A Budget Beauty Series Special - Milani Glimmer Stripes And A Giveaway - CLOSED

I'm a huge lover of budget beauty products. Don't get me wrong I think high end products are amazing and I'd probably still buy them if I could afford them but 9 times out of 10 now I can't. One product that I've lusted after for the longest time is a Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick. I own one limited edition shade Platinum Pink that my mum got me from the CCO but retailing at between £32 and £35 each their not an on a whim purchase for me anymore. The Shimmer Brick holds an iconic place in make up history - 5 different stripes on toning shimmery colour, that can be used on the eyes, cheeks and on the body.

High street and budget make up though is fabulous for picking up on high end trends and technology, and every manufacturer from George, to Me Me Me have brought out their own shimmer brick dupes. I already have one from George, but recently I acquired a few more courtesy of Poundland. As I said in a previous post Poundland has pulled off a major coup in my opinion in stocking products from American budget brand Milani. 

Milani's version of the Shimmer Brick is called Glimmer Stripes All Over Colour, and apart from the less glamorous packaging they look pretty similar. Each variant contains 5 stripes of colour, usually ranging from the lightest to the darkest or brightest. Again they can be used on the eyes, and cheeks and even the body for a touch of shimmery highlight or colour. There were quite a few shades to choose from but I went for the 3 that I felt I would get the most use out of.

Milani Glimmer Stripes All Over Color - 10 Berry Glimmer

When we think of a striped powder the first thing we think of I guess is bronzer. This one is different and I think that's why I went for it. Berry Glimmer contains 5 varying shades of pink, and coral toned shimmery powder.

The first shade is a neutral ivory shade shot through with a pink duo chrome, you then get a nude, pink bronze, then a coral, then a brown, plum bronze, then a hot pink.

I've taken the swatch pictures with a flash so you can get a full idea of the shimmer content, each shade can be picked out individual to uses as an eye colour, or you can swirl the colours together to get a sort of pink, bronze shade.

This palette made a great blush come highlighter for me. Here I've used an angled brush to apply the lightest shade to my cheek bones and the darker and brighter colours as a blusher.

I think this gives a really pretty flush of pink to the cheeks, from looking at the palette you would think that this could be quite garish, but despite the pigmentation it's not, it just looks fresh, shimmery and pretty. 

Of the 3 palettes that I got for some people this one would probably be the least versatile. Not many people would probably wear bright pinks and corals on the eyes, but don't write it off completely, The first 2 shades are very wearable and subtle on the eyes as you can see here, but you could also use the 4th shade which contains a bit of plum, and a bit of bronze, and reminds me a bit of warmer, shimmery MAC Cranberry.

This is a really pretty palette for a quick blush, highlighter look all in one, and I super pleased that I picked it up x 

Milani Glimmer All Over Color - 07 Cocoa Glimmer

Of the three that I picked up this is probably the scariest looking for me. It is without doubt a blush for darker skins or for me a bronzer.

This palette again contains 5 stripes of colour, ranging from an iridescent cream with bronze and gold shot through it, to various shades of brown based pinks and bronzes.

All of these shades could of course be used individually but swirled together they give a really pretty shimmery coppery shade.

I'm a bit scared of dark bronzers but despite the fabulous pigmentation this gave a really pretty tanned bronze look, I've tried it swirled all over my cheeks, which gave a lovely shimmer sun kissed look. For me personally though the based way I found to use this was to use, a wide square brush (I used a Benefit boxed powder brush) and brushed it over the palette to pick up every colour individually. I think angled the brush so the palest shade ended up on my cheek bones and the rest of the colours worked as a blush / bronzer and as a fabulous contour shade.

As well as one the cheeks, this palette is also really versatile and all of the colours could be used on the eyes. By using some of the darker shades you could create quite a dramatic cocoa bronze look but here I've used the two palest shades, to create a daytime neutral gold look x 

I have to say that from being a bit apprehensive about some of the shades in this palette, I've grown to love it and it's versatility. Admittedly I have a bit of a tan at the moment which I think helped. I'm not a 100% sure that this will work so well as a cheek colour for me in the winter, but I'll happily use it as an eye palette.

Milani Glimmer Stripes All Over Color - 05 Honey Glimmer

I'll make no apologies for this but I've saved the best till last in my opinion, I'm a mad crazy golden, bronze highlighter lover and this one like Dior's Amber Diamond, ELF's Golden Bronzer and Prestige's Mineral Bronzer fits the bill to perfection.

The colours in this palette are a lot paler, and a lot more golden in tone. The start of again with a creamy ivory shade packed full of iridescence, then you get a shimmer peach shade, a nude shade with just a touch of copper, then a full on copper colour, and finally a shimmery dark brown again with copper hints.

All of these shades work perfectly on their own, but swirled together they produce a beautiful golden peach shade.

Every single shade in this palette works amazingly well as a subtle shimmery eye colour. Here I've used the first 3 shades.

For me the words all over colour ring true, I think these shades swirled together will look fabulous on the shoulder or the decolletage for a hint of warmth and shimmer, and predictably it also makes a fabulous warm cheek colour. I've preferred to use this one swirled together but you could also use it with a slanted or square blush to automatically place the colour in the right place.

This is the palette that I've used the most so far, I love that slightly shimmer warmth that it gives, and since I've been wearing a lot of neutral colours it's worked to perfection.

I know shimmer isn't for everyone and with my pores maybe I shouldn't be as addicted to it as I am but if you love shimmer in your blush and bronzer, and in your eye colour, then you could do a lot worse than have a look in your local Poundland for these x

If you don't have a Poundland near you though or if you can't find these, don't despair I picked up a spare one in my favourite shade 05 Honey Glimmer which one of you lucky ladies can win.

That's not all though, in a recent haul post you may have seen a fabulous British themed set of earrings that I got from Primark. Well I got another set of those too :) 

All you need to do is be a follower of my blog somehow. This giveaway is open worldwide, and will be open till next Monday Just fill in the form to win xx 

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Thanks for reading and if you have any questions please leave me a comment xx