Whenever anyone asks me, “What’s your favorite line of makeup,” it honestly kind of stumps me! Asking a makeup artist to just choose only one makeup brand, is like asking me as a mother, to pick my favorite child…Ha Ha!!! This is because I pride myself in using a variety of brands AND at a variety of price points, so each one offers something uniquely different and special.
But today, I’m going to actually make that hard choice, and I’m focusing on a prestige brand. And this could quickly change of course, but at the present time, this brand might – or might not – surprise absolutely no one if you’ve been here awhile reading my posts… because I keep coming back to Anastasia Beverly Hills.
Anastasia Beverly Hills
After decades of working on real women’s faces (not just runway-perfect skin) as a makeup artist here in Georgia, I gravitate toward brands that understand structure, softness, and confidence. And Anastasia Soare, the founder of ABH, gets it.
She’s in her late 60s, always presents herself beautifully and gracefully, and has built a brand that celebrates enhancement—not hiding, masking, or chasing unwearable trends that don’t translate to mature skin.
This successful female entrepreneur just released a book, “Raising Brows,” explaining how she has built her brand over time to now be worth a BILLION dollars. The little girl from Romania, who moved to the United States, started as an esthetician focusing on just eyebrows, and has now built a makeup empire at 67 years old.
Anastasia’s products are intentional, flattering, and designed to elevate your features at any age. This is why her line continues to be a staple in my professional kit. And let’s be honest—seeing the founder herself age confidently and beautifully makes me trust the brand even more.
I have been very lucky to be on her PR mailing list and gotten to try out quite a few new launches of hers. I don’t take that for granted. But being able to sample a product, finding that it works very well, then giving me the confidence to go and buy it in multiple shades, says a lot. And I do this a good bit with her line of products.
So if you’ve never experienced any of the ABH line and want to know my personal favorites to start with, here they are in no particular order….
1. Brow Pens + Powders
1. Micro Stroke Brow Pens, $28 + Brow Duo Powders, $26 – Because she is the “queen” of brow products, it was hard for me to pick just one. So I love her new micro stroke pens for those women that have zero brow hairs and need to literally draw them on bare skin. You can’t really do that with a pencil because it won’t stay or show up as well. Her pens I always use on the tail of my brows to draw them back in because that is where all the hair has slowly gone away.
I have also used it on women going through chemotherapy to draw back the illusion of literal brow hairs back on the face and this pen stays put once it dries and does not smear. It helps to create the tiniest realistic looking hairs!
But if you just need a bit of fullness created to a brow, her brow powder duos are great for simple swiping on or blending the two shades together to customize your color. // I wear “medium brown” in both products for reference.
Be sure to check out her sale page though, because a lot of her brow products are on sale in sets for 25-40% off that would make it easy for you to try out for a lower cost!
2. Contour Sticks
Smooth Blur Contour Stick, $34 – I switch off between two shades here – Halftone (in the winter) and Shadow (in the summer), but for this post, I blended them both together for a perfect in-between shade – ha!
The soft buttery consistency of these is what I love, and that they lean more ashy than orange. So these are NOT bronzers, but a way to build bone structure and create shadows where wanted or needed. Such as for slimming the nose, jawline, neck, and making cheekbones pop.
Use a contour brush like this one, $16, from Ulta for the perfect way to blend these sticks out! Not too fluffy, but not too small like a concealer brush – just the right size for the above-mentioned areas on the face.
3. Primer with SPF 50
Hydra Prime SPF 50, $48 – Would you believe I’m only wearing this product, plus my contour sticks, and concealer in these finished photos? No foundation whatsoever. This primer does more than just prime. It is a daily SPF 50 that protects from sun damage, and boosts moisture by 57%, and improves texture with a smooth, radiant finish (no white cast). And it’s a primer so all of your face products will perform at their best and last longer. I love the way my skin looks and feels in this stuff.
4. Eyeshadow Sticks + Palettes
Glidr Sticks, $34 and Mini shadow palettes, $32 – One of her newest products is the Glidr shadow sticks, and they are DREAMY! These sticks make defining and enhancing your lids so simple and beautifully and they’re water-resistant. I’m wearing three shades here in this post: Gleamwood (bronze), Wisteria (purple), and Blue Ice (duo chrome). But do check out how many other shades she offers – They are so fun!
Her mini palettes of 9 shades have always been my favorite for powder shadows because most women don’t want a 45 shade shadow palette that feels too overwhelming to use! The pigments and smoothness are top-notch, and the color combos she offers provide something for everyone. Her latest HAZE palette, $32, is probably my fave so far with its earth-toned neutrals and navy and metallic shade. Watch my Instagram tutorial on it here. I own 4 of these palettes if that tells you anything 😉
Honorable Mention in the Eye Department!
Her lash sculpting and volumizing mascara, $26. I am usually a drugstore mascara girl because I wear SO much that I hate paying over $15 for a mascara, but this one is really good and doing what it says it’s going to do!
5. Lipsticks + Lip Velvets
Matte + Satin Lipstick, $26 and Lip Velvets, $28— Her lipstick bullets provide the smoothest glide on finishes! I’m wearing the shade “Mauve Cloud” which has the soft matte finish in this post. But just check out all of the shades she offers in this formula – the descriptions of each shade are great to tell you exactly what you’re getting. A lot of her nudes and pink shades I have used on my bridal clients in the past.
And her lip velvets are exquisite y’all. I created an Instagram reel here (watch this) showcasing the lip color I get the most compliments on, and it happens to be shade “Pomegranate” from her lip velvet collection! It’s a deep berry red and it’s stunning. The best way to describe the feel of these is a “velvet mousse!” Truly comfortable and weightless.
At this stage in life, makeup should feel empowering, not intimidating. It should make you feel polished, confident, and like the very best version of yourself—and that’s exactly why Anastasia Beverly Hills remains one of my favorite prestige lines. She’s yet to disappoint me, really!
If you want to know about some other mature skin-friendly products at different price points and brands, check out my post from last week on products that don’t emphasize skin texture/wrinkles! Now I want to know…What’s your favorite makeup line —and why? Share it with the rest of us in the comments!
LEAVE A COMMENT