What I'm Not Buying: Anastasia Beverly Hills Nicole Guerriero Glow Kit

Anastasia Beverly Hills collaborated with popular YouTube personality Nicole Guerriero on a new six-pan glow kit. 

And I won't be buying. 

I have been an active participant in the cosmetics/beauty community for many years, and have also read blogs/watched videos from many different "influencers." However, I've never watched Nicole Guerriero. From my understanding, she is hugely popular and has been involved in the community for a very long time. 

Because of this collaboration alone, I think this is a really hyped product at the moment. If you took Nicole Guerrero's name off of it, I doubt most people would bat an eye. And that is because it is a highlighter palette filled with shades that are similar to each other and incredibly similar to what is already available and in most people's collections. 

We all know my thoughts on highlighters—once you have one or two, you really have them all. And I think that for almost everyone, this palette will be completely unnecessary. 

Let's look at swatches:

These swatches are, as always incredibly heavy. No one would ever apply this kind of product that intensely on the face for highlight. And even when swatched heavily and unrealistically, the colors STILL look very similar to each other and not very unique. I absolutely think Kitty Kat, Forever Young, Glo Getter, and 143 will look essentially the same when applied onto the face. Daydream and Forever Lit might look a little different, but it will be nominal. 

It's also important to keep in mind that not all of these colors will flatter every skin tone. And on the one hand, I think it's great for a makeup artist, for example, to be able to have colors that work for several skin tones. And I also think it's great that there is at least one color in here that could work for everyone. I think when a popular personality collaborates on a product it's good that the product can work in some way for all people so that no one feels entirely left out. But on the other hand, the people the product is targeted at—Nicole Guerriero supporters—are very likely not makeup artists. And if you're only going to be using this product on yourself, there will definitely be shades in it that don't work for you. 

This Glow Kit, like the other ones from ABH, is $40. That is a lot of money to pay when not every shade is going to work for your skin tone. I've talked about this before, but this palette is a good example of the false value idea. And that's the thinking that this palette is $40 for six highlighters, which is seen as a "good deal."

And I'm sure the buying process for most people will be: "I like Nicole and want to support her and I really like Glo Getter (or Daydream, etc.). Kitty Kat and Forever Young are pretty too. I'm sure I'd wear those. 143 is nice, that will totally get some use. Forever Lit is different, and if it's too light for me, I can probably put it in the inner corner of my eyes. And Daydream is so pretty. If it doesn't work for me, I can always use it as an eyeshadow."

And this is why I think that reasoning is flawed:

• Nicole Guerriero is doing very well for herself. You watch her videos, which directly supports her. You don't need to shell out $40 to buy a product you don't need to "support her" further. 
• If you find one shade in this palette that you really like and that will work for your skin tone, you are better off buying a single of a duplicate highlighter than buying everything in this palette. 
• Just because you can convince yourself that you will use the other highlighters doesn't mean that you actually want them. 
• You very likely will not pull this palette out to use that one shade as an inner corner highlight. 
• Similarly, you are likely not going to use any of these colors as eyeshadow, especially if you already own a lot of eyeshadow. 
• If you would not buy every single color in this palette individually at "full price," this is not a "good deal."

This palette also isn't very unique, even when compared to ABH's other glow kits. 

Nicole Guerriero Glow Kit:

Looks like the Gleam Glow Kit:

And the Sweets Glow Kit:

And remember, when most colors are sheered out onto the skin, most of them just look like a shine. That's it. Most of the color is gone. 

Personally, I have the Gleam Glow Kit, so I really have zero use for the Nicole Guerriero iteration. But also, I just don't want any more highlighters in my collection. I regularly rotate through all of mine, and most days, the difference between each of them is nominal. And when I see people who have entire drawers full of highlighters who say that they just cannot stop buying them, I have to wonder if they are in denial about how they really look when applied onto the face. It's one thing to be a collector or have an affinity for elegant or special packaging (I've discussed this before, and while I am not someone who wants to collect makeup, I don't judge those who do), but it's something else entirely to own a ton of highlighters just because you want to have the latest thing that everyone is talking about. 

