❧❦ Stila In The Light Eye Shadow Palette ❦❧

Stila In The Light Palette

Stila In The Light Palette

I've been a Stila girl for years.  Even though I do love many of their products, I'm really a big fan of their eye shadows.

If you have never experienced them before, Stila eye shadows are finely milled and velvety.  Because they are so soft (especially the shimmer colors), they are more delicate and prone to breakage.  But this also means that you can use less product, and you don't have to dig into the product with your brush.   And if you aren't careful, you can expect a little fallout with the darker colors like Night Sky and Ebony.

But I simply adore this palette - the colors, textures, application, everything - just works for me.  I've used this palette for weeks at a time, and I've never grown tired of it.

For a comparison, as much as I love my Urban Decay Naked 1 and 2 palettes, I have used my Stila palette more often and have hit pan on several of the colors.

Stila In The Light Palette

The palette includes a Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Damsel, a matte chocolate brown, and an 6-page booklet with detailed how-to tips.

Bare - matte ivory

Kitten - a shimmery nude pink

Bliss - matte beige pink

Sunset - shimmery canyon pink

Sandstone - matte light coco

Bubbly - shimmery pale gold

Gilded Gold - golden brown with shimmer

Luster - dark aubergine with gold shimmer

Night Sky - blue with shimmer

Ebony - black

Total eye shadow weight: .49oz/14g, made in USA.

The Smudge Stick is full-sized .01oz/.28g, made in Germany.

Stila In The Light Palette

Stila In The Light Palette

 

Stila eye shadows in Bare, Kitten, Champagne and Gilded Gold

Stila eye shadows in Bliss, Luster

Stila eye shadows in Sunset, Sandstone, Night Sky, Ebony

Stila In The Light Palette Swatches

Stila In The Light Palette Swatches

Pros:

• Versatile colors can create a multitude of looks from neutral to smokey.
• Can be easily layered and blended.
• Soft eye shadows - you don't need a lot of product to create a beautiful effect.
• Can be used wet or dry.
• Will compliment any skin tone.
• Long lasting.
• Highly pigmented.
• Smooth application.
• Unbeatable value of $39 for a palette of 10 Stila eye shadows! An individual Stila eye shadow is $18 for 0.09 oz.
• Includes a really good waterproof eyeliner.
• Not tested on animals.

Cons: 

• Because some of the eye shadows are very soft (like Kitten), by the time you hit pan they have a tendency to break.
• Some of the eye shadows can flake.
• No mirror - I don't mind but for others it's essential in a palette like this.
• A strange cardboard packaging that looks okay initially, but it dents easily and looks scuffed after several months of use making it look cheap.
• There is no clasp or magnet on the palette, and this makes it rather inconvenient to carry around in your purse or travel with because the lid can come open, causing obvious problems and exposing the makeup to bacteria.

I really love the looks that I can create from this palette, and I would repurchase it.

Available here!


- The Sassi Wench

NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow Review

NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow

About two months ago I was looking for a pretty green eyeshadow, and I discovered this one by reading some beauty blogs.  Encouraged by favorable reviews, I ordered Mousson online and eagerly awaited its arrival.

NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow

I find that some NARS eyeshadows tend to be a disappointing failure.  For example, NARS Night Rider looks stunning in the pan, but I found it to be frustrating to apply - you absolutely have to use a primer, and chunks of silver shimmer flake off.  And it never looks quite as good as it does in the pan.

I didn't anticipate having that kind of problem with Mousson though, because it is a cream eyeshadow.

NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow

When it arrived, I was thrilled - it was even prettier than it looked online!  It is a simply stunning sage green/silver eyeshadow.  

I wore this color every day for almost a week, trying every kind of application I could think of - layering it over eyeshadow, under eyeshadow, on naked skin, with primer, without primer - and the results were always the same.  This eyeshadow faded on me within 2 - 4 hours.  And it would crease - badly.

I have dry eyelids and I honestly haven't had an eyeshadow fade on me like this since I used (and returned) some of the colors in the awful Smashbox Wish for the Perfect Palette (2010).  

Eventually, all that was left on my eyelids of Mousson was a sheen of silver shimmer with virtually no color.  

But maybe I should have paid more attention to what is written on the NARS website:

"Can be worn alone or paired with a NARS powder eyeshadow for longer-lasting wear and added dimension."

For "Longer-lasting" wear you have to use a powder eyeshadow? What exactly is that supposed to mean?  Clearly even NARS is aware that this eyeshadow doesn't have staying power.

NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow

As stunning as this eyeshadow looks, it just didn't work for me.  This eyeshadow is a resounding fail, and I would never repurchase it.  Nor would I purchase any other NARS Cream Eyeshadow, based on my experience with this one.

NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow - sage, silver green

NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow sparkles in the sun

The NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow was originally part of the 2009 Holiday Collection.  

NARS Mousson Cream Eyeshadow is available at NARS online for $23.

- The Sassi Wench

The NARS Hanamichi Kabuki Eyeshadow Palette

NARS Hanamichi Kabuki Eyeshadow Palette Packaging

The NARS Hanamichi Kabuki Eyeshadow Palette is encased in a little pouch.

The NARS Hanamichi Kabuki Eyeshadow Palette comes with a Kabuki Eye Brush

I spied this beauty online a few weeks ago, and it literally took my breath away!  I don't know if I've ever seen such a beautiful eyeshadow palette!  

Made in Italy, the Hanamichi Palette is a limited edition 2011 holiday palette, available for $65, and it includes an eyeshadow brush and a mirror.

The NARS Hanamichi Kabuki Eyeshadow Palette in sunlight

Right now, this palette is still available from Nordstrom and from NARS EU. 

The NARS Hanamichi Kabuki Eyeshadow Palette up-close

Hanamichi is Japanese for "flower path", and the inspiration for this palette was the walkway that extends into the audience in a Kabuki dance/drama theatre. 


The elaborate makeup worn by some of the performers is highly stylized, and this is clearly reflected in the NARS Hanamichi Palette.

The NARS Hanamichi Kabuki Eyeshadow Palette - inspired by a Kabuki Theatre

NARS Kabuki Eye Brush up-close

NARS Kabuki Eye Brush

The NARS Kabuki Eye Brush is tiny, and I'm too afraid to use it!  The handle is hand-spun with wisteria, and the bristles are so short that I'm worried that I'll destroy the brush if I wash it!  Because of the size I don't know if it's going to be the most practical brush, so I'll save it for another day when I have more time to wash and test it.


Something that I don't like about this palette is that it does contain talc as the main ingredient.

NARS Hanamichi swatches

While NARS claims the eye shadows are "highly pigmented", I did not find this to be accurate.  I have certainly used very deeply pigmented eyeshadows that pack a punch, but here even the matte black eyeshadow is a little sheer.  


These eyeshadows are pretty though, and blend beautifully.  It's certainly not for everyone, but I love it.


- The Sassi Wench

MAC Big Bounce Eyeshadow Review - Count Your Assets

I was in the mood to try something new, so I invested in one of MAC's Limited Edition Big Bounce eye shadows, called Count Your Assets.  It's from the Flighty Collection that was released a few months back, and it retails for $16.50 for 5g.  Is it worth the money for this pricey goop?  I think not.

MAC Big Bounce Shadow

MAC Big Bounce Count Your Assets Packaging

MAC claims that this eyeshadow has a mousse-like, spongy quality, that it lasts for hours, that it's lightweight and cool upon application.  Those are a lot of promises, and I'm not convinced that it lives up to all of them.

MAC Big Bounce Count Your Assets

MAC Count Your Assets Shadow

MAC Big Bounce Eye Shadow

If you decide to purchase this, I would advise you to keep the little plastic insert (shown above on the right) on the pot under the lid, otherwise you'll end up with the eyeshadow stuck underneath the lid and it will probably be very messy when you open it.


While the shadow is definitely cool when first applied, this isn't particularly groundbreaking technology because if you apply any kind of cream or lotion it feels cool the first moment it touches your skin! 

MAC Big Bounce Eyeshadow Pot

I found the consistency to be rather inconsistent with a mousse.  I feel that a makeup mousse is usually more airy, but this texture seemed to be a little more dense to me.  I suppose I would consider the texture to be just a little spongy, but it's rather more tacky.

I certainly don't think that this is an eyeshadow that you should use if you are in a hurry - I wouldn't dream of applying this before I rush out the door each morning for work.

The problem is that if you apply it and blink before the eyeshadow has set you may find that you have eyeshadow in places you never intended to put it!  Some beauty reviewers recommend using a brush, but I got the best application by using the tiniest amount on my finger and building it up a little.  A little really does go a long way.  You would never want to slather this stuff on.

The eyeshadow is highly pigmented, and once it sets it stays put.  Even when I rubbed the area about 2 hours later, the color remained and didn't smudge, although a small amount of shimmer was visible on my fingers.  I do have dry eyelids, though.


I didn't use primer because of the tacky texture of the product sticks to the skin well enough on its own.  This also has drawbacks, however, because one little dab of the stuff in the wrong place and it can be quite a mission to remove all that sparkle.

MAC Count Your Assets Swatch

The Big Bounce Shadow collection is a rather strange concept from MAC, and certainly not one of their greatest hits.  In fact, I don't even know why they would even allow something like this to be manufactured in the first place.  


