That said, I've been hearing a lot about Milan Mineral Cosmetics, and how it aims to specialize on mineral makeup specifically for women of color. I am glad that this company chooses to focus on women of color, instead of becoming a jack-of-all-trades by making every conceivable shade in the mineral makeup spectrum. Not that there is anything wrong with that, oh no. It's just that it is absolutely refreshing to note that there is one company that focuses on a particular market, and it sets them distinctly apart from the rest. I had been meaning to obtain some samples from Milan, but my friend Dayna beat me to it when she sent me a RAOK (Random Act of Kindness) package filled with more than a dozen mineral foundation samples from Milan and Meow Cosmetics. She also sent me samples of Lumiere's Flawless Face foundation, and samples of her wonderful silicone primers she obtained from an online store. She is just one of the nicest, most generous individuals I've ever come across online, and I am really grateful for her sweetness and thoughtful packages.
I immediately tried the sample of Milan foundation in Julisa that Dayna sent me, only to find out that it looked horribly cakey and pale. I asked around for advice on which shades to try, and Lilita, the resident swatch chart queen, suggested mixing Caprice with Julisa. I also noticed the dense formulation of Milan is very similar to Monave's, so this afternoon I tried to apply it using my tried and tested Monave technique: I used a big, fluffy powder brush (Red Earth) and sweeped (as opposed to buff) the minerals across my face. I did two light layers and I was floored with the result: it did not turn up cakey, but utterly creamy and natural, just like Monave on me. Lilita was right, a mix of Julisa and Caprice was the key! Although as Lilita said, there is no darker Julisa in the Milan line, I am still hoping that Milan would come up with one. I want to try Olivia because it might be a match, but Lilita said it is too dark on her skintone and since we almost have the same skin color, I am iffy about trying it out.
Have you sometimes felt so tired of trying mineral samples left and right, only to find out that the shades are so wrong for you? Well, I have. Enters Jen, one of the friendliest and nicest gals I've ever come across on various mineral makeup forums. She specializes in color profiling, or looking at pictures of a person taken under direct sunlight to determine their undertones. Such determination would ultimately help in picking the correct shades and undertones in a myriad of mineral makeup products. I sent her a couple of pictures of my bare face under direct sunlight with no cloud cover, and she told me she sees "creamy yellow, creamy peach, a medium peach and kind of an olivey (think olive oil) creamy yellow". She also told me she would give me a more in-depth profile later. Isn't that wonderful? Knowing your EXACT undertones (and not just vague "yellow", "pink" or "neutral" descriptions) will tremendously lessen trial and errors and will help you find your Holy Grail ("HG") mineral foundation faster.
Finally, how will I be able to channel these thoughts to your computer monitors if I don't have this blog? I am also grateful for my techie friend, Sophie, my wonderful mineral makeup sister, who makes the best mineral makeup and beauty websites ever. Whenever I need to ask about a technical question regarding my blog, she answers in a heartbeat and instantly helps this pathetic HTML-challenged author. She was a finalist in the beauty and fashion category in the recent Philippine Blog Awards, and I'm so proud of and happy for her. That just shows that I am not the only one who sees her innate talent and creativity for whipping up the most eye-catching and coolest sites that attract her target audience. I am so glad this bunch of wonderful ladies came across my way. Living a mineral makeup addict's life is certainly easier with these gals around! Thank you SO much ladies!! I owe you one (or two)...
Isn't my face a little too pink? (or is that my shirt I'm seeing?)
Pure Luxe cream eraser as primer
Milan mineral foundations in Julisa mixed with Caprice
Mary Kay undereye concealer in Ivory topped with
Bare Escentuals Well Rested
Bare Escentuals mineral veil
J.Lynne Latin Rhythms Soft Silk blush in Samba
MAC Pearl Blossom beauty powder (Barbie collection)on top of blush
MAC Enriched Refined Bronzer to contour
Lips:
Rimmel 1000 Kisses stay-on lipliner in Tiramisu
MAC lipstick in Viva Glam V
MAC lustreglass in Instant Gold
Eyes:
MAC Beige-ing shadestick as base
MAC Whistle eyeshadow to highlight
Fyrinnae Professional Color pigment Macabre on lid
LaurEss Eye Lights in Scintillating crease and outer V
MAC fluidline in Graphic Brown
Maybelline Volume Express Turbo Boost mascara
3 comments
Wow. I might have to try your application method. I've been using my kabuki to buff in Milan. I definately don't get such flawless coverage.
A fluffy powder brush you say?
-geminisc
Hi Aileen - this is such a great post! Thank YOU for inspiring me on this mmu adventure! I love reading your blog and looking at your photos (... and wishing I had better makeup skills :)). I am definitely going to try using a fluffy powder brush with Milan. That's a very useful tip - Lili
geminisc - Yes, a fluffy brush would be a great way to apply seemingly dense MMU formulations like Monave and Milan. Don't buff, just lightly "sweep" the minerals over your face. Thanks for visiting!
lili- Thanks girl, you're my inspiration as well. Though I do know how to write (I hope), I can never conjure up words to describe such complex MMU shades. I can also never do charts as good as yours. And yeah, do try the fluffy powder brush, and as I said, don't buff, just "sweep". =)
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