Review -- Stila Eyes Are the Window Shadow Palette in Mind

I have an eye shadow palette addiction.

There -- I admitted it.

They, along with foundation and nude/peachy lipsticks, seem to be the makeup products that I can never resist.

So I've been interested in Stila's relatively new Eyes Are the Window Shadow Palettes for a while now... and I let myself give in.

There were a few that looked good to me, but I ultimately went with the Mind Palette, which features 12 matte eye shadows in natural shades, because I figured I would get the most use out of it.

And I think I made the right decision because the reviews that I've seen for the other Eyes Are the Window Shadow Palettes haven't been very good.

But for the most part, I think the Mind Palette is pretty nice.


It comes in a lovely gold metallic compact with a decent sized mirror on the inside that works pretty well for applying makeup, especially if you're traveling.

The 12 shadows in the palette include: brilliance, an ivory; instinct, a midtone gray; reason, a black; imagination, a pale pink; observation, a taupe; thinker, a dark plummy brown; genius, a beige; wit, a tan; creativity, a dark brown; understanding, a rosy beige; perception, a burnt orange; and intellect, a reddish brown.

Stila Eyes Are the Window Shadow Palette in Mind

Stila Eyes Are the Window Shadow Palette in Mind

From l. to r.: brilliance, instinct, reason

From l. to r.: imagination, observation, thinker

From l. to r.: genius, wit, creativity

From l. to r.: understanding, perception, intellect

The shadows are all nicely pigmented, but this is isn't the nicest matte formula I've come across -- they're just a tad on the dry side for me to get too excited about them.

That said, they do apply and blend pretty easily on the eye. While I've done whole looks with this palette, I do see more as a supplemental palette because it offers so many natural matte shades that would work well with bright or shimmery shades.

My personal favorite shade in the palette is perception -- orange-y and rust tones help bring out my blue eyes, but I also just love these kinds of colors for fall. I especially like to use it on a fluffy crease brush and dust it along the edge of my main crease color to warm up an eye look.

I don't think anyone would be disappointed with this palette, but it's not exactly the most exciting option out that there and it's not the best performing option either.

And for $49, I think it's only natural to expect a little something more.

So while I like the Mind Palette and will likely get plenty of use out of it, I'd probably recommend passing it on. If you want a matte palette with lots of natural options, I'd suggest The Balm's Meet Matt(e) Nude ($42) or Sonia Kashuk's Eye Couture Eye on Neutral 02 Palette ($19.99), which are both cheaper and offer nicer matte formulas.

(If you're interested in  Meet Matt(e) Nude Palette, you might want to wait for the next The Balm event at HauteLook. You can usually score it at half off if it's available.)

Have you tried any of Stila's Eyes Are the Window Shadow Palettes? Which one is your favorite?