Review: Stila Silk Shimmer Gloss

Posted by Tamara in review | Comments Off

Category: Lip Gloss

Product Name: Stila Silk Shimmer Gloss (Kitten)

Product Description: Stila’s silk shimmer gloss in kitten delivers that golden pink shine to the lips that we all have come to love. The silk proteins make for smooth, moisture-rich wear, while ultra-fine pearl shimmer provides that signature stila shine. Enriched with vitamins A, C, and E, this lip-loving formula is bound to become the next cult classic. (from stilacosmetics.com)

Price: $29 CAD ($22 USD)

Amount: 3.3 mL (0.11 fl. oz.)

Packaging: A transparent tube with a silver cap.  The applicator is small and of the lip brush variety.

Experience: Generally speaking, Stila’s lip glosses are known for their scent.  This particular gloss has an interesting fragrance, I’m reminded of baked coconut.  It’s sweet, but it’s not the usual vanilla/cake batter or typical fruit scent – I like it, but some might find it a bit cloying.

I am a big fan of the applicator, as I much prefer the lip brush style to the doe foot style.  It’s very easy to apply with precision, and I don’t need to dip again to cover my lips entirely.  The colour is said to be a pink champange, but on my lips there isn’t much colour – and I find it to be quite sheer.  It’s significantly less pigmented than Kitten Lip Glaze.  With that said, I love the subtle shimmer and glossiness and I actually prefer the sheerness, as I tend to reach for this when going for a relatively natural look.

One of my favourite things about this gloss is how smooth it feels on my lips.  It is in no way sticky or tacky, however; this also means that it doesn’t have the best longevity.  Without eating, it lasts a good few hours – but as soon as there is contact with the lips, the glossiness starts to fade.  The shimmer and slight tint last a bit longer, but after a meal you’d be hard pressed to find anything but a small bit of residual shimmer.

This gloss was my very first Stila product and I was beyond excited when I bought it.  It’s definitely more of a luxury item for me, because while I am a fan of the product – I am not a fan of the price.  At $29 a tube, I consider it expensive and for the amount you get it’s definitely overpriced in my opinion.  You have 0.11 oz of Stila’s Silk Shimmer gloss for $29, whereas MAC’s Lustreglass has 0.17 oz and only costs $17.50.

As a work around to this issue, I have seen the Lip Envy Lip Gloss Trios at Winners on multiple occasions.  Some of these trios contain the Silk Shimmer Gloss in Kitten.  These sets are priced at $9.99 – which make them an absolute steal.  Personally, I wouldn’t pay full price for this again – despite how much I enjoy it.

Pros: brush applicator, moisturizing, smooth texture, subtle shimmer

Cons: amount of product, price, single colour

Rating: 3/5