Milani Shadow Eyez – review, photos and swatches
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Beat the heat with these budge-proof, smudge-proof shadow liners
photos: we heart this
I love a cream shadow. I have oily eyelids and I find that while powder shadows are typically fabulous, they crease on me like nobody’s business unless I use a primer. Cream shadows typically do a gradual fade and leave none of the creasing or traveling that a powder does, so there are no obvious telltale signs that my eye makeup is doing a vanishing act.
So, I consider myself somewhat of an aficionado of cream shadows. At the very least, I know of what I speak. Imagine my delight when I received Milani’s new Shadow Eyez.
These cream shadow/liner sticks ($6.99 each) are right up my alley and exactly the type of product I gravitate towards – a multi-purpose shadow and liner stick that promises to last 12 hours. Challenge accepted! (I say this a lot when I’m testing a new product, mostly because I’m asinine and mostly because I honestly want to see if a product delivers on its promise.)
Available in six scrumptious shades, the review team had a chance to see all of them in action:
Winter White, Champagne Toast, Brown Deluxe, Royal Purple, Aquatic Style, Green Safari
Winter White – icy white shimmer, metallic finish
Champagne Toast – pale champagne shimmer, metallic finish (and a alternative for Urban Decay Sin)
Brown Deluxe – deep, dark bronzey brown, pearl finish
Royal Purple – deep, pure purple with a violet sheen, pearl finish
Aquatic Style – bright aqua blue shimmer, pearl finish (another Urban Decay alternative, this time for Clash)
Green Safari – vivid medium emerald green, pearl finish
Winter White, Champagne Toast, Brown Deluxe, Royal Purple
The colors are gorgeous in person and I’m sure everyone can find a shade to flatter their eye color or complexion. I did a comparison swatch test at home of these versus Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-on Shadow Pencil. I was happy to find a few alternatives, and I’ve stated which ones are nearly identical above, to the UD pencils I currently own.
My first impression is that you have about 20 seconds of blending before this SETS. Once set, neither the Milani nor Urban Decay pencils budge. Then I added water. Slowly, but surely the Urban Decay pencils sort of melted away as I rubbed. The Milani pencils did not budge. Then I added hand soap and rubbed. A teensy bit of budge. Then I added more soap and a washcloth and SCRUBBED. Finally, it all came off. Impressive.
Brown Deluxe, Royal Purple, Aquatic Style, Green Safari
Next, I chose to take Green Safari for a 12-hour test drive. The color is a bright and shocking green that was a little intimidating at first, but it did great things for my green/yellow hazel eyes. I used primer on my right eye and none on the left. Then I set a timer for an hour and went about my day.
At the first hour, I had some slight fading on only the eye with primer, but zero creasing and zero traveling, even on the smudge of green I slicked under my eyes (normally I can’t wear liner ever on my lower lashes because traveling is a way of life for my eye liner).
After four hours, I had more uniform fading on both eyes, especially in the middle of my lid, but nothing noticeable unless you were looking for it. At six hours, the color looked slightly lighter, but still visible. At eight hours, it was still there, not as vibrant as it was when I first applied it, but it hadn’t completely vanished or traveled all over the place like most shadows do on me by then.
I ended up cutting my test drive short, but I figure eight hours is a standard work day, so be confident that you’ll get some serious wear time out of these! I can’t wait to check the comments and see if any review team members or wht readers took the 12-hour challenge with Milani’s latest. I’m curious as to how these wore on someone with less oily lids.
So, my impressions are that a girl can get a solid 8 hours from Milani’s Shadow Eyez, with even the oiliest of lids, and still look fairly fresh. The color wore down from intimidating to a lovely wash of green after the first hour and stayed there, which was a nice surprise.
Pros:
• Colors are water-proof and don’t budge much once set
• Shades are gorgeous
• High end colors and formulas at drugstore prices
Cons:
• You really need to work to get this off
we heartsters – have you discovered Milani’s budge-proof Shadow Eyez? What are your favorite summer heat and humidity proof products?
Krista currently lives in a semi-haunted house in New England with her hubby/best friend and obscenely big-eared dog. She thinks the world would be a better place if people smiled more and ate more dark chocolate. She is a firm believer that humor can be found in everything and that Tom Selleck’s moustache has healing properties…
Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.
