Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Contour Palettes Review & Swatches
When these were announced on Anastasia Beverly Hills’s Instagram account I immediately wanted them. I desperately wanted a palette that I could use for both corrective concealing and contouring so I decided to give these a try. As usual when ABH launches a product, there were so many people trying to purchase it on the launch date that the site crashed which only made me want it even more (I blame OCD). After clicking the refresh button for almost three hours I was finally able to purchase all three.
They arrived rather quickly and I immediately wanted to put them to the test. I wanted to wait before doing a full review because I wanted to test them not only based on swatches but most importantly I wanted to see how well they lasted on my skin throughout a long day and also how they would perform on my oily skin (us oily skin folks and cream products don’t usually have fun times together).
Here’s how they performed in Pros & Cons List:Here’s how they performed in Pros & Cons List:
Pros:
They are full coverage shades and very pigmented. A little goes a long way with these creams. I could definitely use these as a concealer or even on its own without a foundation underneath (although would not recommend wearing on its own for photographic makeup).
They lasted all day (after being set with powder) and didn’t move not even after applying eye drops several times a day which would occasionally run down my cheeks.
There work extremely well with oily skin. They have the perfect consistency of creamy but not too creamy if that makes any sense. Once set with powder and a setting spray the longevity is the same as a usual liquid concealer.
Felt very lightweight on the skin.
Very easy to blend.
Cons:
Contour shades are a very reddish and orangey tone of brown which can look unnatural. I would prefer a more grayish shade of brown so that they can appear more like a shadow and less like a bronzed tan. In my after photo I set it with the Fawn Shade from ABH Powder Contour palette so that it could look more natural.
As you can see in the photos I used four shades of creams to give it a more dimensional look and a more seamless blend. I used the sahdes Banana under my eyes and on the center of my forehead and on mmy chin; Cream directly above or below the Banana shade; Chocolate around my hair line, cheekbones and jaw line; and Cinnamon on my nose and underneath Chocolate. I did not make a step-by-step tutorial on contouring as I feel that contouring is very personal and each person contours differently on their individual face shape depending on what they want to highlight or shade. I have a large forehead but small face so I contoured further down on my forehead and brought light to the rest of my face to elongate it.
How to pick the right one for you:
A lot of the shades are repeated accross palettes. For example the shades Banana and Cream can be found in both the Light and Medium palette. If you normally stay away from tan foundations go with the Light palette. If you avoid foundations that say fair or ivory then go with the Medium palette. If your skin tone is a bit darker then a regular tan then go with the Deep palette. I used the Medium palette on myself.
How to pick the right one for you:
Overall I would definitely recommend these palette to anyone who would like to attempt cream contouring and as a makeup artist this will be a must have in my kit. However I personally would not use these on a daily basis and would only use them for more glam or photographic makeup looks as I prefer a more natural contour for during the day and feel that it can be achieved easier with just powder. But for bridal or any other special occasion look I would definitely use these palettes.