Monday 14 July 2014

Stila Acai Crush Lip & Cheek Stain


It is a truth most commonly acknowledged that dual purpose products must be in want of something in one or other department. That is to say, in a less Pride and Prejudice inspired way of speaking, that they're usually designed for two things and pretty much only good at one thing.

This Stila product leans probably slightly more favourably to the cheeks but I actually do like it on both. 

On the lips the stain is dry and sinks into lines, as you can see in these pictures. Having said that a good lip balm underneath to smooth out lines and dryness does take care of that. It can be applied straight from the tube onto the lips with the brush applicator provided, though be careful - this stain is a Stain (note the capital S!) and that little blotch that goes slightly out of the lip line was something I was stuck with until scrubbing it off on my return home that night - following dinner out and multiple cocktails.

Now, onto the cheeks. I love this on the cheeks  - it's gel based and doesn't seem as dry on the cheeks as it does on the lips. For application though, you need to be incredibly careful. First thing's first - don't apply this straight from the applicator onto the cheeks and don't deal with this product if you're in a rush because the pigmentation is crazy. The tiniest amount goes a long, long way and heavy handedness runs the risk of clown style make up. 

When you're first getting used to the product I recommend mixing it with a dot of foundation so you can temper the pigmentation until you get the hang of it. I use the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to do this. You have to work incredibly quickly with this product as, similarly to the lips, once it sets, it sets. A lot of people recommend a stippling brush with these types of products. Using a stippling brush made me look like I had chicken pox.


As you can see in this photo I have applied the product to my hand and blended, but the place where I originally touched the brush to the skin can easily be outlined and although I blended straight away the edges aren't for feathering off. When I applied the product with the stippling brush all the little areas where the product first touched settled into tiny dots and made me look like I had a real issue going on. You can also get an idea from this photo of just how bright this product can be when applied heavily.

The simplest thing for me is to twist up some of the product, swipe it over the back of your hand and then pick it up from the back of your hand with your chosen dense brush and buffing it quickly like foundation in circular motions. 

It is worth mentioning that these Stila Lip & Cheek Stains are scented - I have the coconut one and it's divine when swatched and sniffed - but the scent doesn't really translate once it's applied to the face and mixed with other produces. I haven't found that the scent has irritated my skin at all but in the interest of full disclosure it's still something worth pointing out!






1 comment:

  1. What a beautiful product- the shade is lovely on you! Too bad it's a touch drying on the lips, but otherwise it sounds fab! xo

    -Jen

    www.vibrantbeautyblog.com

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