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| Anastasia Beverly Hills ~ Subculture |
The cool thing about the launch of this product is that it wasn't sent to the hot shot "beauty gurus" on YouTube. It was gifted to the smaller advocates who haven't been tainted by the veil of fandom that exists primarily in the YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram space (and little elsewhere). It's a great marketing tactic and is actually something I do at my job in the entertainment industry for this exact reason; research and consider smaller advocates who fit within your brand and company values, build a relationship with them, demonstrate what a mutually beneficial relationship looks like and gain long-term loyalty. For Influencer management, this is a sustainable and often rewarding approach for both parties involved. Kudos to Norvina for bringing this to the Beauty industry, finally! Other companies working with Beauty Gurus, please take notes =)
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| Anastasia Beverly Hills ~ Subculture |
The reviews I've seen have been both positive and negative. Nothing really speaks to knowing how a product will perform other than trying it for yourself and I always advocate that that's the best way to form an opinion. For those still in the research phase, I hope this review helps!
The matte shades are extremely pigmented. They are at least as pigmented as MR and feel similar to the touch. I went into the shade Dawn for a base/transition shade, the same way I do with MR and I got a ton of product. Go in lightly and tap off the brush, then mop up the excess if you need more before dipping into the pan again. The Metallic Shimmers (Cube aside) are really nice. I admit, I apply shadows in this formula with my finger most of the time (unless I feel like taking the time to foil them). Foiling will always provide better payoff but for me, using my fingers works much better than simply using a brush. There is a bit of fallout but it's equivalent to any other pigmented eye shadow formula. I didn't find it to be anything extreme or out of the ordinary. If you tap off your brush at all after dipping into the pan, you'll be fine.
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| Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture swatches (indoor lighting) |
I find this to be a gorgeous palette at first glance. I've heard many reviewers say that the palette is not cohesive. I don't find this to be true if you consider the arrangement of the shades. Consider looking at the palette in quads and you should begin to see where some shades go together. Cube is the obvious stepchild shadow here as it really doesn't fit the aesthetic of the rest of the palette. I think this shade is a perfect example of how SC and MR can be paired as Cube even looks like it belongs more with MR than SC. I like to use it in the inner corner or the outer crease below eyebrow for a little added sparkle. It can also add a nice, subtle veiled sparkle to the lid over one of the matte shadows.
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| Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture swatches (natural lighting) |
There aren't a lot of transition shades whereas with a palette like MR, there were multiple looks that could be created using just that palette alone. I think this is where the "sister to the MR palette" comment from ABH comes in, that perhaps this isn't meant to be a standalone palette. If you look at MR and SC together, a much wider range of looks is available. The issue with this is that ABH did not market this well and so most potential buyers are not going to see the potential of partnering these two palettes. A series of assets with a MUA creating a wide variety of looks using each palette alone and each palette together would have been beneficial. Or one of those sheets that sometimes come with palettes (Kat Von D's "Shade & Light" comes to mind as it has a useful one) would have also helped to solve this problem for a lot of users.
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| Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture & Modern Renaissance |
This is one of those products that relies heavily on personal preference. It will work well for some and be a home run, or it will miss the mark and be a swing and a miss. How you apply the shadow and all the little preferred application techniques that come along with creating looks will play a part in your experience with this palette. If you like to go in heavy, or swirl your brush around in the pan, or do large, loose-handed circles to blend out the crease shadow, this may make clean application tricky. If you're more willing to assess where to place each shadow and how much to blend it out without going overboard, you might be surprised by the looks you can create. Just approach it with a bit of delicacy.
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| Anastasia Beverly Hills ~ Subculture |
I don't think it's a very user friendly palette. If you're looking to buy your first or second palette, don't get this one. It won't give you options or a solid variety of looks to create. That being said, I don't think enjoyment of this palette has much to do with skill. I'm average on the spectrum of eye shadow application and I had little issues with this product provided I gave myself enough time for the application process. I wouldn't use this product if I have 20 minutes to get ready. You know those palettes where people say they can sort of just slap the colors on and it just works? This is not that kind of palette. It's high maintenance, sure, but the payoff can be stellar.
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| Anastasia Beverly Hills ~ Subculture |
Just because a product requires more care and precise application and thought into how it should be used doesn't make it a bad product, it just means it may not be ideal for many consumers. In no way do I think this is a bad product, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a fabulous product either. To me, this is a decent product for users who are patient and comfortable straying outside of their comfort zone while being delicate when creating the entire look AND who also have the time to spend on their eye makeup. So basically, you have to be comfortable with a pretty high maintenance product. I think MR introduced this notion. I remember when MR was first released a lot of users on Reddit were saying it really prompted them to step out of their comfort zone and try something new. Subculture is like that but on steroids. Those who want to experiment while maintaining self-control will enjoy this palette. Those who are OK reaching for another palette to use in conjunction with it will enjoy this palette.
Personally, I am enjoying this for creating some grungy eye looks, but I don't reach for it often because I simply don't always want to set aside the time to be extra cautious with my application. I do think that quality-wise, you can find dupes for most of these shades and the quality will be better. I did learn that I do enjoy the grunge eye look from this palette, and I'll experiment with it and probably get some dupes of my most used shades along the way. ABH may even come out with singles of some of them like they did with MR at some point. Put simply, like any other product on the market, it isn't for everyone and I recommend trying it for yourself if you're curious.
Looks Using This Product
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