I’d say 3/4 of the eyeshadows in this palette are smooth. I wouldnt go so far as to call any of them buttery, but I have a problem with buttery formulas fading and turning muddy anyway.

There are only a few mattes and those are pretty chalky. I think the shimmer shadows give it more of a “wow” factor.

It seems like this palette was Stila’s attempt to outdo the Urban Decay Naked palette: add some more colors, make it pretty enough to give as a gift, and they probably figured they had all their bases covered.

The only “duds” were the purples… they were all disappointments as far as pigmentation is concerned. The greens are gorgeous, the neutrals are very neutral. The blues and browns are beautiful and vivid.

To go back and read the original posts for each set of swatches (including color descriptions), use these links:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Stila eyeshadow duos

Stila eyeshadow pans are $18; refillable, individual, magnetic pots are $2. Multi-pan palettes are often discounted at BeautyCrunch.com

These shades are Stila’s matte eyeshadows (sometimes called mineral matte), and in general, the textures are not as nice as the regular shadows or “eye bases.” They feel dusty, not soft like the others. The names might seem a bit unusual — they’re almost all cities or mountains in South America and southeast Asia.

Chichina is foxy orange brown; Champara is light brown. Tolima and Illimani feel slightly less dusty than the others — Tolima is medium brown, Illimani is red earth. Kamet is a very soft purple grey. Kalahoo is medium warm grey. Nanda Devi is dark cool brown. Batura is purple and not very well pigmented; Sajama is similarly pigmented and blue. Makalu is black (and needs no explanation).

Stila eyeshadows are $18 each and are sold as loose pans. A magnetic aluminum pot to keep it in is $2.

Stila eyeshadow: Chichina, Champara, Tolima, Illimani, Kamet, Kalahoo, Nanda Devi, Batura, Sajama, Makalu

Heather is sparkly pink; Mystic is sparkly blue-green. Chinois is matte yellow-white; Bouquet is matte pink-white; Dune is matte orange-white; and Eden is matte, soft pink-beige. Dune and Eden look to me like colors you’d get if you crushed desert rocks. Champara (the first of the “matte” shadows, swatched here because it looked like it went) is light brown. The color is pretty but the shadow felt dusty; texture wasn’t as nice as the other shades swatched so far.

Stila eyeshadows are $18 each and are sold as loose pans. A magnetic aluminum pot to keep it in is $2.
Stila Eyeshadow: Heather, Mystic, Bouquet, Boquet, Dune, Eden, Champara

Stila eyeshadows are fantastically soft, and today’s shades are some of the brand’s most pigmented (and best loved) shades. Poise is plum; Pigalle is a red-purple, like plush velvet theater seats. Golightly (originally named Holly Golightly, but changed for copyright issues) is golden brown. La Douce (named for Irma La Douce) is golden olive. Wheat is golden — a lot like wheat, actually. Diamond Lil is pewter, click here to compare it to MAC’s Smoke and Diamonds. Shore is a starry, shimmery grey that looks like it might pull blue. Storm is a soft black, or grey-black.

Stila eyeshadows are $18 each and are sold as loose pans. A magnetic aluminum pot will cost you another $2; a four-pan compact is $16. BeautyCrunch.com is a the best place I know to buy Stila at a bargain, and while you won’t find too many of the current eyeshadow shades there, you can get empty palettes, seasonal items, sets, and older shades at a real steal.
Stila Eyeshadow: Poise, Pigalle, Golightly, Go Lightly, Holly Golightly, La Douce, Ladouce, Irma La Douce, Wheat, Diamond Lil, Shore, Storm

Stila’s Lip Rouges are felt-tipped lip stain markers, and their pigment lasts for days (at least, it did on my hand). Like the markers of your youth, however, they will dry out if left uncapped. Lip Rouges are $20, available at Sephora and Stila.

Baci is a rich, cherry red. Grin is wine-colored. Beam is bright pink; Pucker is bright red (the color of maraschino cherry juice). Smooch is rosy, and Moue is a red brick.

I’ve heard CoverGirl just came out with their own lipstain markers, but I have yet to find them in my local drugstores.

Today’s shades remind me of an expanded version of Dior’s Beige Massai. I should also note that on first swipe, Barefoot Contessa is a soft brown, but I really built up the color to achieve that sort of purply brown.

Stila pans are ordinarily $18 apiece, and you can buy pots ($2) or a four-pan palette ($16) to keep them in. If, like me, you are miles away from this sale (but still in the U.S.), you can still score an excellent deal at Beauty Crunch (no affiliation, I’m just pro-discount).

Stila Eyeshadow: Sun, Jezebel, Ray, Barefoot Contessa, Twig, Espresso, Expresso, Viola, Grace

I resisted Stila eyeshadows for a long time, because its flagship eyeshadow didn’t appeal to me. I also thought that Kitten was representative of all Stila shadows; I expected them to be frosty and low on pigment. When I finally buckled down and swatched them, I was pleasantly surprised. Today’s swatches are rather softly pigmented, but most aren’t as frosty as Kitten, and the shadows are quite soft (easy on the eyelids). Stila also has some beautifully pigmented shades, and a nice range of matte neutrals.

I definitely recommend clicking on the swatch picture to view at full size. Moonlight is a shimmery white; Cloud is a silvery, purply soft taupe; Sparkle is brown-gold; Oasis is frosty peach-pink-gold; Prize is a frosty cool gold; Kitten is frosty silver pink; Launey is peach beige; Starlight is a sparkly peach; and Shell is blush.

The Stila website carries 25 more colors than are available on Sephora’s website, but wherever you get them, the eyeshadows are sold as loose pans for $18 each. You can buy the pot separately for $2, which means these are effectively $20 each for non-palette people like me.

For you Americans I want to mention one of the best inventions since the internet itself: a website called Beauty Crunch. Here, Stila (and Too Faced, DuWop, and others) are deeply discounted, and it’s a good place to find products you thought you missed out on. Shipping is a flat $7.95.

Stila eyeshadow: Moonlight, Cloud, Sparkle, Oasis, Prize, Kitten, Launey, Starlight, Shell

Every description of these creams uses the word “sheer,” and I clearly had a heavy swatching hand. As with all cream blushes, you have a variety of application options: you can use your fingers, disposable makeup sponges, or a brush. The most popular choices are a foundation brush or cream blush brush (both of these have synthetic, taklon bristles) or a duo-fiber stippling (or “skunk”) brush. On your lips, you could use your finger, or a lip brush for more precise application.

Convertible Colors are $24 each, and though they are sold at Sephora, Stila’s website has two colors that Sephora does not.

Convertible Color: Convertible Creams, Convertible Cremes, Gerbera, Lillium, Lilium, Petunia, Peony, Fuchsia, Camellia, Poppy

Here is the Chanel Smoky Eye quad ($56), side by side with Too Faced’s Ooh & Aah ($17), Stila’s Backstage Beauty Eye Shadow Palette – The Red Carpet Look ($40), and a wide assortment of MAC shadows ($14.50 each).

According to Specktra, MAC will also be releasing a collection called “Chill” in December 2008, with four lovely, icy grey shadows… but who can wait that long?

For those interested in MAC shadow finishes:

• Black Tied – Velvet
• Carbon – Matte
• Chill – Satin
• Crystal Avalanche – Veluxe Pearl
• Electra – Frost
• Forgery – Lustre
• Gesso – Matte
• Idol Eyes – Lustre
• Knight Divine – Veluxe Pearl
• Nehru – Matte
• Print – Satin
• Scene – Satin
• Silver Ring – Veluxe Pearl
• Typographic – Matte²
• Vellum – Frost