For everyone who was dying to get Becca Champagne Pop or Prosecco Pop or Opal or Pearl or MAC Whisper of Gilt or Laura Geller Gilded Honey—do you think that they feel completely satisfied now that they own those products? Or do you think the newness and sparkle has worn off and now they want the next new thing that everyone is talking about?

This will be an endless cycle unless you decide to stop it. Highlighters to me are one of the easiest things to resist. The most "special" one I have in my collection is Estee Lauder Modern Mercury. And while I do feel that highlighter is just a little more sparkly, interesting, and beautiful than the others in my collection, it is not hugely different. And I'm sure that almost everyone who interacts with me won't notice a difference between that and another highlighter, if they notice my highlighter at all. 

Finally, something else to consider is that in collaborations, since the makeup brand and the collaborator are being paid, typically something has to give in terms of price or quality. Meaning, most of the time you can't expect to get the same quality and size of products in the permanent line for the same price. Since the price is $40, like the other Glow Kits, I would not be surprised to find that the formula on these highlighters is different. The Nicole Guerriero Glow Kit has 4.5 grams of product for six shades, and while the Moonchild Glow Kit has 4.2 grams of product for six shades, the Gleam Glow Kit has 7.4 grams of product for four shades. And all Glow Kits are $40. 

There are just way too many highlighters on the market for me to want to add six more that will likely look identical on the skin. And I have too many highlighters in my collection to ever want more. So I won't be buying. 

What I'm Not Buying: Benefit Dandelion Twinkle

Benefit has released Dandelion Twinkle, what I assume is a highlighter inspired by their Dandelion blush. 

I won't be buying. 

I've written before about how I am not a fan of Benefit boxed powders, and this is potentially the most egregious of all of them. As far as I can tell, Dandelion Twinkle is Dandelion blush:

Except somehow even less pigmented and with glitter:

Photo: Temptalia

 My biggest gripe with Dandelion is that I have never seen it actually show up on any skin tone. It definitely doesn't show up on my skin, which is light to medium with warm olive undertones. I have friends who have significantly paler skin than me and who would absolutely be considered "fair" with cool undertones. And still, Dandelion barely shows up on them, if at all.

I understand that it is next to impossible to have products that are universal and work for everyone, however, I think Dandelion may work for too few people. I find a similar problem with Benefit's other boxed powders, like Coralista:

Sugarbomb:

And Hervana:

These powders all look relatively similar and seem to me that they will primarily work for the lightest of skin tones. And, I don't know, that is just really off-putting for me. The cosmetics industry already skews so heavily toward light skin tones that to skew further into the lightest of skin tones is just kind of tacky? It would be different if Benefit offered a range of boxed powders that will work for all skin tones, but since they don't, I find them to be a difficult brand to support. 

Looking at Dandelion Twinkle as a highlighter, Benefit is, like many brands, just so far behind in the game. If it provides a light sheen to the skin, I can see that being pretty, but how it is different than any other highlighter? 

I'm sure I sound like a broken record at this point, but on the skin, sheered out, almost all highlighters will look exactly the same. Highlighters typically come in huge pans, and even with everyday use, one highlighter will likely last over a year. Because of that there is just little point in owning multiple highlighters. 

The highlighters Dandelion Twinkle most remind me of are Becca Rose Quartz:

And Becca Amethyst:

And honestly, there is little difference in color from more inexpensive highlighters as well, like those from Makeup Revolution:

Photo: Maklina Makeup

Dandelion Twinkle brings absolutely nothing new to the table as a highlighter, full stop. 

I've heard Dandelion Twinkle mentioned as a blush topper, and that concept in general makes me roll my eyes hard. A blush topper, in my opinion, is something unnecessary that was made up to add an extra step in the makeup process and to get people to buy more crap. No one needs a blush topper. If you have a great blush, you don't need anything else. The concept of blush toppers are also used to justify keeping (or buying) a blush that in no way works for someone. If it's too light and shimmery, instead of getting rid of it, people will say they can use it as a blush topper. If the blush is way too dark for them, they'll say they can use it lightly as a blush topper. What? Why?

