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Monday, March 26, 2012

Review: Milani Illuminating Face Powders

I've been using these new Illuminating Face Powders from Milani for several weeks now because I really wanted to make sure I knew exactly what I thought of each individual shade before I shared my thoughts with you. I'm finally ready to give you my review, so let's get to it!

Milani Illuminating Face Powders 
(retail: $9.49, 0.35 oz)

There are three shades in this range and I'll be showing all three to you today. You can purchase these on the Milani website, and I've also seen them at Walgreens (hopefully they'll be at CVS and Target soon as well).




I like that Milani tells you exactly what type of brush you should use with these, and I have to agree with their suggestion 100%. I've tried applying these powders with a traditional blush brush, but I find that a kabuki works best for picking up color and blending. I've also used the EcoTools Blending Brush (stippling brush) from the Alicia Silverstone collection and that's nice too, but it doesn't seem to pick up as much product as I prefer (more on that in a bit).





Hermosa Rose provides the most bronzer-like color to the skin, so I would suggest it if you're looking for a very, very subtle bronzer. At certain angles, the color of Hermosa Rose looks like bronze, while at other angles it has a warm taupey-brown feel to it. There is also a tiny bit of gold that appears in certain lights. It's a lovely shade that I think would work nicely for a variety of skintones. When I'm in a hurry and just want a bit of warmth to my skin without having to think too hard about it, I find myself reaching for Hermosa Rose.




 


Amber Nectar is the one that all you peach-lovers will probably gravitate toward. The peachy sheen that this leaves on the skin is lovely and it really "warms things up". I find that this one doubles nicely as a soft, subtle blush on the apples of the cheeks, however I prefer to wear it as a highlighter on days when I'm wearing warm-toned shadows and lip color. A few swipes on the tops of the cheekbones and above the eyebrows really makes my skin seem to come alive. I also like to layer this on top of my matte peach and coral blushes for an extra bit of dimension.






Beauty's Touch is for the pink-lovers out there. In certain lights, I find this one to be a bit too cool for my particular skintone, but if I were wearing cooler shades of eyeshadow and lipstick, I would definitely reach for this to tie the look together. This powder gives a pretty pink sheen to the skin, and it doubles as a really beautiful, subtle blush.




Texture, pigmentation and blendability: These powders are very finely milled. They're soft and silky and blend beautifully. Since they are illuminating powders, don't expect crazy pigmentation because they're not designed for that. Instead, they provide a soft, illuminating, transparent sheen to the skin (there is NO chunky sparkle in any of the three shades). The colors are soft but they are buildable, and Beauty's Touch especially can be built up for a nice blush color.

Staying power: On my oily skin, I can get about 4-6 hours of wear from these before they seem to disappear. With primer applied beforehand, I can get about 8 hours of wear before I feel the need to reapply.

Fragrance: this was quite unexpected, but these seem to have a faint cinnamon scent to them! It's not exactly like if you were to open up a bottle of ground cinnamon and take a whiff, but I do smell something very cinnamon-like to them, which kind of makes them feel warm and cozy. Once applied, I do not smell these powders at all; it's just when I stick my nose up to the compact and take a whiff.

Brush suggestions: Like I mentioned earlier in this post, Milani suggests that you use a kabuki brush for application. I agree with this, as I've gotten the best results with my kabuki. I didn't like using a traditional blush brush because I felt like I was delivering the color/sheen to a more targeted area of my face, as opposed to the all-over delivery that a kabuki brush provides. I also like using my EcoTools Blending Brush (the stippling brush in the Alicia Silverstone collection) but since that brush is designed for delicate application, I find that it doesn't deliver quite as much of the sheen and color as I'd like like. Remember, these are soft, subtle powders, so using a brush that delivers a soft, subtle look might leave you with barely any product on your skin at all. This could be a great thing if you're very fair or pale though, so it's something to keep in mind if you want to apply the softest, most subtle amount of product possible.

FINAL THOUGHTS: If you're looking for a drugstore product that can "perk up" your skin without adding sparkle, glitter or frost, I think the Milani Illuminating Face Powders would be a very nice choice.  Basically, you can't overdo it with these powders. A few strokes quickly applied to the cheekbone region and above the eyebrows can work wonders, so I love that you really don't have to think too hard about using these. I also love that on the days when I find myself needing more color, I can build, and build, and build to my heart's delight. In other words, these are so subtle that it would take a lot of building before I looked like a shimmery clown.  I find each shade to be beautiful, so I honestly couldn't recommend just one. I think that it really depends on what your skintone is like, and what types of shades you usually wear on your eyes and lips. If you're a pink lover, go for Beauty's Touch. If you normally gravitate toward more bronzy-brown shades, Hermosa Rose is the one for you. If you're a peach or coral addict, give Amber Nectar a whirl.

