Showing posts with label guest blog. Show all posts

guest blog - vampy varnish

Oct 14, 2011

meet kelly from vampy varnish.  in her amazing guest post below, she shares some of her favorite stila products.  learn more about her and read what she has to say!





there are some stila products that i absolutely adore and feel the need to discuss!

collectible palettes: i have a mild obsession with collecting these. i feel the need to get each one. i have at least 10-12 of them now! i love them for several reasons: they all have different designs on the front, they open like little books, they look great stacked, they include 4 eyeshadows and a convertible color or two blushes inside, they have a little mirror and instruction guide inside, and they are all different. most of all, i love that the price! 

sparkle waterproof liquid eye liner: l love the colors they come in! they are so saturated and really make your eyes stand out. i especially am in love with the shades bora bora, rock candy, electric and flash. they really do last all day long and they're a great way to have a pop of sparkle on your eyes without looking like a disco ball.

long wear liquid lip color: i think these are some of the coolest lip products out there! they seem like a gloss because of the packaging and how they apply, but they are thick and SO extremely opaque like a lipstick. they feel soft and velvety then "set" and do not come off or budge. a tiny little bit goes a very long way! i have extremely dry lips and always worry about matte lip products. but while these are matte and do feel dry to the touch, they aren't drying on my lips. i haven't come across any other lip products that act like these do and i really hope they come out with more colors soon (hint, hint)!

stila smudge pots: my first ever experience with these was with the holiday 2009 collection which included the shades kitten, starry night, violet and black. i was totally impressed by these then and still am now. these are so creamy and smooth and easy to apply. the black is so deep and dark and lasts all day with no fading. speaking of these I think I need to pick up cobalt and black cat...

if you want to see photos and swatches of any of these products, check out my blog!

guest blog - lara from the glossarie!

Oct 5, 2011

introducing lara from the glossarie.  learn more about her in this q&a below and read about what stila favs have become hers over the years!



hi beauties! my name is lara and  write the glossarie. i have a full on obsession with pretty that was sparked solely by stila. my love affair began with the baked cheek duo in pink glow and grew to include rare and hard-to-find lip glaze shades like raisin, lemongrass, sugar plum and red apple.

a couple of years ago, i discovered kitten and it still remains my everyday eye shadow.  i also fell hard for custom color blush, which gives my fair cheeks the most perfect pink pop. i swear by this blush and recommend it to friends and strangers left and right!



my stila fate was sealed when i had the opportunity to cover beauty backstage at NYFW this february and interviewed sarah lucero at lela rose. she inspired me to try a bold merlot lip using smudge pot and had me on pins and needles awaiting the launch of forever your curl.

stila still has a permanent spot in my heart and makeup bag with my latest find, brighten & correct concealer. it’s like a nap in a tube – i keep it in my purse and swipe it on before running into an event or buying appointment. i love that it goes on smoothly and is super easy to pat and blend. from baked cheek duo to brighten & correct, this brand can do no wrong. i’d love to hear your oldest and newest stila loves!

guest blog – soo from makeup bunny

Sep 2, 2011


at stila we believe that makeup is as individual as your signature.  meet soo from makeup bunny.  in this guest post, we see her favorite stila products  - new and old.  see how she has fun using them for a colorful, peacock inspired look below.



this look is based on our best-selling in the light palette with a pop of color.  soo uses smudge sticks to add drama and color to the look!  see what products she used in the picture below!



guest blog - jackie's stila story

Aug 19, 2011

meet jackie from beauty chaotic. her stila story about one of our favorite vintage products is inspiring and gives you a small peak into the life of a beauty blogger!



it was the summer of 2008 when a broken heart led me into the world of blogging. i was sad and distraught, searching for a way to occupy my mind on those lonely evenings spent in my apartment drinking wine, listening to amy winehouse and thinking about the guy who jilted me. originally i planned on starting a celebrity gossip blog à la perez hilton to keep me busy. but then a friend suggested i ditch the celebrity gossip idea and write about something i was even more passionate about - beauty.

