Stila Smudge Pot in Starry Night

As requested I am going to review Stila Smudge Pot in Starry Night ^.^ This Smudge Pot is exclusively available in the Smudge Pot Holiday Set.

Starry Night is described as deep shimmering navy. The consistency is very creamy and smooth; I love how the brush glides on the surface of the Smudge Pot. The consistency is not as strong as other Smudge Pots but that is okay since I can build the color up.

It lasts practically the whole day too! With this swatch on my hand, I actually washed the dishes and a big turbo broiler and the color is still the same- except that the glitters came off but what really matters to me is the color and it sticked on my skin even if my hands are soaked in soap and water for almost 30 minutes.

close up swatch of Stila Starry Night

If you would take a closer look, you will see that the shimmer is in gold. It looks fabulous paired with navy blue! Whenever the light hits on the swatch it seems like the navy blue color is glimmering when you look from afar.

difference of Violet and Starry Night

Stila Starry Night's formula is less coarse than Violet but I love the both nonetheless. I know there are some feedbacks that claim Starry Night and Violet are almost similar but I can assure you it just seems like it looks the same perhaps because of the camera and lighting. See how pretty and distinct both look? 

My personal favorite would be Violet because I love this particular shade of violet while the Starry Night's blue hue is quite normal in the market (without the gold glitter) and it looks almost similar to my Shu Uemura Drawing Pencil in ME Blue (which I haven't reviewed yet!) 

Holiday Gift Ideas for Make-Up Addicts

Here are some of my stocking stuffers when you want to buy a luxurious gift for your makeupholic family and friends ^.^

Benefit CORALista

Can I just say it again that I love coral blushes? I think it's also flattering for almost any skin tone

Benefit's latest release is Sugarbomb; it resembles a lot like Jill Stuart's mix blush

Chanel Rouge Allure Laque is quite pretty!

I love how Dragon looks so blood red and it is a perfect give this festive season

YSL Rouge Volupte Lip Stick

This one's for your gal pal who's not color shy; the color payoff is consistent and it glides on very smoothly

Givenchy Phenom Eyes

This is a curious little creature in my sight; everyone wants to try that sphere shaped wand

Givenchy Rouge Interdit Satin Lipstick

Eek! I'm getting this from Sis Martha next week!

I've been waiting and waiting for good beauty buys; I also tried to get a Stila trio eyeshadow in Gold Glow for Php350 but luckily the seller wasn't responding to my messages and I stumbled upon Martha's sale! Lucky me! The best thing is I just have to add Php150 to a Givenchy upgrade. Good things truly comes to those who wait.

Jill Stuart Lip Stick (I like the Rose Coral one! Looks so wearable)

I love good packaging; with this one you almost don't need to gift wrap because the packaging itself is a gem

This one has a sheer formula compared to the other lippie product on the list so this is great for the color shy.

Same with this one, Jill Stuart Mix Blush

Try to get the other colors with white powder; it can serve as highlighter too!

Jill Stuart Eye Shadow Palette

Almost all Jill Stuart products are in sync with the festive season, don't you think?

It looks so elegant!

Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. 2

If you've got a friend who's starting with her eye make up I think this is a great starter kit

It has almost every color from nudes, black, grey, gold, violet, blue, green

It also has two mini 24/7 eyeliners and a small primer potion

I've got this one and I'm pretty satisfied with it!=)

Stila Smudge Pot Holiday Set

I really love this holiday set too and the box saves you time and energy from wrapping this up

It also has To: and From: printed on top of the box so you just have to write your names on it ^.^

The box's silver snow flake print is also adorable

I accidentally dropped my Starry Night on the floor but the glass jar didn't break! It just bounced on the floor and rolled until it stopped (along with my heart) haha, now isn't that great?