I bought the green a few weeks ago and I love how vivid the color is, it is really strong. They do set within 20 seconds so you need to have brush in hand if you’re going to try to smudge them at all. I definitely want other colors. I also find that if you remove it with baby oil it comes off in an easy swipe!
I tested the beautiful Aquatic Style and Winter White, and you nailed everything I loved about these pencils in your review, @krista . Interesting that you compare these pencils to UD’s much more expensive versions– that’s exactly what they reminded me of! Their smoothness, bright pigments, staying power are all top notch. I used a non-oily remover and had to scrub a bit to remove them, but an oil-based remover did swoop the color right off just like @dwj1 said. Winter White is great for highlighting, and Aquatic Style is my favorite fun liner this summer. And I’ll be picking up Green Safari for sure! 5 stars for yet another beauty bargain from Milani.
These were pretty terrific for staying power and the colors are gorgeous–definitely an affordable option if you can’t bring yourself to drop the $$$ for the UD.
Sadly, I noticed while doing my test run that I’m allergic to these lovely Milani cream shadow pencils. I previously had an allergic reaction to some of their lipglosses with shimmer and I’m thinking the shimmer in these may be the culprit once again. I was kind of scared because I’ve never had an allergic reaction to an eye product before (and there have been many in my decades in this world). I didn’t understand what was happening until later in my test run. I ended up with swollen, watery, & itchy eyes, and hives on and around my lids—the skin around my eyes was a dark pink for 2 days afterwards and my lids ended up dry and scaly for a week. It was unexpected. So, on that note–if you were one of the folks allergic to the shimmer in their gloss, maybe be careful with these. My forearm test swatch didn’t turn up with instantaneous hives like they did with the lip gloss, so I thought I was safe on these. I was wrong. Overall, these get 4 stars from me because they’re awesome other than that pesky allergic reaction.
I have been using the champagne shadow stick in my inner corner and a little on the outside of my bottom lid and within the week the skin around my eyelids have swollen, itchy and scaly too. It is the metallics they use because I get the same with any sparkly Wet n Wild eyeshadows too. It sucks because I love the way it looked too. :(
I think these little liners are my favorite Milani products yet. First of all, I love the pigmentation and bright colors – just look at those swatches. And if you are the type that your eye makeup seems to just disappear after a few hours, these are for you. My oily eyes didn’t know what hit them! Even with the heat and humidity of summer, these colors stayed on my eyes.
I tested two shades Brown Deluxe and Royal Purple and was very happy with both. I use Brown Deluxe (a nice deep medium brown with a golden tinge) for everyday wear. For me, it works well as either an eye shadow all over the lower lids and does double duty as a thick liner. The Royal Purple is more of a special occasion color for me. It’s bright, but not neon bright, so it adds a great dash of summer color without looking clownish.
As mentioned, you only have a little bit of time to smudge these colors, so you do need to work quickly. But once in place, they stay put. For the fab colors, great formula and low price the Milani Shadow Eyez are 5 star worthy.
These are really amazing looking and such vibrant color eye liners! Wow wee! I would love to get the Brown Deluxe and maybe the Green Safari and for only $6.99 each… come on, that’s unbelievable!
I also tested Brown Deluxe and Royal Purple – and they are spot on perfect colors for my light brown/amber eyes. The brown is a perfect every day thick liner/all over lid color with extra oomph glisten – really, really pretty. I am wearing it often this summer. I’ve only worn the purple a couple times because it’s pretty intense – you’ve really got to want those eyes to be noticed, and not mind the thick liner. I’d usually go with a much thinner line for that intense of a color. My three year-old kept talking about my bright purple eyes all day when I wore it and it was only on as a liner. But it’s a gorgeous color. I also have fairly oily lids and these last on me all day – they are tough to get off. On my lazy nights when I’ve not used my oil-based remover at night…they are still there in the morning. Great color saturation, beautiful shimmer, and long-lasting for the price. 5 stars from me.
