Stila Girls

Prior to arriving in Japan, Stila and MAC dominated my makeup collection. I liked MAC for its uber-hip colours and frequent new collections that meant that there was always something new to look forward to each month. I adored Stila for its whimsical Stila girls illustrations and pretty, feminine makeup. Even though my collection has since expanded to include many Japanese brands, I still reach frequently for my Stila stuff. Sadly, Stila decided a few years ago that the Stila girls made it look too childish and so the Stila girls rarely appear on the products anymore, except in Japan where Stila Japan sometimes releases Japan/Asia-exclusive collections such as the Sakura, Spring Ephemeral and June Bride collections. I've been really lucky to be living in Japan for the past few years and having the opportunity to snap these up. Anyway, I thought I'd do a blog post on my Stila girls collection as I know my buddy Makeuphor also loves them :-) So Iz, this one is for you!

These are the 3-pan palettes. In 2004, Stila released a new design each month exclusively at Nordstrom department store in the US. I finally completed my collection of all 12 earlier this year when I bought the last piece on Yahoo Japan auctions. How I wish Stila would do these again regularly. Also in the photo are the three palettes from the Italian Ices collection (Summer 2003), two Confections for Eyes & Cheeks palettes from Holiday 2003, three palettes from the Mod collection (Fall 2003) and two Japan-exclusive palettes that were released in August 2006. In the bottom right hand corner are three 2-pan palettes that were released exclusively in Japan in October 2006.

Next up are the vintage classic Stila round trios/quads. Many people get turned off by the flimsy cardboard packaging but I don't mind it at all. I think Stila first started releasing these around 2000. I think when I first started noticing Stila, it had just released the High Tea quads (Summer 2002) as I remember seeing them in the Sephora in Georgetown in Washington DC. These are pretty in the pan but hard to work as they're mostly matte shades. The Bohemian trios (Fall 2002) are another fan favourite but the shades tend to look muddy on me. My favourites are the Winter Blues (love the middle shimmery lavender shade), the purple trio that came out for holiday 2005 and Spring Ephemeral, another Japan-exclusive trio that was released in March 2007. Sakura looks very pretty but is actually absolutely lousy in terms of color payoff. Plus I dropped it less than 3 hours after buying it so it's all cracked up...sob! The Japan-exclusive Mystique, Intrigue and Captivate eyeshadow trios and blush duo from Holiday 2006 are cute but the colours are not that stunning. The Cabana Girls collection was also too matte and pale for my liking.

These are the Pussycat Dolls, Sleeping Princess, Holiday Look Books from 2002 and June Bride palettes. June Bride was another Japan-exclusive collection in June 2006. I had to CP quite a few sets of these for fellow MUAers and it was a royal pain having to go around to several counters because each customer was only allowed to buy one set.

These are some of the GWPs that I've collected over the years. The three plastic folder in the top row of the pic on the left came free with an issue of Urb magazine (now defunct) a few years ago. The cushy pink lingerie case was a present from a dear MUA buddy.

These Stila bags and makeup pouch were GWPs given out by Stila Singapore. These are fantastic quality, very sturdy and easy to clean. The bag in the middle was the GWP that was given out when Stila was first launched in Singapore. My mom has used it a lot but it still looks almost brand new. The first bag on the left is my favourite as it's very roomy and I used to carry it for doing CP hauls. Some of the Japanese Stila SAs noticed it and loved it too :-) The lady in the red dress in the bottom right corner of the makeup pouch is the Stila Girl illustration for Singapore! That's our Changi Airport control tower in the background. Unfortunately, Stila Singapore rarely has such good bags as GWPs anymore. Probably because these cost quite a bit to produce.

And finally, this Stila diary is one of my most prized pieces. I had to buy it off Ebay but it was worth every single cent. Of course I could never bear to write in it so it usually just sits in a plastic bag in my drawer, only taken out to be admired once or twice a year. I rarely buy Stila's new products these days due to the lack of Stila girls packaging and also, not many of their recent collections have appealed to me that much compared to the Stila palettes that I already own. Plus I feel guilty that I don't use my existing Stila collection as often as I should. The only Stila item that I've ever managed to finish are a couple of lipglazes in the classic size. Alright, I hope you've enjoyed this trip down the memory lane with me :-)