MAC Baroque Boudoir Lip Stick

Aah... The packaging says it all

MAC Lip Stick

Everybody loves their MAC lipstick and it should be great to put a smile on someone's face when you give them a tube of MAC Lip Stick

Hope this helps! I try to incorporate a lot of lip sticks in this stocking stuffer list because almost everybody uses lipstick or some sort of lip product.

Always remember it's not how much the gift costs; it's always the thought of the gift giver that counts the most. =)

Stila Smudge Pot in Violet

Today I am going to review a quarter of my Smudge Pot collection. This Stila Smudge Pot in Violet is a mini Smudge Pot and it has 2 grams in the jar. I know it seems awfully small but these are pretty pigmented and a little goes a long way and I am having problems finishing up full sized make-up products. This is also a part of the Holiday Smudge Pot Collection.

Stila describes Violet as pretty purple with shimmer. (I agree!)

Stila Smudge Pot in Violet Swatch

First, with regards to the packaging I have the same qualms again. Maybe I have to say this again- Packaging wise Stila could improve with the cap by making it thicker and coat it with ceramic to help prevent the smudge pot from drying out.

I love the violet hue of this Smudge Pot! It creates a pop of color to your eyes since the hue of violet is pretty bold. I have been looking for this shade of violet since forever! I was trying to find a violet that has a right mixture of blue; not enough to overpower the violet shade but it just a perfect blend of blue in it that makes this a pretty electrifying shade of violet.

Another thing to love about this is that it is long lasting and crease resistant- more crease resistant than my HG pencil liners! Stila Smudge Pots would not budge as long as you want them to be but when it is time to take it all off it slides off easily with the use of cleansing oil and a bit of rubbing.

Stila Smudge Pot in Violet close up

Notice the shimmer?

One con though is the glitter in it. I love the iridescent glitter that creates more dimension and sparkle to your eyes but since the Smudge Pot dries quickly and tends to become drier as you go through your day, the iridescent sparkle transfers to the surrounding; if you like the pretty shimmery look it is okay because it won't make you look like a disco ball but I am very particular with glitters so I am trying to solve this problem until now. Another con about the glitter that you will feel it is quite gritty and coarse when you remove this by rubbing your finger with a bit of cleansing oil. However I am not alarmed by this because it does not feel coarse or harsh on my lids anyway.

Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten

Today I am going to make a review on Stila's Smudge Pot in Kitten. I got these from the Stila Smudge Pot Holiday Collection thanks to my boyfriend and Carla =)

I'm not sure how much this costs because this is an early Christmas gift from my boyfriend but I do know that this mini Smudge pot is 2 grams. I know it seems so small but trust me I cannot finish a whole jar of this miniature Smudge Pot.

Stila mini Smudge Pot as compared to MAC Fluidline

Why?

Because it is very pigmented and I just need a little to cover my lids.

What Stila says:

The verdict is in, and smudge pots take the prize for sexy eyes!
This unique gel eyeliner and shadow is an innovative alternative to traditional powder and liquid formulas. This clever little gel has an inky intensity that leaves powder shadows in the dust. A favorite for the sultry, smoky eye.
Apply with a liner brush for razor-sharp precision or smudge it with your fingers for more complete coverage. Remember to always close the airtight lid to keep the gel soft and pliable.

Stila describes their award winning shade Kitten as shimmering nude pink 

A Php10.00 coin placed on top of Stila's Smudge Pot

My Review:
As you can see on the photo above, in case you are in the Philippines and you are wondering how big (or small) the mini smudge pot is, take a Php10.00 coin and place it in your palm and it's almost the same size with the mini smudge pot.

Packaging wise Stila could improve with the cap by making it thicker and coat it with ceramic to help prevent the smudge pot from drying out.

Kitten Smudge Pot Swatch

I usually use the Kitten Smudge Pot as an eye shadow than an eyeliner because the shade itself would not create a defined look.

