Stila Travel Palettes

I love the idea of a good palette. It's flat. It's fuss-free. No pots to mess with and if credit card sized, travels very well.

So when Stila launched their Travel Palettes -- based on the names of cities (Wonderful in Waikiki, Striking in South Beach, Pretty in Paris), I was pretty psyched. It's a chance to try out a slew of Stila items, take your makeup on the go, with colours that work well together, and all for $9!

There's just one problem. As a limited edition, this isn't a permanent solution. For someone who sticks with a colour for years - once I find one that works - just ask me about Origins Rain and Shine colour 1 - I don't like the idea of anything that I will have trouble finding once I fall in love.

But Stila told me, they are coming out with these, for as many cities as they can, for as long as they're popular, and one every few months.

So within a couple of weeks of me loving the Pretty in Paris (shadows in Crepe, Cherie, Jolie, Chocolat, and a blush in Rosebud), it was sold out. Sigh.

Therein lies the rub. The colours are lovely, the compact is handy, the price is right, but not every city will suit every complexion. And some of the cities just have crazy colours -- check out the blue shadow in Trendsetter in Tokyo.

At the time of writing this, Make an Impression in Moscow and Striking in South Beach (above) were available. I would say the former suits very fair girls. And the latter fair - to light medium.

PROS:
$9, can I say again $9! And a chance to try several of Stila's eye shadows at once. They make the best eye shadows.
Easy to travel with.
Comes with a mirror.
No mess.
Slightly larger than a credit card, size can't be beat.

CONS:
No brushes so it means bringing your own or using your fingers (gross.)
Limited edition so beautiful today, gone tomorrow.

Sephora Stila palettes

Sephora Smoothing & Brightening Concealer

My skin tone is a strange colour. This is because I'm Asian. And while makeup companies seem to have figured out Caucasian complexions  - and I would say African American complexions as well, based on what my beauty friends tell me - they haven't figured out mine. During all those makeup touchups and makeovers, I take part in during fashion week, I am often told I'm "yellow" toned underneath. This is actually wrong. The result is a bizarre colour on my face after my makeup has been done, slightly jaundiced, resulting in me leaving events looking somewhere between a cast-off of The Mummy and as though I've been indulging in mustard masks on a nightly basis.

Add to this that I don't believe in a full face of foundation so I look for foundation or concealers simply to cover blemishes or imperfection.

Enter Sephora's delightful little wand of concealer.

The delivery is a twist brush applicator. You twist the nose of the pen and the product comes piping out into the brush. i.e. it's all in one. Brush. Product. No bottle, no fingertips needed, no spill.

A helpful Sephora associate in their Times Square store both got my colour right instantly and found me stock. She said you're probably (and no one ever gets it right) colour 08 (Medium). I was pretty shocked when instantly the product matched my hand and face. Perfectly.

PROS:
Asian girls, this one's for you. It's neither "yellow" nor some crazy shade of green.
It doesn't spill.
It doesn't require a brush or a sponge.
Fits in your tiny purse.
Goes onto airplanes without those pesky "fluid" restrictions.

CONS:
Not sure how long Sephora will keep this baby around. They seem to discontinue things. A lot.
In fact, as of the writing of this, the 08 is already called "Radiant Sand" online. Not sure if it's the same.

http://www.sephora.com/smoothing-brightening-concealer-P291910