Review and Swatches: Stila "In the Light" palette

It's really no secret just how much I love Stila eye-shadows, and the 'In the Light' palette is no stranger to my love. 

Firstly, let's start with the packaging: the palette is housed in a cardboard box. It's a nice, small rectangle (slightly bigger than my whole hand) so doesn't take up too much space and doesn't use unnecessary packaging. It does get dirty kinda easy though, and I'm honestly not too certain how well it would fare in strenuous travel. There's no magnetic closure or anything like that on it, so if you were to carry it with you it may just snap open. If you travel with make-up a lot, I would recommend de-potting these. If you are going to be using it only in the bathroom, it would probably be fine. 

The back lists the colours, and rather than a mirror, the the front inner cover has a nice little quote "believe in the beauty of the future".

The colours are beautiful - lots of nude colours, but there's also a couple of darker ones which is nice for a darker, nighttime look. 

All the colours are pigmented, soft, creamy and really easy to work with. The only exception to this would maybe be gilded gold (bottom row, second from left), as it's quite glittery. 

(T-B) Kitten, Bare

Bare is the first colour in the palette, a matte ivory shade. I really like this colour as a highlight or an inner-corner colour. 

Kitten is the next colour, and my oh my do I love this one. It's a shimmery champagne colour with pink undertones. However, I've read reviews that if you're of an olive complexion it may show up just white so maybe stay away if this is you. I personally love it. It's easy to swipe over the lid with some eyeliner for a put-together, easy daytime look. Less is definitely more, as it can be easy to over-do due to the amount of shimmer.

(T-B): Sunset, Bliss

Bliss is another matte colour, in a beige-y pink.  It's dark enough to be used as a crease colour alongside bare, but can also be used as a colour on its own.

Sunset is described by Stila as a "shimmery canyon pink". I don't really agree with that description as it's quite coppery. As you can see in the above swatch, it almost looks a little like gold leaf with pink undertones. It is a beautiful colour though, and one I reach for often. 

(T-B): Gilded Gold, Champagne

Champagne is a beautiful shimmery gold, much like Kitten but without so much pink. If you were darker in colour, I imagine this colour would be much better suited, and more universal. 

Gilded Gold is a really shimmery (almost glittery) gold colour with orange/copper undertones. I used this for the crease when I did the makeup for my sister's formal, and was actually really surprised when I blended it out to find the copper / orange tones peeking through. That didn't suit the look I was going with, so I made sure to not blend too much with it. I think if you were going to blend this with a darker, brown-y colour you could probably negate the copper. 

(T-B): Night Sky, Luster

Luster is a gold-y brown colour - one that I think works perfectly with Gilded Gold. This colour is a little more flat than the other shimmer colours.

Night sky is a really bright, shimmer blue. To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely confident with blues and haven't used this one yet.

(T-B): Ebony, Sandstone

Sandstone is a matte light chocolate-y brown colour, which is beautiful as a base, or as a crease colour. I personally like using matte's with shimmers to add a bit of depth, and this is a really great, universal colour that will work with so many different shades. 

Ebony is a dark, matte black. 

 

The palette comes with a smudge-stick waterproof eyeliner in Damsel, which is a dark brown. Honestly though, it could be black it's that dark. The second swatch in the above photo is after I've smudged it with my finger. As you can see, it hardly moves and it has excellent staying power. 

The palette also comes with a mini booklet containing 6 looks you can do with only the palette. I think this is a great inclusion if you're new to eyeshadow. 

Overall, I love this palette and use it frequently. I like that it's different to the Urban Decay Naked palette, yet is still quite neutral. If you are new to make-up and wearing eye-shadows I would recommend this one over the UD Naked - this is great value (12 eyeshadows and an eyeliner for AUD$39) and the inclusion of the booklet helps to combat any feeling of being overwhelmed by choice with simple, step-by-step instructions. 

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Christmas Gift Guide...for her!

Following on from my Christmas Gift Guide...for him I present to you, the Christmas Gift Guide...for her.
P.S. I love everything in this collage...so if you're looking for a pressy for me *hint hint* hehe!

