Anastasia Beverly Hills//Love it or Leave it?

The Anastasia contour palette is another beauty product that seems to have taken over the makeup world. For any of you using Instagram, i'm sure you have seen the 'before and after' posts of women contouring their faces and well it can be a bit.... shocking. After debating trying out this product I finally decided to give it a go to see what all the hype was about. I purchased the product at my local Ulta for $40.

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So there I was, standing in my bathroom holding my foundation asking myself, "do I apply my foundation first? How the hell do I do this?" This was the first con that I found with the product: there are absolutely NO instructions. Thankfully Sephora provides a pretty helpful video on their website. Google is also really helpful!

About the palette: 
The kit comes in a six small eye shadow-like containers. The top three are the highlighting shades and the bottom three are the contouring shades. 

The palette comes in a light to medium kit as well as a medium to dark kit. I have very fair skin so I chose the light/medium kit. When contouring you are supposed to find a highlight shade that is two shades LIGHTER than your skin and for contouring a shade that is two shades DARKER.

The palette also comes in a cream version for a much more intense contouring experience but I chose to stick with the powder version. 

ONLY foundation has been applied

Brushes I used during the process (p.s. I REALLY need new ones)

Banana has been applied to eyes, nose, forehead, and chin

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How to use the contour kit:
After applying my foundation and concealer, I grabbed my large shadow brush and gently swept the highlight color banana along the corners of my eyes as well as underneath my eyes and underneath my eyebrows. I made sure to tap the brush lightly against the back of my hand to get rid of any excess powder. 

After applying the banana highlight to my eyes I used the same brush and applied it to the bridge of my nose. 

Next, I used my large angled blush brush and applied banana to the center of my forehead as well as my chin. 

OK so I am pretty pale so the banana shade is pretty similar to my actual skin tone, however, I did notice a difference underneath my eyes. They appeared much brighter and more awake. 

So I will be honest, once I watched about 30 seconds of the sephora video I was really bored and figured I would get the hang of this kit by trial and error. 

Next, I used my square bronzing brush from my Hoola bronzer, took the color java and applied it just underneath my cheekbones in a sweeping motion. Using my eyeshadow brush I applied the color fawn to the sides of my nose up to the beginning of my eyebrows. 

lovely isn't it?

Yikes, that's aggressive! Don't worry, it's almost time to blend, blend, blend!

I then used my large angled blush brush and applied java in a sweeping motion along my cheeks leaving about half an inch (maybe less?) between my nose and cheek. Using the color fawn I blended it with the java to get rid of any harsh lines. 

After applying blush to my cheeks, I used my large powder brush to apply my setting powder. 

Today I steered away from the "natural" look and decided to go with a dark lip. After applying my eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick here is the final product. 

Once that was blended, I applied the color havana to my hairline but very gently (this color is STRONG, especially for my skin tone). I applied this color all the way down to my temples and then connecting it to my cheeks for a more natural glow. 
Once blended with the java and fawn, I applied havana ever so slightly to my jawbone as well as my neck so that I would avoid an harsh lines/uneven tones. 
Applying a darker color to your cheekbones and jawlines gives the appearance that they more defined and that the cheekbones are higher (according to society this makes you more attractive, lol). 

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So, here's what I thought:


1). I really like the colors of the kit however, the highlighting colors didn't seem to make TOO much of a difference because my skin is so fair. I did however like that it brightened my eyes and looked really nice with my concealer. 


2). I really had no use for the vanilla or sand colors. I applied a little sand to my cheeks but my blush did more of a highlighting job than the sand did. Thus, I think that I really will only use the banana highlight shade.


3). I LOVE the fawn color as an everyday bronzer and wish that it came in a bigger container by itself. The color wasn't orange and was build-able so this is a great go to bronzer for a little glow. 


4). Havana is really aggressive on my skin tone since it is so light, however, once  fully blended I didn't mind how it looked. Overall, the contouring shades are really nice and can work on really any skin tone. 


5). I hate how small the containers are. If this were to be an everyday look for me I would run out very quickly and it is an expensive "habit" to keep up with. 


All in all, I do really like this kit because I will most likely only use it on occasion when I am going out therefore it will last me awhile. If you are someone who loves makeup and applies a good amount daily this may be a bit expensive. Also, if you are any lighter than I am the highlighting shades may not work at all. Was it worth the $40? I'm really not sure at this point. I am going to need to play around with it a bit more and give you all an update. 

Sephora Video

Make up Information:

Nars sheer glow foundation in the shade Mont Blanc
Benefits Better Than Sex mascara 
Bobbi Brown cream eyeliner in shade jet black
Anastasia Beverly Hills dipbrow pomade in medium brown
Elf blush in shade Twinkle Pink
Mac studio fix pressed powder NC20
Elf HD lifting concealer in shade Fair
L'Oreal infallible lip liner in shade red/wine

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