Shimmer, Glitter + Glow with Stila

I am notoriously bad at reviewing things in a timely matter - case in point, here I am reviewing products from a limited edition holiday set from last year! Whoops! While not totally on time, this review is still suuuuper relevant ;) The Stila Eye for Elegance Liquid Eye Shadow Set sold out super quickly last year, but thankfully pretty much all of these shades are available permanently. The set contained six minis of their liquid eyeshadows, three in the Shimmer & Glow formula, and three from the now famous Glitter & Glow formula. The Shimmer & Glows actually just launched in Australia, so maybe this review is timely after all!

The packaging of these is really cute - very compact and they have an easy to use paddle applicator. For future reference in case Stila release these minis again, they contain 2.25mL which is half of the full size. They work out to be really great value, and let's be real I won't ever go through a full size!

First up - the new Shimmer & Glow formula. The three shades in this set - Kitten, Grace and Twig - are all permanent and available now. Metallic liquid eyeshadows are nothing new (the Glitter & Glows were definitely more groundbreaking). Actually, one of my favourite eyeshadows ever is the Josie Maran Coconut Watercolour Eye Shadow which is now sadly discontinued! I still have mine, and it is one of the most gorgeous metallic liquids ever (and it lasts ages!). The Stila shimmers are nice, but probably not as nice as the Josie Maran ones! The Stila Shimmer & Glows are pigmented and definitely give off that beautiful metallic look. They do, however, look like a liquid that has dried and don't really retain that shiny, wet look that you can even get with some foil formula powder shadows. The formula is on the dry side and almost more moussey than the more liquid formula of the Josie Maran watercolours. Because they feel slightly drier, and they dry quickly, they can at times be hard to blend and look a little patchy. Blending with a finger is best and I feel like these are best applied in a cut crease placement, or gently dabbed on and blended quickly! They aren't hard to work with by any means, but I definitely won't be reaching for these for a quick eye look. They last really well - still vibrant and metallic by the end of the day - but are still prone to creasing like most eyeshadows!

I've spoken about the Glitter & Glows a couple of times on my blog already, in various favourites posts but I've never done a dedicated review! I already had a full size of Bronzed Bell so I knew I loved the formula! The formula varies between shades, but they generally have a metallic base colour and are packed with flecks of glitter. Most of these are really pigmented and you only need a tiny amount and BAM you've got a sparkly eyelid! It's honestly such a genius product - you get the payoff and gorgeous effect of full on glitter, without the hassle or messiness of actually applying loose glitter. My favourite way to use these is all over the lid, again in more of a cut crease placement. You can blend these somewhat but doing so can dislodge the glitter resulting in fallout (which you can avoid if you don't blend it much). The effect is stunning - I swear every time I've worn one of these I've gotten compliments! They last really well too - I feel like they do crease by the end of the day but it's really not that obvious actually! They're still just as sparkly at the end of the day as when they were first applied!

L-R: Kitten, Grace, Twig, Peachy Sheen, Smoldering Satin, Next to Notte, Bronzed Bell

SHIMMER & GLOW //

Kitten is a classic Stila shade that they've got in every gosh darn formula. It is really pretty though - a light pinky-champagne colour that is so pretty on the inner part of the lid!

Grace is similar to Kitten but a touch darker and more on the taupe side of things. A very pretty cooler toned lid shade!

Twig looks so pretty swatched - a really rich, deep reddish-brown but unfortunately I find this one a lot drier than the others. I might have gotten a dud though because when I first opened it, it looked like it had been opened already (product was already bunched up around the opening and it looked dry). Anyway, I find it dry and hard to blend. The one time I used it I had such trouble! It just looked super patchy and messy.

GLITTER & GLOW //

Peachy Sheen is the one shade that was limited edition and exclusive to this set and honestly...you're not missing out on much! As you can see in the swatch, it just isn't as impressive as the others. It's not bad, it's just that it doesn't really have a base colour so it's really just glitter - which can be a little bit chunky. That being said, it works really well as a glittery topper. I used it over Kitten and it looked really pretty! It just adds a soft pale, pinky-silvery sparkle.

Smoldering Satin is very similar in colour to Grace, a cooler toned pewter-taupe shade but still very wearable. The glitter shade is similar to the base, just a bit more silvery.

Next to Notte is a shade that is available in the US but not yet here in Aus. It's a beautiful rich ruby-berry shade (with similar coloured glitter) and just looks soooo pretty and jewel-toned on the eyes. Literally looks like you've got crushed up rubies on your eyeballs. It really makes for a gorgeous intense, yet still wearable, red smokey eye.

Bronzed Bell was my first, and is still my favourite! It has a rose gold/bronze base, with silver and bronze glitter. I do wish the glitter wasn't so silver, but at the same time it does stand out from the base so it looks extra sparkly. This one and Smoldering Satin have the best glitter and base opacity and apply really evenly!

So, the Shimmer & Glows are nice but nothing special (though some of the more interesting duochromey shades look really cool), but if you haven't already tried the Glitter & Glows, do yourself a favour and GO GET ONE!

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