Stila Lip Glaze Stick

I know Stila is a cult favorite brand for some, but to me it's a total hit and miss. Although initially excited with the twist tube applicator, I didn't like the popular Lip Glazes. I didn't like the It Glosses either. And the Floating Eye Shadows were, umm, a regret on my part. But on the other hand, I love, love, love the Convertible Colors, and boy what I would do for them to bring back the Color Push-ups!

So while I am delighted to think I might have found another Stila love, the Lip Glaze Stick, I am disappointed to learn these were actually discontinued a while back and I only chanced upon these Glaze Sticks in the Smile in Style Set on Ebay while searching for something else altogether. May be Stila has picked up some bad habits from Japanese cosmetic brands, discontinuing perfectly fine things :( Either way, just swatching these Glaze Stick set off my new craze for stick glosses and balms and I am currently eyeing several similar items from Clinique (Chubby Sticks), Tarte (Lip Service LipSurgence set), Urban Decay (Super-saturated High Gloss), and the likes. All I am waiting for is a good promotion. Psst, Sephora, hint, hint.

Stila Smile in Style Set, with Lip Glaze Sticks in (from left to right) Plum, Berry, Peach, Blackberry, and Fruit Punch, along with a sharpener. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

I haven't actually used these, so this is only a review post, but I love how they translucent these Glaze Sticks are, with exception of the Plum color. I also love how they glided and melted like butter on the back of my hand. They felt much much softer than most lipsticks I have tried on the back of my hand, believe it or not, which makes me wonder how the heck they got the stuff to stay solid enough to be encased into a pencil form. Their softness makes me nervous at the thought of sharpening them too, as I am afraid they will either break off or crumble. These are lightly scented, supposedly with whatever that matches their name, but to me they're all just nice and unoffensive fruity fragrances.

- Plum: the most opaque out of the bunch with very fine shimmers, a silvery mauvey rose.

- Berry: a translucent violet pink with silver shimmers.

- Peach: a translucent peach with touch of coral and orange shimmers, it looks bright as a pencil but is a lot more demure when applied.

- Blackberry: a deep maroonish grape that turns a brownish raisin on me, this one has gold flecks but they aren't that obvious once applied.

- Fruit Punch: the sheerest of the bunch, a sheer cool pink with seemingly chunkier shimmers that surprisingly isn't as glittery when swatched.

From left to right: Plum, Berry, Peach, Blackberry, and Fruit Punch