Do you get giddy every time Anastasia Beverly Hills launches a new eyeshadow palette? It's no surprise that ABH has one of the biggest followings of any makeup brand on Instagram and we all start to get a little weak in the knees every time we see teasers of the glorious, felt-covered palettes popping up in our feeds.
Mother-daughter duo Anastasia and Claudia Soare launched the brand in 1997 with a collection of eyebrow products, gradually expanding into new product categories like liquid lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes. From the OG Modern Renaissance palette to the recently introduced Norvina, ABH eyeshadow palettes have earned cult status over the years. There was even a limited-edition collaboration palette with Mario Dedivanovic (please bring it back ABH!)
Each palette is more covetable than the next, it's hard to choose just one. To help you narrow it down to the best eyeshadow palette for you, we've tried each and every one (hard work, we know) to find out what makes each collection so special. Read on to find out our absolute favorite palette (though they're all pretty awesome) — and get ready to grab your debit card.
Ah, the controversial little sister palette, Subculture. As the name implies, it was designed to create wild and edgy looks, not for the faint of heart. For the first time, we're seeing shades like mustard, khaki, dark teal and eggplant in an ABH palette — and yet somehow, with the blend of neutrals, mattes and shimmers, it all comes together. When first released, YouTubers criticized the product for oxidizing and excessive fallout, but the formula has since been improved and now has its own little cult following. Subculture is great for creating a colorful smoky eye or a look reminiscent of fall leaves. Like its siblings, this palette gives you so many different bold looks to create.
Released as a holiday palette, Prism is still around, due to its massive following (and rightfully so). If you look at all of the ABH palettes, you definitely see some trends and similar shades resurfacing. This palette, like several of the others, features a matte mauve, terracotta, nude and warm brown — and why not? These neutral darlings work so well with the bold shades. The real standouts of this palette include some duochrome gemstone hues, which were designed for bold, in-your-face celebratory looks. (It started as a holiday palette, after all.)
Live out your unicorn fantasies with the Norvina palette — the latest and greatest installment from the ABH family. This is the namesake palette for Claudia (Norvina) Soare, who happens to be Anastasia's daughter, president of ABH and a YouTube sensation. The 14 shades possess the same rich, buttery quality we've come to expect from the brand and, much like its predecessors, this palette features a mix of matte, metallic and duochrome shades in both warm and cool tones. This palette gives you so much creative freedom — you can create everything from a neutral smoky eye to an ultra-feminine bubblegum and lilac look to bold-yet-wearable shimmer. The highly-pigmented shadows have impressive staying power and wear until you take them off. Expect a little fallout during application (which happens from time to time with ABH palettes because they're SO pigmented), but it's nothing under-eye guards or applying your foundation afterward won't fix.
Inspired by the warm neutral and blush hues of renaissance paintings, Modern Renaissance paved the way as Anastasia Beverly Hills' first permanent eyeshadow palette. With 450,000 loves on Sephora, it's no surprise that this palette has sold out many times. It contains everything you need to create the perfect nude daytime or nighttime look. In addition, there are several creamy, matte berry and orange hues that absolutely make the eyes pop, as well as a deep coffee brown to smoke it all out. This is a phenomenal palette for a night out or any special occasion when you want the focus of your makeup to be on your eyes — it's definitely a new classic that belongs in any makeup-lover's beauty arsenal.