it seemed like such an obvious choice.  i couldn’t believe i hadn’t thought of it myself. i’ve always had an affinity for the glamorous things in life, even as a child when i was sneaking into my mother’s makeup drawer and wreaking havoc around the house - and my face -with her candy apple red lipstick.

so I went to work, staying up nights on my hot pink laptop, researching other blogs, thinking of story ideas and going over design options. it took months before i was satisfied with what i had created, but finally on christmas eve of 2008, i launched my site. at first i stuck to what i knew - product reviews, awards show fashion critiques and the occasional makeup how-to. but as my readership grew so did the demand for something i had never done before – a smoky eye makeup tutorial.

i knew nothing about how to create a smoky eye. honestly, I didn’t know much about how to apply eye shadow at all, outside of the basic highlight color all over the lid. so with limited funds and an open mind i headed to my local sephora in search of help and discovered the stila smoky eye talking palette.

i'd been considering investing in a palette for a while, and decided now would be a good time since it came with everything i needed, including instructions. so with the last money i had until payday i bought two palettes – the platinums and the bronzes. and what a great investment it was! i'd just moved out on my own and money was scarce, so for months those two palettes were the only eye shadows I owned.

and boy did I make the best out of what i had! i came up with every possible combination i could out of those 8 shadows - the silver smokey eye, the platinum smokey eye, semi-smokey eyes, dramatic smokey eyes, even the platinum/bronzy smokey eye. that one was a stretch, i know. but hey, it worked.

i was 5 months into my blogging adventure when heartbreak struck again - but this wasn't some boy toying with my heart.  it was a million times worse: my little brother was killed in a car accident. shocked, devastated, and broken, i was beside myself with grief and had no idea how to cope. i wanted to stop working, stop blogging, stop living. the pain was simply too much for me to handle.

one night a few weeks later i was in my apartment once again, sipping wine, listening to music and crying my eyes out when the urge to film a tutorial struck. i knew it was something. I didn’t want to give up and more importantly something my brother wouldn’t want me to give up. so I dried my tears, pulled out my platinum palette and filmed yet another smoky look – this time a shimmery silver eye with hot pink lips look that i still wear to this day.


that’s when the healing began. i spent the majority of my summer filming tutorial after tutorial with the same two palettes – to keep my blog going but to keep my heart going as well. by the time fall rolled around i had used nearly all the eye shadows to the very last bit, scraping the final remnants out of the pans with a paper clip.

i’ve come a long way since those days. my blog and youtube channel are both doing well and i’ve amassed a giant makeup collection that requires an entire wall to store. i have everything a blogger could need at my disposal - hundreds of eye shadows, lip glosses, blushes and eyeliners are now at my fingertips. but it all started with two stila smoky eye talking palettes and i’ll never forget that. and though they were emptied long ago, i still have the two empty palettes to remind me of where i started, how far i’ve come and how far I have yet to go.


guest blog - cindy from prime beauty

Aug 2, 2011

cindy from prime beauty is on a mission - a mission to help women over 40 look and feel their best. in her guest post she explains how to create a summery bronze goddess look appropriate for women over 40.


let's face it ladies, when you hit 40 things change. the time for glitter lashes, bright colors and disco ball shimmer are over - it just looks like you're trying too hard, not to mention highlighting all the things we over 40 women are trying to hide!  stila is not just for the younger crowd - there are lots of great products created with us over 40 women in mind. here are some of my favorites for a fresh and easy summer look:

stila one step bronze - a triple threat and ideal for aging skin, stila one step bronze combines, bronzer, primer and illuminator in one product! resembling a soft swirl ice cream cone, the formula contains three illuminating bronzers:  matte bronze with copper undertone - to bronze, bronze with pink undertone - to enhance skin tone and illuminate and kitten - to brighten, illuminate and help diminish the appearance of sun spots. mixing the three shades ensures a soft natural look as opposed to the dreaded faux orange. it's oil free and melts into your skin. It can be used alone or over foundation as a bronzer, applying to the high points of the face. i prefer to mix it with my foundation to deepen the color and give me a natural bronze glow.

