Review: Milani Bronzer XL in 03 Radiant Tan (NEW SHADE)

Press Sample 

Well I tried my hardest to get through all of the new-for-2013 products from Milani and Jordana that I wanted to review for you this week, but I didn't quite make it! I still have some eyeliners, mascara and a few other goodies coming your way soon, but this post officially marks the end of Milani & Jordana Week here on the blog! So let's take a look at this new shade in the Bronzer XL range:

Milani Bronzer XL in 03 Radiant Tan (NEW SHADE)

(retail: $9.99, 0.42 oz)

Made in Italy, assembled in the USA

This is one large bronzer! For perspective, the Jordana blushes I reviewed the other day are 0.08 oz and those are a good, standard size for blushes. This bronzer is 0.42 oz...huge!

As you can see, one side is matte and the other contains golden sparkle. If you look closely though, you can see that some of the sparkle does migrate over to the matte side (kind of unavoidable once your start swiping a brush on the surface--sparkle is bound to kick up and move around).

Looking above, you can see that, aside from the sparkle, both of these shades are matte. There is no shimmer to either shade. As for color, the matte side is slightly darker, but they're definitely in the same (warm) color family.

Left: no bronzer
Right: one application of the matte shade topped with one application of the sparkly shade

For the "before" photo above, the only thing I'm wearing is a powder foundation. For the "after" photo, I first applied the matte shade in a reverse "C" starting above my eyebrow and working down and across my cheekbone. Then I did the same thing with the sparkly shade.

If you can't see the sparkle in the above photo, don't worry--I can't either.

Here's a larger version of the same photo:

See glitter (circled)

As you can see, there are just a few glitter particles on my face. Essentially, the more I blended this powder, the more the glitter seemed to "float" off my face. For me, this is certainly not a bad thing (I loooove my matte bronzers!).

Texture and consistency: This bronzer is very finely milled and feels smooth and silky to the touch. Sound familiar? That's exactly how I described the Jordana Powder Blushes! So yes, the texture of this bronzer is very much like the Jordana blushes. I have been using a stippliing brush with this bronzer and there is some fallout in the pan when I swirl my brush, but nothing too dramatic. The only issue I have with this bronzer, in terms of the formula, is the sparkle--it does fly around a bit and might be a challenge if you're looking for bronzer that deposits some serious sparkle onto your skin. For me, most of the glitter dissipates as I blend this product onto my skin.

Blendability: This bronzer is very easy to blend. I had absolutely no issues with patchiness or streaks during application.

Pigmenation: I can't speak for the other shades in this range but this shade, 03 Radiant Tan, is wonderfully pigmented yet doesn't turn me into an Oompa-Loompa. On my NC20 skintone, this shades gives me a very nice amount of natural-looking warmth without looking over-the-top.

Staying Power: It's been HOT here in San Diego lately, and I can still manage to get about five to six hours of wear despite the oil slick that is my face. I image that, in cooler months, I could probably go seven or even eight hours before noticing any serious fading. And for the record, lots of bronzers don't seems to last much longer than four or five hours on me, so I'd this one's very good when it comes to staying power.

Fragrance: The label says that this is a "lightly fragranced powder", but I honestly don't detect anything aside from a very slight talc scent when I hold this compact up to my nose. I definitely don't detect a fragrance during application.

FINAL VERDICT: If your skintone is in the same general ballpark as mine, I think you might be very pleased with this bronzer. It gives my skin some very nice warmth without turning me orange, and I love that it's essentially a matte bronzer, leaving just a few sparkles on my face after application. The texture is smooth and silky, it blends very easily and is nicely pigmented. I have been reaching for this one for two weeks straight, every day, and I'd say it's heading into "holy grail" territory for me. If you don't think this shade will work for you, I would definitely suggest looking into the other two shades in this range. I'm very impressed with this one.

You can purchase Milani Bronzer XL at CVS, Walgreens, Target and wherever else Milani is sold in your area. You can also purchase this product via the Milani website.

Do you own any of the Milani Bronzer XLs? If so, I'd love to hear how they're working for you!

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. For more information, click here.