Stila HD Beauty Balm Review

Stila HD Beauty Balm swatch

Stila HD Beauty Balm (left - without moisturiser, right - mixed with moisturiser)

Stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD beauty balm is only the second BB cream i myself have ever used. Normally, me being the product junkie that i am, before purchasing or trying out any new product, i tend to read reviews and research into it. However, with this one it was bought on a whim which is very unlike me. I knew vaugely of the Stila beauty balm and when i saw it i decided to buy it, seeing as i was eager to try more BB creams after trying the Garnier version.

Personally, i love the idea of BB creams. I like the idea that you can combine skin care with daily make-up. I think that it's important to look after your skin and i also love make-up, so BB creams make it very convenient to take care of my skin throughout the day. I also like my make-up to be minimalistic and i prefer to wear as little as possible. I think that this BB cream helps me to achieve this and leaves a barley there look.

At first impression i thought this cream was a little too dark for my very pale skin, however it was lighter than the Garnier one and i could manage to get away with it if i didn't wear powder on top, which is not really a problem as i find that this BB cream gives a really nice glowy finish and does not appear shiny. As i usually do with most foundations etc, i mixed this with a moisturiser and this made the colour paler and the consistency thinner.

I tend to have a habit of mixing my cream bases with moisturiser for a number of reasons. To begin with, i like to wear an SPF every day on my skin, and this product unfortunately does not contain one which i was a little disappointed with at first but once mixed with a moisturiser containing SPF, this problem was solved. Also, my skin is quite dry, so it is important for me to wear a face make up that moisturises and so adding a moisturiser to my face products insures this.The moisturiser i tend to use for this is Boots Simply Sensitive Day Moisturiser with SPF 15.

These are the benefits stated on the back of the box:-

• Luxurious beauty balm glides onto skin and leaves a silky, powdery finish
• High-definition formula helps reduce pore size and provides oil and blemish control
• Contains innovative micro spheres, which have been shown to hide skin imperfections and reduce wrinkle depth by up to 84%
• Features an exclusive complex, which helps reduce redness and skin irritation
• Enriched with Tripeptide-37, bamboo and pea extracts, which help diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Infused with natural, skin-protecting emollients which have been shown to increase anti-oxidant activity by up to 89.7%
• Uses the smallest particle size of coated pigments for seamless, smooth coverage
• Ideal for all skin types and skin tones
• Oil-free, paraben-free and dermatologist tested

All in all i do have to say that i was impressed with this product. I now wear it as my daily base and i feel that it does last all day on the skin.