I have been waiting to get my hands on this palette and today, I can finally bring you my thoughts. After months of waiting eagerly after setting my eyes on the palette personally with Mario himself, I could barely contain myself. The Master Palette by Mario Dedivanovic from Anastasia Beverly Hills is quite a beaut. I’m exciting to share my own little back story regarding this palette, so hold on tight as I take you on the journey.
Ah, in all of its gorgeous beauty, I finally have my hands on this palette… yay me. The Master Palette was created by the famed makeup artist to the stars – Mario Dedivanovic. If you are not sure who he is, I’ll give you a little information on him. Mario is best known for working with the Kardashian family and celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Chrissy Teigen. He and Norvina (Claudia) from Anastasia Beverly Hills made mention of a palette in the works many months ago, but no one really got a good look at it till August or so. I met with Mario at a Master Class in August where I had the opportunity to be one of two people in a class of over 80 to see the palette live and in color. I even had the opportunity to swatch the palette, but out of respect for Mario, I didn’t take any photos of the palette and was just overwhelmed with excitement that I was given the opportunity to do so. A few weeks later, Mario posted the palette on his Snapchat and Instagram and everyone was able to see what it looked like prior to being released the first week of October.
Now, to be honest, if I hadn’t seen the palette first hand with my own two eyes, I would have swooned over it some… but probably wouldn’t have made the purchase and pick it up. I am a fan of Anastasia Beverly Hills Palettes (I own at least 5 of them), but if I were just looking at images online, I would have thought to skip it since the colors are so similar to those from palettes I already owned. But, that was not the case, I did see the palette before most of the World and the colors are those that I knew I would use – so I NEEDED IT!
Let’s talk about the packaging. This palette has the same type of casing and packaging as other palettes that Anastasia Beverly Hills has created – but it comes an all black casing with gold detailing. If you know anything about me, then you know that the packaging alone may have won me over… I love black and gold. While simple, I think overall it offers much of what ABH palettes do, portable, not too bulky, easy to travel with and able to take a beating when traveling. Since this is a palette that I know Mario takes on the road, I can see the durability and purpose in the packaging in its self.
The colors, oh hello colors. This palette honestly offers fairly basic shades, right? Well… yes, and no! The shades are definitely neutral and wearable – which I know that Mario was aiming for, since he’s honestly about classic beauty and glamour, not the done up instagram trends we see all over the internet. While he is known as the King of Contour, he is a huge fan of effortless beauty and loves creating those looks personally on his clientele.
Each shadow, whether matte or shimmer through out the palette offer such great pigmentation… high intensity color. Each have such a gorgeous texture, smooth and buttery. I have used several palettes from ABH, the Modern Renaissance being my favorite before I tried this one, and I absolutely love the quality of this palette. Smooth, satin shades are just the plus side to how wonderful this palette is. The colors, while neutral – offer anyone a wide range of shades to create an every day look or a show stopping smoky eye. The options are endless.
Like most (if not all) of the ABH palettes, this particular one comes with a duo-ended makeup brush. A shadow end and one for blending – which makes this the perfect palette for on the go. Each eye shadow (12 shades in all) is named after women and places that have given Mario inspiration over the years. Do you see Lula (Mario’s mom), Marina (Mario’s sister), Kim and Claudia in the mix? Need I say more? This definitely was a palette created with the inspiration that Mario found in his life.
Top Row Swatches – From Left to Right: Hollywood, NYC, Kim, Muse, Marina, Claudia
Bottom Row Swatches – From Left to Right: Lula, Isabel, Violeta, 5th Ave., Bronx, Paris.
All of the shades are gorgeous and I love that there are a mixture of matte and shimmer shades. Each shadow offers such gorgeous color payoff and while some of the shimmer shades can have a bit of fall out, honestly, they are so pigmented and buttery… a little product goes a long way. Rich gorgeous color in one swipe and no patchy application – even with the matte shades.
