Stila In the Moment Eyeshadow Palette Review & Swatches

For me, it’s already hard to resist neutral palettes and now with gorgeous purples thrown in? From a reputable makeup brand and at half price, too (when I bought it)?! Here, here, just take my money! ^_^”

My first Stila eyeshadow palette — In the Light (review) — was a major success so I made it my mission to collect all the “In the …” palettes from the brand. And guess what, during the last Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty Steals, these palettes were all half-priced! So without any hesitation, I picked up 2 more palettes in In the Moment and In the Know. I am going to review the In the Moment today.

The pale lavender palette is made of lightweight cardboard material and has a soft magnetic closure. It is sturdy enough for the purpose but I suspect it will show some wear over time. The front of the lid has all these purple little hearts flanking the brand’s logo that I think is kind of cute. What is not so cute, however, is the lack of a mirror inside the palette. The space is occupied by a quote that says “Cherish the beauty of the moment. – Sarah Lucero” instead. So remember to bring a separate mirror along if you plan to take this palette on the go!

In the Moment features 10 eyeshadows and a Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner. The set also comes with a look book booklet with 6 different looks to get you started.

Overall impression

EYESHADOWS

The eyeshadows are placed into 2 rows with 5 colors on each row. The top row is purple-toned and the bottom row is brown (neutral)-toned. Shades are arranged from light (left) to dark (right) and has 4 different textures — matte, metallic, shimmery, and glittery.

The neutral group is a better performer —  more pigmented, blendable, and buildable, and not to mention more wearable, too. The purple group is quite the opposite, at least for the last 3 shades to the right. They are sheer, thin, and has a tendency to look patchy and muddy if not applied properly. They don’t seem to adhere well to the skin, either, and therefore does not last very long on the lids especially when worn solo without an eye primer. I find using a cream shadow base helps extend the wear time and bring out the vibrancy of the shadows much better than a regular eye primer.

Some of the shades can kick up quite a bit of powder but surprisingly I did not notice any serious fallout issue with them at all.

EYE LINER

The palette includes a Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Tetra which is a gorgeous purple-plum with bright purple glitter infused throughout. It comes in a convenient twist-up pencil but be warned: it is non-retractable! Only twist up enough to line your eyes or you’ll risk drying out the tip because you can’t twist it back down.

The quality of the eyeliner is average at best. While it is a pretty shade that will complement a natural-eyed look beautifully, I can’t help but wish it would be just slightly bit more creamy and pigmented. Unlike Damsel included in the In the Light palette, Tetra goes on quite sheer, feels dry and tugs. I find myself going back and forth on my line multiple times to darken the color enough to show up on me. The good thing about it is the crazy awesome staying power! It truly sets to a budge-proof and waterproof finish!

Swatches of all colors

Top row eyeshadows

• Instinct – white beige with pink and white shimmer; shimmery finish
  The color payoff of this shade is like WOW! I’d categorize it as a near-metallic finish! Texture is smooth and very creamy. One pass is enough to create a strong light-reflecting gorgeous sheen on the lid!
• Impulse – pale lavender with lavender shimmer; shimmery finish
  Such a pretty, pretty shade in the pan and on arm swatches but it is tricky to get the color to show up on my skin. I have to really pack it on for the “lavendar” tinge to be apparent in my eye look. The color sheers out a lot, too, so try not to over blend. It also feels slightly dry and not as creamy as Instinct.
• Glance – intense violet with shimmer; shimmery finish
  What a gorgeous bright purple shade right?! It is supposed to be the star of the palette with its unique duochrome texture and all but sadly, Glance is quite a letdown. Texture is thin, sheer, and dilutes too quickly even with the gentlest blending. Another shade that you really have to pack it on and try not to over blend!
• Improvise – deep plum with pink sparkle; glittery finish
  I have a difficult time trying to get this color to show up the same color I see in the pan. It’s a beautiful deep plum but on my eyes, the color turns sort of muddy-looking. Being patchy doesn’t help, either. It takes quite a bit of patience to smooth out the shade and prevent it from looking unevenly.
• Catalyst – black with pink sparkle; glittery texture but matte finish
  It is always nice to have a black shade included in the palette. Catalyst is soft, creamy, and pigmented but it has a tendency to fade into a dull and pale gray as soon as you start blending. The pink sparkle doesn’t show up at all. It’s pretty much matte on the skin.

Bottom row eyeshadows

• Desire – soft, creamy mid-tone pink; matte finish
  This color looks like a nice vanilla beige in the pan but it actually has a hint of pale pink to it when swatched. It is very close to the color of my skin and therefore is a great base and blending color for me. It is a good and smooth matte. Slightly dry perhaps but at least it is not chalky or powdery.
• Wonder – mid-tone flesh pink with shimmer; shimmery finish
  I ♥ this shade! It looks great as a wash color as well as transition/crease color! Texture is soft, smooth, blendable, and buildable. The shimmery effect is delicate and feminine without looking too over the top. Instant love!
• Spontaneous – beige-gold with shimmer; metallic finish
  This shade has the best texture! It is incredibly (I mean ridiculously) creamy and smooth! The powder is very soft and can crumble easily, though, so use it with great care! The high metallic sheen of this shade is very addictive, too. It is such a wearable color and will complement any makeup look you create with this palette.
• Whim – red-brown with shimmer; shimmery finish
  This shade doesn’t do much for me. It’s a basic coppery brown which honestly I don’t seem to use too much in my eye looks. It has a nice texture, though; soft, smooth, and blendability is great.
• Captivate – mid-tone purple-brown with golden pearl; shimmery finish
  I like this type of brown where there is a hint of deep purple in it. Unlike Catalyst, the sparkly particles in this shade actually do show up on the skin. The color, while super pigmented, tends to fade too easily, though. Again, blend just enough to get a good smokey effect and try not to overdo it! :)

The eye look

I first applied Desire as an all-over base up to the brow bone then I used Impulse in the inner third and blended out into Glance. Next, I smoked Improvise in the outer third and deepened the corner with Catalyst. I then brightened the inner corner with Instinct before smudging Captivate along the lower lash line. Lastly, I lined my upper lash line with the Tetra liner to finish the look.

I hope you like my sweet and romantic look here! ^_^”

So overall, In the Moment is a nice palette to have if you like soft purple and brown theme. It is certainly a great value set but considering the average quality of some of the shadows and the eye liner, I would be a little hesitant to pay full price for it. I’m glad I scored it with a half-off offer. Speaking of which, I saw this palette sold at half-price during the Sephora VIB sale. An with 20% off, it would come down to only $16! What a great, great deal and I congratulate you if you managed to get your hands on one! The palette is now out of stock on Sephora but hear this: Ulta is having this palette right now on sale for 50% off again! So if you’ve been curious to try it, now is the time! :)

Have you tried Stila eyeshadows before? What do you think of their quality in general? Are you a fan of the Kitten shade?

Purchase