Anastasia Beverly Hills: Riviera Eyeshadow Palette Review and Swatches!

Hi Friends!

By now you have all seen the beautiful Anastasia Beverly Hills Riviera eyeshadow palette! ABH is one of the most popular and hyped brands in the makeup world and Riviera is their most colorful eyeshadow palette yet!

Norvina (president of ABH) announced this palette in late February of this year and I finally picked it up during the Spring Sephora VIB sale! I am kind of a collector of ABH palettes and have all of them since Modern Renaissance. Riviera was a must have for me!

This palette retails for $45 and comes with 14 eyeshadows, a mirror, and a dual ended brush! Out of the 14 shadows, there are 8 ultra-mattes, 4 metallic, and 2 duo chromes!

Other benefits of this palette:

• Cruelty free
• Paraben free
• Gluten free
• Dermatologist tested

The Packaging

Anastasia mixed up the packaging for the Riviera palette from their usual felt cover. The side of the palette is the same as their others, rectangle and thin. Of course, the theme for this palette is the Riviera so the packaging reflects that theme.

The cover is navy blue and white striped canvas. Its representative of that sea, yacht, ocean, beach vibes! The name of the palette and the brand name is printed in gold on the front. The inside of the palette is a metallic navy blue instead of ABH’s normal black color.

The Shades & Swatches

Norvina announced on her Instagram that Riviera is a getaway palette. Each shade is a paradise inspired mattes and metallics, from vibrant jewel tones to bright pops of color!

Important note: Bahamas, Palm, and Cannes are not intended for use around the immediate eye area. Because they are pressed pigments and could cause staining.

In the first row, you have:

Sails – This is a matte snow white shadow. It works great as a highlight under the eyebrow but is also very pigmented!

Yacht – This is a the first duo chrome in the palette, the color is a champagne – taupe with a violet shift. This shade is so beautiful for a more “work appropriate” look!

Seychelles – This is a metallic aqua teal shadow! Its one of the brightest shades in the palette and really pretty!

Palermo – Another pretty metallic shade, is this bright cranberry pink!

Seaside – This is the second duo chrome in Riviera. It is a silver metallic shimmer with a blue shift.

Inheritance – Next is this beautiful metallic yellow gold shadow! I really enjoyed playing with this shade, its beautiful on the eyelids!

Mediterranean – The last metallic shade in this palette is Mediterranean and I think it is my favorite in the whole palette. It’s a gorgeous violet blue! It reminds me a lot of Blue Flash from the ABH Sunset eyeshadow quad which is also a very beautiful shade!

In the second row, you have:

Estate – This is a soft peachy pink matte shade. I mainly use this one as a transition shade but I think it is very similar to Coastline on the eyes.

Cabana – In the pan, this looks like a pukey yellow shade but its actually a rich mustard and its very pretty on the lids. This one is also very work appropriate and looks great with Yacht.

Coastline – As I mentioned above, Estate is very similar to this shade on the eyes but this one is a little bit more of a darker pink. I don’t think both were necessary for this palette.

Bahamas (pressed pigment) – I am sure you would expect that the Bahamas shade is actually a pressed pigment since it is SO VIBRANT! It is a bright neon pink. I did experience some staining from this shade, for your awareness!

Monte Carlo – This is a pretty cool toned matte pink. I LOVE using this shade.

Cannes (pressed pigment) – Another pressed pigment, Cannes is a deep violet purple matte shade. Its actually one of the best purples that I have tried – very pretty and pigmented!

Palm (pressed pigment) – I was pretty surprised that this dark chocolate brown shade was a pressed pigment. It’s also a pretty shade!

My Review

Anastasia has done it again – I LOVE this palette! The color selection is so much fun and this is definitely a palette that I will reach for anytime that I want a really bright or colorful look. Besides just the beautiful colors, these shadows look beautiful on the eyes. The colors are so pigmented and blend really nicely together.

Sometimes if a shade is too pigmented, it can be difficult to blend but these shades are not like that. They work really well together and are just plain beautiful.

I also like that this palette has a mix of neutral shades. They work well on their own if you need a more “work appropriate” look and they are helpful to use with the other brighter colors. For example, I really liked using Coastline and Monte Carlo and then adding Mediterranean all of the lid. Or just throwing Bahamas in the inner corner.

I do want to call out that the pressed pigments can STAIN YOUR EYES. I particularly noticed some staining from Bahamas, even after cleansing around the eyes twice. The color did linger for a few days before finally fading. I didn’t have any issue with Cannes or Palm but if your eyes are sensitive then they could definitely stain your eyes as well.

But overall, I highly recommend this palette! If you are interested in these colors then I think you will definitely like how the shadows perform. They’re pigmented and beautiful!

What Do You Think?

I would LOVE to know what you think of this palette! Did you pick it up or skip it? Would you use the bright shades in this palette? Also what do you think of the new packaging? I want to know all your thoughts!

Follow me on Instagram: @taylersedit

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