My First Review! Stila Illuminating Finishing Powder in Gold

Hello, all!

In my part of the world it's a very rainy Sunday, and I am stuck inside the house in my most cozy sweatpants staring out at the beautiful grey world. Instead of whiling away the next couple of hours reading or chatting on the phone with a friend I figured that I might as well get started on this blog, which is something I've been meaning to do for awhile.

So, without further delay...a review of Stila Illuminating Finishing Powder!



This is a baked domed powder, very similar to the Mac Mineralize Skinfinishes (MSFs) we all know and love (although much more shimmery than some of them, in my opinion). According to the product information it is designed to be worn all over the face, either on top of makeup or by itself.

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Let me just start off by saying that under NO circumstances should anyone every wear this all over their face. It is a true highlighter, meaning that it should be used just on the features one wants to highlight (i.e. tops of cheekbones, center of nose, cupid's bow). This is an extremely shimmery powder that I believe would look absolutely greasy if applied to all of the face. However, used correctly, it can achieve a lovely "glowy" effect.



I have this product in the "Gold" shade, which Stila calls a "light champagne sheen." This description of the color is quite accurate (it's definitely not a gold!), although this powder is honestly hardly pigmented enough to have a color at all. Right from the pan it's a glowing light beige, but it applied very sheer. You're going to get way more sparkle than actual color with this.

To illustrate my point, here are some swatches (oh, please ignore the black thing in the corner of the photos- that's just my knee).


Unblended

Blended

As you can see, this powder is a beautiful color and incredibly shimmery.

The texture of the powder is somewhat hard, as baked mineral products tend to be. However, given that it is so jam-packed with shimmer, a single swipe of a finger or a dense brush provides all of the powder I need for swatching. However, when applying this with a fluffy powder brush, you may need to dig in to the powder a little bit more to get the payoff you want.

Now for the packaging. Here is where my gripe with this product comes in. I love Stila products, but I've always been "so-so" about their packaging. This powder is housed in a somewhat utilitarian looking grey jar. I believe the main body of the jar is plastic painted to look like brushed aluminum, but it's hard to tell. The top of the jar features a domed plastic lid that is contoured to fit the dome of the powder. What bothers me about the lid is that it never seems to close correctly. There is no "snap" when the lid closes, and it is not a screw-top. There are some ridges on the inside of the lid that seem to snap it into place, but they are so small that they do a very poor job. The lid fits incredibly loosely and rattles about if I bring the powder with me in my makeup bag. For a brand as expensive as Stila, this is a real disappointment.

My second major problem with the packaging is something that Stila may be somewhat off the hook for. You see, I bought this powder as part of a deeply-discounted set from Costco (the American discount warehouse chain). I was thrilled to have picked it up for more than 75% off along with some other Stila items in the set. However, when I got it home and opened it, I found that the powder dome had come unglued from the bottom of the packaging and could pop out. I just decided to superglue it back in (which was a little gross) and hope for the best. However, recently it came unglued again! I've decided not to reglue it for the time being because there is still some gunk left on the bottom of the powder from the last time I glued it, and I really don't want to mess around with the consistency of the product by applying liquids to it.

That's glue on the back there. Gross, right?

I kind of doubt that I would have experienced this if I'd bought the product at Sephora or Ulta, rather than at Costco. However, it might have happened at any of these stores. The lesson here is caveat emptor.

All in all, this is not a bad product, and I'm happy I purchased it at the price I paid for it. However, given the potential for packaging dysfunction and the fact that it is merely an average highlighter without an "wow!" qualities going for it, I would not buy this at full retail price ($32 US) ever. There are so many other, better, cheaper options on the market, including mid-range and drugstore products. Instead of buying this, I would recommend something like e.l.f.'s Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Luminance (which is a very similar highlight shade), although it is not a baked powder and therefore not quite a dupe for Stila's version. It is, however, only $1 dollar, and I believe it outperforms Stila's powder, which costs 32 times as much, by a long shot.

Stila Illuniating Finishing Powder in Gold can be purchased at Sephora, Ulta, and stilacosmetics.com


Note: The opinions expressed here are mine; they reflect what I truly think of the product. I do not EVER accept payment for expressing a certain opinion, nor do I ever guarantee a review, positive or otherwise. I am committed to providing honest reviews. This product was purchased by me with my own money for review purposes and for personal use.