By Shawna Healey

If you follow makeup releases, which I do thanks to Beauty News on Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram, you’d know that companies bring out new products for us to consume almost on the daily. It’s a running meme that Colourpop (a US affordable makeup brand) brings out a new collection every week, so its hard for a collection or an item to really shine (pardon the pun).

It’s taken me a few weeks to purchase Alyssa Edwards’ collaboration with Anastasia Beverly Hills because of its hefty price tag of £46.50, which as a student, is for the lack of a better word, insane to spend on some eyeshadow.

However, I’m so glad, and to be honest, if I had the money, I”d purchase two (one for keeps and one to use).

Firstly, the packaging is gorgeous. My first “high end” makeup purchase was 3 years ago and it was the cult classic Modern Renaissance by Anastasia Beverly Hills, and despite its 6 month open shelf life, I still have, I still own and I still love. The packaging on this palette is gorgeous, but a weird felt material, which other palettes like the infamous Subculture, and Subculture’s sister palette, Prism, has.

The Alyssa Edwards’ collaboration has hot pink, sleek and shiny cardboard packaging, which is a welcome change, as it will be easier to clean, and will not collect dirt as the felt palettes do.

Secondly, the shades in the palette is so well curated. I might be biased because I loooove colour, especially pink, which this palette has two, a “matte fuchsia pressed pigment” named “Texas Made” and “Beyond”, a warm metallic fuchsia named after Justin Johnson, or his drag name, Alyssa Edwards, dance studio in Texas.

The palette has a mix of fourteen vibrant matte and metallic shadows including:

• Headliner – Matte bright white
• Inspire – Metallic champagne gold
• Unicorn Tribe – Matte cool plum pink
• Brick Road – Matte primary yellow
• Texas Made – Matte fuchsia pressed pigment
• Dream It – Matte royal blue pressed pigment
• Back Rolls – Matte warm chocolate brown
• The Supreme – Matte deep peach
• H.O.E. – Matte neutral taupe brown
• D.D.G. – Rich metallic violet with silver flecks
• B.B.D.C. – Cool aubergine pressed pigment
• Beyond – Warm metallic fuchsia
• Believe – Violet pressed pigment
• Beast – Matte blackest black

The eyeshadow palette is cruelty free, but not vegan due to its use of carmine as a pigment in some of the shadows.

Anastasia Beverly Hills has sponsored Rupaul’s Drag Race since season 7, with the winner of the competition winning a years supply of ABH cosmetics. This coupled with Alyssa’s palette are two great reasons to buy from the brand.

Last month saw many, many palettes released for pride, and during pride, as June is the international month for Pride, and whilst this palette, doesn’t donate money to the cause, it is the palette I would purchase in support of LGBT rights (and make a donation to an LGBT cause).

This eyeshadow palette is especially great because its not just a colourful palette. Colours like “The Supreme” “M.O.E” and “Inspire” make the palette suitable for both day and night, for people who specialise in colour, and for the those just wanting to dip their toe.

Purple eyeshadow shades are super hard to get right, and so are very rarely done right. But when its right its right, and in this case, is so right.

You can purchase the palette in the UK through ABH’s website, Beauty Bay where you can earn rewards, Cult Beauty, Feel Unique, and Selfridges. This palette is limited edition, but ABH palettes stay available on the market for a while!