Stila Black Diamond Mascara in Black Shimmer Swatches & Review
If you get the above mentioned reference then congrats, you too are an old-school KISS fan. 
Can’t help it, every time I read the name of this mascara I think of that song.
Stila Black Diamond Mascara in Black Shimmer is a black mascara (was that redundant enough for you?) that is “blended with shimmer and infused with genuine black diamond powder”. It’s supposed to help lengthen and adhere to lashes due to the jelly and filmogen complex in it. It’s also free of parabens. There is a blue version of this mascara as well called Blue Shimmer.
When I got this I was pretty excited to test it out, hoping it was an amazing black yet silvery mascara. I wound up being a little disappointed though, unfortunately.
The tube is nice and big. It’s 0.35 oz, and has a nice design on it. Appealing so far.
The wand is nice sized, but not too large. I don’t like wands that are either too huge and thick or too tiny or thin, so this works well I think. I also like the fact that it’s not a curved wand, those are not my favorites.
Here you can see what the actual mascara looks like. It’s not really black is it? It’s more silver/grey than black, which bummed me out. I expected a deep black with silvery shimmer in it, but it wound up almost looking like a metallic silver mascara.
On my eye it does lengthen pretty nicely. But it just wasn’t dark enough for me. I don’t have blond or very pale lashes, but I do need black or very dark mascara on in order to feel like I am wearing any. You can definitely see the silvery shimmer on, which is good.
It just didn’t darken or thicken enough for me. I could see using it over another black mascara, but then again, I am really lazy and have little patience for layering, so I probably wouldn’t do that myself.
It was on the clumpy side for sure, so you might need to use a spoolie brush to get rid of any clumps.
Overall:
I don’t think Black Shimmer lived up to it’s name. It’s not really “black” but you can definitely see the diamond dust. It’s kind of a personal preference here I suppose; some people might like it just for it’s silvery look.
Have you tried this mascara yet? What was your experience?
-VV
Welcome! My name is Kelly and Vampy Varnish is a cruelty-free beauty blog.
Darn! I have tons of mascaras and I want something different once in awhile. This misses completely. Can you believe the big tour Kiss is going to be on? I don’t know when it starts or if it has. Will you be going in it’s in your area?
Hi Lucy,
I don’t think I would go see them now. I do love old KISS from the 70′s and did actually see them in 1985 (my 3rd concert)
You have to wear it with China Glaze Black Diamond polish for full KISS effect!
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Hi Scrangie,
Oooh good point, lol!
This looks like a pass, but I think I will try the CoverGirl one you reviewed in the July favorites video.
Hi SB_Sweetie,
The CG ones rock. Actually I am going to review 4 of them soon
I’m glad you reviewed this. I have a Collection 2000 one like this that I picked up while in the UK, and is not noticeably shimmery on the lashes, so this would be a better (albeit more expensive) alternative. Bummer it’s not everything it was hyped up to be, though.
Hi Carrie,
Glad you were able to check this review out then. Yeah I was really hoping for more with this one. Oh well, guess they can’t all be fantastic!
I’m like you. I like dark mascara! OT: What was the lip color you were wearing in your UD Naked paletter review pic?? Also what other lip colors are you liking with this paletter. I’m fair like you, but on the cooler side.
Hi Sky,
I am wearing Lorac Couture Shine in Glam there. I like anything coral or nude with it like Benefit Spiked Punch or MAC C-Thru Lip Glass or a nude lipstick like MAC Creme De Nude
I have yet to find a colored mascara that shows on me…other than white.
( I usually just layer a glitter mascara over black.
EvilAngel´s last post…OPI Swiss Collection Comparisons part 2
Hi EvilAngel,
Really? You have more patience than I then haha!
What a bummer! I like using colored mascaras but since I have dark lashes I have a hard time finding the colors that show up and don’t flake. I got some colored mascaras from Boots while in London but have yet to try them out.
marisol´s last post…Oh London you rocked!
The color is kind of disappointing.
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