Before Stila arrived in South Africa, the only thing I knew about the brand was their famous eyeshadow in the shade called Kitten which is beloved the world over. It’s one of those shimmery champagne shades that works well on its own or as a base for building a more complex eyeshadow look, and suits a broad range of skin tones. It was the first item I bought from the range (and also bought one for Camilla for Christmas) and here are my thoughts:
Colour: The shade could be described as a reflective pale rose gold that is shimmery but not glittery and I absolutely love it. It really brightens up the eye, especially if used in the inner corners for a bit of a highlight. There’s really good colour pay-off but you can still build it up for extra oomph.
Formulation: I couldn’t believe how creamy the eyeshadow was when I first swatched it; it literally feels like butter even though it’s a powder product. Application is super smooth and it blends like a dream with very little fall-down. My biggest issue with it however is that it crumbles in the pan like nothing else I’ve ever tried. I don’t travel with it and it has never left my bedroom so it’s not like it has been thrown around in my bag and even so, it has started to fall apart (see pics). It’s rather irritating and if the colour and application wasn’t so fab I would have been extremely disappointed.
Longevity: The colour doesn’t budge but then again I never wear eyeshadow without a primer so that may have something to do with it.
Value for money: It’s quite pricey for one pot of eyeshadow and I actually think their palettes are far better value for money as you get ten colours and an eyeliner for just under R400. Check out In the Light which includes Kitten and nine other wearable shades with the same quality and buttery consistency.
Overall rating: 6/10 (it would get 8 or 9/10 if it didn’t crumble so easily)
Price: R165
Availability: Woolworths, Truworths, rubybox, Style36
Images by me.