If you want to add sparkle to your blush, use the highlighter you already own or, if it's that important to you that you would shell out $29 for a "blush topper," instead spend the money on a shimmery blush that you will love and use. 

Personally, I have no use for a product like Dandelion Twinkle. If I want a pink blush that actually shows up on my skin, I have theBalm Frat Boy:

If I want a highlighter, I have ones I love from Becca, Laura Mercier and Estee Lauder.

The biggest thing Dandelion Twinkle has to offer is that Benefit boxed powders are perfumed. And I know that might sound crazy, but that is a justification I've heard from many people as to why they want to buy these powders: because they smell good. And you know, I'd rather spend twice as much and buy an actual perfume than to buy a product that will barely show up on my skin so that I can, what? Sniff the box when I use it? That's not worth $29 to me!

The hard truth is that this is just another "right now" product. This product, I highly doubt, is made up of much more than hype. In a few months—or even weeks—another highlighter will come out that everyone turns their attention to. And the reason for that is because the people who talk about these products—those on YouTube and Instagram—are being paid in one way or another to talk about and hype the latest things that come out. And yeah, it's really easy to say, "Oh my goddddd. I LOVE this product! It's so great, you have to go out and buy it!" when you are either 1.) Receiving the product as PR and therefore don't have to actually buy it. 2.) Being actively paid to say those things. 3.) Able to deduct all those purchases off your taxes as a "business expense."

I'd like to see someone who buys all their own products and gets no financial gain from it actually tell people that every single one of these highlighters is legitimately "worth it." 

Fact is, these products aren't made in super small quantities. They contain a ton of product that will take a long time to go through. Based on size, they are not intended to be one of 10 in someone's collection. The size is intended to be the ONLY ONE. And the reason the products aren't smaller is because companies want to change a huge markup. Even with a lot of product, makeup items are still ridiculously overpriced. If companies scaled them down, they would have to also lower prices. And they don't want to do that. 

And since the sizes of most products cannot be used up in a month or two, it makes NO sense to buy every single new product that gets five minutes of hype. Because after those five minutes are up, you are out (in this case) $29 and are likely not using the product as you are on to the next thing. But if you can resist the hype for the five minutes and actually find a product you enjoy, the only one who looses is the company that wants your money. You're not the one missing out. 

Dandelion Twinkle offers absolutely nothing that I don't already own, and I have zero use for it. So I won't be buying. 

Weekend Looks: Fyrinnae and Dior

My intentions were to do two very colorful looks this weekend, but today, I found myself itching for a shadow that has become a fast ultimate favorite. So, I have one colorful look and one neutral look. And I'm happy with that. 

Here are the looks I did this weekend. 

Look 1: Fyrinnae The Alchemist and Viseart Dark Matte

Fyrinnae The Alchemist on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and Viseart 10, 11, and 12 blended into the crease.

Look 2: Dior Cosmopolite, Zoeva Substitute for Love, and Anastasia Beverly Hills Fudge

Cosmopolite on the lid and Substitute for Love and Fudge blended into the crease.

Fyrinnae The Alchemist

Status: Love

This is one of the coolest shadows I have seen. The Alchemist is a part of Fyrinnae's Arcane Magic line, which means (as I've explained a lot) that the color will look different depending on how close it is to light. The Alchemist looked teal on the lid and in the picture, but when I was in different lighting, it looked purple. It was really cool! I paired the shadow with shades in Viseart Dark Matte, and I think it was a perfect combination. I used the last three shades in the palette, which range from teal to a green-brown, and I thought the look was really pretty. I could have also paired it with purples or blues from this palette, but I was happy to use some of the shades that don't get as much use as others. 

Dior Cosmopolite

Status: Favorite

I've talked about Cosmopolite before, so I won't spend too much time on this shade. I love it. It is easily one of my favorite shadows in my entire collection. Yes, it is a bronze (sort of), but it is incredibly special and unique, in my opinion. It's like a bronze mixed with taupe and glitter/sparkle, except the sparkle is completely contained in the shadow and does not fall out whatsoever. I've been craving Cosmopolite since I last wore it (not that long ago), and just couldn't bring myself to wear something else today. 

