Milani Powder Eye Shadows - Review and Swatches

While doing some shopping for a Secret Santa gift exchange on CVS.com, I couldn't help but throw in a few of the new Milani Powder Eye Shadows into the order for myself. I got mine on sale, and I don't remember how much I paid for them, but they are currently selling for $5.99 on Milani's website.

I picked up four colors: French Vanilla, Pearl, Gold Dust, and Caramel Brown.

Clockwise from the top: Gold Dust, Caramel Brown, Pearl, French Vanilla

 French Vanilla

 French Vanilla is a matte, cream shade that makes a nice highlight color. It is a little bit lighter and not quite as opaque as my beloved Brulee by Wet n Wild.

Pearl

Pearl is about what you'd expect in terms of color. It's somewhere between Urban Decay's Virgin and Sin. Sadly, this one doesn't seem to have very good color payoff. The second picture above was what happened when I pressed too hard trying to get a decent swatch.

Gold Dust

Saldy, Gold Dust arrived in the condition you see in the first picture. Thankfully, cracked powders are a somewhat easy fix. I pushed the loose pieces back to where they broke off from, poured rubbing alcohol over the whole shadow, and lightly pressed over it with a paper towel. A shadow that is completely shattered needs a firmer pressing, typically with something like a coin to help give even pressure.

As for the performance of the shadow, it's pretty sheer. It's a nice color for what it is, but don't expect it to apply like Urban Decay's Half Baked.

Caramel Brown

I think this is my favorite of the four shades I got. It's a gorgeous golden brown color that applies nicely and has good pigmentation. 

Swatches

Left to Right: French Vanilla, Pearl, Gold Dust, Caramel Brown

Overall, these shadows are decent, with French Vanilla and Caramel Brown being better than the other two. Because of my experiences with Gold Dust coming slightly cracked and Pearl cracking with a bit too much pressure, I would be hesitant to travel with these shadows.

Have you tried the Milani Powder Shadows yet? What was your impression of them?