FOTD: Stila Matte 'N Metal Eye Shadow Palette

I love a good summer collection and Stila has some great new offerings I think people will really be into, including the Matte 'N Metal Eye Shadow Palette, Heaven's Hue Highlighter, and Color Balm Lipstick.

First up, the palette! I'm never one to say "no" to a good palette and I was pretty excited about this one. It comes housed in Stila's signature gold plastic packaging with a full-size mirror on the inside. The idea behind the shades is that you can mix and match however you want... maybe you want an all matte look, maybe you want an all metallic look, or maybe you want both!

If you're stuck, the shades are also arranged in coordinated order: three columns (top to bottom instead of by row) of four shadows for three different looks. The first look is a cool toned pewter, the second is a pink rose gold, and the third is a golden bronze. My swatches below are based on the three columns going from left to right.

The shades in the Matte 'N Metal Palette are right up my alley -- a mix of neutral mattes and some "metals" for a pop. However, as you can see from the swatches, not all the shadows apply that well. Some of the mattes are quite chalky, especially the lighter ones like Vintage, Velvet, and Feathered. The metallics are also patchy in the lighter shades, although they're a bit more forgiving since they can be easily blended.

Despite the disappointing swatches, I actually didn't have that much trouble once mixing the shades together for a makeup look though.

On my eyes, I'm wearing the four eye shadows from the middle column of the Matte 'N Metal Palette (with Sizzle smudged on as the bottom liner) which is the rose gold theme. I did my typical cat eye with my Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper and topped it off with some Ardell Faux Mink false lashes (which are, by the way, super comfortable and lightweight).

On my face, I kept things glowy with the new Stila Heaven's Hue Highlighter in Bronze. The texture is really similar to Stila's Perfectly Poreless Putty Perfector. It's bouncy, lightweight, and blends in really easily. It's definitely going to be a staple in my makeup arsenal this summer.

On my lips, I'm wearing Stila Color Balm Lipstick in Misty which is a pale barely there pink. Honestly, it's more a lip balm than a lipstick in this shade but I like it since it keeps my lips moisturized and is made with yummy peppermint oils.