trying out the subculture palette (anastasia beverly hills)

Talk about controversial. When the Subculture eyeshadow palette originally launched, reviews were mixed. Some people had no issues whatsoever and others - who happened to be huge beauty YouTubers - found the palette was downright unusable. Anastasia Beverly Hills explained this as an inconsistency in the batches during production. (You can read more about that and the rest of the controversy here.) Not long ago, I stumbled upon this very palette at Marshalls. Given all of the hoopla around it during the launch, I thought, what the heck. It was time for me to find out what the Subculture palette was really like. Today's post will include swatches, a full review, and a makeup look created with these high end eyeshadows.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture Palette: Packaging and Shade Selection

This is not my first time using Anastasia Beverly Hills products. Not only did one of my very first blog posts feature one of their liquid highlights but my all-time favourite eyeshadow palette (yes, ever) is their Master Palette by Mario. Without a doubt, this is one brand that knows how to impress. Perhaps that is why the beauty community was so shocked by the inconsistencies from palette to palette. I can't speak to what everyone else experienced....but my goal is to approach this review with an open mind. As you can see from the pictures above, there is a lot to like here, in terms of packaging and shade selection. The packaging is standard for an ABH palette but is covered in beautiful blue velvet on the outside. Since I am a fan of all things velvet, this was a nice touch. I love the simplicity and all of the lovely details. Like velvet and the included eyeshadow brush. It is a high quality brush that makes application quick and easy.

Now for the shades themselves. This is kind of a mixed bag of colours, if you ask me! There are beautiful neutrals as well as some truly unexpected pops of colour. Though I don't necessarily think this is the most cohesive palette in terms of the colours....they all look really beautiful. The diverse shades allow you to create every type of look. From work appropriate to a night out to something bold and colourful. The Subculture palette offers a little bit of everything. Those unexpected colours actually made this palette more intriguing to me because it pushed me to get a little more creative. That being said, it may not be for everyone. Want a better look at the eyeshadow shades? Here are swatches from the palette.

Row One: Cube, Dawn, Destiny, Adorn, All Star, Mercury, Axis

Row Two: Roxy, Electric, Fudge, New Wave, Untamed, Edge, Rowdy

Pigmentation, Quality, and Overall Impressions

There is no doubt about it: the Subculture palette is diverse. This is true in terms of the shade selection as well as the overall level of quality. You can probably see from the swatches (pictured above) that there is some serious inconsistency. One example? The shimmery shades are stellar. That bright shimmery white is highly pigmented and has lots of shine. The same can be said for Adorn, that lovely bronze. Then there is my absolute favourite shade, Electric. It is the perfect add onto any and all makeup looks! I actually wore it a lot during the holiday season (the flecks of green made it effortlessly seasonal) but it can be worn at any time. Then there are the eyeshadows that fall somewhere in the middle, like Roxy, Fudge, and Edge. They are nicely pigmented but have a slightly drier texture than those shimmers. 

Now for the not-so-great shadows. Many of the eyeshadows here are quite dry and patchy. They also do not have the vibrancy in colour that you would expect. If that wasn't enough, they don't blend well on the eyelids and wind up looking sort of muddy. Those shades include All Star, Axis, Untamed, and Rowdy. It's not that the shades are unusable....but they aren't impressive. And considering the fact that this is a high end brand (and the palette was rather costly), the quality just isn't good enough. 

My overall impressions of the palette? Meh. Some of the shadows are wonderful and others are not even close to making the grade. I can fully understand why there was so much controversy surrounding this Anastasia Beverly Hills release. 

Subculture Eyeshadow Palette: Finished Look

Despite the so-so consistency of this palette, it is always possible to create a beautiful makeup look! For this specific look, I used Roxy (that lovely peach shade) to build up the crease. Then I layered a bit of Edge (the warm yellow) on top to have a little fun with colour. I used Cube (that holographic white) all over the lid and added a bit of Fudge to the outer corner and underneath the lower lash line. The end result was something that was warm, neutral, but still bold and colourful. Despite the fact that the Subculture eyeshadow palette is inconsistent at best...there are some shadows in here that make it workable. My goal is to use those shadows as much as possible! 

Rating: 2 / 5

Have you tried the Subculture palette? What did you think of it?