May 3, 2013

Milani Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez Review

This was provided to me by a brand for review but all opinions expressed are my own

Milani Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez Eyeshadow Pencil Summer 2013

As you know the Milani Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez 12 HR Wear Eyeshadow Pencils ($6.99) launched online yesterday and I swatched them for you earlier this week.

I’ve been wearing them this week and testing them out so I thought I’d finally review them today! I love how creamy these are and I ended up purchasing a few back ups when they ended up popping up online.

Here are my thoughts!

Milani Shadow Eyez 12 HR Wear Eyeshadow Pencil aren’t a new product as they launched in Summer 2012 as I recall. However, Milani Naturally Chic Collection is a range of six natural, nude colors that are available for a limited time exclusively at Walgreens, HEB, and Fred Meyer or online www.milanicosmetics.com.

Milani Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez Eyeshadow Pencils Summer 2013

Black Ink, Espresso Line, Cafe Au Lait

Milani Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez Eyeshadow Pencils

Almond Cream, Sand Dunes, Golden Bronze

I think part of the appeal of this collection is the shades are not only Summer friendly but ideal for those of us who prefer a more nude, natural eye look. The original collection included more vibrant shades of color so if you lean towards more subtle colors Naturally Chic is the Collection for you!

One of the start in this collection is Almond Cream (so much so I purchased two back ups). This is a shade that is equivalent to colors like Bobbi Brown Vanilla or MAC Bare Study. It’s a solid shade of matte creamy beige which makes for an excellent all over color wash to brighten eyes up or to act as a base for pigments and shadows. It creates a perfect base to add vibrancy and intensity to all of your color shadows or works incredibly all its own for a nude eye look! It’s well worth picking up!

The collection includes four matte shadows and two metallic. Considering the original release is lacking in mattes this is an exciting launch for those who favor the finish. One of the only colors that I felt like I didn’t need was Black Ink since I have a ton of black pencils but you might care to pick it up if you do a smoky eye often.

These are far more creamier, especially the mattes, than the original shades. They do not tug or pull during application and have a creamy, dreamy formula that applies and blends very easily. I think the metallic ones are a little drier compared to the matte but they still apply perfectly. The mattes have a slower dry down time so you have plenty of time to blend and play around before they set. The metallic are a little quicker to dry down so you’ll want to blend quickly for the best results. Once set they do not crease or fade on me and wear a solid eight hours without primer under them. I have a drier eye area so just take that into consideration when purchasing. If you do have an oily lid just make sure you apply primer and powder on your entire lid to absorb excess oil before application.

Milani Espresso Line Shadow Eyez Eyeshadow Pencil

Milani Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez Eyeshadow Pencil Cafe Au Lait

Milani Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez Eyeshadow Pencil Cafe Au Lait FOTD

Espresso Line

Milani Golden Bronze Shadow Eyez

Milani Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez Eyeshadow Pencil Golden Bronze

Milani Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez Eyeshadow Pencil Golden Bronze FOTD

Golden Bronze

Milani Sand Dunes Eyez Eyeshadow Pencil

Milani Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez Eyeshadow Pencil Sand Dunes

Milani Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez Eyeshadow Pencil Sand Dunes FOTD

Sand Dunes

Milani Almond Cream Shadow Eyez Eyeshadow Pencil

Almond Cream

Milani Black Ink Eyez Eyeshadow Pencil

Black Ink

Milani Cafe Au Lait Shadow Eyez Eyeshadow Pencil

Cafe au Lait

Milani Naturally Chic Shadow Eyez Swatches

Black Ink, Espresso Line, Cafe Au Lait, Almond Cream, Sand Dunes, Golden Bronze

Pigmentation varies from pencil to pencil but five of the six shades all have excellent color pay off. The only shade that runs a bit sheerer would be Sand Dunes, this shade is disappointing as it isn’t as true as the swatch you see on my arm and has a more subtle color on my lids. I think both Sand Dunes and Golden Bronze come across very frosty on my lids as well so pay proper care when blending to avoid this.

You can use the pencils to line with as well but I always find chubby pencils are challenging to use as an eyeliner so I think they are best suited to use as an all over eyeshadow.

Overall, some of these shades are stunning and well worth picking up at this price. They have excellent pigmentation, ease of application, and very good wear time without fading or creasing. The Naturally Chic selection of colors are a welcome addition to my collection, I just wish they weren’t available for a limited time! Hopefully Milani decides to move them to the permanent collection come Fall.

I didn’t compare these to my Urban Decay Pencils so I’m unsure if any are dupes for those shades.

I know many of you purchased them already!

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

And fav shades!

Do share!

musings_approved

This was provided to me by a brand for review but all opinions expressed are my own

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Amanda

    Ooo they look interesting, I can see the Almond Cream being a great eyeshadow base. Thanks for including shots of how they look on the eye, this helps me so much!

  • Sara

    I found these yesterday at my local Walgreens and bought 6! I have never spent $30 on drugstore makeup at once, but totally worth it!

  • Christina

    Just received all six from Milani today and they are gorgeous. Woo-hoo! May order more back-ups but I will try to find them in Walgreens first.

    • the Muse

      I was thinking I’d wait to see if walgreens got ’em but I said meh prob will find a stripped display so just went ahead and ordered my backups online ;-D what do you think of almond cream? 😀 that’s my fav!

  • Christina

    Haven’t had a chance to wear them yet but from the looks of things, I will be buying another Almond Cream and Cafe Au Lait. Also wanted to get another Sand Dunes but after reading about your experience with it, I may pass. BTW do you think Sand Dunes and Champagne (from the permanent collection) are similar?

