Some Anastasia Discoveries

I know it’s been a bit since my last post, but if you follow me on Instagram you know I recently had spine surgery so  I took some time off to recover. I am slowly beginning to get back on my feet, so I can finally get around to publishing posts on a ton of products I have been testing lately. Anastasia Beverly Hills has always been a brow brand for me (this product from them is one of my favorite brow products), but I have slowly been testing out other items from the line and have been quite impressed with the quality. There has been quite a bit of buzz about these illuminators (and after going on quite a highlighter kick – read this post to see some that I have been loving recently), I was anxious to try these. And later in the post, I will talk about my other discovery from the brand.

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminators in So Hollywood, Peach Nectar and Riviera – As one who does a more natural look with my makeup, highlighters and illuminators were not always products that I reached for since they tend to be more dramatic or suitable for evening looks. But over the years, the formulas have gotten better and I really enjoy incorporating them into my looks (even daytime ones) more frequently. These Anastasia Illuminators are definitely on the bolder end of the highlighting spectrum, so I need to be extremely light-handed compared to some other ones in my collection. That being said, they give such a gorgeous sheen on the skin that they have been too good not to add in. So Hollywood is the one I wear the most out of all three, but Peach Nectar comes in at a close second because of how warm it can make my cheeks look. I like to use So Hollywood more directly on my cheekbones, but Peach Nectar and Riviera look nice dusted lightly over the cheeks. And Riviera is unlike any highlighter I have seen because of it’s slightly plum (well it looks plum to me) undertone which is so unique. For those that have a weakness for highlighters, I think these are going to be hard to pass up with their high watt shine and how well they blend into the skin without looking too powdery.

2. Anastasia Beverly Hill Liquid Lipstick – As a lover of lipsticks, especially full coverage matte formulas, I have loved the liquid lipstick trend that has taken over. Being more of a makeup artist brand, I had heard that the Anastasia Liquid Lipstick formula is quite remarkable with amazing staying power. And I can tell you first hand that after swatching each of these colors, it took quite a good cleansing oil and concealer between each shade to ensure the prior color was fully removed. This formula is not for those that want something sheer and easy to just throw on and go, since these are truly full coverage and with certain shades do require a bit more maintenance and precision to apply.  

The pale shades Blush and Sorbet were easy to apply and I thought that Sorbet was the most stunning peach shade perfect for a bronzey smoky eye. Candy Apple was surprisingly less intense than I imagined and looks beautiful as a daytime shade. I already knew that Sad Girl was going to require more patience to apply since the formula is so pigmented, so I dabbed it on with the applicator and then used a lip brush to apply. While I wanted to give a sense of the true color in the swatch, since this post, I have worn Sad Girl a few times because I adore it and use a nude lip liner first to prime the lips (I typically reach for this in Pillow Talk) and find that it applies much easier with that nude liner applied first. And I did not skimp on the amount I applied either because I wanted each shade to really read as true as it could on camera, and was shocked as how comfortable such a bold formula felt on the lips. It does still have some slip to it so those who shy away from dry matte lip colors may enjoy these. They definitely stain the lips and have intense staying power, but I did notice that the darker shades needed to be touched up during the day once as opposed to the paler shades. But using a nude lip liner as a base helped solved that issue, and the color wore much more evenly throughout the day. The shade range is so vast that it is nearly impossible not to find a color to fit every taste.