REVIEW: Barbie <3 Stila Smudge Pot

For this Christmas, I would like to review one of my Christmas gifts, and my first-ever Stila product. I've heard great reviews about this product plus the fact that it's pretty much affordable. What got me to say, "I HAVE TO HAVE THIS!" just recently was the fact that my favorite doll brand, Barbie, did a collaboration with Stila. As Barbie now has a collaboration with another brand after two years, I just had to follow her. I did grow up with Barbie. I owned a boxful of Barbie dolls and I still have one in my shelf. It was the Barbie doll that brought out the girl in me, and probably one of the biggest influences in 80's pop culture.

I was at the Stila counter and I was searching for what to get from the palette when I decided to strike two birds with one stone: I still don't have a black gel eyeliner and I've been intrigued with Stila Smudge Pots, being used both as a gel eyeliner and eyeshadow base. I asked if they had a black one and they did... the last one on counter. It was fated to be mine!

Isn't the holographic Barbie eye that opens and closes depending on how you move the pot cute? No way am I gonna throw this away when I finish the product, na-uh, na-uh *shakes head and pouts*. By the way, for those who want to know what smudge pots actually are, a smudge pot is a gel eyeliner, but it could be also used as an eyeshadow or eyeshadow base, depending on the application and blending.

I got the shade Little Black Dress, the black one in the collection. The color isn't actually stark black but it's black with a bit of pink shimmer. The shimmer is pretty subtle, and you don't get chunks of glitter, as you see in the swatches.

Using this as an eyeliner, I recommend using either a flat brush such as MAC 212 or a stiff angled brush like MAC 208. If you find one layer too sheer, as it could be, you can add 2 layers more (like the middle swatch) so it looks more opaque. The pink glitter actually gives it a bit of an eggplant-like color so it could appear darker in black-and-white photos. As an eyeshadow base, it's best applied with a flat synthetic brush like MAC 195 or with your fingertips and smudged and blended, just like what I did in the third swatch.

And yes, it's waterproof, budgeproof, and smudgeproof once it sets. I placed my hand under running water and smudged it a bit and this is how the swatches looked like right after:

Still with water droplets and still it's intact with minimal smudging, since I think I rubbed my hand a bit too early before I let the swatches set. I do recommend to preserve its shelf life not to leave the jar open for a long period as this could dry up the product, just like in all gel liners.

The price of one smudge pot is Php 895 for 4 grams and it's available at all Stila counters at Rustan's Department Stores here in Manila. The Barbie variety is only limited edition, yet there are the regular smudge pots available still on counter. So price isn't that bad and a little really goes a long way. Remember though not to pile on too much product, especially if using this as an eyeshadow or eyeshadow base because it could crease, cake, and crack.


When to use this:
1. As an eyeliner if going for cat's eyes. It's okay to use for evening bridals, as I still prefer a classic dark brown for daytime bridals.
2. As a base if you want an intense black smokey eye especially for long outdoor shoots or fashion shows where makeup can melt in harsh heat conditions and hot photography lights. A bit of shimmer helps eliminate the solid black-eye panda effect.
3. A subtle smoky eye on the go- just pat a bit on the lid and blend.

Other shades available:
1. Purple Pumps - Purple with Pink Shimmer
2. Cobalt Clutch - Blue with Blue Shimmer