    • the Muse

      Cafe Au Lait is worthy of a backup. Mmm not really, champagne seems more beige to me and this sorta light and silvery.

  • Christina

    Yeah, I think Sand Dunes leans more yellow and Champagne more pink, certainly different enough to warrant having it!

    • the Muse

      def some pink in there! It kinda goes silver on my eye though but still pretty for a more natural look! A little sheer though :-/

  • Tee

    can’t wait to try these out. Milani is my favourite drugstore line!!

  • amy

    Sand Dunes is sooo pretty, though! I’ll pick it up if I see it, along with Almond Cream. I think I can skip the others, as I have a TON of black, and I don’t do bronze. The two browns look worth some consideration, though…

  • HautePJ

    Ummm, these look gorgeous. I’m really loving the bronzey nude look. They sort of remind me of the MUFE eyeshadow pencils. Have you seen these at CVS yet? My local CVS are always so behind and some of their current end caps are so bare, I have to wonder if Milani is re-doing their displays for CVS.

    • the Muse

      hey pj unfortunately they are exclusive to only a few stores, walgreens being one but not cvs 🙁

      • HautePJ

        Doh! Sorry, I totally missed it that you had it in your post. Oh well, time to go hunt down some at a Walgreens!

  • Ashlee

    I think at minimum I need the matte browns. These look really great, and I love creams and mattes so it’s kind of a home run (esp. at this price)!

  • buggyness

    I purchased two different shades of these last fall and despite loving the colors, I found they made my eyes water and itch, making the shadow ultimately creep and crease. The urban decay shadow pencils do the same, so I’m thinking there’s a common ingredient in both I just can’t tolerate. 🙁

  • Joy

    Thank you Muse! I was going to get only the Cafe Au Lait but the Espresso looks so good on you so I gotta get that too. Not really a fan of beige eye bases but your love for Almond sold me. I appreciate you showing how the shades translate on the skin. Have a good weekend!

    • the Muse

      aw thanks joy so glad thise was helpful ;-D you as well!!!!!!!!!

  • Angel

    YAAAY! So happy Almond Cream is matte! I was sure it was gonna be frosty. Need to find this ASAP!

  • TwirlyGirly

    I get so frustrated with Milani and their LE collections. Here in RI, there just aren’t more than a couple of Walgreen’s that carry Milani at all (CVS carries the bulk of Milani here), let alone get any of the Milani LE stuff. We don’t have Fred Meyer or HEB in RI. So, if there’s something from a LE collection I want, and it’s exclusive to those stores, I’m forced to buy it online from Milani and pay for shipping. Very aggravating, Milani!

  • Jen_m_sunshine

    Can I just say how awesome almond cream is as an all over base color? New HG product for me! I REALLY hope they make these shades permanent!! I picked up 2 (1 for home and 1 for gym bag) and may have to go buy a couple more just in case! This is EXACTLY what I have been looking for!

    • the Muse

      I def picked up backups jen! totally MUST buy ;-D great shade!

  • OrangeLipstickBlog

    I’m going to be having these! Milani’s shadow pencils are my FAVORITE and I love the mattes in this collection! Must have.

  • mkdallas

    Just got 2 Cafe Au Laits (felt anxious that I would need a backup, lol) and an Almond Cream based on your rave. Not sure how I will use that one yet, but I’m feeling the love bigtime for Cafe Au Lait. At age 55 with brown eyes, I’ve left the dark liners and shadows behind, as they look too harsh on me. Cafe Au Lait can be applied really lightly to the lid for some color and then heavier under the lower lashes to act as a liner…good stuff and I look forward to reading your reviews every day, Muse! Thanks for your blog.

    • the Muse

      aw so happy you grabbed these dallas! do use almond cream as a base 😀 it’s perfect for brightening up eyes ;-D So glad you’re loving these. AWWW thank you for visiting me and commenting! 😀

  • ZG

    I am a Milani newbie and I will be purchasing these pencils for myself and my budding makeup kit.. thank you gurl..

  • TwirlyGirly

    I just received my order from Milani for Espresso Line, Cafe au Lait, and Almond Cream. I’m THRILLED! I did not purchase any of Shadow Eyez pencils previously, because of the shimmery finish (just didn’t find them very versatile). Milani was smart to release some neutral matte shades!

    About a year ago, I began having a issue with my eyes watering. For the life of me, I can’t figure out what causes it. When it happens, though, my eyeshadow is ruined. The Maybelline Color Tattoos have worked well for me, but they offer few matte shades and those shades don’t apply as well as the shimmer shades. Like the Color Tattoos, the Shadow Eyez are waterproof, and I am thinking they just might survive relatively unscathed should my eyes begin to water. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

    • the Muse

      twirly I think the original shades were also a little loud as well so it was nice to get matte AND natural shades in the same release so glad you’re happy 😀 I hope they are budge proof for you!

  • Brittany

    Anybody seen these locally in the southeast phoenix metro area?

  • Josie

    I’ve been to four Walgreens here in Maryland in the past few weeks and i can’t find these anywhere! So sad!

  • Crystal

    I bought this color in brown deluxe 3 years ago and have only purchased it twice within that time but still have been wearing it everyday I love it so much and now cannot find it anywhere! I bought online and figured I’d try a couple of their other colors and am spending quite a bit with shipping it is so very sad that they aren’t anywhere to be found physically ):