Stila

My Current Favorite Liquid Lipsticks

June 9th, 2016 by Adia Goss 26 Comments

I’ve definitely tried my fair share of liquid lipsticks (most recently, the NARS Lip Covers), and I love the look of matte liquid lipsticks in general. It’s interesting to me how each brand handles them a little differently.

I first got into them when Colourpop exploded onto the scene with their “Ultra Matte” liquid lipsticks last summer (here are some of my favorites from Colourpop, by the way), but I’ve slowly but surely moved to some more forgiving formulas from other brands.

Here’s a quick roundup of my current faves…

Buxom Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipstick in Centerfold ($21)

I just love it when a product lives up to its name! Buxom Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipstick in Centerfold feels super comfortable and lightweight, and the applicator makes it a breeze to neatly apply. The formula doesn’t dry down to 100% matte, but it still stays put through moderate eating and snacking.

The best part, though, is that my lips don’t feel dry at all after wearing this one all day long. If you’re looking for a long-lasting formula that feels good on your lips, definitely check it out. You can find it at Sephora for $21.

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita II ($20)

The original Kat Von D Lolita was wildly popular and sold out right away, but when KVD made more, the color was different, which led to Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita II.

I bought a set last fall that had mini sizes of the original Lolita, as well as Lolita II, and I prefer the sequel because the warm terra-cotta tones make it so easy to wear.

The formula dries all the way down to 100% matte, and it’s more resistant to transferring than Buxom Centerfold. But it’s still pretty comfortable on the lips (available now at Sephora for $20).

matte liquid lipsticks — Wearing Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita II

[Continue reading…]

My Lips Are Glazed: The Secret to Successful Gift Giving Lies in the New Stila Color Me Glossy Set

October 30th, 2013 by Karen 26 Comments

Shhh… I won’t tell if you don’t. Cross my heart and pinky swear. It happens to the best of us at least once this time of year.

You pick up a holiday set, like the $28 Stila Color Me Glossy Lip Glaze kit, and think, “Woo-hoo! What a great deal.”

You contemplate the set’s three trios and conclude that you could give two of them away and keep one for yourself.

Nothing wrong with that. 🙂 It’s totally cool.

That’s because this limited edition Stila set is designed for all kinds of gift-giving, even gifting to yourself. It comes with three separate trios with three Lip Glazes each.

Each trio even has a tag on which to write the recipient’s name, like “TO: Me, FROM: Santa.” How cute is that?!

Considering that one full-sized 0.08-ounce Lip Glaze regularly costs $22, the nine slightly smaller ones (0.05 ounces each) you get for $28 here seem like a steal (cue the endorphin rush)!

But beware the slippery slope of bargains like these…

It usually starts while you’re futzing with the separate sets, which in this case contain coordinating gloss colors.

You spot a color you like from one pack and a second color from another. Next thing you know, you’ve cherry picked the ones you want to keep for yourself!

Pretty soon half (or more) of them are sitting in your pile “to keep.”

At this point, feel free to blame it on the holiday makeup elves. That’s what I usually do. 😉

Stila Color Me Glossy Swatches — From the left: Amaretto, Kaleidoscope and Passion Fruit

[Continue reading…]

Stila’s $34 Color Outside the Lines Holiday Smudge Stick Set Encourages Artistic Rule-Breaking

October 24th, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

Whoa! Art class flashback…

I’m tempted to draw pictures of fruit bowls with Stila’s new twist-tip Color Outside the Lines Smudge Stick Set ($34), but the sticks aren’t designed for notebooks. The creamy pencils are designed to smudge, line and shade lids all day long.

Stila definitely didn’t skimp on the pigment with these, and they’re also waterproof and long lasting.

The limited edition holiday set is available now at Ulta stores and online.

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso

July 31st, 2013 by Karen 25 Comments

About the Author
The following guest post was written by Stef of weheartthis.com. You can also find Stef (and Tyna) on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+.

I’m almost embarrassed by my lip product collection.

Almost.

It requires its own shelving system and contains at least 30 nearly identical coral glosses. And it confuses my husband to the point of exhaustion (“How many lipsticks does one person need, Stef?! I don’t get it!”)

But my fellow lip product junkies, you understand, don’t you? You appreciate the difference between fuchsia and hot pink. You’re staunchly opinionated about your favorite gloss applicators (DFF/doe foot forever!), and you know that the correct answer to the question, “How many lipsticks does one person need?” is, “How many lipsticks are there?”

Folks like us also know that, sometimes, nothing will do but a red lip, and when I’m having a red lip kind of day and I open my red lip drawers (yes, plural), the red I reach for most often is Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso ($22). It’s a gorgeous color, an innovative product and my favorite red. Like, ever.

Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick doesn’t stay quite all day, unless your day is six hours long (in which case, I’m terribly jealous), but for those six hours it’s not going anywhere. No transfer onto napkins, no traces left behind on hubby cheeks or puppy bellies, and no bleeding into lip lines whatsoever.
[Continue reading…]

New Stila 10-in-1 Beauty Balms, Philosophy Field of Flowers Spray Fragrances and Good Ol’ Fashioned Friday Foolery

January 11th, 2013 by Karen 12 Comments

You know, I can’t say I’ve had the most productive Friday…

Good grief, lady! — I have not been able to concentrate for squat!

It’s called “Friday brain,” and symptoms include an inability to concentrate on important tasks, like bill paying, making phone calls for work and catering to your cat’s weird whims (such as carrying him up and down the stairs), and an enhanced ability to focus on frivolous, fun tasks, like looking up movie times, doing the robot to that catchy Bruno Mars song (Locked Out of Heaven) or going to Sephora.

DO THE ROBOT!!

Which reminds me, I ran into Sephora earlier this afternoon to grab a new bottle of Living Proof Restore Shampoo, because it keeps my hair from acting wonky, and I spotted a couple of new things while I was there.

Like these new Stila Beauty Balms…

I seem to recall Stila having another beauty balm, but I don’t think that one contains SPF. All three of these new ones do — broad-spectrum SPF 30 — which means they protect against UVA and UVB rays.

The one in the white tube on the far left, HD Beauty Balm — I think that one is supposed to work like a straight-up primer; Illuminating Beauty Balm, the one in the peachy tube, is supposed to give a brightening glow to the skin; and the Bronzing Beauty Balm, the third one, is supposed to impart a bronze tint.

All of them also claim to do a bunch of other cool things, like priming the skin for makeup, mellowing out imperfections and fortifying the skin with antioxidants…

I didn’t try them on my face in the store, but I did swatch, and based on the swatches, I liked the texture. They felt fairly light, not overly greasy or heavy (all three are oil-free), and when I rubbed them in, my skin had a slight sheen (but still looked pretty natural).

Should be good for girls who don’t like to wear a ton of foundation.

[Continue reading…]

This Stila Smudge Crayon Waterproof Primer + Shadow + Liner Is Turning on the Sprinklers at Midnight Blue

July 9th, 2012 by Karen 47 Comments

stila smudge crayon midnight blue

You used to see it a lot in movies that took place in Brooklyn, New York, where on a blisteringly hot day, one of the so-called dog days of summer, someone, most of the time you didn’t know who, would crank open a fire hydrant on a busy street, and all of the kids in the neighborhood would laugh and play in the spray.

Back when I was a kid, since none of the houses on our street had a swimming pool, and fire hydrants were deemed off limits and impenetrable, we did something similar with sprinklers.

It never seemed planned, but on some of the hottest days, one of the moms or dads would turn on the sprinklers in the yard, and all of us kids would converge on the house like a swarm of butterflies, buzzing and darting through the spray.

My thing was cartwheeling, which I’d deftly do directly over one of the sprinklers, up close like to thoroughly soak my hair.

Big sigh… That was always one of my favorite things about summer.

Ya know, someone should pass an ordinance making it socially acceptable for adults to leap and frolic through sprinklers in their bathing suits. I’d strongly support something like that.

Among the selling points: sprinklers cost less than swimming pools, they’re a very efficient way to cool off, and you can use the opportunity to try out some waterproof eye makeup at the same time.

LOL! Don’t even front. I know you were thinking it, too. It’s one of the reasons I love ya.

Not wanting to miss a millisecond of fun, I’d look for a smooth-as-silk liner with lots of pigment, ideally one that I could quickly apply, like Stila’s Smudge Crayon Waterproof Primer + Shadow + Liner in Midnight Blue ($22), a chubby, twist-up waterproof crayon able to draw thick, rich lines that dry in less than a minute.

It’s one of eight Smudge Crayons that recently made their way onto Stila shelves last spring, each one promising to prime, shade with shadow, and line.

stila smudge crayon midnight blue

Okay, but what makes it worthy of one those great summer sprinkler sessions?

I’m glad you asked. 🙂

The answer: intestinal fortitude! Also known as durability. On my bare combination dry/oily lids, as long as I’m careful not to rub my eyes, it won’t budge for a solid 6-8 hours, 5-6 on my water lines, and it’s totally fearless around water, and that includes perspiration.

When I’m in the mood for thick swipes of dark blue, I like to use it as a liner…

stila smudge crayon midnight blue
Stila thoughtfully tucked a sharpener into the base of the liner, making it a snap to sharpen

stila smudge crayon midnight blue swatch
[Continue reading…]