Pan! Lots and Lots of Pan!

I'll own up to the fact that I've been busy. Really busy. So busy, that I've neglected my blog. So, I've brought proof that I haven't given up makeup. Pan porn!

Clockwise from top left: Rimmel Stay Matte powder, Stila Convertible Color in Gerbera, Urban Decay De-Slick setting spray, MAC Sumptuous Olive, MAC Wedge, Stila Smudgestick in Lion Fish

See? Pan! Actually, the Smudgestick and the UD spray are empty. I'm rather disappointed that I used up the eyeliner so quickly - it was finished about 2 months ago! The spray didn't last very long, either, but it was a mini size. Still, I would've hoped for it to last longer than 2 weeks.

There are a few things not pictured, like my MAC Dazzleglass in Dressed to Dazzle. I love Dazzleglasses because I use them up regularly, thus meaning I can B2M the packaging quickly. Also, I complete finished MAC Shroom. You can see my progress on these eyeshadows, and the cream blush above, by checking out this older post.

Regardless, I'm back for now! And, I've been busy using up things!

Stila Convertible Lip and Cheek Color in Gerbera - Review

Stila is a line that confuses me. Most of their products seem overpriced for the amount of product you get, and don't seem to perform well enough to make that price worth it. Out of all of the Stila I've had, I've only kept a few things - including the Smudgestick in Lionfish, and this blush. I love it so much, I wear it daily and have hit significant pan.

Convertible Lip and Cheek Colors are designed to be worn on the lips or cheeks, however, they are extremely drying on the lips, at least to me. So, I wear this exclusively on my cheeks. Stila says:

Stila's ingenious lipstick and blush-in-one proves to be irresistible.
This versatile favorite brightens cheeks and lips with creamy, translucent color. Tap onto cheeks and press onto lips. The sheer tint adds an inherent glow to the cheeks while lips bloom with fresh, radiant color. Our two-in-one compact holds the key to easy, monochromatic makeup. A must-have in every stila girl's kit. 

These are housed in color-coded compacts. $25 gets you 0.15 oz of cream blush. Bobbi Brown's version of this product, Pot Rouge, cost $24, and you get 0.38 fl. oz. I'll review Bobbi's version in a bit, but you can see how little product the Stila Convertible Colors have.

That being said, however, I've been using Gerbera almost daily for about 2 years. At first, I used my fingers to apply and blend, but found I was using a ton of product and was having some difficulty getting an application that looked good. I've found the best brush for this blush is the Sonia Kashuk cream blush brush, with the black ergonomically styled handle. The bristles are nice and dense; tapping this brush in the compact twice gives me the perfect amount of blush, which I can blend out slightly with my foundation brush.

Gerbera is a peachy-pink color with a nude tone to it, so it looks natural. I love it. I really, really do. As noted before, I literally wear this everyday for 2 reasons - 1) it's a no-brainer for me to apply now, and 2) I sort of want to use it up. I say sort of, because I'll be sad to finish it, but still, I have 3 (!!) Pot Rouges to get to.


I like the fact that this hasn't dried up at all. It's still the same consistency it was when I started using it, which is awesome considering the compact isn't air-tight. I thought it'd dry out, or start to change texture on me, and it hasn't. It does seem to collect hairs and dust from my brush or the environment, though, so it looks kind of gross, but that's to be expected, I think, for a cream-type product.


Overall, I obviously like this blush. I would recommend it, and certainly plan on replacing it, once I have a need to. I feel it's a bit overpriced, however, considering you can get more for your money from Bobbi Brown.

Stila Smudge Stick in Lionfish - Review

I'll admit that my eye looks are almost the same everyday. Unless I get something new, I'll typically wear the same 3 shadows 5 days week. And I used to reach for the same eyeliner each and every day.... MAC's Teddy Eye Kohl. Gah, a beautiful bronzey-brown that brought the green out of my eyes, wore all day, and I could smudge it if I wanted to. I love it. I love it so much, that I have about an inch left of the pencil. But, alas, why rebuy something I know I love, when I could spend more and find something I may just "like?" (Don't answer that!). Anyway, when stalking through my Ulta, I found one of their exclusive Stila palettes for some awards show. For $25, I was able to get a palette of 6 eyeshadows, a convertible color (in an honestly gross color), a powder highlighter, and a Smudge Stick in Lionfish. I had been very curious about Smudge Sticks, and most of the palette looked good (save the aforementioned ugly convertible color), so I picked it up.

Smudge Sticks are regularly $20. These are automatic liners, meaning you "twist" the pencil to get access to more product. According to Ulta's website:

"Smudge Sticks are what every woman has been looking for in a eye liner! There is a high content of volatile silicones and modern wax oil combinations that make this very comfortable and confident. It will be available in a mechanical pencil no sharpening needed. There is a Vitamin C and E, which will moisturize and act as an antioxidant to help against skin aging. Paraben Free, Not Animal Tested."

They come in 8 colors currently, most of which are named for fish. This liner applies very smooth and evenly, and it doesn't tug on my lid or lashline. I've tried it on my waterline and had the usual (for me) results - looked great for about an hour, then it vanished. On my lashline, however, it lasts all day! Once the liner has "set," it does not move at all, even through crying or watery eyes (I have a slight hay-fever issue). This means, however, if I decide to go for a smudgey-liner look, I have to work very, very quickly.

Lionfish is described as a "Deep bronze sheen," but, we can call it a bronzey-brown. Compared to Teddy, it's a dead-on dupe on my skin, and is also quite similar to Clinique's Creamshaper for Eyes pencil in Chocolate Luster.

I've never found water to be a good solvent for makeup, especially long-wearing makeup. I really have to use an oil-type or dual-phase remover (currently using a sample of Lancome's Bi-Facil). With this type of remover, the liner comes off with ease.

I'm extremely pleased with the Smudge Stick I have. While I don't particularly care for the price (only because I've been able to purchase Stila items so cheaply in the past), I would love to get my hands on more of these liners!

My Accomplishments!

It's the end of another year, and I have to wonder - what have I done this year? Well, I got a slightly better job (less stress, the same amount of pay, though). Adopted 2 cats (one moved out of our house as soon as he could - he's around the corner. He left his poor brother behind, though). And... um... that's about it.

Well, that's not fair to me. I've gotten close to finishing a couple of things. And, I've done a great job at sticking to my mascara no-buy. Using up all of the freebies I've accumulated feels great! Let's see what else I've finished, or almost finished, or.. at least hit pan on! These are my daily eyeshadows. I couldn't live or breathe without them. From the top left, there's Sumptuous Olive (I had to repress it, so *now* there's no pan, but I swear it's 50% or less). Then there's Shroom (top right), which I've had for a bit over a year and it's almost gone!
Finally, Wedge (bottom) - it's the perfect, soft, neutral crease color for me. Loves it.

So I haven't finished either of these, but seriously. Look at the size of them compaired to the stand MAC eye kohl cap. On the top is Clinique's Chocolate Luster Cream Shaper pencil, on the bottom is MAC's Teddy eye kohl. The Cream Shaper is okay, but Teddy is sooo much better. The perfect bronzey-brown for green eyes!

So this still has a ton of life left in it, but... hey, there's a significant amount of pan showing! It's Stila's Convertible Lip and Cheek color in Gerbera. This has been my go-to blush (obviously).

There are other products, too, like several Dazzleglasses, a bottle of MAC's brush cleaner, and a bottle of Chanel's Mat Lumiere Foundation.

What've you finished?