Product Review: Valentine's Day Set by Stila Cosmetics

Like many people here in the south, I was stuck indoors during the great 2010 Blizzard, also known as Snowpocalypse. During my week of walking back and forth from my Wii to my computer I noticed that Stila was advertising a new packaged set, the Valentine's Day Set. I'm a sucker for a deal that advertises $90 worth of cosmetics for $34, so I decided to give it a try. I was almost out of one of my favorite eyeshadows and that alone costs $18, so I used that as an excuse to splurge on three additional products. This set comes with Kitten eyeshadow, a Black Diamond mascara, a Lip & Cheek Stain in Cherry Crush, and an All Over Shimmer. All of the items are full-sized, not scaled-down versions that frequently come with package deals. The items are featured in this YouTube video, where they are used to create a "Date Night Look."

Stila's Kitten eyeshadow is a shimmery champagne shade, one which I personally wear everyday, either alone or with other eyeshadows for contouring. Kitten is one of their best-sellers and that's for a reason: it's a beautiful color that compliments most skin tones and blends easily. The eyeshadow with the Valentine's Day Set doesn't come with a compact, which you'll probably need to purchase separately because the container that the eyeshadow is packaged in isn't very practical. The good news is that the eyeshadow compact is refillable, and if you love Stila's eyeshadows as much as I do that will come in handy.

The next product in the set is Black Diamond mascara in Black Shimmer, which sells alone for $24. Stila's product description says that this mascara is "swirled" with actual diamond powder to add shimmer and sparkle to the lashes. The effect isn't as dramatic as I had hoped, although I didn't expect avant garde results either. The product actually is a little more runny than I had hoped it would be, causing a little bit of clumping. This mascara didn't do much in the way of adding volume or length to the lash. On its own, I wouldn't purchase this mascara.

The All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer in #1 retails by itself for $22 and is used to highlight and add shimmer to anywhere on the face, neck, or chest. This product is good for getting a radiant glow, and can be added to liquid foundation. It's packaged in a glass jar with a brush for application. I've been using the brush to apply the product to my cheekbones then blend with my fingers. This product glides on smoothly and lives up to the hype.

The final product in the Valentine's Day Set is the Cherry Crush Lip & Cheek Stain, which retails for $24. I love the idea of a lip stain, particularly one that works double duty and can be worn on the cheeks, but most of the time I'm let down. Not this time! This product is a lovely shade of berry red and can be layered until you get your desired level of coverage. It also has lasting power, which I love. The downside of this multi-tasker is in the packaging. When twisting the tube to get the stain out of the brush, you have to be very careful or you'll get too much. In the video I posted the make-up artist applies the product directly onto the cheeks. I've found it's easier to put a dab of stain on the fingers and apply it that way because the product can dry before you've blended it adequately otherwise. Even with the application issue, this is quickly becoming my favorite new lip product.

For $34, purchasing the Valentine's Day Set was definitely a bargain given that I was already going to spend $18 on one item.

Sources:
Stila Cosmetics
YouTube