For Christmas I was given a beautiful Stila In the Know eye shadow palette (which, truth be told, I picked out myself and told my boyfriend to buy it for me). It contains 10 extremely wearable eye shadows in shades of golds and browns, and a smudge stick in Damsel (dark brown). This set has been designed to give an array of natural, elegant and flattering looks, suitable for both night and day.
Shades L-R: Bare, Kitten, Bliss, Sunset, Sandstone
Champagne, Gilded Gold, Luster, Night Sky, Ebony
Smudge stick in Damsel
The thing I love about this palette is that I can wear every shade. There have been so many palettes where there’s 1 or 2 shades I never use (usually blue or purple) but in this one I honestly can say that each shade is used. Bare and Bliss, for example, make wonderful bases to build depth of colour, but they can also be used alone for subtle day shades. Kitten and Champagne are lovely subtle golden colours which are ideal for everyday wear. The others form great contouring shades, or even bold ‘going out’ colours. Honestly, these shades are so versatile that you can mix all of them for a complementary and stunning result, especially when you consider that there are both matte and glittery shades to play with.
Matte: Bare, Bliss, Sandstone and Ebony
Glitter: Kitten, Sunset, Champagne, Gilden Gold, Luster and Night Sky
I know that some people will be put off by wearing glittery eye shadows, but they’re really subtle. In fact, they are more sheer than glittery, and they glide on so smoothly and evenly. Unlike some glittery eye shadows, these don’t have sharp bits which stick into your skin, and you can actually apply all of the shades with your finger tips and still achieve a smooth and highly pigmented finish. You can then finish off the look with the smudge stick which glides so well. It can be left as an eye liner, or it can be smudged for a more subtle/smoky eye look. To help you decide which look to go for, this Stila palette comes with a little booklet which tells you how to create the look you’re after, what eye shadows to use and how to apply each shade. Fantastic!
If you can’t tell by now, I’m a huge fan of these eye shadows because they feel so smooth, they look great – night and day, and they blend amazingly well. The palette itself is a beautiful pale copper with stunning bolder metallic copper lettering and stars. It doesn’t house a mirror or a brush, and this is my only downside. It’s not practical to get this palette out on the train, then get a mirror out and also a couple of eye shadow brushes. As such I find I wear it less on a day-to-day basis because I don’t want to be carrying round a heap of different beauty products. When I have more time to do my make up, this is definitely my go-to palette.
For 10 super wearable shades which apply nicely and blend well, last all day and look great, I think the £25 price tag is great. Plus you get a smudge stick to complete the set. My only downside really is the lack of mirror and application tools.
