Review: Stila ‘In The Light’ Palette

Stila

I am a big fan of warm, neutral eye shadows, and I had planned on treating myself to the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette when I got to Greece in August. However, when Tori started raving about the Stila ‘In The Light’ palette, I knew my fate was sealed: ten glorious eye shadows and one eyeliner all encased in beautiful champagne-coloured packaging…sign me up!

The palette contains the following shades:

  • Bare – matte ivory shade
  • Kitten -shimmery champagne shade
  • Bliss – matte beige pink
  • Sunset – shimmery canyon pink
  • Sandstone – matte light coco
  • Bubbly – pale gold shimmer
  • Gilded Gold – golden brown with shimmer
  • Luster – dark aubergine with gold shimmer
  • Night Sky – blue with shimmer
  • Ebony – black
  • Smudge Stick eyeliner in Damsel, a matte brown

Stila 2

I’ve never been one to experiment with bold and outrageous colours – I like to stick to taupes, golds, and browns as I find they suit me best. This palette ticks all the boxes as far as my ideal colour selection is concerned – it is filled with the kinds of tones that I naturally gravitate towards. The colours are very flattering and will suit every skin tone, although I must be honest and say that I’m not a huge fan of Night Sky because, well, blue eyes + blue eye shadow = 1980’s (and not in a good way). I am really enjoying the eyeliner too – the colour is similar to the MAC Eye Pencil in Coffee, but it is much creamier and easier to apply.

The palette also contains a good mix of matte and shimmer – four matte and six shimmer. The shimmer is very subtle and not overpowering at all so you won’t look like a disco ball when you’re wearing it (we’ve all been there, am I right?). The shadows are very pigmented so you really only need a small amount, but if you’re after a stronger look, fear not –  they are buildable, so just keep packing it on until you’re happy. What I really like about the powders though, is their consistency – they are very creamy and easy to blend, and they don’t crease! The palette also comes with a handy little booklet which shows you how to create various looks using the shadows, which I think is a really nice touch – it also makes this palette the perfect gift for make-up novices as the the step-by-step guides are really helpful.

Please excuse the quality of the swatches, it was very late and the lighting was poor:

Swatches
L-R: Bare (hardly visible), Kitten, Bliss, Sunset, Sandstone, Bubbly, Gilded Gold, Luster, Night Sky, Ebony, and Damsel (Smudge Stick)

All in all, ‘In The Light’ gets two very enthusiastic thumbs up – great colour selection paired with exceptional quality, and value for money to boot – well done Stila *claps*! It retails for R395 and is available from Rubybox and selected Woolworths stores (or online here).

11 comments on Review: Stila ‘In The Light’ Palette

  • CharlieW

    Will you please stop reviewing all these products that I just have to have! He-he. I’ve only read good things about this palette. On my wishlist 🙂

    • Jules

      Imagine how *I* feel – Camilla is the worst enabler ever!

  • Terri

    I’m so glad you did this review. I’m trying to get into buying brands that are available locally.

    • Camilla (author)

      Stila is an absolutely fantastic brand – check out their Convertible Colors too, they are fab!

  • Emma Jackson

    This looks great, so up my eyeshadow alley. And but hey shawow, really great photography, who took the pictures? 😉

    xxx

    • Camilla (author)

      Ha – the photographers asked not to be credited as these shots are not in keeping with their usual style…you can imagine!!

  • Tori

    So glad you love it. We are a very bad influence on one another!

    • Camilla (author)

      Haha – that’s certainly true! My bank account shudders at the mention of your name!

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  • Kim

    I’ve been coveting this pallete since last year, and i’m still undecided when comparing it to the naked palettes and lorac pro! What do you think? And also, I see your stila palette has a mirror? I always thought they didn’t have mirrors, can you tell me where you got it? Thanks!!

    • Camilla (author)

      Hi Kim – I don’t own the Naked palette, although Jules does and loves it. I am a huge Stila fan and the reason I bought this palette was because I think it has a great mix of matte shades and shimmer shades, and the shadows are nicely pigmented so you can really ramp up the colour if you want to. I’ve never used any Lorac products so I can’t personally vouch for them, but from what I’ve seen online they look great, and the shade range is certainly more comprehensive than both the Stila palette and the Naked palette. My Stila palette came with a mirror and I bought it from Woolies at the V&A Waterfront. You can also order it online at Woolies, or on Rubybox. I hope that helps!

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