Anastasia Artist Palette ($30.00 for 0.30 oz.) is described as a set of “12 highly-pigmented eyeshadows” in “summertime’s bright colors.” There are two really disappointing shades in this–the navy blue and cobalt blue–that look like an absolute disaster on the skin without a white base underneath. In general, I have found Anastasia’s eyeshadow formula to perform poorly without a primer or white base underneath it for the more vibrant shades and anything that isn’t a metallic or frost finish. The more shimmery shades have better adhesion to bare skin, and they tend to be less powdery, so they don’t sheer away to nothingness when applied. Some of the shimmery shades can be soft enough that they get crumbly and appear almost dry or apply unevenly without a primer. I always want to like Anastasia’s palettes, but I’m often let down, and unfortunately, that was the case here. Without primer, it’s a lot like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks… evenly.

Dusty Rose is described as a “matte mauve.” It’s a medium-dark, muted plum with warm undertones and a matte finish. It had good color payoff, but it was fairly powdery, even though it was blendable. It applied better than I thought it would as it didn’t sheer away to nothing and lasted for seven and a half hours on me. This shade was previously released. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Aubergine is described as a “velvet eggplant.” It’s a medium-dark plum with warm undertones and lighter purple shimmer for a more pearly sheen. It had good pigmentation with a softer, thinner texture that had a more velvety, silky feeling to it and seemed to be a shade that applied with more nuance if you used your fingertips than a brush, as it tended to look less shimmery when applied with a brush. I had some issues with it “sticking” and not wanting to diffuse along the edge. It faded after seven and a half hours of wear. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Anaconda is described as a “shimmery green.” It’s a medium-dark forest green with warm, golden frosted shimmer. It had nice color payoff with a soft, blendable texture that applied well to bare skin and didn’t need primer to function. It wore well for eight hours on me. See comparison swatches> / compare dupes side-by-side.

Punch Fuchsia is described as a “velvet bright purple.” It’s a lightly brightened, pinky-purple with a violet sheen. It had fairly good pigmentation, though the texture was a smidgen dry, so it didn’t seem to stay as intense on the lid. It started to fade after eight hours of wear. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Buttery is described as a “velvet soft yellow.” It’s a soft, pale yellow with warm undertones and a matte finish. It had a very silky, almost cream-like feeling in the pan, which applied with good color payoff on bare skin and didn’t look chalky. It is a little powdery, though. It stayed on well for eight hours. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Blue Velvet is described as a “velvet navy.” It’s a muted, deepened navy blue with cool undertones and a sprinkling of lighter blue shimmer. The shimmer doesn’t translate much on the lid, and this is one of the worst shades in the palette. It is dry, powdery, sheer, thin, and difficult to blend and apply to the lid. It stuck in random places, and I tried packing it on six or seven times and none of it would stick beyond what initially landed. It had faded by five and a half hours of wear. It absolutely needs a white base to have a chance of performing half-decently. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Coal is described as a “matte black.” It’s a dark black with a mostly matte finish and neutral undertones. It had good pigmentation with a slight powderiness, but it wasn’t too bad. It needs a primer to help it blend, as it tended to adhere but become very stiff to diffuse/blend out along the edges. It wore well for eight hours. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Unicorn is described as a “shimmery periwinkle.” It’s a cobalt blue with a hint of purple with a smattering of silver shimmer over a matte finish. It is sheer, dry, powdery, short-wearing, and generally a real pain to use. It doesn’t build-up, because it doesn’t stick to bare skin but rather dusts away with a gentle breeze (or brush!). It seemed to last about five and a half hours, but there was so little in the first place, it’s not surprising. This is the type of color and finish that seems difficult for brands (in general) to do well. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Phresh is described as a “matte bright yellow.” It’s a brightened, light-medium yellow with warm undertones and a matte finish. It had decent color payoff, but it did sheer out and wasn’t easily blended on bare skin. Again–I’m sounding like a broken record–this palette really doesn’t work without a primer of some sort, due to the thinner, drier nature of the eyeshadow formula. It lasted for seven hours on me. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Baby I’m a Star is described as a “sparkling brown.” It’s a dark brown with warm, reddish undertones and a pearly sheen. It had a thin, stiffer texture that was harder to blend out on the skin. It had decent to good pigmentation, and it applied better when I was using it in practice than it did on my arm. I wish it was easier to use. The color wore well for seven and a half hours on me. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Orange You Fancy is described as a “shimmery orange.” It’s a brightened orange with warm undertones and a frosted, golden shimmer-sheen finish. The texture is incredibly soft, but it is also drier and crumbly, so there is a ton of excess product that gets picked up and dislodged from the pan. Though it is pigmented, the drier texture seemed to apply unevenly to my eyelid, so it didn’t appear as pigmented on. It wore well for eight hours. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Beigely is described as a “shimmery beige.” It’s a golden pewter with warm undertones and a more metallic finish. It had good color payoff, while the texture was smooth but a little stiffer in the pan. It’s not stiff per se, but it wasn’t as soft as the other shades in the palette. It ended up being easier to work with on the lid, as it applied more evenly. It started to fade after eight hours of wear. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Anastasia Artist Palette

Anastasia Artist Palette

Anastasia Artist Palette

Anastasia Artist Palette

Anastasia Artist Palette

Anastasia Artist Palette

Anastasia Artist Palette

Anastasia Artist Palette

Anastasia Dusty Rose Eyeshadow

Anastasia Dusty Rose Eyeshadow

Anastasia Aubergine Eyeshadow

Anastasia Aubergine Eyeshadow

Anastasia Anaconda Eyeshadow

Anastasia Anaconda Eyeshadow

Anastasia Punch Fuchsia Eyeshadow

Anastasia Punch Fuchsia Eyeshadow

Anastasia Buttery Eyeshadow

Anastasia Buttery Eyeshadow

Anastasia Blue Velvet Eyeshadow

Anastasia Blue Velvet Eyeshadow

Anastasia Coal Eyeshadow

Anastasia Coal Eyeshadow

Anastasia Unicorn Eyeshadow

Anastasia Unicorn Eyeshadow

Anastasia Phresh Eyeshadow

Anastasia Phresh Eyeshadow

Anastasia Baby I’m a Star Eyeshadow

Anastasia Baby I’m a Star Eyeshadow

Anastasia Orange You Fancy Eyeshadow

Anastasia Orange You Fancy Eyeshadow

Anastasia Beigely Eyeshadow

Anastasia Beigely Eyeshadow

Anaconda (inner lid), Beigely (middle of lid), Unicorn (outer lid), Blue Velvet (crease),
Buttery (brow bone), Sephora Suede Shoes Eyeliner (NO PRIMER!)

Anaconda (inner lid), Beigely (middle of lid), Unicorn (outer lid), Blue Velvet (crease),
Buttery (brow bone), Sephora Suede Shoes Eyeliner (NO PRIMER!)

Orange You Fancy (inner lid), Punch Fuchsia (middle of lid), Baby I’m a Star (outer lid),
Aubergine (crease), Dusty Rose (above crease), Buttery (brow bone), Sephora Love Affair Eyeliner (NO PRIMER!)

Orange You Fancy (inner lid), Punch Fuchsia (middle of lid), Baby I’m a Star (outer lid),
Aubergine (crease), Dusty Rose (above crease), Buttery (brow bone), Sephora Love Affair Eyeliner (NO PRIMER!)