stila custom color blush -i have to admit, when i read that this blush would react with your own skin's PH to create a custom shade i was skeptical - very skeptical, but i thought "what's the harm in trying, right?"  i have been pleasantly surprised, i love this blush! although scary bright in the pan, on me it transforms into a fresh sun-kissed flush that is SO natural looking! It looks like I've been sitting on a beach sipping a cocktail out of a pineapple i wish!) - a reddish-pink cheek that looks healthy and youthful. the texture is extremely light and silky so it kind of "floats" on top of lines and wrinkles. it applies like a dream and you can layer for more intensity if desired. on my friend it's a brighter baby pink that suits her skin tone. you've got to try this, it won't look powdery or cakey--perfect for over 40 women!

stila eye shadow trio in gilded- i adore stila eye shadows, the texture is unbeatable. they are powdery, silky and blend like buttah! I also think they do an exceptional job with these trios. each trio is comprised of a base shade, a crease shade and a liner in order to create a complete eye look in minutes. gilded is perfect for a summer bronzy look; a shimmery peachy beige for an all over wash from the lash line to under the brow bone, a gorgeous bronze to use in the crease and a deep matte brown as a liner. the shimmer in stila's shadows are so finely milled that they appear more like a sheen instead of sparkly. too much glitter or sparkle on older eyes tends to emphasize lines, but these shadows make eyes glow.

stila smudge stick waterproof eye liners - i can't get enough of these! they are retractable and glide on effortlessly. i prefer stick eyeliners, mostly because i'm lazy and klutzy and using a brush takes some finesse (which I clearly don’t have). these are versatile in that you can draw a fine line (for under lower lashes) or draw a thick line and smudge. all the colors are spectacular, not a bad one in the bunch–i like lionfish for the bronze goddess look.  these liners also passed my rigorous testing in texas summer heat and humidity. i like the texture of smudge sticks; they are soft and creamy so they don't pull or tug on older eye lids. the shimmer is subdued and adds interest.

crush lip & cheek stains - raspberry crush was the very first lip stain I ever tried and it got me hooked me right away. i now have four shades and my collection is growing. i really love these which makes it difficult to chose a favorite but with the look above, I think either raspberry or mango would work nicely. the stain is very thin, almost watery and both raspberry and mango have ultra fine shimmer, making them ideal for summer evening cocktails on the deck or around the pool.  i like to layer with a gloss on top although it's not necessary. stila lip glaze in fruit punch works with either stain and smells exactly like fruit punch - makes me want to eat it!

with these awesome stila products i can create a bronzed goddess look that's easy and age appropriate for us over 40 women. the look is ideal for summer--bronzed skin with a natural flush, light eyes that pop and bright lips!


guest blog - heather from hello beautiful

Jul 27, 2011

We are excited to share an amazing review of our smudgestick eyeliners!  Like all of us at stila, heather from hello beautiful is in love with this fantastic product.  Read why below and check out the q&a to learn more about her.






i love my stila smudgestick!

love stila's smudgepots but hate the fuss? the stila smudgestick is a smudgepot in an easy to apply eyeliner applicator.  true to stila form, this liner is extremely pigmented, and the staying power is second to none.  the best part?  once you've applied this liner, it literally doesn't budge!  this liner doesn't flake, transfer, or fade.  the color range is beautiful;  my personal favorite is stingray;  a very rich matte black.  atila also has colors ranging from a beautiful slate blue (blue ribbon), to a must-have bronze sheen shade (lionfish).  and this liner will last you a very long time.  a little goes a loooong way!  here is why I put stila above all other traditional pen/pencil eyeliners:

pigmentation:  atila is best known for their superior color pigmentation - the smudgestick is no exception
ease of use:  this retractable eyeliner glides on smoothly and blends easily
waterproof:  yes, this is actually a waterproof liner
color range:  stila's colors range from rich matte to eye-catching shimmer shades
smudge-ability:  this product can be smudged; however, it does set quickly

this pencil is not meant for the waterline, though.  you are better off using a stila kajal eyeliner or the traditional smudgepot for the waterline.

