Product rave : Stila Stay All Day Foundation and Concealer

Hi there

Stila cosmetics just landed in South Africa.  I read other bloggers posts that Stila is now in selected Woolworths and Truworths stores.  I stumbled across the Stila range of cosmetics in Woolworths Gateway Theatre of Shopping in Umhlanga Rocks in Durban.

I was on the hunt for a Holy Grail foundation and I may have found it   Although I almost fainted when I saw how gorgeous the cream blushes and the eyeshadow palettes where, I only purchased a foundation.

Stila Stay All Day Foundation & Concealer

This is an oil and paraben free-formula with a soft, creamy texture that’s lightweight, breathable, and offers sheer to full coverage benefits.  This is great news for my skin as I have very sensitive skin , and this definitely agrees with my skin.

The foundation comes with the Stila 35 Brush for application. I kinda love the idea of getting an application tool, a foundation, and a concealer all in one. It’s a complete package and I like that a lot. It’s nice not being tempted by a brush for application or having to run out and try a new concealer. It’s all here, you get everything, no choices to be made outside of your shade selection.

As I mentioned it comes with a matching concealer which is housed in the top of the foundation bottle. The concealer is on the smaller size at 0.02 oz but it packs a thick, creamy, pigmented formula so a little goes a very long way. The formula is quite emollient taking drier eyes into consideration for a smooth, hydrating finish. You’ll want to use a tiny dab of it, pat on completely, and build from there if needed. It offers full coverage so just be aware during application and prep well to avoid problems.

I chose the colour 03 Light which is perfect for my MAC NC25/30 skintone.

This foundation doesn’t oxidize nor does it fade super quickly under hot weather conditions. I’d say you can get a solid six hours out of it in extreme weather conditions and still come out of it looking as fresh as a daisy. Stila embraces a quirky little Asian packaging detail in the spatula-like applicator that allows you to remove product from the bottle easily.

My skin is dry and took to this very well. It has a hydrating feel upon application but has a semi-matte dry down that doesn’t suck moisture from skin. It should perform well on most skin types but will particularly be a pleasant experience for those with drier skin.

The brush included is a mini thin, flat head brush for application. You can use it under eyes or on your face. I find it works better for under my eyes and I reach for another flat top brush for applying to the rest if my face.

Overall I am loving this foundation so far.  I have received a few compliments since I started wearing this foundation.   At R395 it is not cheap but I guess you get value for the money as you get the foundation, concealer and a brush.  In the US Stila is a drugstore brand but here in South Africa it is by no means drugstore and with prices.

Please let me know what your HG foundation is,  I am always interested in finding out which foundations other people love.

Thank you for reading

xoxo

Elizabeth Arden - Day To Night Holiday Colour Collection

Hi All

How gorgeous is this?

This is the Elizabeth Arden Day To Night Holiday Colour Collection.  It is worth R3000 but it is retailing for R799 at all Elizabeth Arden counters.  What a bargain!!!
Here is a picture of it in the store in the original box:

Contents:

- Day Palette:
 - 6 Beautiful Colour Eyeshadows in Café Au Lait-highlighter, Lilac, Warm Pink, Brown, Plumsmoke and

   Smoky Brown 4.8g
- 1 Cheekcolor in Sunblush 2g
- 2 Ceramide Ultra Lipsticks in Sugar and Rose 3.5g each
- 1 High Shine Lip Gloss in Golden Pearl 4ml
- 1 Eye Pencil in Black Brown 1.1g
- 1 Lip Pencil in Cocoa Rose 1.1g

- Night Palette:
 - 6 Beautiful Colour Eyeshadows in Soft Gold, Romance, Bronze Lustre, Classic Khaki-contour, Black

   Tie- contour and Misty Teal-contour 4.8g
- 1 Cheekcolor in Golden Apple 2g
- 2 Ceramide Ultra Lipsticks in Brick and Ruby Rose 3.5g each
- 1 High Shine Lipgloss in Rosegold 4ml
- 1 Eye Pencil in Smoky Black 1.1g
- 1 Lip Pencil in Crimson 1.1g

- 3-piece Brush Set:
- Cheekcolor brush
- Eyeshadow brush
- Angle Eyeshadow brush
- Brush pouch

- Pressed Shimmer Powder Trio Compact with attachable brush 5g
- All Gone Eye & Lip Makeup Remover 50ml
- Ceramide Lash Extending Treatment Mascara in Black 3ml
- Red Travel Bag

Day Palette on the Left & Night Palette on the right

My opinions:

The eyeshadows and blush

I tested the Day Palette.  These are very smooth and have no fallout and is not powdery at all.  However they are not very pigmented, so I would use a primer underneath.  It would take a bit more time to swipe more product onto the lid.  Being a "day look" it is subtle and natural for daytime.  The blush in the palette is a natural daytime blush as well, but very pretty.  Perfect for those you work in a corporate office environment where you are not able to wear loads of makeup.  I dont think the blush in the day palette will sho up on a person ho has darker skin tone.

I have not tried an eye makeup look with the night palette yet, or the blush.  I will wait for my next night out to try this.  I have high hopes for it as it has more deeper shades in it.

The lipsticks:

These lipsticks are gorgeous.  They are very pigmented.  All my friends who have owned Elizabeth Arden lipsticks have said that they are awesome.  A lovely selection of wearable colours.  I am very pleased with these.

The Mascara:

I have had a tester of this in Glambox which I enjoyed.  I am a mascara lover so getting a mascara is always a plus. It is supposed to be a lash extending treatment mascara.  If all goes well then it will show up in a future favorites blogpost.

The Lipglosses:

The lipglosses look very pigmented and good quality.  I have soo many lipglosses open at the moment that I will save these for later. I have been obsessed with everything "rosegold" lately, so this lipgloss is right up my alley.

The Lip & Eye Pencils:

I have heard from friends how good their pencils are.  Let me tell you - they where right! They are smooth and creamy and very pigmented.  I love the eye pencil in Black Brown.  he lip pencils are equally nice.  The pencils are very good quality.

 The Pressed Shimmer Powder Trio Compact 

This is sooo pretty but alas is not very pigmented in my opinion. I only swatched it and not actually used it yet.  When I mentioned it to the sales assistant , she suggested I swirl the brush in all the shades and using it as a blush instead of using the shades individually as a bronzer, highlighter and blush.  So I will definitely try this.  It may be better that it is not too pigmented as I definitely do not want to look like an oompa loompa.Then I control the amount I put on and layer it if I want a more dramatic look.

The All Gone Eye & Lip Makeup Remover 

Once again, I have received rave reviews for this product as to how awesome it is.  I have an open bottle of eyemakeup remover from another brand so I will not open this until my other bottle is finished. It has a half oil and half liquid component.  You are supposed to shake it up before using then pour some out onto cotton wool then dab onto eyes and lips.  Oil cleansing removes makeup like magic.  So I cant wait to try it.

The Brush Set:

These brushes are just "okay" in my opinion.  They are not the softest brushes I own.  But they will do the job when all my other brushes are out of reach or waiting to be cleaned.  The barrel does have pretty gold on them, yay! lol.

Red Travel Bag

The travel bag is what you see first when you open the box, and I was very pleased.  It is really gorgeous and huge.  Great for travel.  It will carry lots of makeup in it.  I am going to use it in December when I do my Cousins makeup for her wedding as it looks very professional.

Thanks for ready this very long post.

Please leave me a comment below and let me know if you have tried any gift sets or collections for yourself, or if you will be purchasing any as gifts for friends as there are soo many in stores at this time of the year.

xoxo