First, I'd like to start out by saying that Stila is a line where I actually don't have any of their products. It's never been a line that has fascinated me. While I've tried a few eyeshadows worthy of purchase (but didn't for whatever reason), Stila has never been a line that has excited me. I've always thought their products were a little on the pricey side, and why pay more for products that you can get from another line that work just as well or better? In order to squash (hopefully) my pre-conceived notions about Stila, I went to Sephora with a purpose: to try Stila and give it a fair shake. If a product works and I can achieve a flawless face and my eye makeup stays put, I usually don't look at the price tag. So, when Stila came out with this new Resort collection, I actually got excited and headed to the nearest Sephora to check them out. I wanted to know if Stila lives up to it's hype.

Apres Ski Eyeshadow Trio ($30)
Lately I've had an addiction to dark eyeshadows, particularly sets that can be combined together to create a dramatic eye, and I found this set to be perfect for achieving the look. It has three colors in a round container that is signature Stila. One color is a brown coffee bean color, the other is a taupe/grey color and the third is a light beige color for highlighting. Together these are awesome colors and can be worn together or separately. Since I have blue/green eyes, the coffee bean color really made my eyes stand out. These shadows went on smoothly and wore well for the better part of the day. I experienced some minimal creasing after several hours, so the longevity isn't that great, but they are pretty colors nonetheless. I would like to add that these colors are pretty much the exact same colors as the trio that comes in the Calvin Klein Holiday Face Palette. If I had to choose, I'd still choose Calvin Klein's over these. They go on better and wear longer. But it is a nice palette and would have picked it up had I not already had Calvin's products.

Apres Beach Eyeshadow Trio ($30)
I wasn't too impressed with this trio of copper, bronze and pinkish-gold colors. Just looking at the trio, I really didn't like the burnt-orange colors, but wanted to give them a real shot. Since I recently returned to my brunette roots from blonde, I just didn't find that these shadows looked good on me. I liked the copper and the highligher color well enough, but didn't like the burnt orange color. It made me look washed out. I suspect these colors may have worked better for me in summer when I am tanned and with blonde hair. On my medium skin tone with dark brown hair, it just didn't cut it. My suspicions were correct: I didn't like it upon inspection, and I didn't like it on me.

All Over Crystals in Gold and Silver ($18 each)
I am a huge shimmer/glitter fan and am always looking for something else to add to my arsenal, but these will stay exactly where I found them: on the shelf in the store. This has to be the worst shimmer/glitter product I've used, and believe me when I tell you I've used a lot. They come in a cute blue square container, but that's all that's cute about them. The product is like a gooey solid that you rub your fingers in and then apply it where you want it. It was too gooey and gummy to spread around. It's not a lotion by any means - it's like hardened Vaseline. I tried applying it to my brow bones, but it just wouldn't spread. I made the mistake of trying to apply it to my cheekbones as it just settled into the spot where I initially applied my fingers. The glitter chunks are too big to look good on your face and the product is so gooey in texture that I'd be afraid to put it on my face again. It looks like something that is just dying to clog some pores. The colors weren't even that great. A huge disappointment in my quest to like Stila.

Holiday 5 Pan Compact ($30)
This is such an adorable-looking palette. I just had to get my hands on it and try it. Like I've stated before, I am really into dark eyeshadows and this set had three beautiful shades of eyeshadow (a shimmery champagne color, a shimmery brown color, and a dark cocoa shade), a convertible color in a pretty pink shade, and a mauve lip gloss. I loved the eyeshadows. I've found that Stila has some great colors and textures. The convertible color and the lip gloss are what I didn't like. The convertible color was rather gooey, too (what's with Stila and all the goo?). It didn't go on my lips, much less my cheeks well. And the lip gloss was thick and, you guessed it, gooey. When I put the gloss on, I immediately felt like I was wearing makeup made for clowns. Ick! All this kit has going for it is a pretty silver case, nice portability and some good eyeshadows. I really wanted to like it because it contained some beautiful colors, but I didn't. Umph!

Cheek Color in Cocoa Bloom ($15)
This was a pretty pressed powder blush. Nothing that spectacular as far as blush is concerned. I've said it once and I'll say it again - blush is blush to me, specifically powder blushes. Most of the blushes I've tried and own are not so different in comparison. It's not like comparing foundations because there are so many unique and different ones out there. This color went on well and lasted throughout the day, nonetheless.

Stila Sport Color Push Up in Bronze Flash ($20)
I don't own but a few cream blushes. I never really can find one that has a nice consistency that won't take off or smear my foundation. Plus, I just don't care for the extra work involved. This was a pretty nice blush. It looks like a deodorant stick. The color looked really dark in the container, but it went on pretty sheer with the ability to build color. It has a nice, almost slippery feel to it and I actually liked it well enough to purchase one, though not this color, but in Rose Flash. My skin tone, new hair and the fact that I like to really do up my eyes and downplay the rest of my face, it just didn't look right with the bronze color, but I might scope it out come summertime.

My overall feeling from Stila is that I don't think I've missed anything. While I was at Sephora, I really tried the whole darn counter, putting on lipsticks, liners, powders, their famous shimmer lotions, etc. I will say that Stila has some nice lipsticks and lip liners and eyeshadows, but I didn't care for a majority of their products and wouldn't pay that much for them, either. I think they are a high-priced boutique line and there are so many cosmetic lines with better products that I'd much rather buy from. I really wanted to fall in love with Stila, but they just didn't romance me well enough.