little white truths

As you may know, lighter bases are my Achilles heel when it comes to makeup products. Honestly, despite how many BB/CC creams and tinted moisturisers I have in stock, I can't help but buy more. Indeed, I had to put myself on a spending ban and then a low-buy so I wouldn't buy more!

Thankfully I have a more manageable amount at the moment, although I still have too many. This Stila CC Cream is one that I saw on special a while back, but I only opened it a couple of months ago after finishing off some other base products (so I do have some restraint. Sort of).


While it's not on my Project Pan list, I may well make the decision to move it there because I recently learned that 'SPF 20' by American standards is in fact SPF 15 by Australian standards, meaning this is a better base for the cooler months because I prefer something with more sun protection in summer.

Also, it's quite a greasy product and it does need a powder or mattifying primer, and since I'm trying to finish off a mattifying primer as part of Project Pan, it's a good time to move this cream into circulation.


Stila claims/product details:

• A breakthrough skincare-meets-cosmetics hybrid offering the ultimate in colour correction
• Creates a smooth, flawless, natural looking complexion
• Bursting with revitalising skincare benefits and broad spectrum SPF protection
• A green-based formula that colour corrects upon application to reduce the appearance of hyper-pigmentation and brighten skin while helping to soften fine lines and wrinkles
• Micro-encapsulated pigments adapt to skintone creating flawless, invisible coverage
• Hydra-extend technology, comprised of sugar molecules, provides up to 72 hours of continuous hydration
• Photonic crystal technology contains a colour corrector and an optically transparent polymer that helps soften the appearance of wrinkles and other skin imperfections for a natural, youthful looking appearance
• Exclusive, photo-protective chroma-luminescent technology helps brighten the skin while shielding it from damaging environmental elements
• Sheer to medium, buildable coverage with a matte to satin finish
• Helps improve and smooth out hyper-pigmentation and discolouration over time
• Stabilised vitamin C helps brighten the skin and provide powerful antioxidant benefits
• Paraben free
• Available in multiple shades
• RRP $65 AUD for 40ml, but do shop around

Above is what it looks like when you squeeze it out of the tube, and below you can see it starting to adapt when you rub it in.


There's what it looks like once it adapts:


And again for good measure (you can see in this shot especially that it's quite yellow-toned):


There's my bare face for reference:


There's me wearing one layer of product (it doesn't look too yellow here thankfully):


 Here I've applied another layer, so you can see that it's buildable but still looks pretty natural:


And I even went for a third layer here (albeit applied later in the day to keep up the sun protection), so you can see that it does build well, although yes, it looks greasy (and yes, I'm wearing blush here too):


Verdict

This is a good product. Is it worth the $65 price tag? No.

Plenty of other options exist on the market and I'm surprised by how expensive this is because Stila usually isn't too badly priced.

I think this colour-adapts quite well, although I would steer clear of this shade if anything too yellow-toned isn't going to work for you. This colour just works for me, but I would definitely stop at a second layer - and even then it's a better colour for me in summer.

What I love about this product is that it's super sheer and it really is one of those rare 'my skin but better' products that's not detectable on the face. However as soon as you apply more than just a fine layer, it does start to look greasy (I guess that's the sunscreen) and my skin is dry, so it'd probably be worse if you're an oily-skinned lass.

The greasiness issue is of course easily fixed if you chuck a finishing powder over the top or if you put a mattifying primer underneath, so it's no big deal in my books (and I prefer products to be more dewy than matte anyway, particularly because it's easy enough to manage too much dew with powder, but too much matte is harder to counteract).

Because this product is so sheer, you can happily apply enough of it to get the benefit of the sun protection it contains, and you can also reapply it through the day to keep the protection factor up while still looking reasonably natural.

I also love that it goes on smoothly, blends well and counteracts redness more than you might think, given how sheer it is. If you need spot coverage, you'll still need to use concealer, so if you want more coverage then this product probably isn't for you.

I won't talk about the ridiculously long-winded and fanciful product claims (far too many big/technolologogical words in there for someone with baby brain), but I will say that this product delivers everything I want in a CC cream: it looks natural, evens out skintone, is moisturising/hydrating, gives a dewy finish and lets your skin shine through while looking the best version of itself.
The main downfalls of this product are the lasting power - it isn't great and I for one need a second application after lunch - and the price tag. If it weren't so expensive I would consider buying it again, but I certainly wouldn't pay full price for it and I'm glad I didn't for this tube.