Stila ~ Metal 'n Matte | Review

Stila Metal N Matte

This is my first Stila eyeshadow palette. Yep. I said it. I'm unsure how exactly that happened but there it is! Back when I was a teenager and was just getting into makeup, MAC and Stila were like, the glorified makeup my friends and I could only afford with birthday or Christmas money. If selfies were a thing back then, my entire Instagram would be filled with hundreds of pics of me with the same MAC lipstick, Stila lipgloss, and Stila's "Kitten" eyeshadow. Only recently did I revisit Stila. Their products just draw me in with their soft, whimsical-ness. Their liquid lipsticks which I only recently tried but have always been drawn to, are new favorites in my collection. 

So a couple weeks ago I went to Sephora with the intention of buying the new Nars blush in "Bumpy Ride" (holy damn if you don't own this already and like peach blushes AT ALL, you better get on this girl stat). And it turned out to be a "Stila" kind of night. The Metal 'n Matte palette was the one to test drive the Stila brand once again.

Stila Metal N Matte

This palette provides very soft eyeshadow looks, which is one of the things I love about it. If you're into that more natural no-makeup makeup look, this would be a great product for you. If you're into super colorful shades or real popping eyeshadows, you should be able to tell this isn't the palette for you just by looking at it in the pic above. I adore this palette when I want to feel light, soft, pristine. If palettes like Urban Decay's "Naked 3", maybe the Lorac "Mega Pro 3", or Tarte's "Tartelette In Bloom Clay" are your thing, you should appreciate the Metal 'n Matte.

The palette is organized to provide 3 easy looks. Column 1 creates a subtle, charcoal and white eye look with silver sparkles for the lid. The middle column is for your soft, rose gold look, and the column on the right creates a warm-toned gold-brown look. The bottom right and bottom middle shades can easily be swapped which will make the look in the middle column more cool-toned and warm up the look in the column on the right even more. You can also mix and match the shades to create your own look if you're not feeling creative or are pressed for time. For added sparkle, I will often reach for some of my Super Shock metallic shades from Colourpop. "Sequin", "Koosh", "Catnap", "Muse", Babykins", "Prickly Pear", "Tinsel" and "Liberty" (seriously amazing crinkled silver eyeshadow that I recommend buying asap) will work really nicely with the shadows in this palette.

Stila Metal 'n Matte Eyeshadow Palette Swatches

I do find 2 of these shadows a little more high maintenance than the others. The bottom left (dark charcoal) applies very lightly and has a lot of glitter (same with the silver shade above it). The silver shade I find best to use if you just want to apply a light glitter effect to your look. The charcoal one you really do have to use a Mac Fix+ (or similar product, or water) to get much payoff and make the glitter stick. It works just fine if you use something, but applying with a dry brush will just cause a dark, glittery mess of fallout.

I use a setting spray formula (or water) for the darker, glitter shades in my Outer V (bottom row pans), and the 3rd from the bottom row I apply on the lid with my finger. If you have Stila's "Heaven's Hue Highlighter" in shade "Transcendence" (it's the pinky-lavender highlight shade that Stila had in their Limited Edition Holiday 2017 highlighter trio palette, review here, and which they now offer as single compacts) it looks lovely in the inner corner of the eye with these shades. So does "Kitten" if you prefer a gold instead, I just personally really adore "Transcendence". 

Looks Using This Product

Liquid Lipstick: Stila Liquid Lipstick in "Baci"

Blush: Nars in "Bumpy Ride"

Eyebrows: Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in "Caramel"