stila is a fantastic company with consistently superior and innovative products;  the smudgestick is no exception and i highly recommend it!


want more beauty reviews?  visit my youtube channel!  

guest blog - city chic talks natural makeup

Jul 13, 2011

were you ever afraid of makeup?  krista from city chic shares how she overcame her makeup fear in this guest blog below.


i admit it: ive never been a big fan of make-up - ever.

until i was 22, i only had bad memories and bad pictures with foundations that were too dark, and products that were too heavy and clumpy.

you see, i grew up with two "issues" that caused me to have a natural aversion for makeup.  i had an ultra-fair complexion that could likely garner me a role in the next twilight saga, and i was an avid performer and talent competitor, where heavy make-up was the norm under bright stage lights.

while high school is usually a fun time of experimentation with fashion and make-up for most teenage girls, it was a horror show for me.  people constantly asked if i felt sick because i 'looked so pale'. in a failed attempt to counter-act this crazy perception, i started trying out different drugstore foundations that left lines and looked completely unnatural. i still hate every picture of me from those days!

college wasn't much better; in those years, i decided to take the completely opposite route and 'go natural', which, while more me, left me looking tired and un-refined. i shrugged off the idea of make-up in general.

as a young adult entering the workforce as a business sales rep, i was self-conscious enough about my pastiness to try tanning. i spent that summer as the queen of fake-baking, and while i definitely looked better, i had a faux orange tone that was never quite me either.

everything changed when i had an opportunity through work to go to the at&t pro-am golf tournament at pebble beach. i was beyond excited for the event and i wanted to look my absolute best in pictures - this was a new me! it just so happened that one of my guests of honor was a gorgeous friend who has a background as a make-up artist.

as soon as i suggested a make-over, danielle whipped out her arsenal of product and assured me that whatever she did, i would still look natural. i was honestly scared to look in the mirror, fully convinced that I was about to see what i always had - un-even color tone, cakey lines or worse, a face that couldn't breathe and left smudges all over my camera, cell phone and shirt collar. yuck.

much to my surprise, that was NOT the image in the mirror at all.  i looked like me, but better! a wide sweep of bronzer and dash of convertible color complimented the contrast of my dark hair and made my hazel eyes pop. it even appeared that I had cheekbones! the best part? the total time i spent as Danielle's project took less than TEN minutes. how AMAZING!

beyond happy, i made her take me on a shopping trip before she left that day.  i'm happy to report that in the two years that have passed since then, i haven't strayed. not once, not ever.

this, my friends, is why i love stila.  it's perfect for the beauty maven who loves experimenting with fun colors and new looks, but its perfect for someone like me too.  so here's the rundown on my ten minute morning and CANNOT (I repeat, cannot) live without stila favorites:


1) one step correct - a true godsend, itís super light, goes on easily & takes all the uneven tone out of your skin in 30 seconds. seriously! If you don’t like make-up, this is one thing I would recommend wearing.

2) tinted moisturizer with spf - since i absolutely despise foundation, powder, etc. or anything that FEELS like make-up, this is perfect for me.

3) bronzer - i use a huge soft brush & superlight hand to apply this.  I start with the forehead and sweep down, in/out along cheekbones and back down along the jaw line for a super natural application.

4) convertible color in gerbera - a few dots on of this cream based blush always does the trick!

5) natural eyeshadow palette - i'm a big fan of taupe by the brow bone and inner corners of the eye, darker browns on the lid and a slightly smudged dark shade along the bottom lashes.

6) major major lash mascara - curl, coat and repeat. ooh la la.

7) lip glaze - never sticky and ultra-light, it's the perfect shine.


 a few weeks ago, i had someone randomly stop me on the street in the city. "can I just tell you that you're beautiful?" i thought that I must have heard him wrong over the screeching horns and slamming breaks.  beautiful, really? ME? i looked around, but there was no one else nearby.

shocked and blushing, i had to smile. while looking good is nice, feeling good about yourself and being confident in your own (pale!) skin is even better.



