Go Backstage

Posted by Stacey

on August 26, 2010

Stila’s new fall collection is in stores now and no matter what sort of products are your favorite, you’re sure to find something that you’ll be obsessing over. I’ve been playing around with a few different things and so far, the Backstage Eye Shadow Palette and the One Step Correct are my standouts.

The Backstage Eye Palette is interesting because it’s not one of those palettes with a few coordinated shadows. Rather, it’s made up of six very different shades, giving you the choice of what kind of look you’d like to create and what other eye makeup you’d like to combine with it to achieve that look. Here are the jewel-tone shades in the palette:

Chiffon – shimmery peach
Flamingo -shimmery fuchsia
Pacific – metallic navy blue
Luster – metallic warm alloy
Poetic – shimmery mauve
Coal – Cool metallic emerald

The three bright shades are really fun to play around with – I paired a light silver shadow that I already had with the Pacific shade and came up with a funky look that’s perfect for the weekends. (Or you could wear it to work if you’re in a more relaxed office). I think my favorite shade is Coal though. It’s a gorgeous green that has a hint of blue in it – very pretty and different than any other shadow I have. (Any time I can branch out and find a shade that doesn’t already show up in six other palettes, I’m happy). The shadows are all buttery-soft and have minimal fallout, and like all Stila shades, they blend easily and last well into the day. For only $28, it’s definitely a worthy addition to pick up for the fall.

I’ve been using the One Step Correct for about two weeks now and I’m a big fan. It’s a helix serum that is meant to color correct, brighten, prime and nourish your skin. The color corrects in it are green (for minimizing redness), lavender (for brightening and counteracting sallowness), and peach (for illumination and helping to lessen the appearance of sun spots). I can’t vouch for any of the long term effects that the serum promises, but as a primer, I really like it. I’ve been putting it on over my moisturizer in the mornings and I do think that my skin looks really nice with it on. (And totally randomly, yesterday someone at work asked me how I got my makeup to last so long during the day, so I take that as proof that it’s working). It also comes in the coolest looking bottle with little “twists” of the colors inside – when you pump it onto your fingers, you can see the different colors swirled together, so you know that you’re getting all of them. I like that it’s moisturizing and doesn’t dry my skin out, but at the same time it helps my foundation fake the appearance of perfect skin and it keeps my skin from getting oily. (Well, until I get outside and hit the 100 degree plus temperatures we’re getting right now…) Primers are the one product I always recommend trying if you’ve never played around with them because they really do make such a difference. Anything that can make someone who sees me on a daily basis comment about how good my skin looks is well worth the $36!