even though I might not wear it as much as I would like, I still apply some kind of lip product most days, and these are my favorites.

NARS Barbara

The NARS Audacious lipstick formula is one of my all-time favorites, and Barbara is my go-to warm nude (on me) that I pair with bold eyes, MAC Gingerly, and the ABH highlighter. 

NARS Anna

I think this is a perfect lip color for me and my skin tone, and it feels like the lipstick version of Hourglass Mood Exposure. 

Estée Lauder Shock & Awe

This has been in a monthly favorites post before, and I continue to love it. On me, it's not as bright as it looks in the tube, and I find it to be a really wearable and pretty pink. 

Pat McGrath Antidote

I bought this lipstick at the same time that I bought the Decadence palette, and I absolutely love it. I don't have anything even similar in color, and I love wearing it with a matte mustard eye look. 

Tom Ford Fetishist 

I wrote about this lipstick in a recent post, and I will say that despite the staggering price tag, it's a great lipstick. Its staying powder is like none other in my collection (including liquid lipsticks!). The color is deep and romantic, and it feels every bit as luxurious as you would expect from Tom Ford (and its price!).

Project Pan Finale: Empty Products

A few months ago, I decided to embark on a project pan to use up or hit the pan of several makeup items. My goal was to finish 12 products before Christmas/the end of 2018. And as you will see below, I not only hit that goal, but I surpassed it! I used up/hit the pan of 19 makeup products!

In this post, I'll walk through all of the products I used up and discuss if I plan on repurchasing or not.

Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot
Goal: Finish
Status: Will not repurchase

As you can see with this dirty pan, I accomplished my goal of finishing the setting powder. The powder developed hard pan, which made it difficult to use, so I needed to repress it to get rid of the hard pan and give myself an even pan again. This is what it looked like before repressing:

And after:

Once I repressed the powder, it was much less densely packed, which meant that I picked up more product with my brush. While I liked this product and I think it does a good job of keeping the face matte, with the loosened product, I found that it left a white cast on my face and make me look really powdery. This didn't happen until I repressed the product, which, again, was generally difficult to use before repressing. 

I don't like to keep more than one powder in my collection at a time, so I have replaced this product with the Hourglass Veil translucent powder. So far, I really like that one. 

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel

Goal: Hit the pan

Status: Will continue to use, but will likely not repurchase

Back when I was living in New York and using makeup as a coping mechanism, I purchased the very expensive and not at all inclusive Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel cream bronzer, which is also known as the "universal bronze." This is not a universal bronze. This is the first and only cream bronzer I have ever used, and while I think it's a good product, I have to really blend it out or else it leaves my face with an orange/brown stripe. Obviously part of this could be my application or user error, but the shade just isn't right for me or what I would want. With that said, the product works, and I would like to use it up since there is nothing wrong with it and I spent quite a bit of money on it. 

Generally, I find that I prefer my powder bronzer (Hourglass Luminous Bronze Light), so while I intend to use up this product, I doubt I will repurchase. 

Tarte Exposed blush

Goal: Hit the pan

Status: Will continue to use, but will not repurchase 

This may be the only powder blush I have ever hit the pan of, and the only reason I have is likely because I have to use so much product just to get any color payoff. I do like the color of this blush, but Tarte is not a brand that I want to support. I'm tired of how non-inclusive the brand is, and until that changes, I don't want to purchase anything for them. I don't know if Exposed will stick around in my collection long enough for me to use up the entire thing, but if it does, I will not repurchase. 

Physician's Formula Butter Highlighter in Pearl

Goal: Hit the pan

Status: Will continue to use

I have a lot of highlighters in my collection, but this is one of my favorites. I'm not a huge fan of the twist packaging or the swirl design, but I really love the product. It has a duochrome finish, and I find that it lasts longer on my skin than many mid-range or high-end products. I don't hear a lot of people talk about this, but it's certainly a product that I love. This is only the second highlighter that I have ever hit the pan of, and the other is Becca Moonstone, which is my all-time favorite. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light

Goal: Hit the pan

Status: All-time favorite

After I finished my Dim Light powder last year, I immediately replaced it with this one. I love this product. I use it as an all over finishing powder, and I find that I just don't like my makeup without it. I will continue to repurchase and love this product. 

