Anastasia Beverly Hills ‘Sultry’ Palette ($45)

I don’t know about ya’ll but I’m not a beige bitch. But apparently I am a dumb bitch because I still bought this stupid palette. For a few reasons…

1. To find dupes for those who really like a particular shade
2. They have a pro program so it was only $29 (I don’t think that I could pony up $45 for that much beige)
3. I have all of the other ABH palettes and it would bother me to have an incomplete collection

So I’ve had the Sultry palette for about a week now and my first impression is…. McMeh. But before we get into that let’s go over zee deets. It’s the same size as their last 5 or 6 palettes, 14 pans (.029oz each) and includes the same double sided brush that I’ve never used. Does anyone use the brushes that come with palettes? It’s cruelty free but not vegan and made in the US. On the plus side they finally stopped trying to make that godawful faux velvet packaging happen. Finally! But just to balance the scales, they decided to up the price $3, from $42 to $45. As of now, I think its only available on abh.com but I’d imagine that sephora and ulta will be getting it soon.

As far as quality there’s two shades that were a little tricky, Pearl and Cyborg. I was able to swatch both with a brush but I used my fingertip to smooth them out. Same thing with the eyes. It’s possible to use a brush but it’s a pain in the ass. And Dystopian, the blackened brown matte was a bit patchy.

Other than that the formulas are what you’d expect from abh. Soft, highly pigmented mattes with a good bit of kick up and smooth, emollient shimmers with great color pay off. I love abh eyeshadows. But the damn color selection…. bleh! Now I realize that color preferences are completely subjective and neutrals sell.

And I don’t mind that it’s cool toned because it’s a change from their previous palettes that have been so warm. What I don’t like is how redundant it is. Those taupey brown shimmers are just so damn similar. Do we really need four golden taupey bronze colors in one palette?? Same with Slate and Twig. And wtf is up with that damn red?? I don’t get it. I think that they could’ve made it much more versatile but adding some mauves or a silvery lavender.

It’s not my cup of tea but if you’re super into khaki bronze type colors then this palette was made for you! I’ll work on dupes for this guy and the TF Gingerbread palette once I’m caught up on my reviews!