Zoeva Substitute for Love

Status: Love

I've also talked about this a lot, so I'll be brief again. This is one of the best matte browns I have ever used. The tone is perfect for my skin tone, it offers great pigment, and it blends so easily. That I know of, this color is only available in the Cocoa Blend palette, but I have depotted mine.  

Anastasia Beverly Hills Fudge

Staus: Really enjoy

At the end of the day this is a brown shadow, so it's challenging for me to be overly enthusiastic about it. With that said, it's a great shadow and darkens up any gold/bronze look really beautifully. I'm a much bigger fan of ABH singles than the shadows in their palettes, and I get that I am in the minority there. Fudge is a perfect shade for me because it's darker than colors like Makeup Geek Cocoa Bear (one of my favorites) and lighter than matte black shades or browns that are dark enough to look black. This gives me the depth that I enjoy without being too dark. 

What I'm Not Buying: Zoeva Matte Spectrum Palette

Zoeva's latest release is a colorful, all matte palette that looks, honestly, very beautiful. 

But I won't be buying. 

This post is going to be a little different for me. I usually give you all the reasons why I personally am not going to buy a new product so that it might curb the hype or help you make a more informed decision on purchasing a product or not. 

And it's true that I am not going to buy this palette. The reason I am not going to buy it is because I already own Viseart Dark Matte:

As you can see, there are a LOT of similarities between the Matte Spectrum and Dark Matte palettes. The major difference is that Matte Spectrum offers more colors and includes the light end of the spectrum. 

When I write anti-haul posts about all matte palettes, I usually acknowledge that they are very similar to most everything on the market, are not unique, and bring little to the table. And I use Dark Matte as a reference point because this is one of the most unique and beautiful selections of matte colors I have seen. Dark Matte is also a perfect matte palette for people who have dark and deep skin tones, and I support the fact that this is a palette inclusive of everyone. 

I would not be surprised at all if Zoeva was inspired by Dark Matte in creating the Matte Spectrum palette. The similarities are too close for it to be a coincidence, in my opinion. 

Here's the thing. I've had a lot of people comment that they are lusting after Dark Matte, especially because I rave about it. Dark Matte was once a palette that I regretted purchasing and one that I seriously considered decluttering from my collection because I never used it. Because of my one week, one palette project where I forced myself to use color (and subsequently fell in love with it), I found Dark Matte to be an "essential" palette for me. I use quotes because, come one, this is makeup. Nothing is essential. But to put it into perspective, I use Dark Matte way more than I use Viseart Neutral Matte. 

And the main reason people hesitate purchasing Dark Matte is because it is a hefty $80. That is a ton of money to spend on a palette no matter your budget. And because I knew how little I once used Dark Matte, I hesitate to tell anyone that this palette is worth spending $80. I'm so glad I have this palette now (I used it today, in fact), but for a long while, I very much regretted spending the money on this. 

To be fair, I have no idea how the quality is for the Zoeva palette. I have only owned one Zoeva palette, and it was Cocoa Blend. The mattes in that palette are incredible, and they are absolutely shadows that I wouldn't part with. I ended up depotting Cocoa Blend into my singles palette and I decluttered some of the redundant shades and the shadows that I knew I wouldn't use much, but I kept all but one of the matte shades.

The Matte Spectrum palette is $40 USD. According to the Zoeva website, shipping to the US starts at $9. I know when I ordered Cocoa Blend last year shipping was around $13 to New York City. I have no idea if shipping rates have gone down at all. With that being said, Matte Spectrum is not a cheap palette. It is as expensive as palettes in the mid-range, like the Naked palettes or Chocolate Bar palettes. So, it is not as though this is drug store pricing, meaning $20 or less. But, without shipping, this palette is half the cost of Dark Matte. With shipping, it's still around $30 less than Dark Matte. And there are more shadows.

So, if the quality of the Matte Spectrum palette is the same as the Cocoa Blend palette, I would not hesitate to recommend Matte Spectrum if you have been wanting Dark Matte but don't want to pull the trigger because of price.