I tried using an eyeshadow brush for this one and it is not such a good idea to use a natural bristles haha! I knew it from the beginning that cream eye shadows are best used with synthetic bristles because it does not absorb the cream based product. The next time I used this, I used my ring finger. I dipped my finger in alcohol first to disinfect and to help preserve the Smudge Pot because bacteria helps spoil make-up products.

Using your ring finger works well and the finish looks so polished as you can see on the picture. The left side is when I just dipped my finger on the pot and the right side is the more polished and evenly spread out swatch.

The consistency is great on your lids as long as you apply this evenly and it lasts quite a long time. It does not budge a bit but my only qualm is the glitter or shimmer transferring on your face.

I like to use this as a highlighter on the brow area to define my brow bone; I tried applying this all over my lid and it washed out my eyelids making it look flat but when I use this to highlight my brow area it works very well and fantastic! It looks so perfect with the way the light hits on my brow bone.

Tip:

Try to use an eye shadow potion, I use my Urban Decay Primer Potion and the color comes out more vibrant than the one in the photo.

What to Get: Jill Stuart Palette or Stila All Doll'd Up Palette?

OR

I'm so torn between the two ='( What should I get?

I like Stila because of the good value it has, for 12 shades you will only pay Php1250, however I will be getting my Urban Decay Book of Shadows next week or next next week already and it has 16 shades in it, I'm thinking if this is a bargain or just another hoarding that would go to waste because I could not finish up the Urban Decay eye shadow palette easily and I'm afraid the Stila palette would expire before I could even maximize using all of the shades in it.

Do Stila eye shadows expire in a span of a year or two?

I like the Jill Stuart palette because of the gemstone packaging and the jewel tone colors of the 4 piece palette but it costs Php2350 and I am planning to buy one next year after I get to maximize using my Urban Decay Book of Shadows.

What is the wiser shopping action to take? Hmmm...

Photo credit to Airvony for the Jill Stuart pic ^.^

Stila Smudge Pot Holiday Collection is REALLY HERE! ^.^

Whoopee! It is finally here at home =)

Here are some more photo opts and information:

When you get this out of the box it is secured with the molded plastic and the brush has its own cap.

Here the bottoms of my Smudge Pots mainly Kitten(upper left), Black(upper right), Violet(lower left) and Starry Night(lower right).

Here is the super cute tiny brush that comes along with the set.

Don't be fooled by the initial picture though, the brush is really tiny!

A close up of the brush itself, the bristles had a bit of fly away and was pushed back because of the brush cap being inserted from the brush top itself

The brush is surprisingly fluffy and soft like eye shadow brushes so I think you could not really use this to precisely line the eyes, instead you can use this to smudge the colors on your lids like eye shadow.

 

Stila Smudge Pot in Black

Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten

Isn't it gorgeous? I'm very excited to use this!

Stila Smudge Pot in Starry Night

Stila Smudge Pot in Violet

Starry Night and Violet seems so alike in the pictures...

I think that's only in the pictures, the Starry Night is nearing navy blue while the Violet is a pop of violet in real life.

The Smudge Pots are really tiny but I am okay with that because I am usually having problems finishing full sized products and Stila is known to dry out quickly

One way I know to prevent drying Stila Smudge pots is to store it in air tight containers. Plastic air tight food containers are good but if you have a glass air tight container that would be better because it seals in air better than plastic.

Also, unlike MAC's ceramic coated screw cap, Stila's screw cap is made out of plastic so you really need to screw it on tightly once you're done applying your make-up and store this in an air tight container.

Here's moi with the Smudge Pot set! ^.^

But I am wearing MAC Fluidline in Black Track there hihi.

(this photo is taken by my boyfriend)

Instead of doing all of the smudge pot swatch and review here, I will be doing swatches and reviews individually so I could elaborate further and road test each gel liner.

Thanks so much again to my boyfriend and Carla! ^.^ Christmas came early!

Oops! I forgot to take the back of the box

The Stila Smudge Pot Holiday Collection Surprise!

