So the Modern Renaissance Palette is one of those makeup items that has been getting a whole lot of attention on the internet and this time around I felt it well deserved. Whilst I found the Naked palettes underwhelming and just not for me, this palette I am all about. Multiple shadows in this palette got me actively excited, so, as a result, I had to have it.
I justified the purchase as an early graduation gift to myself (which is something I did recently, go me! I'll do a post about the makeup I wore to it at a later date). Anastasia Beverly Hills is a brand that is hard to get in the UK. I tend not to want to use websites I know little about, and the one I did know about that stocked the brand- the Beautylish store - whilst reliable and trustworthy, has steep importation fees (not their fault). So I stumbled upon Cult Beauty which deliverers to the UK with no extra costs and has some cool brands that I haven't used before. I googled the site and Zoella used it one time, so I figured it was legit.
I ordered this palette and two pairs of Huda Beauty lashes (which I will also talk about at a later date). Everything came in good time with no complications, so I'd reccomend Cult Beauty as a place to order from if any of the brands on there tickle your fancy.
The Palette retails at £41, which is a bit steep, but it is pretty dope, sooooooo... (But seriously, be responsible with your money).
It comes in this delightful pink box.
The outside of the palette is a pink suede, the words being embossed in it. It's cute but gets dirty quickly, I travelled with it and it did not come away unscathed (you'll notice the black smudges at the corners). I recommend cleaning with a dry toothbrush, if you care enough to clean it.
It has one of those annoying floppy hinges (Xsparkage says these need palette Viagra, which is a great turn of phrase), but it lies flat just fine, so I don't find it obnoxious (the Naked 3 would always just flop back onto it's mirror when I tried to use it, making it so hard to work with, I don't want to have to hold the palette the whole time, ANYWAY). The palette comes with a dual ended brush which is actually really lovely to use and is generally really nicely presented and sleekly designed.
Here's a group shot of all the colours, look at all those wonderful individual shades. I'm all about different warm, matte shades that aren't just brown. This palette has great ochres and reds and oranges and burgundies and taupes. Throw in some pretty shimmery shades and you have magic (in my opinion).
To begin with we have Tempera, a pale nude shade that is a satin, which means it is basically matte, but it has a slight shimmer to make it easier to blend.
It's a bit to pale to work as a blending shade for me, but it is a lovely, low key, highlight shade. It blends really nicely.
The name for this one is pretty self explanatory, a pale golden shade with a hint of a brown base (I'm not sure how else to describe ochre). This is also a satin, with a lovely pale glitter that makes it colder than is would have initially been.
It also blends really nicely. I think I would use this shade as a subtle lid colour, it compliments the more purple toned shadows really well.
Vermeer is one of those gorgeous shimmery shades that tie everything together. It's a taupe with a pale silver shimmer.
This applies absolutely beautifully and always sidles itself into being my inner corner colour. I love a shade like this in a palette.
Buon Fresco is a pale mauve satin. This is such an individual shade and works so well with the other colours.
I've been using this shade as both a transitioning colour in the crease and a lid colour. It's surprisingly versatile.
Antique bronze is a plummy brownish shade with a gold and silver shimmer. It is so pretty.
Being a shimmer it blends wonderfully. This is a great lid shade, possibly to be used at the outer edges of the lid to deepen a look.
Love Letter is one of the most exciting colours in the palette, being a blue-toned deep pink. It's a satin, but applies matte.
It takes a little working - as all shades like this will - and works best with a sticky pencil base (such as Nyx's Jumbo Eye pencils). Being basically matte, this shade will work wonderfully in both the crease and on the lid.
Cyprus Umber is a cold, dark brown matte. Another key colour in a palette for me.
I truly love cold browns, and this one works especially nicely in contrast to the warmth of the rest of the palette. It's really buttery and pigmented and generally just a great shadow to have in a palette. This colour is all about deepening the crease and lining the lower lash line.
Raw Sienna is a great warm, medium brown. It's a matte shade.
It applies really nicely and works great as a crease shade. Another palette staple for me.
Burnt Orange is another exciting shade for me. Loads of palettes will have new and exciting lid shades, but not many provide crease alternatives. This palette is full of them and Burnt Orange is one. It's a warm, orangey brown matte.
Again, it applies nicely and is a great crease colour.
Primavera provides an alternative to Vermeer. Where Vermeer is cold, Primavera is warm. A light gold with a bright shimmer.
Like every shimmery eyeshadow, this applies wonderfully. With the added warmth to this colour I would use it both in the inner corner and on the lid. I love that this palette provides two colours that can work in the inner corner really well.
Red Ochre is basically why I bought this palette. A shade like this does not come along very often and whenever anything similar pops up in a palette I buy it. It's a lovely burgundy matte and it is everything to me.
This is the kind of eyeshadow I would happily use on it's own, smudging it all over the lid, into the crease and under the eye, creating a subtle grungy look. Unfortunately it is harder to work with than some of the other mattes, in that the pigmentation isn't all there right away, but it still blends really well. My love is by no means reduced.
Venetian Red is a pretty, pretty baby and deserves some attention. It's a deep, blue-based pink with a silver shimmer.
It, like Love Letter, will thrive atop a sticky base. It applies really smoothly but will take a bit of working to get the desired pigmentation. A perfect lid shade.
Warm Taupe is another interesting shade, providing another cold shade to combat the warmth of all the other colours. It's a matte.
It's nicely pigmented and applies very well. It works as a really good transitioning colour in the crease.
Realgar was the other shade that really excited me in this palette. A warm, terracotta orange matte.
The pigmentation is great and it applies wonderfully. This is another colour that I would just use everywhere on it's own, creating quite a nice, summery look.
I'm calling this look my Daytime one. A light wash of colour with a touch of shimmer. Great for a Summers day (never mind that it has been raining pretty regularly in England).
This is a really quick and easy look to do with the palette.
Over a base of Too Faced Shadow Insurance I blended Burnt Orange all over the lid and into the crease and then underneath the eye. Blending out to the brow bone with Tempera.
I then applied a beige eye pencil onto my waterline and in the inner corning, blending that in with my finger. I applied Primavera over this in the inner corner and slightly onto the lid.
My Nighttime look takes a little more effort.
The warm colours in the palette allowing for a nice twist to a smokey eye.
Using the same base, I blended Warm Taupe into the crease, deepening it with Cyprus Umber, then running that under the lower lashes. I used Tempera to soften all the edges.
I then applied Nyx's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk on the lid, blending it in with my finger. Over that I patted on Venetian Red, darkening the outer corner with Antique Bronze. I then applied Vermeer in the inner corner. I then did a cat eye to pull the look together.
Overall, this is a pretty, versatile palette with some interesting colours you won't see in many other palettes. There's enough variation in colour and texture to be able to create a range of looks without having to use any other eyeshadows and I love it when that is the case. It may be pricey, but I don't regret buying this palette.