**for more about me & my favorite products, stop by my san francisco based blog 'city chic'. i'd love to hear from you!

guest blog - shamini theverajah from norway

Jul 1, 2011

meet shamini from norway. she has an incredible story to share with us and an amazing passion for makeup. it's contagious!




i started writing back in 2002 because i, a young woman dependent of my wheelchair, desperately needed a place to vent, to share my thoughts and prevent myself from going insane from thinking. i needed a place where i could be open, honest and still be respected for the person i am.  so i started sharing my thoughts with other people through the internet. i wrote about obstacles, experiences, frustrations and feelings. writing quickly became an awesome kind of therapy for me, and my life escalated from sitting at home doing nothing, to taking an online course of web design, going to parties, and eventually moving away from everything known to an entirely new city.  my diary slowly turned into a “blog”.

i discovered makeup for real back in 2008, when i found an american makeup forum that ignited a spark in me - a spark that quickly grew into a full-blown fire! i learned so much, so quickly! i started watching tutorials on youtube, posting my own makeup looks – and really enjoying the feedback i was receiving. it meant a lot to me, and my self-esteem grew.  at first i purchased a few random items here and there, but as my love for the beautiful and really unique products grew i turned into a collector, and i’m proud to say that i’m in possession of many a sought-after piece.

i’ve developed a deep passion for colors, they somehow make me happy when i feel like life is otherwise dark and grey, and makeup has become the perfect way for me to escape my everyday life and express my creativity. when most physical activity is difficult for me, i really appreciate having an extensive makeup collection to reach for whenever i feel the need to actually create something – and the satisfactory feeling of mastering something, conquering an obstacle, is indeed priceless.

my collection consists of many different brands, and i don’t quite remember when i was introduced to stila cosmetics, but it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. it’s very difficult to obtain stila when in norway, but I’ve still managed to include must-have pieces like kitten, diamond lil, black cat, a few smudge pots, some of the fantastic smudge stick eye liners, two of their talking palettes and the super cute travel palettes to my collection nonetheless. and i love them! i have a hard time choosing one single favorite, but the one product i reach for most often is the smudge stick in koi, a fantastic gold. i’m already planning on purchasing the rest of these liners, that’s how much i love them. diamond lil follows close behind on my favorites list, as the smooth buttery feel of these eye shadows are just unbelievable! how can you beat a sultry smoky eye done with diamond lil on the lid, black cat in the outer corner and crease, kitten as a highlight – and a surprising pop of color using for instance koi on the lower lash line? unbeatable, just take my word for it.

guest blog - lindsay from belle belle beauty!

Jun 15, 2011

today we have a fun product review to share with you from lindsay at belle belle beauty!  read below to see why she loves our stay all day liquid eyeliner.  and learn more about her in this q&a...


have no fear, those of you who think you can’t handle a liquid eyeliner pen.  this stila thin marker-like tip is really a breeze!  the market is pointed to add precision and you can build the line with layers of application.  but that is just the beginning.  when I say “staying power”, i mean this sucker isn’t going ANYWHERE.  i can rub my eyes, shower and even wash my face and the line remains solid and pigmented as ever.   but along with no smudges comes a super fast dry. so be sure make adjustments as quickly as possible.  i generally prefer a black liner, and this is a wonderful, deep and inky shade.  but it is also offered in indigo and dark brown as well. won't be long before I cannot resist the "cool midtone blue".  this is absolutely my new favorite eyeliner, especially for these warm and sticky summer days. 

guest blog - get makemeover's "stila sisters" look

May 19, 2011

today's guest blogger, ebony from makemeovereb.com, has created a colorful look that we love.  below you will find more info about her, what her favorite products are and how she uses them, and some fun pictures.  enjoy!


stila sisters...

stila is best when shared with your girlfriends.  bright bold colors are in style for spring and summer.  stila eye shadows are perfect to brighten any look.   below, kiyana and ski share their favorite stila products with each other.



