Stila Kitten Glitter & Glow Highlighter Review, Photos, Swatches
Kitten
Stila Kitten Glitter & Glow Highlighter ($30.00 for 0.20 oz.) is a medium, coppery brown with warm undertones and large, chunky gold glitter. It had a semi-sheer base, but it seemed to disappear when I applied it to my actual cheeks, as it left behind faint shimmer and some sparkle. It swatched rather intensely, so I’m not entirely sure where all the color/product went upon application and subsequent dry down!
Some of the loss was due to how much product adhered to my fingertip rather than my skin as I attempted to pat and blend it gently. It also lifted up base products, so be wary of applying over fuller coverage foundation. What was there upon initial application seemed to last for a solid eight hours on me, but the glitters would dislodge easily if I pressed my face at all.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
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Formula Overview
$30.00/0.2 oz. - $150.00 Per Ounce
The brand says it's supposed to be a "complexion-enhancing formula [that] contains a sheer base with a multicolor mix of pearls and visible flecks of glitter." It can be used alone or layered over other products. The brand reiterated that the Highlighter formula is "not pigmented" compared to their Glitter & Glow Eye Shadows, which I appreciate. Similarly, the brand clearly stated that these should not be used on the eyes due to sizes of the glitter used in the cheek highlighter. I find this to be an odd product that I expect to work for a few but largely, it didn't work as described.
The do have sheer bases with light-to-moderate amounts of glitter; some are chocked-full of glitter and others are sparser. The ones with less sparkle and glitter did not work well alone; they looked more like random bits of grit on the face rather than a highlighter as it illuminated nothing. The ones with lots of sparkle and glitter could be used alone. They seemed to be better layered, but the effect that these added was rather minimal.
The more glitter there was, the more prone to migration/traveling, and these absolutely have to go on last and cannot be blended with a brush or else most of it comes off and goes wherever it is destined to go (nose, chin, trapped in one's brush). The formula was thin and more watery, though it did not take too long to dry down. It was more challenging to apply as the glittery bits tended to adhere a bit too easily to my fingertips while a sponge absorbed the wetness quickly and then the glitter dried more on my sponge than on my skin.
They're a bit larger (but more expensive) than the Glitter & Glow Eyeshadows, which run $24.00 for 0.15 fl. oz. or $160.00/oz.; the Glitter & Glow Highlighters are $30.00 for 0.20 oz. or $150.00/oz. My advice is to opt for one of the eyeshadows, where some of them are sheerer and often can be sheered out if desired, and could be used on the eyes OR the cheeks as a more glittery highlighter.
Browse all of our Stila Glitter & Glow Highlighter swatches.
Ingredients
Water, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Glycerin, Silica, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Squalane, Caprylyl Glycol, Bis-C16-20 Isoalkoxy TMHDI/PEG-90 Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Hexylene Glycol, Tin Oxide, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate. May Contain (+/-): Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491).
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
I have seen several reviews on YT and seems everyone is having the same problem with the highlighter lifting their base makeup. I like some shimmer but am not a fan of actual glitter on my cheeks so this was any easy pass for me.
Gotta say, I had a really bad feeling about these when I viewed the arm swatches. They look gritty. Or sandy. And not very even. This one sounds like a womp-womp washout. Shame they wasted the infamous “Kitten” moniker on this one!
I wonder… this is almost exactly the same product as the liquid eye shadow so I have to wonder… what’s the point? Unfortunately this is a hard pass. ☹️ Thank you for your review!! I always trust what you have to say about new makeup!!
What a shame – Kitten is Stilla’s signature shade and this looks better as an eye colour rather than a highlighter.
I wish Stila would not duplicate shade names. For example, the Shimmer and Glow liquid eyeshadow also has a shade named Kitten, which was rated A+ on this site. This can be really confusing.
Oh this is……………….. a misstep.
Why would they make the highlighter as chunky as the eye shadow? You could just use the liquid eye shadow on. This is a weird one.
It’s actually chunkier since they used larger glitter!
What?! So weird.
AWWW, I wanted this one to be good.
I was not expecting such a low performance on this, one of their signature colors. Too bad.
Kitten has always been one of my favorite shadows – especially from Stila – but this is so disappointing!
Bummer to hear this wasn’t good! ):