Milani Minerals Blush

This is an initial review of my new Milani Blushes.  I won't be reviewing it's wear on me as I haven't tried it long enough.  I don't know exactly how much they cost coz my Mom paid for it (thanks Mom!) and it was bought at Costco in the US.

I got the blushes in Mai-Tai and Luminous (considered to be a Nars Orgasm dupe).  

Luminous, no flash

Benefit Coralista

My first Benefit product:  Benefit's Box o' Powder in Coralista.  I bought this directly from Benefit's website HERE for $28 last year.  

It is described as a "warm coral-pink" blush and since I love blushes and didn't have a coral shade yet, I got this.  Isn't the box uber cute?

NYX Cream Blush in Natural

Another NYX haul from digitaltraincase. I got my first ever NYX lipstick and cream blush in B52 and Natural respectively.

Stila Cheek Duo

Stila's Cheek Duo in Pink Glow.

From Sephora's website:

"Nothing says sunkissed like delicately flushed and blushed cheeks. Designed to work with any of the eyeshadow trios, this cheek color duo has been baked on a terra cotta disk for a sheer, never chalky application. The duo includes beautiful shimmering bronze and rose shades."

I love it! It has 2 shades of pink in 1 pan with one a light pink and the other a more bronzey one. It costs Php 995 (around $20) at local Stila counters. I got mine at Gateway more than a week ago. The girls at Girltalk say it's been out of stock since. I'm lucky to be able to get it when the counter has been open for just a couple of days yet. (Most of the testers even of the lip glazes were unused and I was the first one to use them!).

This Cheek Duo has an aluminum casing (they previously used the cardboard casing) with the blush in a dome shape like other baked blushes (MAC, Laura Geller). It looks shimmery at first but it isn't. It applies and blends well on the cheek and is pigmented. Once applied it gives a natural glow or a slight sheen, like radiance blushes of mineral makeup companies (which I am a fan of). The good thing is it lasts for more than half a day on my oily skin.

The lighter shade can be used as highlight and the darker one as contour for the cheeks. I wish Stila had other shades of the baked blush but there is only 1 for the Cheek Duo. The other blushes are in the pans or palettes and the lip and cheek stain.

Swatch:

No breakouts or itchies the whole week I've been using it. I'll definitely use this the whole month coz I'm promising myself to use 1 blush for a whole month. That way I'll get to use more of each blush and rotate them all.

Since Stila says this goes well with any of the baked eyeshadow trios, that's definitely going on my to-buy list (even if I said no more eye shadows!). I've been lemming for those since last year.

FOTD:

Face:

Stila Oil-free Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 in Medium 03

Dreamworld Cream Topping Clay/Silica (I forgot what shade)

blush:

Stila Cheek Duo in Pink glow (both shades mixed)

eyes:

Neutrogena Mineral Sheers in Sand

lips:

Avon Glazewear lipgloss in Darling Pink

Maybelline Clear Smooth Minerals Luminous Blush

I prefer mineral makeup from the home-based women-owned companies because they are more pure, you can try out samples first and have a personal touch. Nothing beats that plus they are more affordable.

This is maybe the second time I've tried out minerals from a mass market brand. I tried out Maybelline Clear Smooth Minerals Luminous Blush just out of curiosity. I've read about this in a couple of blogs and let's just say I was enabled.

They had 4 shades available at the counter I went to and the shade I got, Gentle Pink, was the only shade that showed up on my arm when I tried out the swatches. The other shades were too light or sheer for my medium toned skin. After searching, I saw that there are darker shades available in the US but they go under the name Mineral Power. It cost Php 499 for the kit which includes a pot of blush and a kabuki brush. I like the packaging because it included instructions for those who don't know how to use minerals.

The amount of blush in the pot is the same as the 20 gr. jars from mineral makeup companies. It just looks bigger because of the cap. The kabuki brush is scratchy so you can throw it away. If you take a look at the ingredients the first one on the list is TALC!!! How can it be mineral makeup if it has talc?!? I guess these companies are just riding along the mineral makeup wave even if they're not using pure minerals. Anyway, I'm glad it's the blush that I got because I occasionally use traditional blushes just not foundation.

***How come there is no talc in the ingredients list from Mineral Power available in the US? Just wondering.

The blush itself is finely milled and has tiny shimmers in it. It is very sheer on my cheeks and I needed lots of layers for it to show up. Maybe because the shade is not dark enough to show up on me? The shimmers aren't noticeable once the blush is blended. It stayed on my oily skin for a few hours (3-4) without primer. I just wished it were more pigmented because you will definitely finish the whole pot in just a few months time. So unlike the real mineral makeup brands where all you'll need is a few crumbs because they're very pigmented.

swatched thickly at the back of my hand

blended in

For daily use around the house or doing errands this will do (in my case). Otherwise I'd definitely stick to my good ol' trusty pure mmu from smaller companies.

Jane Be Pure Mineral Blush

I got my Drugstore.com haul more than a week ago and included is this Jane Be Pure Mineral blush.  Been eyeing it since last year and at only $4.99 per compact, I had to have it, LOL!  

  

(with flash)

(no flash)

Ingredients are:

"Mica, Bismuth Oxychloride, Ehtylhexyl Palmitate, Zinc Stearate, Juniperus Communis Extract (Juniper), Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Urtica Dioica Extract (Nettle), Sambucus Nigra Flowers (Elder), Propylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea, Butylparaben, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tin Oxide, May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Red 6 Lake (CI 15850:2), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850:1), Red 27 Lake (CI 45410:2), Red 40 Lake (CI 16035), Carmine (CI 75470), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Manganese Violet (CI 77742)"

Not so pure in my opinion but I do use traditional blushes too.  It's only the foundation and finishing powder that has to be pure minerals for me or I'd get breakouts.  Much as I'd like my mineral blushes pure, they usually come in loose powder form.  Those in compacts or in pressed powder form are easier for me to travel with. 

Anyway, I got the shade Rose Satin which looks like the darkest shade.  The powder itself applies silky on the cheeks.  It's not chalky or powdery when you swipe the brush and is fairly pigmented.  The shade looks natural on me.  It does last a long time on my oily skin which is a major plus factor!  

(no flash, natural light)

Swatch:

(no flash)

(with flash)

The compact is cute and the bottom opens up where you'll find a mirror and a brush included.   The brush, you can discard because it is so tiny and scratchy like most drugstore blush brushes. 

 

I want to try the other shades but I have a feeling they won't show up on my medium-toned skin like Rose Satin does.  Hopefully they make darker shades of this because quality is good and price is soo right!

Photo with Jane Be Pure mineral blush in Rose Satin.  

(Sorry, no other m/u on my face, just MAC Tinted lip conditioner in Petting Pink).

Bare Naturals Dollface Cheenee Blush

Got this in the mail the other day from Bare Naturals.

It's a sample of their mineral blush in Dollface Cheenee which gives a soft cherry blush glow.

no flash


with flash


swatch with flash

The blush is pigmented and a little bit of powder does give color on my medium skin. Tried it out this weekend as seen on the FOTD:




(It was very hot last Sunday so excuse my oily-looking face)

Everything I used is exactly the same as previous post.

UGloGirl foundation in Butter Pecan
Dreamworld Creme Topping in Cocoa

Cheeks:
Eyeko Tinted Cream on cheeks
Bare Naturals blush in Dollface Cheenee on top of Eyeko tinted cream

Lips:
Avon Glazewear liquid lip color in Darling Pink