Milani Baked Powder Blush - Luminoso

Hello everyone

Welcome back to my blog. I hope you all are doing well.

I started this blog as a passion project where I wanted to talk about the things that I liked. Most of which are beauty products especially makeup. So, it is safe to assume that I follow the beauty community quite closely compared to an average consumer. In all these years, the one blush that beauty bloggers would bang on about was the Milani Baked Blush (in the shade Luminoso). This product was heavily promoted and deemed a staple. Let’s discover why that was the case.

Milani is an affordable brand (in the West maybe, definitely not in India). I would consider it a mid-range to high end brand (not luxury). The product is baked and not pressed thus providing a better finish and versatility. The brand is cruelty free. Lastly, the shade Luminoso is the perfect dupe for the iconic Nars Orgasm Blush (is what I’ve heard, never tried Nars so can’t be sure about that).

This last point is quite important you see. Nars is an expensive brand that isn’t cruelty free. So, their demographic is quite limited. Milani being an affordable brand that doesn’t test on animals is a pretty good alternative to the former.

Now that I’ve given a little back story, let’s move on to the review.

Details

Milani Baked Powder Blush – 05 Luminoso

Where to buy – I got it from Nykaa

MRP - ₹1200/- (I got it for ₹1183 using my reward points)

This product does go on sale, I could’ve gotten it for less but I got impatient. Just wait for the sale.

Net Weight – 3.5 g

Shades Available – 01 Dolce Pink, 03 Berry Amore, 05 Luminoso

The availability of shades changes from time to time.

Product Description taken from Nykaa (Abridged version)

With different shades to choose from, Milani Baked Blush gives you the ultimate pop of cheeky color for any skin tone. Yes, these blushes really are baked - each one has been sunbaked on Italian terracotta tiles to give your skin a warm finish and radiance that looks striking and natural. These statement-making peach and rose blush shades will give you a captivating flush of bold color. Shape, contour and highlight your best features to get that glam glow. Milani Baked Blush is sunbaked color that does it all.

Features -

1) Ultra-pigmented blush that adds a pop of color to the cheeks

2) Silky smooth texture blends seamlessly and enhances the skin tone

3) Buildable formula enables you to create a natural or more rosy look

4) Sunbaked on Italian terracotta tiles to give a warm finish and radiant glow

5) Nothing with fur, fin or feathers was hurt to make this beauty essential

6) Free from parabens and preservatives

7) This product is vegan and cruelty-free

About the brand -

Milani is designed for women who love to wear color. These products allow women to explore and push their boundaries. Milani’s easy to use, high-end products, trend-setting and timeless colors are designed for anyone looking to experiment with varied beauty and makeup products. Always produced with the highest-quality standards, 96% of Milani's luxury-quality formulas are manufactured in the United States and Europe. The brand's mission is to deliver prestige quality products at affordable prices that fit the needs of every skin tone, look and attitude. Milani is cruelty-free; none of their products or ingredients are tested on animals anywhere in the world. All of their vegan makeup is explicitly labeled and lives within Milani's Vegan Beauty makeup collection. The entire vegan, cruelty-free makeup collection includes over 50 products that are completely free of any animal-derived ingredients.

Expiry Date: 15 May 2022

Country of Origin: United States of America (the)

Ingredients (For Dolce Pink, Luminoso, Corallina, Red Vino, Rosa Romantica) –

Mica, Talc, Dimethicone, Isopropyl Palmitate, Polysorbate 20, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Isohexadecane, Sorbitan Stearate, Lauroyl Lysine, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polysorbate 80, Hexylene Glycol, Tin Oxide, Nylon-12, Sorbitan Oleate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Silica +/- May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Red 7 (CI 15850), Red 6 (CI 15850), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985)

Instructions -

Apply with the Milani Blush Brush, starting at the apple of your cheeks and gently swiping up and away.

Use any excess blush along the hairlines, bridge of the nose, and chin to add warmth and color to the rest of the face.

For a bolder look, swirl color in a circular motion over the cheeks, layering to your desired intensity.

Packaging –

The packaging is cheap. I have the newer version with the black base and gold top. It’s plastic and feels quite fragile. The packaging is not sturdy. I would advise you to be careful with the lid. It seems breakable and could pop off easily.

Color and Pigmentation – the color is absolutely beautiful. It’s pinky peach with a marbled effect and has minute gold shimmer running through it. The actual shade is more suitable for people with fair, light, and light-medium skin tones. I’m the deepest in the light-medium range and lightest in the medium range (think M.A.C NC35-37). This shade almost shows up on me which I kind of like. This means that I can apply a lot of it without looking bad. The shade is very pretty and looks quite natural. However, if you are deeper than NC37 then don’t get this shade. Do your research and look for suitable shades. The blush shade is buildable and has a very nice sheen to it. This product is almost a combination of a blush and a highlighter (although it's not advertised as such). Whenever I put this on I don't feel the need to apply a highlighter.

Texture/ Finish/ Longevity – I was expecting this blush to be a cross between a powder and a cream, however, it is quite powdery. If you dip your brush in the pan then there's a bit of a kickback. It's quite smooth and there's no grittiness in the texture. This shade is not matte. It has fine specks of gold shimmer which isn't chunky at all. It'll give a pretty sheen to your face. If you take it up your temples then it can act as a highlighter too. The blush isn't quite long wearing on its own (I've been wearing a mask and it transfers) maybe it could be with a setting spray.

How I Apply It - I use a short dense brush (Real Techniques Contour Brush) and I pat it on my cheeks instead of swirling or blending it. This method gives me the best result.

Final thoughts - the blush is quite pretty. But I probably won't repurchase it. For the money, the product is good but the packaging is cheap. It's a bit too powdery for me. I have quite dry skin and I don't enjoy the feel of powders on my face. If you have normal, combination or oily skin then you might enjoy this product (only if you like shimmery blushes). I could use a setting spray but I'll have to get one first. The shade is light for my skin tone (I almost get away with it; NC35). I don't really regret my purchase but I could've gone for a deeper shade, nonetheless, I will finish this product up. I could try other shades, however, I'll probably get a cream, gel, or liquid blush next time.

That's it for this blog. Let me know whether you've tried this product or not. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

See you soon

Love

Shivi

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