Review: Stila The Front Row Look

I have had this palette for awhile now. It has been lying in the bottom of my makeup drawer, collecting dust, unloved and sad. Heck, it was even in its packaging and I have not even bothered to take it out of the box until last week.

The reason? Because the reviews on Makeup Alley (MUA) and various other forums were less than glowing - I didn't want to waste my time trying it and hate it, forever tarnishing my love of all things Stila.

But I finally dug it out this out last week, because I wanted a grey kohl liner and my MAC Phonenumber Eye Kohl was not cutting it (it was too hard and harsh, and I wanted something ultra soft for my waterline. That's when I remembered that I have a grey Stila Kajal liner waiting quietly, stilll brand new in box.

So let me start off by talking what I don't like about this duo of product:

• the packaging - I really don't care for the rosette or the faux leather outer casing. To be quite honest, I wish Stila would start putting all the palette in something sleeker. For example, the Pon Pon Gerbera trio is a fine example of that. Sturdy and sleek
• The mirror inside - it's not very good. I am a firm believer that a good high-end compact should always come with a good mirror, as is the case with Chanel, Guerlain, Nars, etc. Not just any mirror, but a good one. One that you can actually see yourself clearly and that it would not give yourself a headache when you stare at it for more than 2 minutes. The mirror in the palette is kind of weird and twisted; it's not very usable and it gave me a headache when I tried to do my eye makeup with it
• the softness of the shadows - they can get a little dusty as they're extremely soft. I am extremely OCD, so I feel the need to clean up after each use (wasting precious time)

Notice that I am not complaining the pigmentation of these shadows? Because I don't consider it a con. I actually like that fact that they are not extra pigmented. Admittedly, the light ("all over" shade) can run a little chalky. And I don't know if the colour, a pale pinky beige, is suitable for everyone, but it is, nonetheless, a very pretty colour when apply lightly.

The white pearly shade is more suited for inner corner highlight for most people. I personally love it as an all-over lid colour (I am very pale, btw - so that may explain why). Blended with the aforementioned pink beige shade, this creates a very nice lid colour - a very wearable pale pinky beige with a hint of shimmer, much more so than each of them alone can achieve.

The crease colour actually reminds me a great deal of the MAC Sculpt Powder in the colour Sculpt, which, incidentally, it's one of my favourite eyeshadow colours for creating a softly defined crease. And I have to say, the reason I like this palette has a lot to do with this colour, more than anything else. It's a taupe-y colour that creates a hint of definition that's not overwhelming.

And how can we forget the Kajal liner? I love the Stila's Kajal for my waterline more than any other liner I have came across. It is quite possibly the softest liner I've used. Even with MAC Kohl Power liner, I need to warm the tip up between my finger tips. But with the Stila's Kajal, there's no need. It just glides on, depositing intense colour without much work at all. Love love love.

Sadly, this is not available for sale anymore. You may want to look on eBay or Beautycruch if you're interested.