Do you already own any Milani Illuminating Face Powders? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.
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23 comments

  1. How would you compare this to Reserve your cabana? Never really tried a highlighter before.

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    1. I would say that Reserve Your Cabana is a tiny bit chalkier (due to the SPF) and doesn't have as much visible color as these three illuminators have (more of just a soft sheen). Hope that helps!

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    2. I live in NY and our CVSs carry Milani!

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    3. I live in NY and our CVS carry Milani!!!

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  2. I picked up Hermosa Rose at my local CVS a while back and I fully intend to get the other two shades. I like these powders, I am just having trouble finding the other two colours I want. Broads in my area get there first and snap them all up. :P

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  3. Could we see how these actually look on your face?

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    1. Oh believe me, I TRIED! In fact, I probably took 50 pics of me wearing these shades, but my camera is not the greatest and it could NOT pick up the sheen that I can see with my naked eye. The sheen you get from these is subtle but you can see it at certain angles, and for some reason I just couldn't get the lighting and angles right to be able to represent that in photographs. I'm happy I was able to capture them on my hand though--at least it's something! :)

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  4. I'm really glad you reviewed these because I saw these at CVS this weekend and got really excited. I think I would purchase Beauty's Touch to use as a blush and I don't normally use a highlighter.

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  5. I just got Amber Nectar recently and so far I really like it. I'm pretty reserved about putting any kind of blush or bronzer but this one is subtle but adds a nice touch of warmth. I've been playing around with it as a highlighter as well.

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  6. These are beautiful...both in the compact and on your skin. I'll have to look for them, thanks for the review G!

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  7. Contact your local Sears store to see if they carry Milani. I'm in NY, and most I've been have Milani.

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  8. thank you for this review! Emily Noel aka beauty broadcast on youtube gave these a bad review and i was disappointed because the product doesn't claim to be super pigmented. these are beautiful!

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    1. She basically bashed everything in this collection[ except maybe 2 or 3 products] . I totally disagreed with her. She disliked the Haute Flash lipglosses too...I think they're amazing. Thanks G for a thorough & accurate review. xo

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  9. I have amber nectar, and have very fair warm toned skin. I'm a W2 in True Match (which I don't use anymore, lol, but most people are familiar with the product). I love this product in the compact, it is so pretty to look at... but I find it really frustrating to use. Not light enough for a highlight, not bright enough for a blush, not dark enough for a bronzer, too shimmery for an all over face powder. It just doesn't seem to do anything well. I have gotten a bit of use out of it as a blush/highlight combo on bare skin on a day when I really do not have time for makeup... really piling it on, seriously it takes about six times the amount of blush I would usually use... but that situation doesn't happen often and it fades within a few hours. I could forgive it a bit if it were cheap.. but for a drugstore product they are quite pricey, so I expect it to perform at least reasonably well. I really wanted to like this, and keep trying different ways of using it, but I've almost given up. Maybe just leave it on top of my makeup cabinet to look gorgeous lol.

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    1. I appreciate you writing in to give your honest opinion. :)

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  10. These look very pretty in the compact. Thanks for the review :]

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  11. G, does a lot of product kick up in the pan when you use your brush?
    Thanks for the review; I'm going to keep an eye out for Amber Nectar. :)

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    1. So glad you asked this because I completely forgot to mention that there's virtually NO fallout in the pan. It's kind of incredible! And none on my face either. :)

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    2. :) Thanks for your response. Fantastic turn-around time!

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  12. Oh my gosh, Beauty's Touch! So gorgeous. I am in love.

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  13. I can't believe it, I found both Amber Nectar & Hermosa Rose at CVS in a clearance bin for $2.37 each! I am thinking that it may have just been mistake, but a super deal for me!

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  14. G. Thanks for the review. You had me at "this was quite unexpected, but these seem to have a faint cinnamon scent to them!" With that being said as pretty as they are... I will be passing bc SCENT is important to me (not a BIG FAN AT ALL) and I couldn't tolerate that smell on my face! Thanks again for the swatches and review! -Leslie

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  15. I've been browsing the net looking for reviews for this product and yours is by far the best out of all of them! Thank you! :)

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