Today my boyfriend brought me to Starbucks in Paseo de Roxas corner Villar Street, he told me he was going to meet up with someone today so he tagged me along. Little did I know we were meeting up with Carla of Peppercode.multiply.com! It was very very nice and sweet of her to work with my boyfriend for this surprise.

Carla handed me the Stila Smudgepot Holiday Collection! ^.^ Oh goodie!!! No wonder my boyfriend kept on telling me not to buy this one... Haha! I wished I could jump and shout for joy that time but I just squealed because I painfully needed to go to a comfort room that time and I took a lot of medicine for my cough and colds that lead me to feel drowsy and my knees were trembling already. Weeh!!! I now have a Stila Smudge Pot set! It has the Kitten, the shade I have been lemming for quite some time now since I have heard lots of raves on it and now it's at the palm of my hand! Not quite though, I told my boyfriend to hold it and hand it to me tomorrow instead so he could take me home, open this together since it is his early Christmas gift to me. (Though I opened the box already and looked at the Smudge pots, I did not open and try anything yet)

My boyfriend told me he ordered this just several weeks ago, wow! Carla has lighting fast shipping even if couriers are already full this time of the year! I wish I ordered from Carla instead of waiting for several months... Next time I know where I should order my Urban Decay Book of Shadows =)

To my boyfriend, thank you so much for the surprise! The thought counts and it is more important than the gift itself, I know you don't like giving me consumable gifts but you know I am quite obsessed with make-up now. Thanks for making me very happy today! ^.^

I'll be taking photos and swatches when I really get hold of it tomorrow! And maybe do a MAC Fluidline vs. Stila Smudge Pot entry?

Stila: Barbie All Doll'd Up Palette or Bold Beauty Palette for the Philippines?

Today I have read on Philippine Star Therese Jamora-Garceau's article entitled Ho, ho, hot looks for the holidays and she talked about Stila's All Doll'd Up Palette.

I was wondering if the Philippines would be getting the Barbie packaging or the Asian Exclusive Bold Beauty Palette?

As Temptalia also said in her blog that she contacted Stila and inquired if the Barbie design is exclusive for US and Stila said yeah it is exclusive to US only.

In another blog Beauty and the Bitch, she showed us Korea's version of the Barbie Palette which is the Asia exclusive Bold Beauty palette.

So which is which? Lara of Rustan's Shangri-La told me over the phone that the palettes would arrive by the end of November but it is being advertised already through Therese' article and it is announced as available in Rustan's. Is it? If yes then I would be upset that Rustan's hasn't texted me yet... I'm very confused now haha!

I think we will be getting the Bold Beauty Palette like the ones in Korea since it is Asian exclusive and the Barbie packaging has been sold out for quite some time now in US alone. If it is just the Bold Beauty Palette I may let it pass and just wait for MAC's Disney Villain collection next year, but if it is the Barbie Palette I just might grab one! =) I'm quite easy to convince when the packaging is cute. I used to play with Barbie since I'm the only girl in the family and she used to accompany me during those times I cannot relate to boys' toys. It's time to relive those memories! (If Stila would bring the Barbie packaging)

P.S. I just hope Rustan's hasn't increased their prices dramatically!

Peppercode's 20% off Sephora Sale

Hi girls, for us living in the Philippines who wants to grab the chance to enjoy Sephora's Friends and Family Sale, Pepper Code Manila will be ordering 10 items on Sephora until November 2 so if you want something in Sephora this might be a great chance to get it now!


Here's a link to Pepper Code's 10 slot list: http://peppercode.multiply.com/journal/item/50


I personally wanted the Stila Smudge Pot Set badly but as my boyfriend says I have to control my spending on make-up and I've been asking tons of questions to Ms. Carla and she's very very nice, patient and understanding even if I haven't decided on buying anything yet (aside from the Stila Smudge Pot set which I'm exercising control over urges with). 


P.S. Add her up as a contact so you'll see the list! =) only 7 slots left!