I haven’t been using much makeup lately so I was very excited to dip into the palette and create a look. On my eyes I’m using a blend of Violeta and Isabel in the crease and as my transition shade, Marina on the lid and blended up towards the crease, Muse blended into the outer v and Hollywood as an inner corner highlight and to highlight a little on my brow bone.
Let’s face it, as a makeup addict, I can honestly say that you can NEVER have enough neutral palettes. But I’m so happy with this palette. It’s not your average, every day neutral palette – it’s definitely a master piece created by a master artist. The Master Palette by Mario is a gorgeous palette with beautiful and stunning shades that will work with any skin tone, eye color and age and I think it’s definitely an essential to any makeup lovers collection. This will be my go-to travel palette and I think it will be a favorite for years to come. Of course, it helps that I have a personal connection to the palette and the artist, so I’m proud to sport this palette and use it with pride.
Here’s a little glimpse of Mario’s instagram – a slideshow he created. Take a look, you might see someone you know in the mix. 😉
The palette is gorgeous and I definitely suggest checking it out and seeing for yourself. It should be available at select Ulta and Sephora stores if it has been sold out online at Anastasia Beverly Hills. I do think it’s a must have for anyone, but I think after hearing about Mario’s humble beginnings and how he started as a makeup artist won my heart over more than anything. Nonetheless, if you have the opportunity to check it out and pick up one for yourself… do it!
Disclaimer: The product featured in this post was purchased by me with my own money. Affiliate links are posted through out, which I do make money from if you decide to purchase through those links. All opinions are my own, 100% honest & unbiased.
26 Comments
I’m so glad you got to go to the event, Honey, and meet the man yourself! I think it is a gorgeous palette with shades that would look great on almost everyone. If I hadn’t bought a couple of Viseart palettes and others this year, I’d buy it in a heartbeat
I had a few Viseart palettes on my sights… but I spent my money on Lorac Mega Pro 3 and this palette, I had to complete my Lorac Mega Trifecta… lol. 😉
How exciting! 🙂 The pigment on this palette look amazing – the shimmers make my heart beat faster! <3
it really is amazing, so buttery and gorgeous and the shimmers… wow!
This is such a gorgeous palette, and what a fun event! I love the look that you created as well!
it really is a gorgeous palette and I had a good time at the event. Thank you!
I love that this has darker colors in it!
it really does have a great selection of neutrals 😉
Thank you for the beautiful swatches!
thank you 🙂
This is THE perfect palette for Fall! I love the shimmery shades!
INCREDIBLY envious that you got to attend a masterclass with Mario! I think I’m more excited reading about that than the palette itself!
hahaha – girl, yes, it was a great class. He has come from such humble beginnings and I’m very thankful to have met him.
Initially, this palette didn’t really interest me, but seeing it swatched completely changed my mind. It’s gorgeous! I love the look you created.
This looks like a really nice neutral palette for sure!
Oh my gosh,girl, that is SO FREAKING COOL! I didn’t realize you got to see it so far in advance. That is AWESOME! Congrats to you! I think I am going to pass on this palette only because I own so many neutral palettes and haven’t purchased an ABH one yet. I wanted to expand my collection of bright palettes first, so ended up buying a KVD palette 🙂
yes girl, it was a fun experience to say the least. Girl… that KVD palette looks really nice, I think it’s definitely a great choice for brights. 😉 I have been eyeing that one for sure.
it looks lovely!
Wow, this palette is stunning and the colors look gorgeous on you. How exciting that you got to attend his class, that must have been pretty amazing!
I really need to try the ABH palettes! The shadows look so smooth and velvety. It’s cool that you got to see it so far in advance! It’s so much fun having privileged information. 🙂
This palette is just stunning!!!
What a gorgeous palette! And how cool that you met him!!
this looks beautiful! perfect autumn colours!
Beautiful pallete x
What a lovely palette!
This looks so good with your skin tone.