Girls are so much easier to buy for than guys, but if you're still stuck for ideas, how about something like this:

Christmas Wish List by michaelaarghh featuring denim shorts

1. Candles - Almost every major candle company release special limited Christmas edition candles around this time of year and they make perfect gifts! I love these ones from Ecoya, but Glasshouse also do some great smelling ones.
2. Make-Up - If you're not sure what specifically, then a best-seller like the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette is a great idea. Most make-up counters have really helpful staff, so don't be afraid to go in and ask!
3. Skincare - I've included a photo of the Dermalogica Pre-Cleanse because I've fallen in looooove with it, haha, but some great skincare is appreciated by almost everyone!
4. Clothes - You could go with something festive, like a holiday themed shirt or jumper, or something like shorts or a classic blazer. Spikes are sooo in at the moment, and totally not goth at all (14 year old me was so ahead of the fashion, clearly).
5. Tea - T2 have some beautiful tea gift sets for tea enthusiasts of all ages.
6. Stationery - I really don't know many people who don't like nice, quality stationery. If the lady you're buying for works in an office or is going back to uni next year, think about investing in some nice stationery for them!

Anything here catch your eye? Is there a particular lady in your life who is hard to buy for?



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My Week in Pictures #17

I didn't get up to much last week.
I've started at my new job and am loving it! Being surrounded by beautiful stationery is kind of a dream come true for me!
Also tried my hand at curling my hair. I've always had boring, straight hair so this is nice for something different.

 

On Saturday night, my friend Meg and I went to see our mate's band play (bottom photo) at the Brighton Up Bar on Oxford Street. Just being there reminded me how much I love live music and why I need to get back into going to see gigs. 

There was this girl dancing in front of us, who was obviously really drunk. She looked like she was having such a great time though, and was so happy. Even little things like that just make the night great and provide entertainment. 

New pole trick! Learnt the 'Scorpio' or "inside leg hang". It's super pretty - just need to work on that hip flexor flexibility. 

Also a bit of sneaky street poling...

Went and saw The Perks of Being a Wallflower with Meg on Friday night. Excellent, excellent movie. Even if you haven't read the book (which you should!) you need to see this film. The cast is great, the story is brilliant and it definitely does the book justice. 

I love, love, loved it! 

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Review: SXUC Sunglasses*

Now, I know it may seem a little strange to review sunglasses. But it is the beginning of Summer. AND if you've been following me for a while, you'll be acutely aware just how important sun protection is to me. Protecting your eyes from UV rays is just as important as protecting your skin - UV damage can lead to cataracts and glaucoma. Because of this, when I was asked by a rep from the Sunglasses Shop if I would review a pair of sunnies I jumped at the idea.

I decided to try these ones - a classic black aviator frame.
They retail for $30.59 - proving that you can still get quality, UV protection frames at an affordable price. As the tag says in the above photo, these block both UVA and UVB rays, which is excellent, with protection of up to 100%.

As you can see in this above shot, the frames curve in slightly, which is great for blocking out those pesky UV rays that come in from the sides and from underneath.

Pros:
- Extremely high UV protection that blocks out both UVA and UVB rays.
- Curved frame stops extra rays from sneaking in on the sides.
- Really affordable
- Stylish!
- The arms are really thin, meaning I can wear my over-ear headphones comfortably without getting a raging headache.
- Mirrored lens: perfect for people-watching and NOT looking like a creep!
- Black goes with anything
- Lightweight.

 

Cons:
- Not polarised. This means that glare from the sun isn't cut, which can suck on a cloudy, grey day. However, it does mean I can read the LCD train timetable screens without taking my sunnies off.
- Although lightweight, they do feel slightly flimsy. That being said, you do get what you paid for and at $30 I think they are still an excellent cheaper option.

Where I got them from and my experience:
The Sunglasses Shop - an online sunglasses store specialising in the selling of brand-name, designer sunglasses.
The Sunglasses Shop stock a huge variety of designer brands: from Chanel, Maui Jim, Ray-Ban, Oakley, etc etc. Their prices are incredibly competitive - in most cases coming in cheaper than other Australian retailers. With free delivery, and same day dispatch this is how online shopping should always be. My sunnies were ordered on the 17th November, and I received them on the 27th, totalling 7 working days.
The only issue I had with shipping were that the sunglasses were in a shopping bag, in a padded mail bag. Not that it happened to me, but I can imagine that if the package was handled not-so-carefully the frames might bend or break in transit. I don't know if this is the standard packaging used for all sunglasses.

All-in-all, I think these are a great, inexpensive option for sunglasses if you're on a budget (why can't I be rich already!?). Style and quality don't only come at a higher price tag.

Are you a sunglasses hoarder or do you stick to the one style / brand? 



Disclaimer: These sunglasses were sent to me for consideration by the Sunglasses Shop. They have in no way influenced this review and all opinions are my own. See my disclaimer for further details. 



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