Stila Holiday 2009 Collection

Stila has some lovely value sets out for this holiday season…

Kitten Set ($18.00) (Sephora Exclusive)

Get a double dose of the award-winning shimmering pink champagne shade in this stunning set featuring Eye Shadow and Lip Glaze in Kitten. The best-selling Eye Shadow shade is now available in Stila’s legendary high-shine Lip Glaze formula—so now you can have a complete Kitten look that will have you smitten! The moisture-rich gloss contains ultra-fine pearl shimmer that provides amazing shine. It’s also enriched with Vitamins A, C and E for additional skincare benefits. And the Kitten Eye Shadow—Stila’s original, award-winning formula that can be worn wet or dry—stays on all day without creasing or smudging.

Mini Lip Glaze Collection ($25.00)

Back and bigger than ever, Stila’s ultra-popular mini Lip Glaze collection features EIGHT shades—four bestsellers and four brand new. Find the flavor to match your every look and mood in this must-have set that delivers lips with unprecedented high-wattage color and shine.

• Starfruit Neutral pink with subtle white pearl
• Kitten Caramel with golden pearl
• Cranberry Deep red
• Blackberry Deep warm red brown
• Marmalade Sheer peach with pink and white pearl
• Pinkle Twinkle Sheer pink with pink and multicolor sparkle
• Plum Fairy Sheer plum with pink pearl
• Candy Sheer pinky coral with subtle rainbow sparkle

24kt Luxe Lip Gloss Collection ($30.00) (Anthropologie Exclusive)

Give the gift of gold. This collection will make lips glisten with four shades of 24kt Luxe Lip Gloss: Radiant Sunset, Precious Coral, Golden Charm and Vintage Merlot infused with genuine 24kt gold leaf. This non-sticky formula is loaded with moisture-locking
ingredients including Vitamin E to nourish and condition and Vitamins A & C to provide anti-oxidant protection. You will be sure to make a statement with this luxurious gift of gold and gloss.

Smudge Pot Set ($32.00)

Introducing vibrant new twinkling shades of the classic long lasting, waterproof Smudge Pot formula that will outlast even the most packed social schedule or winter snowstorm. Featuring NEW Violet with shimmer, NEW Starry Night, Black and Kitten shades, and complete with a mini brush, these versatile multi-taskers are beloved by makeup artists and makeup mavens alike. Each can be used for lining the eyes for the perfect cat eye or smudging on the lids to create a smoldering smoky eye.

Availability: StilaCosmetics.com, Sephora.com, Anthropologie

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Barbie Loves Stila Cobalt Clutch & Purple Pumps Smudge Pot

Barbie Loves Stila Cobalt Clutch & Purple Pumps Smudge Pot ($20.00 each) are two of the three new smudge pot shades released with Stila’s Barbie Loves Stila Collection for the fall season. (Little Black Dress is the third shade–and it is on its way to me; as soon as I have it, you know I’ll be reviewing it!)

Purple Pumps is a shimmery shade of violet with a lighter violet-purple shimmer laced throughout the creamy gel liner. It is one of the sheerer smudge pots I’ve tested, but it can be layered for a more opaque look. I found layering was best achieved with a stiff, flat bristled brush (I used MAC’s 249).

Cobalt Clutch is a ridiculously vibrant shade of sea-water blue with a slight sky blue sheen (but more of a sheen than a shimmer). It goes on opaque without any need for layering, unlike Purple Pumps, and the shade is definitely intense. It will definitely look stunning as an eyeliner, but it could be used as a base for some really in-your-face eye color. (I am fairly certain it is the vibrant blue used in the Stila Smitten With Kitten Collection promotional image.)

I’ve always been a fan of Stila’s smudge pots. They’re smudgeproof, budgeproof, and wear all day without fading or creasing. They come in a variety of shades–one surely to entice you–and they’ll last you forever. I haven’t had any of mine dry out on me yet, either, which is a huge plus, because some gel liners have a tendency to dry out within a year.

• Product: 9/10
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 8/10
• Packaging: 8/10

Recommendation: These are not to be missed if you’re a gel liner fan (or a Smudge Pot fan in general!), because these are some bright-eyed shades you don’t see often.