kiyana is wearing the following:
-stila eye shadows in wheat, mystic, azure, indigo
-stila cherry crush lip and cheek stain
-stila sun bronzer



recreate kiyana’s look...
-apply azure over entire eyelid
-apply wheat from eyebrow to mid eye as a highlighter
-dust mystic in crease
-use indigo with an angle brush as an eyeliner for top and bottom lashes
-apply cherry crush lip stain to the lips
-dust bronzer on cheeks


ski is wearing
-stila eye shadows oasis, barefoot contessa, coco
-stila cherry crush lip and cheek stain
-stila sun bronzer



recreate sky’s look...
-apply barefoot contessa over entire eyelid
-apply oasis from eyebrow to mid eye as a highlighter
-dust coco in the crease
-apply cherry crush lip stain to the lips
-dust bronzer on cheeks


guest blog - how were you introduced to stila?

Apr 28, 2011

we have a lot of stila fans across the globe.  it's fun to hear their stories and learn how they came to know stila - whether it was yesterday, 10 years ago, from a magazine, or a friend.  nav, a UK fan and blogger for beauty blogging away, recently shared with us the simple way in which she discovered stila.  we love it. learn more about nav below and read what she has to say.
"my first stila product was the lip glaze, and to this day it remains one of my favorites from stila. i received it from a friend!  it's a very pretty sheer-ish lip gloss which leaves a nice sheen and a bit of sparkle on my lips, and I love it! it's moisturizing, which is one of the main points that made me come back to it and use it over and over.

"since i first received this gift, i have picked up stila eyeshadows and other products.  today i love stila!"




***how did you discover stila?  did a friend turn you on to our lip glazes like nav's did?  or did you learn about it some other way?!?  we would love to know!

guest blog: everyday to runway's stila story

Apr 15, 2011

today we have a special guest blogger from everyday to runway.  lauren (pictured below wearing caprice long wear liquid lip color) shares her stila story with us in addition to other fun makeup tips.  enjoy!

 

makeup has always been a part of my life. since a young age i piled on false lashes, bold red lips, and far too much blush for any normal eight year old. i was a competitive dancer and between the constant weekend performances and summer travel schedules, i learned about makeup much sooner than my peers. when i wasn’t dancing, my extremely strict school did not allow makeup. while my classmates would stash candy as contraband, i would sneak in tints and glosses in neutral colors to get that extra hint of pink on my lips. i even tried to use the shortly popular “hair mascara” to give myself faux-highlights! sadly that little streak of blue hidden in my hair landed me in principal’s office.

 
once i transferred to public school, i went color crazy with my makeup, excited to have the freedom to wear anything other than beige-colored eye shadow. after my first trip to the massive sephora in san francisco, i discovered stila. the shimmery, bold colored brand had exactly what I was looking for. i picked up palette after palette of blues, greens, purples and of course the neutrals just in case. i stocked up on my favorite clear, click tube lip glazes to show off my collection at school as well.

 
as i grew older, i learned to love the simplicity of a little bronzer, a pop of pink on the cheeks and a sandy colored eye to highlight natural beauty. my collection has grown to house an entire drawer dedicated to lip sticks, glosses, stains, tints, with no fewer than six choices in my purse at a time. my daily look is a shimmery beige for the lid (like stila’s kitten), and a deeper chocolate (like stila’s java) lined with a dark brown rim around my eye, add a few coats of blackest black mascara (my favorite) and you have a quick but beautiful look for any ordinary day.

 
i will never give up my shimmers, colors, and variety. for the occasional bold night, i love a deep purple smoky eye or that neon green for a themed party. i love having the ability to transform any look from drab to fab with the application of a few products. having a brand like stila with the range for any occasion is what makes me love the brand that much more.

