Anastasia Glow Kit in Gleam Review & Swatches!

Back in April one of my wildest dreams came true. I was finally able to purchase a product from Anastasia Beverly Hills and it was the Glow Kit in Gleam. Anastasia Beverly Hills has been one of those brands that I've stalked on Instagram and searched reviews on YouTube for. They have always been high on my wish list to try something from and I've finally been able to do that. While preparing for a Fashion Show in April, I knew that I needed a highlighter and I knew that I needed something to suit several skin tones. So I went to Sephora and started hunting. I stumbled upon the Anastasia Glow Kit's and knew immediately that Gleam would fit all of my needs for that show and also compliment my skin tone best.

Let me just be completely real with you for a second.....I've been using the same ELF Studio Blush in Gotta Glow as my highlighter for a few years now. While this has gotten me through and gave me some 'glow' it was time for me to actually invest in a product that let me be seen from outer space. There is no doubt about it, I love highlighting and contouring both on myself and on my clients. Without those two makeup tricks, my looks would be completely different and honestly, I just wouldn't feel as confident. I'm finally happy that I invested in a product that I've dreamt of for so long now!

Enough rambling. Let's get on to reviewing this bad girl!

I want to start off with packaging, because while it's beautiful to me it's also the most disappointing part of this entire product. You obviously have the beautiful Anastasia Beverly Hills logo on the front as well as the name and shade of the product. This particular shade comes in a beautiful blue to grey ombre both on the front and back of the packaging. Speaking of the back, it also comes with images of the shades inside and all of the important information for the palette including what it is and the ingredients. However, this palette is made of a heavy cardboard packaging and while I'm sure nothing would happen to this if I were to travel with it this wouldn't be on my list of things to take. Even for the Fashion Show in April, I depotted this product using the magnetic pans and placed them in my Z-Palette so I could be sure nothing got damaged.

And where's the mirror? Sadly, this product does not come with a mirror and the inside cover is just completely blank. I feel like this space could have been used so much more effectively with even a cute little inspiring quote or a mirror! This palette is a go-to for me and I would love to travel with this but because there is no mirror and I'm afraid because it's cardboard packaging I'm just not impressed. Here is a little bit more information about the palette before I get deep into the review:

• Contains 1.04oz of product (.26 oz per pan)
• Shades include Crushed Pearl, Starburst, Mimosa and Hard Candy
• Retails for $52 (CAN) on Sephora

Let's talk about the shades first:

CRUSHED PEARL:
This is my ultimate favorite shade from the palette for my fair skin (and clients with fair skin). It's a very pale pink shade with both silver and gold sheen. I also sometimes feel like this has a lavender flash to it which creates a beautiful look on the skin.

STARBURST:
This is my second favorite shade in the palette because it's a pastel peach shade with a silver sheen. This is the shade that I find to be the least intense out of all of them but I love this for more natural no-makeup makeup days. I also love the uniqueness to this shade and how the shift it light can really alter the color it appears.

MIMOSA:
This shade is beautiful and would work extremely well on darker skin but for my fair skin, it works best as a blush topper or bronzing shade. It's a very golden bronze shade with lots of beautiful gold sheen. It creates the perfect sun-kissed summer look when used lightly with a matte bronzer.

HARD CANDY:
This is the most unique shade in the palette because it looks like a matte cream shade in the pan but as soon as you swatch it it turns into a duo chrome pink shade with a purple undertone. This shade is absolutely stunning and I also find it the hardest to wear. I really have to be careful what blush or contour I'm pairing this with to make sure I don't go too overboard.

Swatches (left to right): Crushed Pearl, Starburst, Mimosa and Hard Candy

And as you can probably tell by now I don't have one bad thing to say about this palette other than the packaging. The product inside are beautiful, smooth, pigmented and blend out effortlessly on the skin. I've enjoyed using this palette both on my clients and on myself and this has quickly become my go-to highlighter in my entire collection. I'm absolutely in love with the formula, pigmentation and lasting power on these powders.

I highly recommend this palette to anyone who is looking to splurge on an item for there makeup routine and that is in need of an awesome value. I feel like for $52 bucks I found a true hidden gem. I've purchased palettes that were way more expense then this that I just don't like, enjoy or reach for. I'm very happy to have made this purchase and I can't wait to continue to use it to create more and more looks.

Have you tried the Anastasia Beverly Hill Glow Kits?
What are your thoughts and favorite shades?