Stila Cheek Color (Fade)

My quest to put just the right amount of color in my cheeks continues.

My Ulta purchase from last month included two blushes. I've already talked about the one from Lorac, and here is the second one, Stila Cheek Color in Fade. As you can see, Fade is a bit warmer and a touch lighter than Soul, my Lorac choice. It works well and I wear it just as often, usually when I use eye makeup that has a bit of green in it. I've found that it goes together quite well.

This Stila Cheek Color has a reasonably pleasant texture, but it's not as finely-milled and silky as Shu, Chanel or Le Metier de Beaute products. My bigger issue with Stila is the packaging. I'm not an expert on this brand and at some point there might have been a sturdier compact into which you could have transferred the pan, but if that's the case, they are no longer available. What you get is a refill-looking pan in the flimsiest clear plastic holder. It doesn't protect the blush too well even when kept in the box, and the whole look is a bit too cheap for my taste. I'm not a fan of price inflating over packaging by any means, but there should be a happy medium between the wasteful extravaganza of some Guerlain and Rock & Republic products and slumming it Stila-style.

Stila Cheek Color ($18) is available from Ulta, Beauty.com and Dermstore.com.

All photos by me.

Are Stila's Troubles Over?

Were the rumors of Stila's demise exaggerated? It was no secret that the brand was in dire straights and product availability has been somewhat spotty lately. Their web site is mostly gone and there's a notice saying orders that were place on 3/23/2009 - 3/24/2009 may be canceled.

Stila has changed hands- Lauder sold it to Sun Capital who didn't seem to make it work, to the point that (according to WWD) they could not make payroll and have sent all employees home last month for an unpaid vacation time. The latest news is of another change in ownership. WWD is now reporting that Stila was sold to venture capital firm Patriarch Partners LLC.

Personally, I was never a big fan and had no Stila must-haves. I found most of the products overpriced for what they were, but I know enough beauty-obsessed who love the brand. Are you stocking up on your favorite Stila products?

In the Shadows

The coming fall is a great season for eye shadow. Everyone is talking about shadows and from the look of it, it seems that everyone is also buying them. The chocolate Bobbi Brown palette has been talked about everywhere, but there are other beautiful options out there. The question is: Do I really need more eye shadows?



I might need a good highlighter under my brow, but as I've mentioned, they are hard to find. Especially non-shimmery ones. I like this trio from Stila. the one in the picture is Forest Clove, but there are two other trios, all look lovely, but the light ones are all shimmery, and until I actually try them on I can't tell if they even show on my skin.


Cargo's Ten Thousand Islands is gorgeous, and has everal optional looks- warm and cold. I love this blue, but I vowed to turn it down a notch for the upcoming season, and I do worry that I'm reaching a certain age that vibrant colors might no longer be apropriate. But it is so beautiful...
I love the slate and silver. These colors do look good on me and might be the thing for an evening look. The ecru and chocolate might be redundant, considering the Bobbi palette.


Looking at this limited edition Smashbox Quad I'm questioning my resolve about bold color. I love the teal, though I'm not sure how well it works with the other colors when it's actually on one's face. Probably as a liner. Can it be considered a fall color/look? Probably not, especially with the yellow gold. This one is something I know that can work on my skin, but I'm uncertain about the whole look for the season. It's more summery, and I already have Chanel's Gold Rush quad.

Looking at all this, I think that I should be looking for a duo compact, definitely not a palette. Hopefully, something interesting would pop out in a month, just in time for the season. Right now, it looks like slim picking.

Nothing Major

I joined the Great Mascara Hunt, a noble quest started at Blogdorf Goodman. I've already talked about my beloved Clinique High Impact, a perfect 10 for my curling needs (and I know that someone has even taken notice. Hi, A.). But I just got a sample of Stila's Major Lash Mascara and I gave it a try for a couple of days.

As I said before, being reasonably well-endowed in the lash department, I don't expect miracles from my mascara. Just defining and curling. Neither of which this mascara delivered.

Since I was using a sample tube, I can't really judge the brush. It seems okay at coating and separating the lashes. But the product itself appears to be more glossy than pigmented. It added some shine, but that didn't last after a few hours, so what little defining effect it had was gone. It didn't add any length and despite the promise, didn't curl my lashes. The product description on the site suggests layering. This is something that I'd rather not do. Coats upon coats of mascara is not a look that I would go for.

But I did manage to put this mascara to good use: My lower lashes, unlike the upper ones do curl naturally. I don't use mascara on them because the look is too heavy- too dark and racoonish. But this low pigment mascara that only gives a little shine looked pretty nice on my lower lashes. And since it hardly clamps or flakes no racoons were spotted.

My rating: 3 for upper lashes, 8 for lower.