Physician's Formula The Healthy Foundation and Milani Conceal + Perfect

Goal: Finish

Status: Will not repurchase 

I am usually a huge proponent of "do not use a product that you hate just to finish it," but I made an exception for these two foundations. In an attempt to find a more inclusive foundation to support (we will get into this more in the next product), I purchased both of these foundations. On their own, I hated both of them. Mixed together, I hated them less. The worst offender of the two was The Healthy Foundation. This looked so dry on my skin, and I have combination skin. The coverage was very thin, and while I don't like full-coverage foundations, this one didn't even seen to be able to provide an even layer of coverage at all. The shade I purchased was also too light for my skin tone. Conceal + Perfect, on the other hand, was way too full coverage for me, and the shade I purchased was too dark. I was able to mix the two of them together for shade and coverage/texture, and while that was better than either on their own, it still wasn't great. 

It's worth noting that the cap on The Healthy Foundation continually broke and splintered off as I worked through the bottle, which made this miserable to use. I can see both of these products working for people with skin types that are different from mine, but I will not repurchase. 

It Cosmetics CC+ Cream

Goal: Finish

Status: Will not repurchase until the shade range improves 

If you've been a longtime reader of my blog, you'll know that this is my all-time favorite foundation. Truthfully, I would be very happy to just use this foundation and not even try another one. But, this foundation shade range is unacceptable, and I cannot support it. Until recently, there were only four shades in this range, and none of them were dark enough for deep skin tones. The range has expanded to 12 shades, but seven of those are meant for light skin, three for medium skin, one for dark, and one for deep. So, even though the range is slightly better, it still skews too heavily toward light skin, and it is not something that I am comfortable supporting. 

To replace this, I have recently purchased the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r foundation, and I absolutely love it. 

Elf Mineral Face Primer

Goal: Finish

Status: May repurchase one day, but not now 

I used up a few primers during this project, and I think this one is good value for the money. I liked it just as much as the Make Up For Ever mattifying one, and think it gives generally similar results to the Hourglass Mineral Veil. I didn't love it, however, and I have found other primers that I like more.

Samples: Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Primer, Becca Backlight Primer, Becca Blurring Primer

Goal: Finish

Status: May repurchase Becca Backlight Primer

I had three primer samples, so I used them all up in this project. 

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Primer: I hated this primer. It was impossible to pump (but that may just be the sample), the smell was off-putting, and the texture was very waxy and thick. It clung to the foundation and my Beauty Blender—making it impossible to wash—and I did not like the results on my face. 

Becca Blurring Primer: I also hated this primer. I left behind a powdery residue on my fingers and face after application, and I found that it didn't work well with my foundation. 

Becca Backlight Primer: I've purchased this before and didn't care for it or notice any difference with it, but it looked absolutely gorgeous with the Fenty foundation. I am currently using the Australian Gold mineral tinted sunscreen as a primer, and I love that, but I can see myself buying the Becca Backlight again soon. 

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

Goal: Finish

Status: Have already repurchased 

This is my all-time favorite eye primer, and one that I will continue to repurchase. I have finished several bottles of this primer, and I will continue to repurchase it. 

L'Oreal Lash Paradise Base

Goal: Finish

Status: Have already repurchased

I haven't tried too many mascara primers, but I loved this one. I use it with Benefit Bad Gal Bang mascara, and I love the effects of it. I finished up this entire bottle (even before the two month expiration date) and immediately repurchased another. I love how it makes my lashes look. 

Sample: Benefit Bad Gal Bang 

Goal: Finish

Status: Have already repurchased 

I received a sample of this mascara, and, in an unusual act for me, I used up the entire thing. I have long loved many Benefit mascaras (They're Real and Roller Lash have been favorites of mine), but I always find that I get tired of paying the high price, and then I'll buy a drugstore one for a while. That tradition may continue, but I really love the combination of this mascara and the L'Oreal Lash Paradise primer. 

