Stila Sample Sale Report December 2015

Hello chickadees,

I was planning to go this morning but I didn't really feel like getting up so I ended up checking out the Stila/Tocca sample sale at 260 Fifth Avenue after work. The sale is running until Wednesday with hours on Tuesday and Wednesday being 10:00 am- 8:00 pm. Right off the bat, I will say that this isn't a proper sample sale report. I went to check out the sale, not to recap it and it was a shit show inside so I really wasn't in the mood to take photos or notes when girls were hanging out like it was Sephora. But I read the Racked NY report this morning and it was terribly lacking in details so I'm going to do the best I can going from memory. I only checked out the Stila side of the sale as I've come to the conclusion that I'm not really a candle or scent girl. I have a small haul so let me know in the comments if you want to see what I purchased. And with that, let's get into it!

After the coat and bag check (why, 260 Sample Sale!?! Bring a tiny clutch.) I headed right for the Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner which are normally priced at $22. Now, of course I never buy them for $22. From the Stila website you can usually get them from anywhere from 10% to around 50% off depending on what discount codes you can find throughout the year. Or you can just get them from Sephora or other larger retailers during their sales. But that still means you're paying something more than $10 per liquid liner. At this sale, most of the individual items are $5 which is an excellent deal. Unfortunately, they didn't have any of my favorite colors: intense black, midnight, indigo, or moss. They did have plenty of periwinkle, turquoise, cobalt, and teal. Thankfully, I'm not afraid of color. My advice, if you don't mind color, is to go for cobalt and teal. I've used both before and while they aren't my favorites, they are pretty pigmented (I vaguely remember having some issues with teal but I can't remember what they were) and perform similarly to the darker shades that I love. Cobalt is pretty matte though which might be a minus or a plus for you but it's something to keep in mind with a brighter shade like that. As for periwinkle and turquoise, they're not too pigmented. I skipped periwinkle because I don't see myself using it. Turquoise is a pretty minty shade but I only got one because it's so light that I would really only use it in a double wing with a darker color. They also had a limited (I'm talking a handful unless they plan on restocking) number of liners in emerald and olive. If you're OK with even odder shades, then you might want to pick up a liquid liner in amber or paradise pink. There were plenty available and along with turquoise, they're currently on sale on the Stila website for $10 so you are still saving money, but less than you'd be if you purchased one of the other shades.

If you're not a liquid liner person, you might want to try the Kajal Eye Liner $18 online and $5 at this sale. They had a large supply of Onyx (black) and a dwindling supply of Tigers Eye. I didn't notice any other shades. This is a sale where opaque packaging is not your friend. There simply isn't time to dig around with the crowd milling about.

Also in the eye section I saw Smudge Crayon Waterproof Eye Color sticks. They are normally priced at $22 but currently on sale online for $8. They're also $5 at this sale but obviously, that's not as steep of a discount as you'd be getting with some other items. I've never used these. I spotted colors like Midnight Blue and Pink Violet but I like my shadow sticks to be more like Milani's Champagne Toast so I passed.

I saw two brushes available. One was the Lash Lift Off Brush #38 which is currently $20 online. It is being sold for $5 at this sale but I couldn't find any reviews of it online. I'll be testing it and I'll let you know what I think. There was an all over Complexion Brush being sold as well but I couldn't find it on the website. It looked dense with stiff bristles like a foundation brush but in a more rounded shape.

There were many bronzers and highlighters but I'm happy with the ones I have and Stila's looked quite orange-y so I didn't pay very much attention to that section. I'll simply give you some prices from the Stila website. The Stila Sun Bronzer is currently selling for $28. The Stay All Day Bronzer $28 (on sale $10). The Stila All Over Shimmer Powder is $22.

As for lips, the Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick  is $24 online and $5 at this sale. I did not pay very much attention to what colors were available. The Nude Interlude Color Balm Lipstick is $22 online and $5 at this sale but unfortunately the only color available is Elyssa. In another life, I would have at least snapped this up to try it but it's quite brown and I don't think it would even work for me in one of my goth moods. I do like the Color Balm Lipsticks for the most part. I could do without the tingle from the mint but I like most of the shades I own and the color and formula are nice. You get the coverage of a lipstick but it doesn't wear too heavy.

There were also Stila Lip Glaze sold online for $22 and $5 at the sale but again I didn't have time to examine all the colors. There were sort of testers out but everything was in a state of chaos.

I haven't tried them but if you'd like to go for a lip product, I'd suggest picking up one of the lip and cheek stains simply because those displays were much more orderly. There were plenty of each shade and I don't seem them running out anytime soon. All the stains retail for $24 and were only $5 at this sale. They had the Acai Crush Lip & Cheek Stain, Raspberry Crush Lip & Cheek Stain, Pomegranate Crush Lip & Cheek Stain, Coconut Crush Lip & Cheek Stain, and Mango Crush Lip & Cheek Stain.

They also had Stay All Day Vinyl Lip Glosses in the lip section (retail price $24). I spotted Melon Vinyl, Hot Pink Vinyl, and a limited selection of Nude Vinyl. I think there were also some darker shades and reds but I didn't catch the names. There wasn't a red that jumped out to me except in one of the sets.

The only blushes I saw were the Custom Color Blush Pink (retail price $20) for $5. Sadly there were no convertible color cream blushes which I love or even the Custom Color Blush in Coral. I think there might have also been blushes among the sets (available for $10) but I wasn't paying much attention.

 

I think this sale is definitely worth attending for the discounts if you're a Stila fan and you know which products you like. But know that the color selection is generally limited to bolder shades. It wouldn't be the worst idea to go simply for stocking stuffers but be aware that depending on when you go you may be stuck in a line outside and then another line for the cash register so don't expect to be able to pop in and out on your lunch break.