[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] I don’t think I’d ever envy the task of formulating budge proof eye shadow sticks. Too budge proof and they’re dry, shrinkable and hard to remove, not budge proof enough and they can make their own way off way before you want them to. The juggle must be real!

So, bravo Ilia for taking on this tricky task and delivering twenty shades of waterproof, crease-resistant and sweatproof shadows that promise up to 12 hours of wear. Take note of ‘up to’ because that is a very loose description and it doesn’t tell us whether that’s after (up to) 12 hours there will still be something of the shadow or after 12 hours the whole lot will still be there. Luckily, I’ve tested, so I can tell you!

Let’s look at the shades I was sent first. From bottom to top: Patina, Flax, Jubilee, Nymph, Regal and Beam. I can say by far and away, Beam is my favourite shade of all – it wakens up the eyes better than an ice mask and gives you a brightness that’s just beautiful. Ilia hasn’t played safe on the colour options – take a look at Vignette, a sea foam green and Filigree, a matte, minty green for stunning summer eyes.

I’m wearing olive shade, Patina, and Beam, which speaks for itself colour-wise. I wore these all day yesterday and while Patina did show some wear after after a couple of hours, Beam just seemed to go on and on. Possibly because Patina has more depth to the shade so was more obvious in the fade, but my lid using Beam looked as shimmery and awake at the end of the day as it did at the beginning. I would suggest that a belt and braces approach is necessary – use an eye primer such as Hourglass Veil HERE or Urban Decay Potion Primer HERE which will give the formula some hold. Eyelids are oily little suckers – everyone is different although I find it hard to believe that I have one eyelid more oily than the other! If you know you have oily lids, definitely use a primer, but if you don’t, the lighter shades will appear to stay much longer than the deeper colours. You will need to allow a bit of setting time before applying any other make up. I love the ease and simplicity of the Ilia Eye Stylus Shadow Sticks and I love the colour options too which have taken every single skin tone into account. My top recommend is Beam, with or without primer, just for a fresh and bright eye look that’s going to flatter everyone. The Stylus selection is HERE and they’re £32 each.