The best (and maybe the only good) thing about this shadow is the actual color.  It's an intense purple with silver flecks that sparkle like diamonds - it's absolutely gorgeous! 


While I do enjoy this eyeshadow as the final result is exceptionally stunning for a few hours (after some fussing about with it and layering some regular eyeshadow over it in the outer corners of my eyes), it's not something I would reach for very often.  It's probably more suited to wear in the evenings anyway, and not very practical to apply unless you have a decent amount of time to get the job done properly.  


While I will use this on the rare occasion, I won't purchase another color from this collection because, to be honest, who really has the time to fuss this much with makeup? 


- The Sassi Wench

My First MAC Palette

Actually, this is not the first MAC palette I have ever owned.  It is the first MAC palette that I have assembled.  The first palette was pre-filled and I purchased it around 2002.    It was about the same size as this palette, but it had around 4 or 6 eyeshadows (I wish I could remember what they were!), and maybe 2 blushes.  I threw it out a few years ago, but I wish I hadn't - for some reason I didn't realize that I could refill the palette!  And how I wish MAC made a palette like that today!

Regardless, I finished assembling all of the colors for this palette a while back, and I had intended to do a blog post about it but for some reason I never got around to it.

My First MAC Palette

For the longest time I just purchased MAC eyeshadows in their infamous black plastic pots, but then I realized that there were so many eyeshadows that I wanted that it was better to just purchase a palette - not only was it a space saver, it was also cheaper.

MAC Brule, Filament, Jest, Pink Venus, Electra, Shroom, Retrospeck, Woodwinked, Swish, Shale, Phloof!, Vex, Wedge, Expensive Pink and Blackberry 

What's Inside my MAC palette?

Top Row: 

Brulé - Satin

Soft creamy-beige

Filament - Lustre

Platinum silver

Jest - Frost

Soft peach with icy shimmer

Pink Venus - Lustre

Washed pink

Electra - Frost

Silver with icy shimmer

Middle Row:

Shroom - Satin

Soft beige with shimmer

Retrospeck - Lustre

Beached blonde

Woodwinked - Veluxe Pearl

Warm antique gold

Swish - Frost

Bright pink with icy shimmer

Shale - Satin

Mauve-plum with subtle shimmer

Bottom Row:

Phloof! - Frost

Frosted off-white

Vex - Frost

Beige with pink/green pearl

Wedge - Matte

Soft muted beige taupe

Expensive Pink - Veluxe Pearl

Pink with duo chrome

Blackberry - Matte

Muted burgundy-plum brown

My MAC Palette

I'm definitely a fan of neutral colors - I find that they complement my eyes, which are dark brown.  As for the finish, I'm probably more partial to a satin, but I really love them all.

MAC Eyeshadows

Because I travel so much, I enjoy taking this palette with me.  The convenience of having my personal eyeshadow selection on hand is immensely satisfying. 

MAC Eyeshadow Palette

As for a favorite eyeshadow?  It's very difficult to say, since I really do love them all, but if I had to pick it would probably be Vex and Retrospeck.


- The Sassi Wench

Acrylic Cube Makeup Storage

I decided to update my makeup storage, because I kept on losing my eyeshadows.  In particular, my MAC eyeshadows!  I don't know why.  Anyway, a speedy solution was necessary!  

I found this clear cube acrylic three drawer jewelry box from Beauty Makeup Supply.  I tried it out for a few weeks, then I realized that two of these particular boxes would be the perfect solution to reign in my missing eyeshadows!  I just stacked one on top of the other.

The boxes come in several configurations, all of which can be seen in my video above.

A clear cube 3 Drawer Storage Box.

Each drawer is completely removable.  The size of this organizer is approximately 9" wide, 4" high. 

Stackable clear cube makeup storage.

 Each drawer can hold 15 regular MAC eyeshadows.

MAC Eyeshadow acrylic storage cube

Even MAC Paint Pots fit comfortably inside the drawers.

Storing MAC Paint Pots and eyeshadows

I decided to store the beauty powders and blush in there as well.  

MAC beauty Powders and blush in acrylic makeup storage drawers

In the second cube I stored some Stila, Bourjois and Bobbi Brown makeup. 

Stila and Burberry Eyeshadows stored in acrylic makeup drawers

Storing Eyeshadows - Stila and Bourjois and Face Powders

Acrylic container storing Bobbi Brown Eyeshadows

My makeup is definitely looking more organized now.  My video about other makeup storage tips will be up next week, and I'll create a blog post for that video, too.

Makeup Organization and Storage Tips

Click here for a link to my YouTube Channel: The Sassi Wench

- The Sassi Wench