Stila On the Road Palette Review & Swatches

As you know, I recently blogged about the new Stila Travel Girl Palettes for Summer 2012. There are five available at the moment but knowing Stila’s track record they’ll probably do an exclusive here or there with Macy’s, Sephora, etc….

The style of palette isn’t actually new since Nordstrom first introduced their exclusive version several weeks ago entitled On The Road. This version is a collaboration between Nordsom BP (BP is a collection created by Nordie’s for teens/young women) and Stila. Stila has released a few BP collaborated palettes prior to this so I was kinda delighted by On the Road since it was a new and different variation from the typical budget palettes Stila has put out the last two years or so.

However, I think the uniqueness and specialness has worn off for me now that I know there will be five (or more) now.

Here’s my thoughts on the Stila + BP On the Road Palette, take the jump for the deets.

This comes in a flip top case made of cardboard with a full size mirror. It’s designed with the old school Stila Girls on the cover. The girl on this palette has a kinda boho chic, “I’m going to Coachella” look about her. I personally love the Stila Girls so I’m always happy when Stila incorporates them into their packaging as for a while Stila stopped doing so. I had read somewhere Stila didn’t use the girls because they wanted to appeal to a more mature demographic. Personally, I’m older and I love the girls so yay for cute packaging.

The cardboard packaging is sturdy and I’ve never had an issue with any of the Travel Girl Palettes in terms of breaking, falling apart, etc….I also have palettes that feature a cream Convertible Color Blush and never had a problem with it drying out, becoming hard, etc…however, that could change as the palette gets even older since the blush is cream and exposed to so much air in this style of compact.

This palette is different in the fact you now get five eyeshadows instead of the original four. Stila also brought back Convertible Color which was what they originally included when they launched the Travel Girl Palettes. Cream and powder in one place is just a mess, truth, however if you’re careful you can probably avoid polluting your cream blush with powder kick up.

At a glance, I was disappointed by the price ($14) but actually you’re getting yourself 0.21 oz of product across five eyeshadows. A MAC Eyeshadow is $15 and contains 0.05 oz of product so actually you’re getting five almost full size eyeshadows here for the price of a single MAC one.

The size is a value the formula however, is not. The formula hasn’t changed here so you aren’t getting a regular Stila Eyeshadow formula. What you are getting is the formula featured in the second round of palettes from last Summer. I mentioned second round since the original Travel Girl Eyeshadows weren’t as nice as this formula.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s silky, it applies very easily on lids, and has a very not texture overall. However, I find the colors need to be built up for the best color pay off, they don’t play or contrast nicely together since 1. the shades are so similiar and 2. and the formula is just a little too thin and silky so as you apply it kinda fades away quickly making it difficult to get any real definition in a look.

On the Road is a selection of pretty peachy shades as well as browns. It’s a nice nude selection of color. I personally didn’t like the Dusty Rose Convertible Color here and left it out of my look below because it applies as more of a highlighter. The color is a bit sheer and ends up going frosty on my cheeks. I don’t do frost very well so I avoided using it. I also thought the color had a little lilac to it and just overall, didn’t really fit with the nude look of the shadows.

The shadows are pretty but Stila’s instructions for application always throws me. They always include a really dark shade to use as a base and brow highlighter in this case that shade is Feather (dead center of the palette). They suggest using shade from lash line to brow bone…the color is a soft peachy shade and honestly, it just doesn’t look right if I go as far up as my brow with it…why they suggest this is beyond me.

Swatched Left to Right: Guitar, Feather, Sunshine, Imagine, and Suede

Convertible Color in Dusky Rose

I found it challenging to contrast with the shades. They seemed to run together. Could be my lack of skill but I choose to blame the looser, silky texture of the shades and the sheerness. With a little skill and a lot more patience than I possess you can probably get a pretty look but for the most part, if I’m honest, they end up proving difficult to contrast with.

Overall, On the Road is a pretty palette. The shades are lovely, the formula is quite nice on a whole, and the presentation and packaging is adorable. It has quirks like including cream with powders, so messy! But mainly, even though the quantity is here, I felt like the $14 price tag was too high for this quality of product. After using this, I was relieved that I didn’t feel the need to rush out and get the other five palettes. I think I’ll wait for a sale for those as I simply can’t justify spending near $20 on a palette that doesn’t have Stila’s original formula backing it up. I also feel like these shades aren’t unique enough to get excited about. The colors do look like a bit of a rehash of shades already done in palettes past.

Will you be indulging?

Do share!

The Stila On the Road Palette is exclusively at Nordstrom and Nordstrom.com

P.S. One of the best things about the new Musings look is I get to use BIGGER photos in the posts. Brilliant right? Or at least I think so!