While I was browsing at Sephora last week, looking for bargains, I found Stila's new
Countless Color Pigments ($22), a selection of vibrant pigments that can be worn alone or mixed and matched to create countless shade combinations. They looked nice, so I ordered one: Groupie. I was really tempted to order Acoustic too, but I decided I had time to see whether I liked Groupie before I ordered more. The VIB sale runs for another week.
My intuition was spot on - this time. I know I selected a conservative shade, but I'm still delighted to report that the color, texture, finish, and quality (made in Italy) are worthy of comparison to luxury lines - but without the luxury prices.
Turn heads wherever you go. Stila’s beautiful and exclusive first-to-market formula is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Each pan is a piece of art: vibrant pigments are handmade using a proprietary pressing and baking process. The full-coverage formula is long-wearing and packaged in a festive, colorful compact. Wear each shade alone; blend two shades together; swirl all three shades for a pop shade; or swipe across all three shades to create a multi-shade streaked effect. Use your creativity and let your imagination run wild.
You can do that too, although I didn't when I first swatched Groupie for my photos below. I swirled, using my sponge-tipped applicator, out of curiosity blending across all of the shades. I took my photos in full, mid-afternoon sun.
I hope you can see the beautiful dimension of this blended color. The peach tempered the brown, creating the perfect springtime brown - not too dark, not too light. The finish has a gleam (subtle shine, perhaps), but it's not sparkly.
As I looked at the photos, I started feeling like a lazy duffer. I think I've become one since I "suffered" my stress fracture. So I went back outside and swatched the golden peach side below the blended swatch to show you how pretty it is.
Owning this Stila Countless Color Pigment Eye Shadow is like having a new eye shadow duo. I've always liked Stila makeup. Knowing it's paraben-, sulfate-, and phthalate-free makes me happy. Plus the colors are trendy yet oh-so-wearable.
While you're shopping during Sephora's VIB sale, head over to Stila and take a look at the
Countless Color Pigments. With the 15% discount, they are only $18.70! They are also available at Stila's Web site and Ulta, but wouldn't you want the discount?
Photo at top courtesy of Sephora; other photos by Best Things in Beauty
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8 comments:
Pretty, but I find that ever since Jeannine Lobel left Stila, the quality is really iffy at times. I like some things, and then, there are others that aren't up to par. This sounds nice. And it is pretty, but I guess I trust my Laura Geller baked products more!
Hi MamaVal,
This one has superb quality.
Stila was a favourite brand of mine in the late 90's early 2000's. They made the best tinted moisturizer in a whole myriad of shades with regular and even oil free versions of the product. This TM made my skin look amazing with other woman asking me all the time what product I was using. Then a number of years later in what felt like overnight they abruptly discontinued this line of TM's and focused on a revamped version with very very limited shade choices. I was heartbroken. I never found another TM I loved as much until Nars came out with theirs which is a close second. Around the same time, I noticed other products by Stila were not of the same high quality I had enjoyed in previous years. Their eyeshadow trios went from being these enormous pies pans to these little itty bitty circles with absolutely horrible/non-existent payoff. I couldn't believe it. I stopped buying the brand. The change from excellent to downright bad was very dramatic to me. I would love to see Stila dust themselves off and elbow their way back into my collection. I felt they had some seriously great products and beautiful colour choices during their prime.
Hi Wwendalynne,
I used to use a superb Stila eye concealer that I adored. Must have purchased 10 of them over the years. Then they discontinued it. I was bummed. I totally understand how you felt about your tinted moisturizer.
I have not noticed the quality fall-off mostly because I backed off buying for a few years while I was going broke on the priciest lines.
I can tell you that this eye shadow is nop-notch.
Off topic - I just received today a Sephora order, including the new Edward Bess lipstick in Endless Dream. I know you ordered the other new color - but I went by The Non Blonde's pictures and review, and was pleased that he created a cool pink lipstick.
Well, once again, the lipstick I received bears no resemblance to the color featured - it is a warm pink. I'm so frustrated - I thought I may have ordered the wrong color! But no, it is the correct one. I will take it back to the store, but I don't understand how this happened.
Any ideas?
I succumbed to these - big time. I got them ALL. I rarely make a purchase without really reviewing lots of swatches and at least two reviews, especially if it will be sizable. In this case, I was wooed by something fun in terms of product shades, artistry and creativity in mixing, and truth be told great packaging colors. On the whole, I am quite happy with the products. Some will work for blush and eye shadow, as long as shimmer is okay. Pigmentation is pretty good across the board, with only a couple shadows not having enough dimension across the hue range, one of the purple ones. I think my only real letdown is that you do get some overlap because shades re all blended up, so if you get several, you'll have several pink eye shadows, which isn'tw normal for me. I think how people feel about them will come down to how comfortable you are outside a palette or traditional pan. I liked these better than the few Laura Geller items I've had, which was years go. If you're good items akin to those where the colors aren't super defined wells that you blend only on the skin or palette, these might appeal. I was surprised how much I liked them; I really worried id made a mistake. I'd never been that big on stila: lipgloss es are too sticky and in annoying dispensers, and convertible color doesn't work on my oily skin. I think these eye shadows are as good as any I had from them in the past, and they're more fun and creatively inspiring. I really didn't think I'd be this happy with them, but I guess I am. :)
Hi!,
I can tell you that this eye shadow is top-notch. This one has superb quality. Perfect for everyone.
Hi Bisbee,
I've had similar experiences in the past and that's why I always try to see products in person. That's not possible for many of you; however, so you rely on the only two sources you have: blogger pictures and store pictures. Sad to say, but neither one is reliable :-( There are only a handful of bloggers that post reasonably accurate pictures, and the stores are notorious for having the worst color representations imaginable. So, if visiting a counter isn't possible, I suggest googling as many images of the particular product as possible. You'll be able to see the product photographed by many different people under different lighting conditions and with different equipment. After looking at a variety of images, you'll get a feel for the true color of the product. It takes a bit more time to do that, but it's less time than a trip to the store to return something.
Unfortunately, because Endless Dream is new, Gaia's are the only images currently out there so I went back and took a look at her post. On my monitor (iMac), I can definitely see a warm red undertone in the color swatched on her arm so perhaps your monitor is a bit off. It happens.
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