Stila Lip Glaze

If my memory is working right this product was brought to my attention some two years ago. I was killing time in Fraser's, and a representative of the brand approached me, as they do. Usually they pounce too much for my taste, but in this case I got interested enough to let the women apply some of this lip gloss for me to test. At the time there weren't as many shades as now. The browns were too much like what I had already, I never touch anything remotely pink, and red is usually too intense for every day use, though I do use it at times. I'm not sure if I picked the colour or if it was suggested; in any case the woman applied "strawberry". She explained that the colour is fairly transparent, so even though it looks intensely bright red in the tube, it provides only a hint of colour and more gloss.

At the time I left it at that, but made a mental note to potentially follow it up. After two hours or so I got to a mirror. I was impressed by the fact that the gloss hadn't spread beyond the outline of my mouth. And neither had it faded much.
Personally, I could have done without the artificial strawberry flavour, and I still think so. On the other hand, the flavour is very light. One either stops noticing it or it just evaporated after some minutes. And probably some of the newer shades, like "brown sugar" are more neutral and less artificial.

In a few weeks I went back and bought the same shade I had tested previously. I was aware that the price was quite hefty, £15 for 2.4 grammes, for a "mere lip gloss". Usually you get at least 8ml. But I already knew of the good lasting power, for a lip gloss, and it is such an unusual gadget.

It is a solid transparent plastic tube, just over 12cm long and has the thickness of an old-fashioned fountain pen. The lid is also similar to that of a fountain pen, and the applicator inside is in fact a brush. This makes a both precise and generous application possible. On the other end is a bit one twists to release the colour into the brush. I have found that one click is usually enough, two at the most. It's important to give it a few seconds and not keep twisting. Otherwise you'll have more colour than you need, and nowhere to go with it. At this price to quantity ratio I find it important to waste none.

In any case, I found this mechanism and the all over appearance very appealing and unusual. It doesn't seem like a girly thing, and fits equally well into any pen case as a make-up bag.

At the time I bought this the weather was getting warmer, and I still found the lasting power very good. It would be unrealistic to expect an gel-like texture not to transfer when your lips make contact with things. Which is why I don't use it directly before a meal and then complain that it doesn't last. But if you didn't make contact with anything all day, it would probably also last all day. A particular plus point is that it doesn't melt and "bleed" beyond where it should be.

To summarize I would say that it is good value for money despite the price. I will probably buy one or more shades in the future.

Usually it is not available in Boots but rather places like Fraser's. The regular price at the moment is £15, but occasionally they have special campaigns. There have been special limited editions (colours). I'm not sure for how long they are available. Currently there are 25 listed as the regular colours on the Stila website. There are also three further shades as a summer special edition. All other aspects of them are just the same as described so far.

If you haven't tried this yet, it might just be a nice addition to your collection.