While perusing the makeup aisle at Walgreens looking for some fun additions before a work holiday party, I wandered over to the Milani section which I must admit, I’ve never taken seriously because it’s all the way in the back. I pass my trusty go-tos long before I reach their products, which is next to the off-brands and hodge podge of nail/tweezers/cotton balls.
I have been hearing more and more about Milani’s quality drugstore items and I was in the mood for a new highlighter, so I snatched this one up. And I must say, if this product is an indication of Milani products in general, well it’s time I get on the fan-girl bus!
What is Milani Strobelight Instant Glow Powder
Milani’s Strobelight Instant Glow Powder is a finely milled highlighting powder that comes in an impressive array of colors – seven to be exact. There’s a great chance that you can find one that works with your skin tone, and that you can experiment with for different looks. It’s best used to highlight the high points of the face and body (much like bronzer, you use it where light would reflect off your skin) and to give you a soft – or high wattage – sheen. Highlighters provide a “dewiness” effect which can make skin look younger, more awake. It is also a nice final trick to a contour job to help further emphasize the good – eyes, bridge of the nose, lips – and divert the eyes away from problem areas.
I tend to have dehydrated, oily skin and use a lot of emollient products, so highlighters aren’t something I use everyday. But, when I’m going glam or feel winter dryness sucking the life from my face, I appreciate the look that a good one can provide. I surprised myself by reaching for a powder because I’m borderline obsessive about not putting anything powdery by my impending crow’s feet so I’ve gone the liquid route in the past. But for the price and the sheer curiosity, into my basket it went.
First Look & Packaging
I went with the color 01 Afterglow because I’m fair-skinned and I believe it was the last one left which hints at its popularity. The presentation of the product itself was nice; it has a raised swirl pattern to it which picks up light and also provides additional texture to help lift the product from the pan onto the brush. Typical to your average drugstore product the packaging is just fine. That’s it. Just fine. No frills here but it was sturdy enough at the hinge and was easy to hold. It didn’t come with a mirror or a brush which is not a deal breaker for me. I don’t do my highlighter on the go and the brushes you get are generally junk but if you’re looking at a convenience factor and those things are important to you, what you see is what you get.
Application
I used a typical blush brush and first lightly swirled it in one circle around the pan. I do this for all products especially the first time because I had no idea how sparkly or opaque this would be and to make sure I pick up any variance in color throughout the pan. I then started at my upper cheek bones (and cringed while putting powder here…I digress), swiped it back and forth in a diagonal line to follow my cheek bones and then blended by changing that to a C shape – bit under my eye area and up around my temples and brow.
I was impressed at how buttery this came out. No glitter, no dusty chalkiness. Because I was feeling frisky I did one more light pass just the same and came out with an impressive “lit from within” look to my skin. I then proceeded to do the same down the bridge of my nose, a dot on my chin, a smidge in the middle of my forehead by my nose, and my collar bones.
Pro tip: use a shadow brush, dip it into your highlighter, and trace your Cupid’s bow (where your top lip dips) and bottom lip, and add a dab to the middle of both of your lips. Make sure to blend it out. This will help accentuate your lips without using a gloss. Get multiple uses by using it as a brow highlight or inner-corners of your eyes. You can also give yourself some quick dimension and all-over glow by using a big brush and running it down your shoulders/arm, and front of your legs. I recommend using a different pan for your face and body, however.
I did use this another time and added more than a light second layer. It gave me that Instahighlight that really caught the light. It was more bold than I like to go with my highlighter, but wasn’t garish, still blended nicely and proved you can get some serious color pay-off with this little gem.
Overall Thoughts
For $10 at .3 oz which will last me forever, and the convenience of finding this at any drugstore (if it’s in stock) I think this is a fantastic buy. The highlight is versatile to fit lots of different looks for different occasions (yes, you’ll light up the floor at your unce unce unce club if you want!). It’s fun for baby-faced glowsters, and also very age-appropriate for the um shall I say “slightly more matured” woman or man. It has no glitter or sparkles, and was very buildable. You will want to be moisturized before using this, but it did not dry me out, settle into fine lines or accentuate texture issues. This is #1 of importance to me as an aging woman with large pores.
New Year’s is right around the corner and is a perfect opportunity to have some fun with your routine to ring in the new year. I may grab up one of the golden colors to try something new. In the meantime, I’m going to keep Milani on my radar as a strong contender for amazing drugstore finds!
Overall: 4/5
Packaging: 3/5
Price: $$$$$
Have you used Milani products or have a highlight tip you love? Drop us a line in the comments.
ReadHead by Roux Atelier 