 
throughout the years of experimentation i learned a lot through trial and error. but there are a few tips and tricks i will always stand by:
  • a pop of white in your inner eye corners gives a wide-awake look despite how little you slept.
  • for fairer skin tones, using brown rather than black eye make up creates a less harsh look during the day.
  • for a night out, nothing is more classic than a smoky eye and a nude lip.
  • but a nude lip does not mean a naked lip. add a little liner, or gloss in a shade one lighter than your lip color to enhance your face.
  • on that note, a bold lip will never do you wrong on a girl’s night out. choose a hot pink, or even orange, to modernize that red lip look. pair it with a skin tone lid, and an extra coat of mascara to keep your lips the prime focus.
  • wear what makes you happy. even if a color isn’t “in” that season, if you want to wear an eggplant-esque color in your crease (great for hazel eyes like mine) wear it regardless of the trends for that year.

hope you liked hearing my story as well as my go-to tricks. stop by everyday to runway, to see more “must have” products that i love! xo

guest blog - popmakeup's must haves in india

Mar 25, 2011

we have an amazing story to share with you today from popmakeup!



in my final semester of my social work degree, i had the opportunity to travel to india to complete my final social work placement. as well as living and working in mumbai for three months, i had also planned a backpacking trip around the sub-continent. the first challenge i faced was packing everything i needed for the next four months into a backpack that would almost never leave my side. that meant i needed to make clever decisions about the makeup products i was going to take with me and finding multi-tasking products was key.

india is beautiful and devastating. there were times i felt utterly overwhelmed. as i travelled through india to mumbai, i was struck by the juxtaposition of beauty and joy and filth and desperation, which came to represent india for me. to be honest, there were weeks when i was lucky to have a shower, let alone think about makeup. but even still, one of the most enduring images from my time in india was the grace of a group of Indian women walking alongside the train tracks in the middle of the rajasthan desert. in their block-colour saris, they were jewels in the sand, and they held themselves accordingly.

as well as the lessons i learned about myself and the world, there were many small but important lessons i learned in India about beauty. one such lesson is what indian women taught me about makeup: that makeup doesn’t have to be so much about covering up your perceived flaws, but can instead be about emphasizing your unique beauty and expressing yourself in a world that does not always make it easy to have your voice heard. in my small makeup bag, i had everything i needed: 


-a wash of stila sheer color tinted moisturizer, a sheer tint to even out my skin tone
-a swish of concealer under my eyes 
-black mascara on my lashes
-stila convertible color in gerbera, a warm pink coloured cream on my cheeks and lips, topped with a generous dollop of stila lip glaze in grapefruit.

was i ever as glamorous as the indian women i saw every day? um... no.  did I feel confident enough to dance all night at a traditional indian wedding, spinning and laughing, open to everything that country had to offer? definitely.

fashionchicsta's product review/look

Mar 9, 2011

we have another fabulous guest blog for you from our friend fashionchicsta.  read about her in this q&a and learn why she loves our new kitten products and how she uses them in her guest post below.




opening the convertible color-style compact of stila’s new kitten all over shimmer reveals 2 gorgeous shades - kitten, meet your beautiful cousin, pink!  wow - the possibilities are endless with these two shades. i wanted to try something different, so please let me introduce you to the puuurrrrfect kitten eye!
i used the firm end of my #30 brush to apply kitten (the browner shade) all over my lid.  then i took the blending end of the brush and softened the shade by my brow bone.  i did not use a shadow base because I wanted to get the full feel and true colour of the new collection.  it goes on smooth, easy and did not settle into my creases. this kitten is a 'softer' version of it's shadow counterpart; not as theatrical and high-impact / high-pigment.
next, i added brown smudgepot along the lash line and topped it off with the *new* kitten glitter liner. yes, kitten glitter liner.  so amazing.  i love liquid glitter liners.   my eyes usually do not for several reasons.  however, kitten glitter liner is purrfect.  no flaking, no smudging and no cracking.  It's been on my eyes for 5 hours and looks like it was just applied.  it has an amazing golden/coper base, so you can wear this liner without having to apply a base product for colour intensity.  best of all - it is hands down, the easiest liquid liner that I have applied!  the brush is short and firm so you have total control of the line - you can make it is thin or thick as possible.  It dries quickly, comfortably and is weightless.
i completed my eye with major lash mascara in black. then used kitten's long lost cousin, pink, the best highlighter for... well, everywhere!  use it on your brow bones to open your eyes, sculpt and brighten your cheek bones and liven your forehead and chin. i used it as a blusher and felt completely kissed by the sun.  
i highly recommend both of these products!