Physician's Formula Eye Booster

Goal: Finish

Status: Have already repurchased 

This is another boring one to write about as this has been my all-time favorite eyeliner for years, and it continues to be. I have used up many of these eyeliners, and I always immediately repurchase another. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer 

Goal: Finish

Status: Undecided 

I find that I'm always torn on brow pencils. On the one hand, I really like the smaller brow pencils (like ABH Brow Wiz), but on the other, I hate how quickly I use those up. The ABH Brow Definer certainly lasts longer, but I like the precision that smaller pencils provide. This is the second Brow Definer that I have used up, and likely won't be the last, but I do like smaller pencils better.

NYX Micro Brow Pencil
Goal: Finish
Status: Will continue to use

A while ago, I was gifted several of these NYX brow pencils, so this is what I will be using until I finish all of them. I love this pencil and have purchased it before, and this is the size of pencil that I prefer to the ABH Brow Definer. The negative with this pencil and others like it is that there is so little product, and I go through it very quickly. Even during the time I started this project, I was able to use up two of these pencils (that were brand new) in a shorter amount of time than I used up the ABH Brow Definer that was more than half-finished. But, I'm happy to have a nice supply of them, and I will continue to use. 

What I'm Not Buying: Anastasia Beverly Hills Sultry Palette

Yesterday, on my Instagram stories, I asked readers to pick my next anti-haul blog post. I received a tremendous response (thank you!), and while there is certainly interest in an anti-haul post for all of the products I mentioned (stay tuned...) there was one product that stood out from the rest that was either a great source of temptation or anger: Anastasia Beverly Hills Sultry.

Sultry, which is the newest eyeshadow palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills, is a completely neutral palette that we have seen dozens of times over the past seven years. But this time, it has an added coral shade. 

And I won't be buying. 

Does anyone else remember the Anastasia Beverly Hills of the Modern Renaissance days? When every other brand was teasing consumers for months on end about a new product—as though it was a new season of highly anticipated television show—ABH just released Modern Renaissance one day after it was announced. And when all the other brands were trying to outdo each other in terms of recreating the gold, bronze, and brown color scheme better, ABH came out with a palette with some orange and red shades. 

Despite the fact that I have a complicated history with Modern Renaissance (I caved into hype and pressure from a salesperson, hated the palette, accepted that the formula was hard to work with and not my favorite, realized that I already owned all the colors already, and returned it), I liked the way that the brand conducted themselves during the launch, and I've had my eye on them ever since. 

Since then, however, ABH has failed to impress me. The Master Palette by Mario was, in my opinion, really boring and fueled entirely by fear of missing out and a fascination with celebrity culture; Subculture was a PR nightmare as the shadows were so powdery and difficult to work with; and now Soft Glam, Norvina, and Sultry have all been churned out in record time and feel like very boring similar color stories. 

When it felt like all the other brands were coming out with a new palette every month, I liked that ABH only came out with one, maybe two, a year. It made me appreciate the brand more because they weren't saturating the market. But that has since changed, and now ABH—like so many other brands—is looking uninspired and lazy. They know they have a loyal (and, at times, rabid) fanbase, and can therefore release a version of a palette most people already own and throw in one "pop of color" shade and have it be a success. 

Which brings us to Sultry:

When I look at this palette, I feel like it is 2012. Because it reminds me so much of Urban Decay Naked 2:

I can still remember being at work when I learned that the Naked 2 palette released, and I told my coworker (who shared my love of makeup) that we both had to buy it right then and there because it was going to sell out. We didn't have time to think about it; we had to make a decision. So we each bought it. And the palette sold out. And we both felt so lucky that we were able to snag it. 

We didn't really think about the fact that the Naked 2 palette wasn't all that different from the Naked palette. The original was warm-toned! The new one is cool-toned! They are totally different!

I also didn't think about this when I bought the Too Faced Chocolate Bar:

 Or the Make Up For Ever Artist 1 palette:

Or the Lorac Pro 2:

To name just a few. 

I spent so many years and so much money buying the same things over and again. But now I'm older, I've decluttered almost every single neutral palette from my collection, and I write a blog about smart consumerism and recognizing marketing tactics geared at making you buy what you already own. And—somehow—Anastasia Beverly Hills thinks that they can get me to buy the Naked 2 palette all over again? Because they threw in a matte coral and a matte mustard?

