REVIEW + SWATCHES: Stila "In The Know" Palette

 

I recently got the Stila "In the Know" Palette from the Birchbox website, where I needed to spend $10 in Birchbox points that had been sitting there for over three months. I'd been ogling at it for months and never buckled down and bought it. An all-matte palette from Stila? Yes puh-lease!

I AM SO HAPPY I BOUGHT IT.

The first photo is with daylight through my window, the second being the incandescent lamp lighting.

 I have used this palette every single day since I got it a week ago, and I love it. All the eyeshadows are super creamy, even though they don't swatch the greatest on my arm. That could be attributed to how hairy my arm is. Trust me, when using them with a brush, they blend so nicely. They aren't quite as pigmented as say, Urban Decay's matte eyeshadows, but because they are so creamy and buildable, they don't ever come off chalky.

 Not only do you get 10 matte neutral eyeshadows, you also get a smudge stick eyeliner in Halfmoon! I'm not a huge fan of grey eyeliner myself, but it can definitely be used with a subtle grey smokey eye. This palette also comes with one of those gimmicky pamphlets of look ideas, but I threw it away.

 The top layer is a lot of light colors and then the one dark one - Earth. I love the names of these shadows too. Clay, Rain, Driftwood - way better than numbers and some of the weird names that the Balm gives their eyeshadows. The lightest colors, Wind and Air don't show up on my arm, well because my arm is pale as hell and the shadows match the color of my skin.

 

L-R: Earth, Clay, Desert, Wind, Air

The bottom row is where the smokey looks can come from. You have your matte black, matte charcoal, a couple of browns - but then there is this fabulous brick red color. I mean WOWZA. Fire is a gorgeous color that doesn't look like anything I have in my collection or anything I've seen in a palette before. It's the reason I was so drawn to this palette in the first place to be honest.

 L-R: Ebony, Smoke, Rain, Fire, Driftwood

 I love how as a whole, this palette is warm-toned. The light neutrals compliment my eye color wonderfully and don't come off looking gray or sallow at all. My go-to eye with this palette so far has been Clay all over the lid, Rain the crease, and Driftwood in the outer corner. It's so soft and natural and lovely AHHH I LOVE IT.

At $39 for 10 quality eyeshadows and a smudge stick eyeliner - these Stila "In The" palettes are a great bargain. They're cheaper than the Urban Decay Naked Palettes (and I mean you do get 2 fewer eyeshadows, but still a great bargain). I'll definitely be posting a video at some point using this palette for a look or two, because it's such a great selection of matte colors, which is something everyone is always on the look out for.

Buy this palette:

Sephora

Stila

Birchbox

Best wishes!

-Abby