product girl's stila survival guide

Feb 18, 2011

meet product girl, our very first guest blogger...



her makeup stash..


carla's stila survival guide...

if you had to pare down your makeup to only the essential items, what would you be left with? with the multitasking geniuses at stila, that question is very easy to answer... at least for me! some of my favorite all-time multitasking beauty aids come from stila and i want to introduce you to some of my favorites.

stila one step makeup - it all starts with your base, evening out your skin tone and covering any imperfections as the “foundation” for everything else to follow. with this product, i can skip primer, concealer and powder because this is my primer, foundation, concealer and powder all in one convenient package. for someone one like me who is always running late, this product is a huge time saver. what I like even more is how this product wears. it doesn’t feel heavy on my skin at all, it gives great medium coverage and carries me through the work day like a champ.

stila convertible color - on those days when you don't really feel like wearing makeup, this is a lifesaver! in the right shade, stila's convertible color can do it all. the cream blush and lip color in poppy gives my lips a gorgeous flush of red color, like sucking on a red popsicle. i love this shade for that just bitten look. in lillium or rose, i have the perfect shade of blush to make me look like i've just been out for a run. and in gladiola, i have a fantastic orange hue that livens up my eyes and ties everything together when i wear it. what i love most about this, besides how easy to use it is, is that it makes me skin look dewy and healthy. just of touch of this on the apples of my cheeks and i instantly look refreshed… you will too!

stila smudge pots – and here we have yet another multi-tasker. smudge pots are great gel based liners and eyeshadow in one pot. one of my favorite looks for eyes is a smudged smoky eye, it just looks so mysterious and alluring. i like to use my ring finger and pack the color onto my lids and then blend upward just below my crease. then i take a pencil brush and smoke out my lower lash line. the result is gorgeous and it LASTS all day long. i have what i like to call kryptonite eyes - everything creases when its on my lids - but I don’t need to worry with these. plus a smoky smudged eye in bronze or jade is just the best thing ever!

stila lip & cheek stains – where would i be without these in my life? as a self professed stain addict, i get excited every time stila releases a new lip and cheek stain. all the shades are beautiful but right now i’m all about the new coconut crush stain, mainly for 1 reason… it’s brown based! i love a brown lip stain because it’s so neutral. how many brown based stains do you know of? there are very few out there and stila set this one apart from the others by adding a touch of shimmer and pink to it so the result is a gorgeous bronzed rose that blends easily on cheeks and you can be built in layers on the lips. i am obsessed!

kitten – this is eyeshadow shade is like stila’s helena of troy, the face that launched a thousand ships. this shade is champagne golden goodness in a pan. this shade has been turned into almost everything stila makes; a smudge pot, lip gloss, eye liner and highlighters, and it is the perfect go to shade any time you want to give your skin a golden glow. my absolute favorite incarnation of kitten is in a smudge pot - nothing better than long lasting kitten on the eyes… plus the black cat shade also has some kitten mixed in, which goes to show that everything is better when kitten is in the picture.

stila #30 double ended shadow brush – last but not least is my trusty brush. i have a habit of collecting crease eyeshadow brushes. i can't help myself... when i come across a brush that i don't have, i immediately feel compelled to buy it. as a result of this disorder of mine, i now have more crease brushes than i care to admit to. one of my favorites is this #30 brush from stila. one end of the brush is great to pack on the color with and the other end is perfect to apply and blend in color in the crease. i like to draw 2 dots on my crease in the corner of my eye then use the tapered side to bring the color upwards a little bit. with this brush, using the side of it I get just the right amount of color extending upwards. this brush is like a good friend, we go everywhere together.


***what are your stila essentials? if you were stuck on a dessert island, what would you bring with you?

stila cosmetics © 2010-2012. Powered by Blogger.

stila fans

find it