Spring is approaching (finally!), and it's always nice to switch things up as the seasons change. Personally, spring marks the time when I start to ditch the heavier bases, as well as opting for more of a brighter pop on the lips. I was kindly sent three products from the guys at Just My Look (who stock an ace range of US beauty brands like Milani, LA Girl etc.), to help me switch up my makeup bag for Spring.
After umming and ahhing for a very long time, I settled on one of the Milani Amore Mattalics, and the LA Girl Pro Concealer, which I'd wanted to try for a very long time. The LA Girl Strobe Powder also really caught my eye! I then ended up ordering a few products for myself too, from both brands,
so I also have the Conceal & Perfect Foundation in their new shade, 00 Light Natural, the Milani Blush in Luminoso and two of the LA Girl Matte Flat Lipglosses. I've had a good amount of time to test out the products, so here are my thoughts!
Milani
The first product is one that I was desperate to try was the Milani Amore Mattalics Lip Cream* in the shade Chromatic Addict. This is a metallic liquid lipstick, something that I have never tried before. It has a very lightweight formula and is super pigmented. This is basically like liquid rose gold, it's absolutely stunning! It can look quite OTT though, especially for the daytime, but it does give a really plumped up look to the lips without using gloss. This would make a great topper for other liquid lipsticks, but I really want to pick up one of the darker shades like a red or purple, which I think would be a bit more wearable.
I picked up the Baked Blush in Luminoso because it had so much hype surrounding it, and it was touted as one of the best NARS orgasm dupes. I have both, and I have to say, it's in no way a dupe. it is a pretty, peachy shade with a subtle sheen to it, and runs more on the orangey side compared to Orgasm which has more pink in it. Luminoso gives a really healthy look to the skin and it has a luminous sheen to it. It would look amazing on tanned skin! I do find the packaging a bit chunky, especially as I'd never use the brush and mirror.
Something that I was desperate to try was the Conceal & Cover 2-in-1 Foundation and Concealer, but after a quick research of reviews, I realised that the lightest shade 01 would be too dark for my pale skin. Not long after, my prayers were answered and Milani announced that they were bringing out a new lighter shade, 00 Light Natural. I don't think I've ever been so happy! I'd been loving the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation, but couldn't justify dropping over £30 on a full size bottle, and with the Milani having reviews of it being high coverage and easy to blend, it might be a more affordable alternative. It definitely has good coverage, with quite a thick formula, but it does blend really well. I wasn't sure how the finish would be, but it has quite a satin finish - just matte enough, but still looking healthy and skin-like. I didn't bother powdering, and found that it wore surprisingly well. It was pretty long lasting and gave my face a healthy glow in all the right places, without looking too oily. I'd definitely recommend it so far!
L.A. Girl USA
Moving onto another new brand to me, L.A. Girl. I had wanted to try the Pro Conceal HD High Definition Concealer* for much a long time, so I picked out the shade Porcelain. It is a product that has fit so seamlessly into my makeup routine, in a way that reminds me of a high-end product. It doesn't do anything groundbreaking, but it just does the job really well. I like the squeezy tube (although it doesn't feel like there's much product in there) and the brush-on applicator, and the shade is great for my skin tone, actually providing a highlighted effect under my eyes for once! I've not noticed too much in the way of creasing, and it's not at all drying either, plus it's super cheap!
Unfortunately there was one product that I wasn't so convinced about, but I thought I'd talk about it anyway in case anyone finds it useful (y'all know how much I like a disappointing products video, and I've got a few coming up soon!). The product in question is the Flat Matte Finish Pigment Lip Gloss, which I bought in two shades Fantasy and Rebel. Although the peachy shade (Fantasy) applies nicely, the darker one (Rebel) was a bit of a flop, being quite streaky and patchy. They stay quite sticky in the way that a lipgloss does, so they're long-lasting, but not the most comfortable to wear. You'd be better off spending a few extra pounds and picking up a standard matte liquid lipstick instead.
I hadn't heard much about the Strobe Light Strobing Powders*, but was bowled over by the amount of shades and I decided that 90 Watt would be the perfect shade for my skin. Turns out, I made the right choice - it's a gorgeous cool-toned champagne shade, which runs light enough to give a pop on my pale skin without looking too icy. I love how it looks on my skin, but the formula isn't my favourite. Although the pigmentation is great, there's quite a lot of glitter, which can end up falling all over your face so I'd recommend tapping off your brush and taking off the excess. A quick spritz of setting spray on the brush also works really well, and makes that highlight really pop!
Overall, I'm impressed with both of the brands, and I really want to try more products from them as they're great quality for the price. My favourite products have to be the L.A. Girl Pro Concealer and the Milani Conceal & Perfect Foundation - together they make for a really great base combination. The lovely people at Just My Look have sent an extra Milani Baked Blush in the shade Bella Rosa which I'll be giving away over on my Twitter, along with a couple of other little bits that I've picked out too. All you have to do is retweet this tweet and follow both me and Just My Look before 23:59 on the 25th March. Good luck!
Have you tried anything from Milani or L.A. Girl?
- Post contains PR Samples (*) -
- This does not affect my views and I will always give my honest opinion of a product -
