Stila Convertible Colour Review

Makeup artist Janine Lobell founded her beauty brand Stila in 1994, and by 2000 she had released Convertible Colour, her latest in a string of must-have products (Kitten, anyone?). What made this one so groundbreaking was that, as the name suggests, it was sold as pigment that could be used anywhere on the face, rather than as a traditional solo-category product like blush or lipstick. Encouraging freedom, ease and a sense of play, it was an immediate hit.

In the decades since, as both the technology of makeup and the skill of its average user has grown leaps and bounds, Convertible Colour still stands the test of time. Why so? For its unmatched staying power. Yes, absolutely glorious blushes are made now at every price point which all glide on like a dream and give the most beautiful flush, but unless you go in with a separate powder product on top, your skin is flat and lifeless again within the hour, as though the cream blush had never even been applied. Not so with Convertible Colour. While ‘sticky’ is very rarely an adjective used as a compliment in beauty, its slightly tacky texture means it doesn’t disappear. It may not be as elegant in application as those that glide on effortlessly, but that trade off is absolutely worth it to know the glorious colour you chose in the morning will still be on your face at the end of the day.

I know this is not the most attractive product picture, but I wanted to demonstrate its stickiness by showing how makeup brush hairs end up embedded in it!

It comes in six shades, most of which lean an understated brown/rose/neutral, but for me there is simply no other choice than Gerbera, a true 1960s apricot. While I would normally favour a coral like Petunia (which has far more pink in it), Gerbera works well on rosacea-prone skin like mine when you want to avoid any references to redness, as well as on deeper tones.

Product sample/purchase info:

Stila Convertible Colour in Gerbera purchased at Mecca (link here)