Drugstore Brands

By: Kim Myers

This week drugstore brands will focus on Milani Cosmetics. This is one of those lesser known brands that differentiates itself by standing out due to its vivid colors for skin of every nationality.
The Milani brand is coveted by makeup artists everywhere once a product is found to their liking they just can’t live without. One of my favorite products of Milani is the "Runway Eyes" eye shadow which can be applied wet or dry. Applied wet the shadow is intensified and if applied dry a softer look is revealed. This eye shadow is often compared to the higher end brand by Vincent Longo. The shades are almost identical in color when applied side by side and the consistency is coincidentally similar too. It almost seems as though it could have come from the same recipe. You probably pay about $18 more for Longo though. Some really sweet colors to work with in the Runway Eyes collection are #11 Beach Sand, my favorite, which is a high frost overlay sandy beige; #05 Girls Luv Pink, a high frost overlay light baby pink; #01 Lily White, a high frost overlay iridescent snow; and #03 Bronze Doll, a high frost overlay basic rusty bronze.
An overlay is when a product is lightly sprayed on top creating a shimmer or frost, but once this has been removed, underneath is just the basic color or a slightly lesser shimmer.
Another product by Milani is Powder Mosaics Blush which is a multi-hued blusher containing various tones in the same range of colors. My favorite is "Touch O’ Sun" because it can be used as a blush or a bronzer.
Milani also makes some serious colored nail polish. There are some really nice ones, but I just love 23A "Ruby Jewels", because it rules. It’s a beautiful ruby/cranberry color full of pizzazz and lots of glimmer. This color is a surefire winner.
Be sure to check out Milani Cosmetics in CVS, Walmart, Kmart, or other drugstores. They are usually located on the end caps of the cosmetics isles. Sometimes the brand can be found in grocery chains also.