Stila Summer 2012 collection review

Stila In The Moment Eyeshadow Palette Spring 2012
Price: US$39 and CAN$50
Contains: 10 eyeshadows and 1 Smudge Stick Waterproof Liner.
Stila sez: "A stunning collection of Stila's award-winning eye shadows, featuring a mix of pretty purples and ultra-wearable, neutral shades that flatter every skin tone and can be worn wet or dry. The palette also includes an exclusive Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Tetra, a deep shimmery purple, plus an eight-page look book with comprehensive application tips and tricks."
Nunu sez:  A lovely cool tone palette with a good mix of neutrals and colour. I have a soft spot for purple anything so I was most looking forward to the 2 purple shades in the palette.Quality of this palette is vastly different to their travel palettes, most of the shadows in this palette were soft and buttery with awesome pigmentation. The 2 darker shades in the upper row suffered from some chalkiness and would lose most of their sparkly bits upon application. I was a bit disappointed with the dark purple shade, it has an awesome duo-chrome quality in the pan which was completely lost on the eye. The Smudge Liner has great colour payoff and I also liked that it does not require sharpening. It would've been great if they'd included a mirror!

Stila Stay All Day HD Beauty Balm

Price: US$38 and CAN$49

Stila sez: "Luxurious beauty balm glides onto skin and leaves a silky, powdery finish. High-definition formula helps reduce pore size and provides oil and blemish control. Contains innovative micro spheres, which have been shown to hide skin imperfections and reduce wrinkle depth by up to 84%. Features an exclusive complex, which helps reduce redness and skin irritation. Enriched with Tripeptide-37, bamboo and pea extracts, which help diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Infused with natural, skin-protecting emollients which have been shown to increase anti-oxidant activity by up to 89.7%. Uses the smallest particle size of coated pigments for seamless, smooth coverage. Ideal for all skin types and skin tones. Oil-free, paraben-free and dermatologist tested."

Nunu sez: When I swatched this at the Stila event I was pretty excited with its mattifying and smoothing properties, however, I was also unimpressed with its complete lack of coverage. I'm told that it's not meant to provide coverage or replace your foundation, it's more for use as a primer, mixed in with your foundation or alone. So basically, a BB cream it is not. The coverage is so light that unless you have perfect skin, you're going to need something more if you want coverage. However, it works really well as a primer, providing a beautiful smooth matte base for your foundation to go over. I think I understand why SPF wasn't included in this product, SPF tends to create a white cast in photographs and this is a HD product. Great for occasions when you're going to be photographed a lot so I'm saving my sample for my engagement and wedding photos.

Stila Set & Correct Baked Powder Trio

Price: US$34 and CAN$44

Stila sez: "A 3-in-1 baked correcting powder that color-corrects, brightens, evens skintone and sets makeup for a flawless, satin finish. This sheer, buildable powder contains three color-correcting powders, which work in tandem to correct the skin and set foundation. Shades include: Peach - brightens and illuminates; Green - minimizes redness; Lavender - counteracts sallow undertones. A unique baking technique causes the binder to evaporate, which creates a velvety finish and a lightweight feel on the skin. This luxe powder also contains Vitamin E antioxidant protection and jojoba oils to help moisturize and condition the skin. The product is hypo-allergenic and paraben free."
Nunu sez: I really love this as a setting powder! I don't understand all the colour theory hocus pocus behind it but it really does make the redness in my skin disappear!! I even dared to venture out of my house with just this powder on my face so that's saying something. It gives a nice matte finish but I still had to blot around the 4-5 hour mark. Do tap your brush of any excess powder before applying it to your face unless you want a large green patch in the middle of your forehead which you'll incidentally only notice on a bathroom break halfway through your day. The grinder shouldn't amuse me but it does. This powder is HUGE, I don't know how one would fit this in their makeup bag. Make it flatter!!!

Stila One Step Illuminate
Price: US$36 and CAN$47
Stila sez: "Instantly illuminates, primes and nourishes the skin. One Step Illuminate improves skintone, evens out your complexion and helps smooth fine lines and wrinkles for complexion perfection! Stila's new One Step Illuminate's oil-free formula melts right into the skin and dries down, creating a gorgeous, illuminating glow. This revolutionary new formula contains three illuminating bronzers: Pale pink - warms the complexion; Champagne - highlights the skin; Kitten - brightens and illuminates. This primer, illuminating, color correcting skincare serum contains Stila's Youth Revival Bio-Available Mineral Complex that instantly: Reduces imperfection; Improves skin texture; Minimizes pores and diminishes the look of fine lines and wrinkles; Hydrates, balances and nourishes the skin; Controls oil production."
Nunu sez: This reminded me a lot of the Guerlain Perles Primer. Even the effect it gives is similar, namely, a bit of shimmer and not much else. The texture is a very watery gel that melts into skin easily. It is slightly hydrating and will smooth out very superficial lines but did nothing for my pores. I didn't notice any extra oil control or any visible changes in my skintone. With my oily combination skin, I definitely cannot wear it on its own but mixed in with my foundation or tinted moisturiser or as a primer and I get a nice glow.

Stila All Over Shimmer

Price: US$22 CAN$26

Stila sez: "A creamy, skin-enhancing luminizer that gives the skin a fresh, radiant glow. Soft focus pigments help diminish skin imperfections and minimize the appearance of fine lines and sun spots. This luxurious formula can also be mixed into face lotion or your favorite Stila foundation for a touch of brightened radiance. All Over Shimmer is available in 3 illuminating shades: Pink Shimmer; Bronze; Rose Gold."

Nunu sez: I received the Rose Gold shade and it immediately reminded me of something...*cough* NARS Super Orgasm Illuminator *cough*. It has a hint of pink and leaves my skin with a beautiful I-just-came-back-from-a-tryst-with-a-cabana-boy who looks like Antonio Banderas glow from within. I liked this a lot more than the One Step Illuminator because of the warmth it gave to my pale sallow skin. I use this in a whole myriad of ways - mixed in with my foundation, as a highlighter, under matte blushes when I want a bit of added shimmer and even mixed in with my body lotion for clubbing. Definitely packing this one with me to Hawaii!

All Stila products are available at Sephora and Murale.