Availability: Stila Cosmetics

See swatches…

Purple Pumps

Cobalt Clutch

Purple Pumps, Cobalt Clutch

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Barbie Loves Stila All Doll’d Up Eyeshadow Palette

Barbie Loves Stila All Doll’d Up Palette ($28.00 for 0.36 oz.) is a refillable compact featuring four eyeshadow trios. Each eyeshadow has three stripes of color. It is part of Barbie Loves Stila for Fall.

MAKE A MAD DASH TO GET THIS PALETTE. LIKE… YESTERDAY!

I’m a seasoned beauty addict–I’ve seen and tested and loved a plethora of products. It takes a lot to *truly* knock my socks off these days. There are a lot of great products–even amazing products–but there are fewer absolutely, positively excellent products. Stila’s All Doll’d Up Palette is one of those rare gems beauty addicts live to uncover. Not only is it a stunning combination of shades and colors chocked full of quality shadows, but it holds tremendous value. You get ten fold what you pay for.

Shade rundown…

• Trio #1: Soft champagne with shimmer; coppery brown with a softer sheen/shimmer; a cool-toned pink with an iciness to it
• Trio #2: A bold lightly shimmered teal; deep grayish-brown with shimmer; iridescent violet with fuchsia undertones
• Trio #3: Periwinkle blue with soft shimmer sheen; a dark black-brown with silver sparkle; dirty champagne taupe with gray
• Trio #4: Pop of peach with gold shimmer; brown with a greenish cast; springy green with pale green-gold shimmer

Every shade is silky smooth with excellent color pay off. There is not a single fussy shade; no shade that does not earn its keep and position in this packed palette. The colors are diverse and the different looks one could create are immense. I love that each trio is almost a look in itself, but you can also mix and match the shades as you please. It is just so rare to find a palette that is consistent from shade to shade and there’s no shade that feels like it was just thrown in.

I absolutely recommend this palette to everyone, even the color-shy. It’s available at an incredible price, so even if you only want to experiment with color, this is a chance to get twelve high-quality shades without paying an arm and a leg. Truthfully, I would have purchased this quad for $40, easily. I wouldn’t have batted an eye! For those who aren’t sure just how great of a deal this really is, compare…

• Stila All Doll’d Up Eyeshadow Palette: $77.78/oz.
• MAC Eyeshadow Quad: $144.00/oz.
• Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow (Single): $163.64/oz.
• Almay Eyeshadow Trio: $57.31/oz.

• Product: 10/10
• Value: 10/10
• Ease of Use: 10/10
• Packaging: 9/10

Recommendation: Buy one for yourself and a friend! I’m seriously considering giving one of these to my friends/family for the holidays! Amazing pigmentation, great price, and cute packaging to boot!

Availability: Stila Cosmetics

Update:  I e-mailed Stila about international distribution, and they informed me that it is U.S. only.  I did relay your interest as international customers to them as well!

See swatches…

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Welcome Back, Stila!

Stila Cosmetics is really back, darlings! New owner Lynn Tilton has been welcomed into the Stila Girl fold, and she’d like to offer a complimentary Stila Appreciation 24kt Luxe Lip Gloss with a purchase of $25 or more. Just use code APPRECIATE. Oh yeah, that’s right–the website is back online and in action!

It sounds like Stila has some very interesting things planned for the future, so I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what direction they go in over the next few months. By the way, am I the only one who didn’t know about Stila’s very nifty rewards program? Where have I been?!

Check out the new Stila family!

According to WWD…

Struggling indie brand Stila Cosmetics has found a last-minute savior: venture capital firm Patriarch Partners LLC. The deal is expected to be finalized on Monday.

According to several sources, it’s been a rocky several weeks for the brand, which is said to have furloughed its entire workforce the last week in March due to the company’s inability to make payroll. Former owner Sun Capital Partners, which had acquired the brand from the Estee Lauder Cos., is said to have pulled the plug on the company’s financing at that time. The deal was confirmed late Sunday afternoon by Stila ceo Deanna Kangas and Patriarch Partners spokesperson Taylor Griffin. — WWD