Oh, I don't think so. 

Let's look at the shadows in Sultry as just pigments:

When I look at this line of crushed pigments, do you know what I see? Colors that are so nondescript that they can only be called neutrals, plus one coral shade and a mustard. 

Let's look at the swatches:

If you cover up the coral shade in the above photo, I actually think the color scheme of this palette is  pretty and smoky. It's unoriginal and stale, but pretty. But the inclusion of the coral feels out of place and like the palette doesn't understand its own color scheme. To me, the coral seems to almost clash with the rest of the colors, which makes the entire thing feel less like this was an intentional ABH color story and more like ABH wanted to throw in one bright color to disorient people from thinking they already own this exact palette. 

Taking away the coral, Sultry looks just like every other neutral palette. 

It looks like the Viseart Theory palettes in Cashmere:

And Chroma:

It also looks like Lorac Pro:

Tartelette Toasted:

Colourpop I Think I Love You:

Juvia's Place Warrior:

And Makeup Geek In the Nude:

But Sultry also looks like so many other palettes from Anastasia Beverly Hills. Like the Master Palette by Mario:

Norvina (if you cover up the one shimmery purple and matte periwinkle): 

And Soft Glam:

It's no surprise to learn that brands want consumers to buy the same thing endlessly. Once brands saw the success Urban Decay had with serializing the Naked palettes, they all started either serializing their own products (i.e. Chocolate Bars, Lorac Pros, Tartelettes, etc.) or making them collectible in some other way, like ABH has with their velvet packaging. 

I watched a declutter video recently where someone acknowledged that she did not like the ABH formula, but had collected all of the palettes with the velvet packaging and wasn't ready to let that collection go. And this is exactly what ABH and every other brand is counting on when they make these similar-looking products. They want people to feel like these products are collector's items, and they want you to buy them all. 

And, frankly, Sultry just isn't a palette that anyone asked for or needs. When you look at the gaping holes in the makeup industry or necessary areas of improvement, I don't think anyone is under the impression that we need more neutral palettes. We need inclusive products. And while Sultry looks to be more inclusive than a typical neutral palette with a cream brow bone shade and light brown transition shade, this palette still feels like it leans closer to the light end of the spectrum than the dark. And when there are quite literally countless options of neutral eyeshadow palettes geared toward light skin tones, there is just zero reasoning for brands to continue producing them. 

I have purchased some version of Sultry more times than I care to remember. Over the many years of being a makeup lover, a member of the beauty community, and finally someone who had a shopping/makeup addiction, I continued to buy the same items, never really learning that they were all the same or that I didn't need to buy them just because they were new and the "influencers" were talking about them. 

And now, a few years into my shifted perspective on consumerism, I can say without hesitation that I have every shade in Sultry, and I have zero need to add the Anastasia Beverly Hills version of it. This palette would add nothing to my collection other than another palette that would eventually be decluttered. 

If you are lusting after Sultry and have been thinking about trying to dupe a palette from singles in your collection or shades that you have depotted, I think this would a great palette to start with. Chances are, if you find yourself drawn to this palette, you likely already pwn shimmery whites, champagnes, golds, bronzes, and taupes, and duping this palette from your own collection could be quite easy. 

Even though ABH has never been my personal favorite brand, I have always found them intriguing and have been excited to see what new product or color scheme they were going to bring to the makeup industry. And it would be disappointing for ABH go down the same path as brands like Too Faced and Tarte, where the main objective is to pump out new, typically non-inclusive releases as quickly as possible that are just repackaged versions of something we have already seen.  

But, it seems like ABH may be heading in this direction. With the releases of Soft Glam, Norvina, and now Sultry, it seems like ABH cares less about the color story and inspiration and more about an easy color scheme they know will sell. And as a consumer, that is a major turnoff for me. 

I have zero need for a palette like this, and more than that, I have zero want for it. So I won't be buying. 

* * *

In my next post, I will write an anti-haul on the product that received the second-most votes on my Instagram stories. Stay tuned. 

