Milani Illuminating Face Powder in Amber Nectar

$9.25 at BeautyJoint.com

The finish of this product isn't shimmery at all. It has a bit of a satin finish so it can catch the light, but not reflect too much. 

It definitely has some peachy and pink undertones and applies nicely to the skin. The effect is subtle, but noticeable. 

I'd read some reviews of this product before buying it and most reviews were saying that this product wasn't very good or worth the money. I've only had good experiences with Milani products so I thought I'd give it a try anyways and it turned out to be a nice product.

I think most were expecting this to be more 'illuminating' than it actually is. Perhaps they were expecting more shimmer or more sheen, but I think that the slight satin finish that this has is enough glow (especially if you have oily skin).

I like that there are sections of different colours because if you wanted to use one colour as a brow highlight, you could definitely do so.

This could also be used as a blush.

The packaging is durable and simple, making it great for travel and storage.

GOSH Cosmetics Giant Sun Powder

$25 at Shoppers Drug Mart

This Giant Sun Powder in 001 comes with 28g (1.0 oz US) of product and costs $25. In comparison to other brands: MAC Mineralize SkinFinishes come with 10g for $34 (CAD), Prestige Cosmetics Bronzing Powders come with 8g for $15 (CAD) and  Sleek MakeUP's Glo Face & Body Highlighters come with 8.2g for $10 (CAD).

This product comes with nearly triple the amount of product of ones similar to it. This makes it a great deal if you're looking for a glowing gold highlighter/bronzer/all-over-glow.

It comes with a large mirror on the inside. The packaging is bare and sleek, but can accumulate scratches very easily as shown in the first picture. 

This is a close-up of the colour of the sun powder. In real life, it leans a bit coppery, giving it an almost rose gold colour.

You can see the hints of copper in this photo of it swatched on my hand. The swatch on the left is a heavier swatch, while the one on the right is blended out. It definitely gives a great glow.

While this is a great multi-purpose product (highlighter, bronzer, eyeshadow) it only comes in one colour. Although this colour can probably work well on many skin tones, I wish they had more of a variety from which to choose.

I would recommend using a dense/stiff brush to apply this product because using a fluffy one will cause it to become flaky/powdery.

For the price, you can't go wrong. If you don't like using/having many products, this will definitely last you a very long time.  

Prestige Skin Loving Minerals Sunbaked Bronzing Powder

Prestige Skin <3 Loving Minerals Sunbaked Mineral Bronzing Powder
Top: 02 Glam Tan
Bottom l-r: 01 Rich Bronze, 03 Pure Shimmer

I bought these from Rexall for about $9 each (on sale).

01 Rich Bronze
(natural lighting)

01 Rich Bronze
(artificial lighting)

02 Glam Tan
(natural lighting)

02 Glam Tan
(artificial lighting)

03 Pure Shimmer
(natural lighting)

03 Pure Shimmer
(artificial lighting)

Swatches l-r: 02 Glam Tan, 01 Rich Bronze, 03 Pure Shimmer

Glam Tan is a golden bronze colour that is very shimmery. If you intend on using this as a bronzer, using it sparingly will give a nice bronzed glow.

If you want something that you can apply a bit darker and isn't as shimmery, there's Rich Bronze. It's mostly matte, but there are shimmery patches which add a bit of shimmer, but not too much.

Pure Shimmer is exactly what it says. This is a great highlighter that has hints of light pink and light gold. 

I was glad that I could purchase these on sale for about $9. Regularly they are closer to $15 each. Check these out at Rexall if you can! I recommend getting them, but if I had to choose one of the bronzers, I'd go with Rich Bronze. Of course, you can always use these as eyeshadows, too! :)

These are available on Amazon if you don't live in Canada or near a Rexall!

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Lancaster Sunlight Palette in Natural

This is my second post on this product. Click here to read about the Lancaster Palette in Sunny.

I found this at Shoppers Drug Mart on Sale for $21. It was marked down from $35. Only select Shoppers stores carry the Lancaster brand and from the ones I've been to, there are still a few of these left.

Lancaster says that this palette can be used on the eyes, lips and cheeks. 

The colours in this palette are much lighter than the ones found in Sunny. I like using this as a highlighter.

The top swatch is of the middle colour while the ones below it are the top two and bottom two colours.

You can see that these are very very pigmented and also very blendable (see photo below). You can achieve a dramatic or subtle highlight with this product as a result.