Here are swatches of Matte Spectrum:

Photo: ConMdeMiriam Makeup

And swatches of Dark Matte:

It's important to keep in mind that both photos show heavy, unrealistic swatches. But you can still tell that the colors are incredibly similar. 

Switching back to my normal anti-haul format, in all honestly, I was tempted by Matte Spectrum. And that is so hilarious to me because I so obviously already own literally all of the colors. As I've said, I really love my Zoeva mattes and this is clearly a color scheme that I like, and because of that, I was tempted. 

But, in all honesty, if both palettes were the same price, I would still choose Viseart. And the reason is because I prefer the tones of the Dark Matte shadows. I feel like they all have almost a brown tone in them that I feel makes them incredibly wearable. The Zoeva colors look much more bright and "true" to color. 

And I realize that I said I prefer Viseart when I just said I think Matte Spectrum would be a great alternative for those who don't want to spend $80 on Dark Matte. But I am also being honest with the fact that I prefer what I already own. And that's great for me because there really isn't any temptation once that is realized. 

Matte Spectrum is also a good reminder for me that sometimes brands come out with "new" products that are just repackaging old products that I already own. Sometimes brands will put it in really pretty packaging so that it tempts us or they will rearrange the colors so that it tricks our brains into thinking that it is something new. And, truthfully, Matte Spectrum is somewhat different. It has lighter colors that I might use as transition colors and cream shades that I would use under the brow bone. Dark Matte doesn't have those, so I had a moment where I thought maybe it was different. But it's not. Not really. It's just a new way of looking at colors that I've had in my collection for over a year. So while I can certainly see why people will be drawn to this palette, it's not unique to my collection, and I won't be buying. 

This Week's Looks: Kiko, Inglot, Coloured Raine, Stila, and Fyrinnae

I didn't make a conscious effort to use singles this week; I just gravitated toward what I wanted. And since I used my Inglot palette, I felt like I was maybe getting back into the swing of palettes. But then I remembered that my Inglot palette is essentially singles that I packaged together. So I guess I'm still on the singles kick. 

I heard this week that a sequel to Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance is in the works. And already everyone is freaking out. And they don't even know what the palette will look like. I know Modern Renaissance is beloved by so many, and as I've mentioned here, it just was not a palette I enjoyed whatsoever. And in thinking about a sequel or sister palette to MR, I figured it could potentially be a palette I enjoy. After all, I am really fond of my ABH singles. And then I thought that it is so unlikely that every single shadow will be totally unique to my collection and even more unlikely that—whatever it looks like—I would buy each shadow individually. 

And just like that, I don't care about that sequel or sister palette. Using all of my palettes and then using my singles after have taught me that. Using singles feels like such a treat compared to confining myself to palettes. And as you can see, I'm still very much enjoying that freedom. 

Here are five looks I did last week. 

Look 1: Kiko Long Lasting Stick in 36 Golden Mauve

Kiko Golden Mauve on the lid and Kat Von D Clementine blended into the crease.

Look 2: Inglot 39 shine, 311 matte, and 392 matte

39 shine on the lid and 311 matte and 392 matte blended into the crease. 

Look 3: Coloured Raine Super Star and Bobbi Brown Camel

Coloured Raine Super Star on the lid and Bobbi Brown Camel blended into the crease.

Look 4: Stila Glitter and Glow in Sunset Cove and Colourpop Silver Lining and 143

Stila Sunset Cove on the lid and Colourpop Silver Lining and 143 blended into the crease.

Look 5: Fyrinnae Pyromantic Erotica and Bobbi Brown Camel

Fyrinnae Pyromantic Erotica on the lid and Bobbi Brown Camel blended into the crease. 

Kiko Long Lasting Stick in 36 Golden Mauve

Status: Keep, but disappointed

I get that the status of this product is confusing and contradictory. I absolutely love the color of this shadow stick, but after a few hours of wear, it creases on me. And that's frustrating because I have two other Kiko Long Lasting Sticks that do not crease whatsoever, so this is a problem specific to Golden Mauve. Because it underperforms, I feel like I should declutter it, but I really love the color and love how easy it is to apply and go. I thought Golden Mauve paired beautifully with Kat Von D Clementine, and I was really happy with the look overall. I was just less than impressed to see it creasing when the rest of my shadows do not.

