Stila: Eye shadow pan

Well I went and did it. I finally gave in and got the Stila eye shadow pan. It was another one of those Stila events and instead of telling the makeup artist to do whatever I asked for a really, really pretty look that worked mostly with browns. I'm always trying the crazy things, why not try something classic.

What resulted was a great lesson in the classic brown eye. I learned to correct for my slowly slouching eye lids (Yay aging!) and learned an entirely new and exciting way to line the inside rims of my eyes to create a stunning evening look.

I came out of it getting chinois (a great base), starlight (for some lightness), puppy (my wonder corrector) summer (a wonderful warm brown), java (a dark chocolate brown for lining) and cassis (just becuase I can't get enough of those purple eye shadows).

And not only did I get all that, but it was also super gift with purchase time that got me three more neutral eye shadows, a small black smudge pot and mini brushes and well as a travel size mascara.

My eyes can't help but be pretty now.

HRH

Stila: Shadow Pot in Petal

Yes, I bought yet another purple eye shadow. I cannot be stopped.

HRH

Stila: Eye shadow tri in Forest Clove

About a month ago I was walking past Holt Renfrew and saw that my beloved Stila had a new palette in stock. As per usual I walked in and asked which palette would look best on me. The artist sized up my colouring and swiftly coloured me with Forest Clove. The palette is green tones. Not something I would immediately be drawn to, but a photo in the Sephora Fall 2005 catalouge completely made me fall for earthy green shadow and bronzy blush.

Forest clove turned out to be a lovely palette for fall. It's still available in stores, so if you're looking for something to give you an earthy, yet smoky eye, I suggest you check it out.

HRH

Stila: Gold palette

There's no need to go into my ever lasting love of palettes. I love them, they rock and I got more for Christmas which has made me a very, very happy girl.

My most recent acquisition was the Stila Deluxe Palette in Golden Moon. I have so much makeup that's based in the cool tones that I felt it was time to explore the vast pantheon of colours in the neutrals and warm tones. To that end I decided to go for golds to warm up my pasty winter skin and soften my face.

As usual Stila has great colours (Four eye shadows in Starlight, Mahogany, New Golden Brown, and a new Bronzy Brown,a Primrose Cheek Color, a Golden Peach Lip Color, and Caramel Lip Gloss. Yay!)and great packaging (fits nicely in my makeup bag too!), and they very thoughtfully included three brushes with this palette as well (a Lip Brush, Eye Shadow Crease Brush, and an Eye Liner Brush).It's a really, really handy set for traveling too.

There's also a rose version of the palette if you're not ready to delve into the world of the warm.

HRH

Stila: Smudge Pots

We used to have a cat named Roxanne. We was this adorable fluff of calico fur with a puffy tail and these eyes that were rimmed in black. My mother used to jokingly say to the cat "What time did you get up this morning to put your eyeliner on, Roxy?" She was a gorgeous cat and part of what made her so attractive was the drama of her eyes. She was like the Brigette Bardot of cats.

Now, human women are never born with automatic eyeliner like some of nature's fluffier friends are, but we were born with opposable thumbs and cosmetic counters. As such we can, with relative ease, give our eyes drama.

For this Stila Smudge Pots are an excellent product. I am a woman of many eyeliners. I've tried them all and I thought I had found my favourite until I found this. It's a gel/cream which means it goes on smooth and lasts. A good brush is a must for this kind of application and please, please, please try your hardest to get it on as close to your lash line as possible and get that line straight. It will take practice, but will be well worth it once you've mastered it.

Now as much as I loathe to say this, dramatic eyes should not be an every day thing, that is, unless you are a Hollywood starlet or something like that. You can't make an impact with a look if you do it every day. As such, do a toned-down version of the dramatic black liner for work/daytime. Otherwise you run the risk of looking a little tramp-ish. Try brown, try less, try a modest line versus a big fat line straight from a 1960s french film. The fun is in the trying and the variety of ways you can get eyeliner to flatter.

HRH

Stila: Fiber Optics Mascara

Mmmm mascara. The mighty tool that women wield to make everyone they encounter powerless. Some may say it's might or wit, but no; it's mascara.

I'd been going through a deceptively natural phase of late, using volumizing brown mascara so it wasn't patently obvious that I was using it, yet there was oomph. I'd nearly forgotten the power of lash extending black mascara until the recent Stila makeover experience. Oh the power is back.