All colours blended together.

I think $21 is a much more reasonable price for this product, though the quality is good enough that I think it's worth it even at full price. However, I would definitely recommend using your Optimum points (if you have them) to purchase this just because it is a bit on the expensive side. 

Blended out, this kind of reminds me of MAC's Soft and Gentle, so this could be a dupe. However, this is more finely milled (which means less fall out and less of a glittery appearance).

I prefer using each colour separately depending on what other colours I'm using that day.

Have you tried products from Lancaster before? What do you think of this brand?

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MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle
$34 CAD at maccosmetics.com

10g/0.35 US oz

l-r: swatched heavily, blended out, applied lightly with a brush
(with flash)

l-r: swatched heavily, blended out, applied lightly with a brush
(without flash)

Soft and Gentle is one of my favourite highlighters. As you can see from the swatches, it can be applied many different ways to achieve different intensities. It can also be applied lightly all over the face to give a subtle glow.

I find that it fades a bit throughout the day, so sometimes I bring it with me. The packaging is sturdy and compact so it won't take up a lot of room. Definitely recommend this product!

What's your favourite highlighter or face powder?

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Tarte Blush & Bronze On The Go

I like trying new brands, but I usually start with getting a sampler set featuring some of the brand's most popular items. I've heard great things about Tarte, so I decided to try the Blush & Bronze On The Go set which contains an Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush and an Amazonian Clay Bronzer.

$20 at Sephora (Canada)

Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Park Ave Princess

Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Park Ave Princess

Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Park Ave Princess

Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Dollface

Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Dollface

Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Dollface

Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Dollface

*The colour of this blush is more pink and bright in person. See swatches for a more accurate representation of colour*

Dollface, Park Ave Princess

(with flash)

Dollface, Park Ave Princess

(without flash)

I've wanted to try Tarte for a while but I couldn't bring myself to spend $33 and $38 for the full size version of these products. Instead, I spent $20 for these smaller but decently sized versions which will probably last me a long time. The only downside is that I couldn't choose the colours.

The blush applies nice and smoothly and does last quite long. The swatch looks chalky, but when blended, it smoothes out. It's completely matte with no shimmer. The bronzer has a nicer texture. It's smoother and has some glow to it.

The packaging of both is definitely travel-friendly. They're slim and compact with thick casings to prevent shattering of the product when accidentally dropped.

Though these are nice products, I think there are drug store dupes out there that can perform the same way for a much cheaper price.

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NYC Sun 'n' Bronze Bronzing Powder

I saw these at WalMart and couldn't resist. They were about $4.50 each for 12g and I knew they'd be great to use as eyeshadows. They're sold and advertised as bronzers, but as I already have medium-tan skin, I don't use it that often.

Hamptons Radiance, Coney Island Glow, Montauk Bronze, Fire Island Tan

Hamptons Radiance

Hamptons Radiance
First three swatches are the first three rows, last is all the colours combined

Coney Island Glow

Coney Island Glow
First three swatches are the first three rows, last is all the colours combined

Fire Island Tan

Fire Island Tan
First three swatches are the first three rows, last is all the colours combined

Montauk Bronze

Montauk Bronze
First three swatches are the first three rows, last is all the colours combined

Using these as eyeshadows:

If you're into nude/natural eyeshadows, these are perfect. They have the tiniest amount of shimmer, but they're mostly matte. Each bronzer has a great mix of light and dark shades of brown.

My favourite is Coney Island Glow because it has a very light shade, a medium one and a dark one. Hamptons Radiance is the same, except the medium shade is pink, while Fire Island Tan and Montauk Bronze have all medium shades.

Definitely use a primer or base with these so that they won't crease.

Using these as bronzers:

Fire Island Tan, while dark-looking in the pan, actually applies a lot lighter and when blended all together, will disappear on medium-tan skin tones. It would be good to use if you have light-medium skin. If you're darker, Montauk Bronze shows up dark when all the colours are blended together.

If you're lighter in skin tone, Coney Island Glow and Hamptons Radiance may work best as they contain lighter colours. The pink shows up in Hamptons Radiance when all the colours blend, while Coney Island Glow mixes into a light golden-bronze colour.

 You can definitely build these bronzing powders to be darker, or use a small amount if you want just a touch of bronze.

More Products from NYC Available on Amazon:

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