Stila In The Garden Eye Shadow Palette Review & Swatches

Stila has a couple of new eyeshadow palettes out for Spring 2012, one of them being the In The Garden palette. I own the In The Moment palette (another one out for this spring, only a mix of purples and browns) and LOVED it, so I bit the bullet and ordered In The Garden. There are two rows of shadows, with five in each row. The top row of shades are: 

Chinois - matte creamy white
Breeze - shimmery beige
Bark - shimmery taupe 
Freesia - shimmery violet blue
Rosette - metallic pink violet

The bottom row's shades are:

Nectar - matte creamy beige
Honey - metallic bronze gold
Sage - shimmery translucent green
Moss - deep olive green with shimmer 
Juniper - deep shimmery forest green

Also included is a Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Starfish, a black with green and gold pearl, and a small how-to booklet with different looks you can create. Onto swatches (click to enlarge)!:

In The Garden eyeshadow swatches, top row

In The Garden eyeshadow swatches, bottom row

Starfish Smudge Stick. Um... where's the black??

The shadows in this set are wonderful. Stila did not skimp on the quality. They're pigmented, smooth, and blend beautifully. My only complaint is that the Starfish Smudge Stick isn't a black eyeliner at all... it's pretty much just an olive green with gold glitter. And the pigmentation isn't all that; I had to go over it a few times to get the desired depth of color. Bah... I'm lazy and want instant gratification! Personally, I prefer my Clinique Egyptian Cream Shaper For Eyes - it's superior to Starfish in every way. Other than that, this palette is a ridiculous bargain; a $118 value for only $39. While I prefer the In the Moment palette (since it does so much more for my eye color), this is truly a must have for brown-eyed girls.