Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD Illuminating Beauty Balm
In the ongoing quest for the perfect 'no makeup' glow I've tried many things, from primers to finishing powders and everything in between.
For the past three weeks I have been trialling Stila's new beauty balm and I have to be honest - when I first purchased it I wasn't expecting anything too spectacular. It was a nice enough product - easy to apply, pleasantly (and very lightly) scented and an ok base for my favourite mineral powder foundation - but I had tried enough of the new wave of beauty balms to be sceptical about its potential.
But then I took some time to play around with it, and was amazed by the results. Applied the right way and with a combination of just a few other products, Stila's balm creates the beautifully fresh, pretty, glowing face that I had hoped to achieve from so many other products.
Stila's original beauty balm was marketed as "a luxurious, priming beauty balm that seemingly turns back the hands of time by visibly improving the look and feel of skin and creating an impeccable canvas for flawless makeup application". The new version is a creamy balm that comes in two shades, one pink toned(illuminating) and one yellow toned (bronzing), both also marketed as skin priming products.
I picked up the illuminating balm and, while its fairly pale, I find it easy to apply with liquid or powder bronzer to boost my colour when needed.
When I tested the product in-store, the make-up artist applied the balm with a brush using dabbing motions. This technique was fine, but offered results on par with many run-of-the-mill tinted moisturisers. Through trial and error I found that by warming the balm between my fingers and pressing it into the skin I achieved much better results: the product spread more easily and settled better, creating a beautiful, soft-focus finish on the skin.
My new go-to weekend face is this balm, with Chanel's bronzing makeup base underneath and a quick swipe of pink cream blush on the apples of my cheeks. I find the balm wears really well for a full day; if I become too shiny through my t-zone I just dust with a little bit of powder and the non-greasy glow is restored. During the week I buff mineral powder foundation on top for a more polished look at work - essentially using the balm as a skin primer, the way Stila intended.
This product offers very little coverage, but a creamy concealer applied on top and set with loose powder is enough to conceal most blemishes and other imperfections.
There seems to be a movement back toward matte skin at the moment, but for me nothing beats fresh, dewy skin during the warmer months and this product offers exactly that.
Would I recommend this for everyone? No. It needs to be applied the right way, and certainly wouldn't work for days when I want a full coverage, flawless finish. But for a day-to-day fresh, glowing (but not shiny) face that's low maintenance, this is my new favourite. Many other online reviews have compared this product unfavorably to Asian BB creams, but I think that's silly because it's not advertised as a BB cream, and doesn't look or apply like one - I don't think its fair to make the comparison.
Pros: A beautiful finish when applied the right way and a light 'no makeup' feel on the skin
Cons: SPF - this offers no sun protection. To be fair, even if it did contain an SPF, the amount applied to the skin wouldn't be sufficient to provide any real sun protection, but still....
Cost - this is expensive if bought in Australia. My recommendation would be to request a sample from a local stockist, and then order online if you love it.
