Stila Cosmetics looks for something new under sun.

WOWED by its celebrity make-up artist under, sleek packaging and quirky mage, Estee Lauder Cos. Inc. squeezed out other bidders to snatch up Los Angeles company Stila Cosmetics Inc. for around $25 million in 1999.

But Stila's revenues have been relatively static since making an estimated $26 million the year of its acquisition, and Lauder's patience with the brand ran out. The company announced last week it sold Stila to an affiliate of Boca Raton, Fla.-based Sun Capital Partners Inc.

Jane McKellar, former managing director of Elizabeth Arden Inc. in Australia, is taking over Stila's management. Kim Waite, a spokeswoman for Stila, said McKellar is moving to L.A. for the job: her cats arrived on Wednesday. Other than that, she said staff changes aren't expected at the local headquarters.

"Jane McKellar and her colleagues are talented, experienced executives who are passionate about cosmetics and the Stila brand," William Lander, president and chief executive of Estee Lauder, said in a statement. "We believe this bodes well for the brand's future. At the same time, we are pleased that our company has taken this important step in our drive to optimize our portfolio of brands."

Lauder is holding onto MAC and Bobbi Brown, two brands started by make-up artists that it purchased in the 1990s, a decade that saw the company expand aggressively. Now, Lauder is pulling back from upstarts, and William Lauder has emphasized that he'd rather not coddle brands making less than $100 million.

Jeanine Lobell, whose client list includes Natalie Portman and Diane Lane, founded Stila here as a specialty brand in 1994. Under the new ownership, Waite said Stila will return to its roots and move away from a wider distribution in department stores.