The scoop on this variant of mascara is that it's formulated not to turn into the hard crusty mess that mascara usually dries into. You know what I'm talking about. You've had your eye makeup on for 12 hours and the mascara reaches a point where it can do nothing put irritate your eyes with it's dry crusty evility. Yes I just made that word up. Fiber Optics Mascara claims to stay soft for hours and generally speaking it does. In reality the fact that it stays soft at all is pretty impressive. Touch your eyelashes a couple of minutes after they've dried and you'll see what I'm talking about. Deceptively soft, full and thick. Evil in the good way.

HRH

Stila: Illuminating Liquid Foundation

Remember how I used to boo and hiss at foundation, claiming that I wouldn't wear it until I really, really had to. Well, I'm going to change my stance a little here. In general, I still don't love it. I still think that if you're young and have decent skin, you should let that shine through.

But when you want perfect skin or if you're trying to control some oil or get your blend on, the right foundation can be a really good thing. Like the Stila Illuminating Liquid Foundation I got a few weeks back. It has good coverage, creates a really lattering skin tone and it's pleasantly light. Used in combination with the recently reforumulated Stila Sheer Pressed Powder and it gives the appearance of flawless skin that just feels soooo soft. It's a foundation I can live with. Live without? I'm not sure yet. That is always the test.

HRH

Stila: Sun

Just before my birthday last month, I was given a chance to have my makeup done by one of the big makeup artists that work for Pout. Holt Renfew does things like this all the time. You go in, they do you up with their products and usually you buy something. I try to plan these little suck-up fests around big events so that I get the benefit of getting my makeup done and go out looking fabulous.

I don't want to go into detail, because I don't want to hate on anyone, but I basically came out of that experience looking like I was headlining as a Vegas showgirl. Fine for Vegas, but so out of hand that I wore sunglasses indoors, lest anyone see me escape from the store looking like that. Sadly this is what happens at most of these things. It happened to me at Origins too. MAC and Benefit actually left me feeling pretty and most recently Stila converted me into a rabid fan of their line after a positively magical makeover experience. Not only did the artist make me look awesome, but I learned a lot of application techniques.

As such, the next few reviews will be of Stila products. They've recently reduced their prices so I was able to get a lot more product for the same amount of money that I was planning on spending. Yee and haw.

The first of my spoils that I will share is the Stila Bronzer Sun. I've never really known how to use bronzer. I've spent a lot of time just enjoying my general pallor, loving blush and knowing enough that for special occasions I should dust a little blush on my forehead and nose. I owned a bronzer that was completely wrong for me. It had way too much shimmer, was way to dark and make me look like I'd brushed dirt on my face. Gorgeous.

As part of my Stila adventure I learned how to apply it (with a blush brush) and where to put it (generally where the sun would hit you first) and how very, very important it is to blend in circular motions after it's been applied. So I start below my temples and work towards the apple of my cheek. I don't go all the way over there, but instead that's where my blush will go... and then it will all be blended some more. This makes it look like you're just a little glowy. It's not immediately apparent that you're wearing bronzer (as it should be) but you just look healthy.

This is a good thing to get as the sun fades from our lives for yet another year. That and a seasonal effective disorder lamp and I should be set.

HRH

Stila: Perfectly Plum

I like palettes. They make life really easy. For those in the world who do not enjoy mixing and matching shades of shadow and blush, palettes are really quite handy. And they usually only last a season or two, so they're great for when you're embracing something trendy.

Stila wins my heart over and over again because they put together the latest complimentary shades in absolutely adorable packaging. Don't try to tell me the packaging doesn't matter! I'll put my hands over my ears and drown you out by singing Keely Smith songs really loud until you shut up. You know I will.

Anyway, this set of palettes comes in four varieties: Sage, Peach, Gold & Plum. I purchased Sage for someone with dark hair, a rosy complexion and hazel eyes. She also loves tweed, so really it couldn't fail. Of course, I couldn't leave it at just getting one for her, so I asked the kind lady at the Stila counter which one she thought would be best for me. I had a feeling it would be plum, since people have been all about putting purple on me for the last 3 years.

And guess what? Perfectly plum it was. I can't say that I love the colour of the purple shadow in the palette. It does work with the other shades, but I find for my tastes, replacing it with the Cargo SmokyEye Liner Duo shadow Madagascar works a lot better for me. Regardless, it's a handy palette for days when I need to do a post-work touch up and don't feel like lugging 3 different shadows and a blush with me. Also the blush is a great colour, and the pigment is really intense. And that's pretty much always a good thing to me.

HRH