Stila's signature style

Rustan’s, The Beauty Source, scored another coup in its makeup empire with the addition of Stila, the professional cosmetics brand created by Hollywood makeup artist Jeanine Lobell.

For makeup junkies this is thrilling news, especially since it took such a long time for Stila to come to the Philippines. The reason for that is a lengthy story in itself, but first you should get to know the brand used on so many Hollywood sets, and favored by stars from Katherine Heigl to Hayden Panettiere.

In the mid-’90s, long before “eco-friendly” became chic and everyone jumped on the “green” bandwagon, I remember that Stila (pronounced “stee-la”) was already using recycled paper packaging printed with witty quotes for its fun and sassy products. Lobell also started the practice of naming lipsticks after her friends.

From Desiree Tordecilla, Stila’s vice president of global sales, artistry and international marketing, we learn that Lobell pioneered many other firsts. For one, she started the whole phenomenon of using one product for lips and cheeks: “Jeanine created multitasking products because she’s a working mom,” Tordecilla says. “Before she would drop off her kids to school and go to work, she would put a bit of lipstick on her cheeks and rub it in before putting lipstick on her lips.” Thus, Convertible Color was born.

In addition to using recycled packaging, Stila containers were also refillable. We first saw click pens, which are now universal among makeup lines, used to dispense Stila Lip Glazes. Even minerals, before they became the rage, were already incorporated into Stila makeup. “The Illuminating Powder Foundation has 78 percent minerals, but we didn’t market it saying that you could sleep in it.”

The top-selling eye shadow at Sephora in the US, where Stila is one of the Top 5 brands, is Kitten, a shimmery, nude-pink shade that you can also use to highlight your cheekbones or cleavage. “All our competitors have tried to copy the formula and haven’t been able to,” observes Tordecilla. “What makes me so proud about working for Stila is that Jeanine created things first and everyone else tries to copy.”

Out of all the makeup-artist brands, Stila is also most closely linked to Hollywood, and not just because Lobell is married to ER’s Anthony Edwards. As the makeup artist for stars like Michelle Pfeiffer, Cameron Diaz, Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, Salma Hayek and Kate Winslet, Lobell’s fame quickly spread through word of mouth. It didn’t hurt that celebrity makeup artists like Paul Starr also sang the praises of her professional-quality formulas, which were rich in pigment yet still light and sheer on the skin.

Though Lobell has since stepped back and powerhouse businesswoman Lynn Tilton has stepped in as owner, the innovation continues. Tordecilla shows me the latest must-have, the award-winning Smoky Eye Talking Palette that literally became the talk of the town in the US. “We saw the smoky eye becoming a huge trend last year, and the number-one question women would ask was, ‘How do I do a smoky eye?’” Stila’s solution is like bringing your own personal makeup artist home with you: press a button on the lid of the kit and, like a Chatty Cathy doll, a voice takes you through a step-by-step on how to achieve the look (there are also Talking Palettes on how to use red lipstick).

Another product I’m coveting is the Cherry Crush Lip and Cheek Stain, which is like Convertible Color but lighter in texture and comes in easy-to-swipe pen form. “This has vitamins A, C and E and is great for humid weather,” notes Tordecilla. “You know how when you eat cherries everybody’s lips turn a different red? This stains with natural pomegranate and becomes your own natural color.”

It must be noted that Tordecilla is a Filipina born in Manila and raised in Los Angeles. Hired in 1999 by Lobell and personally trained by her, she continues to preserve the original Stila vision even as she expands the brand internationally and, in turn, trains their makeup artists. “The word ‘stila,’ when Jeanine created it, came from the Italian word ‘stilare,’ which means ‘pen’ or ‘signature.’ We believe that you’re as individual as your signature. The makeup shouldn’t overpower your natural beauty. You should look like you, but improved.”

Though this is her first time back home (her family migrated in 1972), count her being Filipina as one of the reasons Stila’s finally arrived. “I’m like, how about the Philippines?” she laughs.

Originally founded in 1994, Stila has since undergone various changes in ownership. Estee Lauder, which bought the company in 1999, sold it after seven years to Sun Capital Partners, which “really mismanaged it and kept international distribution on hold” (another reason it took so long to get here). But last April, a new savior stepped in, Patriarch Partners, headed by female tycoon Lynn Tilton, who considered herself first and foremost a Stila Girl. “She’s a very, very smart woman,” Tordecilla observes. “In nine years she bought 150 companies and she’s now US$6 billion strong.”

Now that we’re finally privy to this fresh, fun, revolutionary brand, Tordecilla’s optimistic about Stila’s future at Rustan’s because she says it flourishes in just such an environment, where you can get personalized, one-on-one service and invaluable demonstrations from trained makeup artists. How else would you learn tips like plums, navies and blues look amazing on Filipina skin? “Applied the right way, as a vibrant liner, blue is great for brown eyes because it makes the whites of the eyes look whiter,” advises Tordecilla. “Less on eyes is more, especially for the Asian market.”

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Stila is available at Rustan’s Essenses.