Inglot 39 shine, 311 matte, and 392 matte

Status: Favorite

When I used this palette in my one week, one palette series, I gushed about how much I loved it and how sad it made me to have to move on to another palette. And I've been trying to make my way through my collection before repeating too much, but I couldn't help it this week. I was aching to use this palette again and create one of my all-time favorite eye looks. I call it having "sherbet eyes," and I love them. 

Coloured Raine Super Star

Status: Love 

Oh man, I love this shadow. After I had tried the shadows in the Queen of Hearts palette and was totally blown away, I ordered a few more Coloured Raine shadows (this was months ago). I never got around to trying Super Star because I felt it would not be work-appropriate. As I mentioned in a post earlier this week, short of wearing electric eyeshadow, I'm wearing whatever I like to work now. So I finally tried Super Star and I have been kicking myself for not trying it sooner. I cannot tell you how much I love this shadow. Yes, it can be a bit "in your face," but it is also really, really lovely. Definitely a stand-out from the brand in my opinion. 

Bobbi Brown Camel

Status: Love

So this (stupid) shadow has caused me so much grief. I never wanted to buy it because it's a matte brown and I have so many of those. Plus, Bobbi Brown shadows are very expensive and I've heard that some are not the best quality. But still, I felt like there was a color somewhere between mustard and brown that I couldn't quite replicate in my collection. I finally decided to purchase Camel this week and fully expected to swatch it next to every brown in my collection and be sickened with the reality that I had so many duplicate shades. So, I bought it, and I indeed swatched it and every other brown shadow in my collection. I was shocked to find that, in fact, I did not have a duplicate shadow. And that it was that elusive color I had been searching for. To be clear, I don't recommend buying an expensive shadow when you have suitable replacements, but for me personally, this was a very specific color I had wanted for a while that suits my skin tone very well. 

Stila Glitter and Glow in Sunset Cove 

Status: Love

I mentioned in an earlier post that I really loved the Stila Glitter and Glow liquid eyeshadows. They recently released duochrome versions that looked really pretty and unique to my collection, so I decided to purchase. The pictures of this do it no justice whatsoever, and I think that's because the flash hits the duochrome in an unflattering way. I did wear this to work, and it was by far the boldest look I've worn thus far. It was bold solely because of Sunset Cove. It is incredibly sparkly. And even though I felt slightly worried that I had pushed the boundaries too far at work (thankfully I wear glasses so it helps a bit), I couldn't get over how pretty my eye look was that day. 

Colourpop Silver Lining  

Status: Really enjoy

I've talked about this shadow before, so I won't repeat myself too much. From what I have heard from nearly everyone, this shadow to everyone else is complete garbage. But I really like it. It works so well and I do not see whatsoever what is so terrible about it. I am convinced at this point that I just got a magical batch of Silver Lining that was great among the other really terrible batches. There is no other explanation because I cannot fathom why anyone thinks it's crap. 

Colourpop 143

Status: Love

This is one of Colourpop's best shadows, in my opinion. I enjoy that's it's a raspberry take on all the popular red shadows. I have a warm undertone, so I usually think the warmer the better for me, but I suppose the slight olive in my skin also makes select cool-tones flatter me as well. The coolness of this shade works really well for me, and I love it. 

Fyrinnae Pyromantic Erotica

Status: Favorite

My love affair with Fyrinnae continues. This shadow is also from the Arcane Magic line, which means that, while not duochrome, it looks different depending on how close it is to light. I absolutely love this shadow. It is like the gold version of Bobbi Brown Camel for me. It's the perfect mix between gold, brown, and mustard. Paired with Camel, I thought this was one of the prettiest golden eye looks I have ever done. I continue to be impressed with Fyrinnae that they can have such beautiful eyeshadows that are neutral and completely unique.