Brights, brights, and more brights!
Milani Gold Dust Powder Eyeshadow
Milani Gold Dust Powder Eyeshadow ($4.49 for 0.11 oz.) is a warm gold with orange tones and a frosted, metallic finish. Giorgio Armani #1 is similar, slightly darker. Clarins Enchanted Summer contains a gold that is similar but also a little darker. Dior Couture Gold has a slightly lighter shade. Milani Drenched in Gold is less orange-toned.
The color payoff is decent to good, and it will apply mostly opaque to lid with a little packing of color but not too much is required. In my use of this shade, what I liked least was the texture, which was on the powdery side with some dryness (it’s quite apparent in the swatch). I wish it had a better or more binding ingredients, so it would stick together better. This would make it apply more smoothly, though the powdery texture makes it easy to blend–but there is a little fall out during application, and the color can be sheered out too easily if you are not careful. It managed eight hours of wear without a primer and only showed some very subtle fading along the inner corner.
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Caramel Brown
B
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| Not bad, not fantastic. For the price, some of the drawbacks might be worth overlooking. I think you may still be able to find a better gold for a similar price tag, though. | |
Product8.5/10 Pigmentation8.5/10 Texture8.5/10 Longevity8.5/10 Application4/5 |
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My favorite way to wear tangerines (or oranges in general) is to combine them with other bright sunset-ish shades–think magentas, coppers, fuchsias, and yellows/golds.
You won’t feel like you’re settling for bronze with these–they’re brilliant, sumptuous, and oh-so-lavish.
Milani Caramel Brown Powder Eyeshadow
Milani Caramel Brown Powder Eyeshadow ($4.49 for 0.11 oz.) is a warmed over medium brown with a golden bronze shimmer and sheen. As gorgeous as this shade is, there are several shades that are similar to it (but you can’t beat the price point of Milani!). Urban Decay Chase is slightly more orange-toned. MAC Love Connection is less brown, more red. Buxom Golden Retriever is similar but darker, less golden/shimmered. Urban Decay Suspect is pretty close, though not as warm.
I’ve always had a soft spot for Milani, because they’ve been one of the more reliable budget-friendly brands for years, not just recently, though they’ve been churning out some impressive products in the past year. Their new range of pressed powder eyeshadows is fantastic overall, and Caramel Brown is no exception. The texture is soft, buttery, and dense and blends beautifully and melts against the skin like butter. Milani says they’re crease-proof, “super pigmented,” and blendable; they’re everything and more–but when I test drove Caramel Brown, I did experience some fading along the edges after eight hours (which is still really good–the majority of formulas have some fading after eight hours without aid of a primer), but absolutely no creasing.
I’m drawn to this shade like you wouldn’t believe–I think it’s the balance of warmth, gold, brown, bronze, and shimmer. It’s lovely against warmer complexions, as it brightens without dominating. It can easily be worn on the lid or in the crease, but I really like it softly on the lid with not much else. Naturally, the strong warm undertones in this hue will flatter warmer complexions overall. I’m a believer that you can wear anything and everything–it’s all about confidence and how you wear it!
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Milani Caramel Brown Powder Eyeshadow Review, Photos, Swatches
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| It's lovely against warmer complexions, as it brightens without dominating. It can easily be worn on the lid or in the crease, but I really like it softly on the lid with not much else. Naturally, the strong warm undertones in this hue will flatter warmer complexions overall. I'm a believer that you can wear anything and everything--it's all about confidence and how you wear it! | |
Product9.5/10 Pigmentation10/10 Texture10/10 Longevity9/10 Application5/5 |
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Milani Champagne Toast Shadow Eyez
Milani Champagne Toast Shadow Eyez ($6.99 for 0.10 oz.) is a warm champagne beige with a highly reflective, metallic finish. MAC Summer Haze is darker and more of a frosted than metallic finish. Make Up For Ever #13 is darker, less champagne. Urban Decay Sin is a touch darker and less metallic. Cle de Peau #207 is lighter. Inglot #397 is very similar but slightly less warm-toned.
Milani’s Shadow Eyez formula is touted to last for twelve hours and be water-resistant and crease-proof. Champagne Toast was the second shade I tested wear on, and it was phenomenal–it looked as good after ten and twelve hours as it did when I initially applied it. The pigmentation was also top notch, because it was totally opaque in one pass. It has a creamy texture that glides across the lid without a single tug or pull, and it deposits smooth, even color.
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Champagne Toast
A+
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| Champagne Toast is an excellent all-around pencil and shade to have in your arsensal. It works well for brightening eyes with little effort, but it can also brighten eyes by using it on the lower lash line to add some metallic sheen. | |
Product10/10 Pigmentation10/10 Texture10/10 Longevity10/10 Application5/5 |
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