Review: Soft Glam Palette (Anastasia Beverly Hills)

I always highly recommend the Anastasia Beverly Hills palettes, and the Soft Glam one is definitely the most wearable of the range. This is one that I picked up on a whim while I was in the States. I wasn’t originally intending on getting it, because I usually gravitate towards brighter and bolder eye make up, but the quality of these shadows is incredible and the colours really do look better in real life (though I hope these photos can do it some justice).

Since getting this, I find that I can using neutral shades more in my every day routine and I have discovered a newfound appreciation for this sort of colour palette. Of course, I still don’t feel like I (or anyone) needs multiple neutral toned palettes but if you are going to invest in one, then the Soft Glam is a great one to look into!

This retails for AUD$75 at Sephora Australia or USD$42 in America. For international readers, you can pick this up either at the official Anastasia Beverly Hills website, Cult Beauty or Beautylish.

And so, without further ado, let’s just right into my review of one of my favourite palettes.

Packaging

This product comes in the standard Anastasia Beverly Hills style packaging, but this time in a camel/beige coloured velvet. As with my previous comments on the packaging, which you can find by reading my other reviews, I am not a fan of this. It looks really nice, of course, but the material just gets so dirty so quickly. Unfortunately, it seems like it’s become somewhat of a standard, and it might be hard for them to branch away from this design for a while.

To keep your palette clean, I would recommend storing it in a drawer (not out in the open) and just being careful when you are using it. It is difficult to get any product off of the material. Alternatively, you can also keep it stored in the cardboard unit carton, but I’m personally too lazy for that.

The palette opens up and contains fourteen shades, in a combination of mattes and metallics. It also contains a standard duo ended brush. I usually don’t use these, but I find that Anastasia palettes have a good quality brush, so I am happy to use this while I am travelling. It has one fluffier end for blending, and a denser side for packaging (this is best suited for the metallic or shimmer shades).

Product Description

According to the Sephora Australia website, this is “an everyday to night palette with fourteen shades, including essential mattes and glam shimmer.” This product was released after the Subculture palette and is intended as a more neutral and classic version of the Modern Renaissance palette. It also claims to have the same soft formula as their original MR palette.

Sephora states:

These 14 full-pigment and easy-to-blend shades glide on with the supplied double-ended brush to deliver ultra-matte and shimmer finishes. Create softly glamorous looks any time with the combo of ultra-matte, duo chrome and metallic shades that are fully pigmented and easy to blend. The palette is luxuriously packaged, with a large mirror and double-ended brush.

Personally, I thought that this palette looked boring at first – it is very neutral and a lot of these shades aren’t exactly unique. However, the selling point of this palette is definitely in the high quality formula and the harmony of the colour palette. There is enough variation in shades (ranging from browns to orange, to roses and shimmering golds) to create some very different looks, but still maintaining that wearability and ease of use. It really is a perfect daily palette.

Shade Range

Below I have the swatches from the palette and you can see the variation on colours very well. The palette contains primarily mattes, which is actually typical of Anastasia Beverly Hills palettes, but also has a very select metallics that are absolutely stunning.

Three of these shades (Tempera, Burnt Orange and Cyprus Umber) are actually repeats from the Modern Renaissance palette. I wasn’t happy about this at first, as I do own the others, but in retrospect I can definitely see why these three shades were repeated. They are quite neutral colours that can be used in almost every look – like a staple in the colour scheme.

In particular, I feel like Tempera (the first light beige shade) can be included in most palettes as I always like to have a neutral shade to set my primer. It is described as an ‘ultra-matte velvet beige’ but actually has a slight shimmer to it making it suitable either as a base or as a very subtle highlight shade.

Here is the list of the shades, as the colour descriptions taken from the Sephora Australia website:

Personal Experiences

I reach for this very often! In fact, when ever I am unsure of what eye look I want to do, I will gravitate towards the Soft Glam palette. This is definitely one that I don’t regret buying at all and I think that it’s a great staple, neutral palette. In comparison to some of the other palettes that I have (in particular the Urban Decay Naked palettes), I feel like this colour range gives a lot more variety and also feeds more modern.

In my opinion, the modern neutral look isn’t so much about using browns and ‘basic’ colours, but about putting together something thats cohesive, soft and somewhat romantic – also, of course, very wearable. I love that this palette has a good range of shades form light to dark, meaning that you can use the same palette to go from day to night.

It’s a lot more versatile than I originally anticipated and this is one that I absolutely recommend to people a lot. I actually get more wear out of this palette than the Modern Renaissance, and that’s essentially a cult favourite by now.

I love the formula of this – the pigmentation is incredible, blends well together and it’s really easy to use. As with all Anastasia palettes, this does have a bit of kick back but I find there to be very little to no fall out when it’s applied to the eye. It can be used easily with or without a primer. In comparison to the Subculture, this palette is definitely less pigmented but also less powdery – it is much closer to the Modern Renaissance in formula and I feel like they will continue to stick to this.

And so, here’s the verdict!

SO WHAT IS IT?

A palette of 14 shades – 9 mattes and 5 metallics/shimmers

THE GOOD

• Modern but neutral colour scheme
• Beautiful pigmentation and blends seamlessly
• Easy to work with with some, but minimal, kick back
• Perfect for beginners
• No creasing and wears well throughout the day
• Can be used both with and without primer
• Surprisingly versatile
• Great range of colours!

THE BAD

• Expensive (AUD$75)
• Packaging gets really dirty
• You will need another palette for a ‘pop’ of colour so this isn’t for everyone

RATINGS

• PACKAGING | 3/5
• PRICE POINT | 3/5
• FORMULA | 5/5
• PIGMENTATION | 5/5
• BLENDABILITY | 4/5
• COLOUR RANGE | 4/5

OVERALL RATING? 8/10

WOULD I RECOMMEND?

I absolutely love this palette and it’s changed my opinions on neutral palettes! I would highly recommend this for make up beginners (if it is within your budget) or for people who want something that is fun to play with but also easy to use for their every day make up. I am especially a fan of the shades Orange Soda and Dusty Rose – they look so good just all over the lid, with a little bit of a dark brown on the outer edge just to give dimension.

If you’re after something a little more bold, I would also recommend the Modern Renaissance or the Subculture palette. Definitely check out my review on those too but, in general, I love Anastasia palettes.

WHERE TO GET IT FROM

Australians can get this at Sephora, but it is also available at Cult Beauty, Beautylish and the official Anastasia Beverly Hills website.