For notifications on my latest posts and to vote on future posts, follow me on Instagram: @antihaulblog

Weekly Looks

As I mentioned in my last post, I have even more recent looks, so for those who missed these posts, I hope you enjoy the onslaught of them. My last post was a collection of looks I had done recently while trying to rediscover my collection. And these looks are ones that I wore last week, while, again, attempting to rediscover my collection.

Here are those looks:

Look 1: Yellow gold and matte purple

Lid: Shimmery yellow gold

Transition: Matte cool brown

Crease: Matte purple

Brow bone: Matte cream

Inner corner: Shimmery white

Lower lash line: Matte purple

I've done this look before, but with different shadows, and the look came out basically the same. I like the look, but I think it can be easily recreated with a multitude of shadows. 

Look 2: Fyrinnae It Beautifies! 

Base: Pixie Epoxy

Lid: It Beautifies! 

Transition: Viseart warm brown matte

Crease: Inglot warm brown matte

Brow bone: Viseart matte white

Inner Corner: Make Up For Ever Pearl

Lower lash line: Inglot warm brown matte

Fyrinnae It Beautifies! is hands-down one of my favorite eyeshadows that I own. It is so perfect and simple and beautiful, and the way it shines when the light hits it is truly special. This is one of my top recommendations for a Fyrinnae shadow.

Look 3: Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture

Lid: Electric (applied wet)

Transition: Dawn

Crease: Destiny

Outer corner: Untamed

Brow bone: Wet N Wild Brulee

Right before I left New York, I was gifted this palette, which made me laugh a bit since there was so much drama surrounding it. I've used it a handful of times since, and I do like the color scheme, but as others have noted, it is hard to work with. I liked this look and thought it was pretty, but I think I can create better looks with other items in my collection (see immediately below). 

Look 4: Fyrinnae Abandoned Hotel and Viseart Dark Matte

Base: Pixie Epoxy

Lid: Abandoned Hotel

Crease: Viseart 7

Defined crease: Viseart 12

Doing the Subculture look made me want to do more green looks, so I turned to one of my favorite green shadows, Fyrinnae Abandoned Hotel. I then paired it with my workhorse palette, Viseart Dark Matte, and I think the look came out beautifully. When compared to the look from ABH, I think this one is much more vibrant and beautiful. It was also easier to apply. 

Look 5: Pat McGrath Labs Mothership Subliminal Platinum Bronze 

Lid: Smoke and Mirrors

Crease: MAC Quarry

Outer corner: Telepathic Taupe 

Brow bone: Wet N Wild Brulee

Lower lash line: Smoke and Mirrors

I raved about the Pat McGrath Mothership IV palette in my last post, but I don't think I like this one very much. This look came out so dull, and I feel like I could have easily created it with other colors in my collection. I felt so bad about it, in fact, that I used the palette the next day to see if maybe I would like it more...

Look 6: Pat McGrath Labs Mothership Subliminal Platinum Bronze 

Lid: Platinize

Crease: Milani Sweet as Honey

Inner corner: Sextrovert

Brow bone: Can't Pink Straight

Lower lash line: Platinize

... and I don't. Of course, this is a lovely bronze/gold shadow, but it's not any nicer than what I already own. I might try to use the other shadows in the palette that I haven't used yet, but based on swatches, they don't look promising. This might be a palette that I declutter in my upcoming purge. 

Favorite look: Fyrinnae Abandoned Hotel and Viseart Dark Matte

This was definitely my favorite look this week because the colors blended well and really stood out. It felt like a strong eye look, but also one that wasn't too loud. I also enjoyed the color combination as I've been gravitating toward olive, mustard, and orange tones. 

Least favorite look: Pat McGrath Labs Mothership Subliminal Platinum Bronze – Smoke and Mirrors

I hate to say that a product from Pat McGrath was my least favorite of the week (especially in a category that includes ABH Subculture), but it's true. I just really did not like this look at all, and I was really disappointed with the lid shade. It was pretty, but just not special like I have come to expect from Pat McGrath. 

Instagram: @antihaulblog