Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso

After hearing lots of good things about this blush, it became one of the top in my wish list. It's a shame though Milani is not available in Netherlands (or Europe, come to think of it). I found some of their products at boozyshop.nl but for some reason they just put Milani stuff in the website but marked them "sold out" every time (what's the point?).

Then one day I thought I had enough products to justify a purchase at cherryculture.com ;P It's a US-based website that sells drugstore products. I ended up ordering two NYX butter glosses, two Jordana eyeliners, one pencil and one liquid; and Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso :) The price for the baked blush is $6.99 but they had a 20% off code so it was basically $5.60 (or around €4.20). 

First off, packaging. Milani products came in gold coloured packaging. Their baked blushes are housed in  a small but thick compact with the blush colour visible through the transparent plastic. The first pan is the blush, then you can flip it open to reveal a mirror and a small brush. It's quite convenient for on the go, though I have to admit that I haven't tried applying it with the brush it came with. I use my MAC 168SE (a short handled one from  a holiday collection) to apply it either at home or on the go. A little something that irked me about the compact was the raised curve of the transparent plastic on the lid. It's not that it bothered me during application or anything, I just think it's unnecessary. 

L - R : MAC Stereo Rose, Milani Luminoso

Luminoso is a light peach with golden sheen. That might sounded like my description for NARS Orgasm or MAC Stereo Rose ;P might be because I mostly only own and wear peach/coral blushes. Most people compare the baked blush to MAC mineralize blushes mostly because of the pattern on the surface. I only have Stereo Rose which is quite close in shade with Luminoso. I think Luminoso has a bit more peach to it, though. Also the sheen is more golden than Stereo Rose. Both gave the right amount of sheen, not too sparkly. In my opinion it can easily replace each other because it's not so much different upon application. 

I found Milani's baked blush formula to be very soft which may result in being a bit powdery. When I swiped my brush on top, I always find some powder flying about. The concave surface of the blush didn't help with this as well. I just tried swiping lightly (which is hard for my heavy handed self ;P) also because it is very pigmented.

As I've mentioned earlier, I applied this blush with my MAC 168SE. I was using Sigma F40 for my blushes but lately I think it splayed too easily. I like using MAC 168 (even though it sheds sometimes) because it's smaller, firmer, allows more control and holds its shape better than F40, made it easier for detailed placement. 

It is pretty, soft, pigmented, affordable and the best part (for me); it stays on for so long. I wear this for twelve hours straight with minimal fading. This is without any setting spray at all on my relatively oily skin (I said relatively because it is autumn now, the best season for my skin :)) I think the last time I wore a blush this long was when I sprayed Urban Decay All Nighter on top. I don't think I can say enough good things about the staying power. I am simply amazed. 

Bottom line, I would definitely be repurchasing this product if/when I ran out. I'm thinking about purchasing other shades but I haven't got any reason to for now. This shade worked really well with my current NC20-25 skin. :)