I’ve historically derived little joy from the mixed genre palette and have found myself asking why brands insist on burdening eyeshadow palettes with a tricky shade of orange blush or gloopy pinky lipstick that was last seen on Emma Bunton’s lips in 1996. Also: silly little foam brushes, pans so small your normal ones can’t grab any colour out, and tiny extras like mascara or lip glosses that are used up quickly and then leave a gaping hole in the palette forevermore.
Stila’s Perfect Me, Perfect Hue Eye & Cheek palette is a different beast altogether. The four eyeshadows, two blushes and powder base have clearly been put together with uncommon consideration and truly work as a team to define features softly. The softly bit is important – this is not the palette that screams experimental or edgy, but is rather a sophisticated way to take your face up a notch with the nice addition of the little blur that powder imparts.
I use light/medium, which is ideal for daytime and – with the addition of plenty of the deep cocoa shadow – can also make my eyes look very grown-up smoky (think Clare Forlani in Meet Joe Black and you’ll be close to the kind of look this palette is aiming for). I tend to blend the blush colours together as I’m slightly (fake) tanned, though suspect that as we segue into autumn I’ll find myself relying more on the pink to lift my face more.
The final words of praise must go to the formula. The powder is creamy, not cakey. I layer it on top of foundation when I have to take down shine and it never looks lifeless or flat. The cheek colours blend nicely and hold their ground for about four hours, before fusing with skin to create a delicious glow. The shadows are highly-pigmented and don’t fall down the face during the blending process. Buy it, pack it into your handbag along with a kabuki, eyeshadow brush, mascara and lipstick and you’re good to do a face wherever you may go…
The Stila Perfect Me, Perfect Hue Eyeshadow & Cheek Palette comes in four colour ways for £28 here.