I’ve tried out a few kinds of eyeshadow crayons (MAC, Urban Decay, and NYX) and I’m pretty impressed with Milani’s Shadow Eyez! I tested Royal Purple and Green Safari. The colors are gorgeous, highly pigmented, and really longwearing (especially when over primer). Although I prefer twist up options, these are easy to sharpen with a jumbo sharpener. They are a little difficult to blend, and they felt a little heavy on my lids, but they’re still really good as far as eyeshadow crayons go! And the price is definitely right. I like that there’s neutrals as well as brights. I definitely prefer them to any MAC Smoke & Shadow or NYX eyeshadow crayons, but Urban Decay edges them out for top spot, since UD has more colors. Four stars.
Ok, so I was given Safari Green to sample. I am not going to lie to you the color totally intimidated me. The packaging makes it look a bit darker and less jungley, but I went for it! The color went on so smooth and even. I used it as a liner because I was still a little scared to put it on my whole lid as a shadow. I used a nice neutral shadow and the pop of green really brightened everything up. I gave the liners a 4 out of 5. Can not beat the quality and price of this liner. My only downside is that the colors were a bit too bright for me for everyday use.
Liner is a perfect way to add bold color to your look. Before you know it, you’ll be doing full on tropical Macaw eyes!
I am with Tyna, I think these are my favorite Milani product to date! I tried out the Champagne Toast and Brown Deluxe, and both looked great with my dark brown eyes. They have awesome staying power, which was very impressive, since my oily skin causes shadows to disappear quickly. I like the Brown Deluxe on my lids, it’s a beautiful color, but what I was most excited about was the Champagne Toast. This light shimmer works absolutely PERFECT in the inner creases of my eyes to get the waken up, gorgeous highlight and glow. It adds that little touch that makes my eyes POP! I love it, and will buy it again and again! The only downside is they are hard to get off. But, they go on great have a nice price and beautiful colors….5 stars from me!
I think these are hands down amazing! I kept Green Safari, the most beautiful shimmering emerald, and Brown Deluxe, deep bronzey brown. But let me say, if you like purples – Royal Purple is to DIE for.
They’re creamy, vibrant and wear all day long. Seriously, for $6.99 it’s such a steal I feel like I should send Milani a check!
I have to agree with some of the other team members – these are in my top three of my favorite Milani products of all time. 5 stars!
I figured you’d kept the green shade, @stef . You are the only person who may be more obsessed with green shadow than me. And I didn’t think that was a possibility ;)
In love with Champagne Toast and Brown Deluxe! going on the to-buy list =]
I tested out Green Safari and Winter White, and I echo what the other testers have said- WOW! I have pretty oily eyelids and I almost always need a primer to keep eyeshadow from slicking off but Milani Shadow Eyez held fast.
Winter White, with a lot of smudging, is a fantastic highlighter for the brow bone and even on cheekbones! I’ve taken to using it on my lower water line and the inner corner of my eyes to brighten and look more awake. It’s FANTASTIC! I tend to absentmindedly wipe at my inner eyelid (I get a lot of hives there from allergies) and I’m always wiping away my liner. Shadow Eyez stays put!
Safari Green is BRIGHT and beautiful. When wearing it as full on eyeshadow it wears away just a tiny bit but evenly and without creasing, which is crucial for such bright colors. I tend to wear it as liner more than shadow (because I have an office job that requires me to be taken seriously) and I love that it can do double duty so easily. Also, it’s really great for the waterline.
Milani does it again! 5 stars from me, easily.
I tried Aquatic style…it’s bright, super-smooth and lasts long with primer. I did use this more as an accent/liner and less like a shadow, though. It looks great above black liner on a slightly shimmery or matte brown lid. This glides on and the intensity of the color stays throughout the day. 5 stars. Milani is really giving high-end cosmetics a run for the money!
I got to try Aquatic Style and Winter White and I have to say that @krista is spot on in her review! These babies are vivid, and they do not budge. I’d say Winter White and Aquatic Style are exactly as pictured in those swtaches, and they stay that vivid for a extended time if you don’t smudge or blend before drying. It does take a bit to get off, but if you’re looking for color with staying power, this has it! And not only do I love the formula, but I love the price; it gives me a chance to get colors that I normally wouldn’t splurge on. Brown Deluxe is on my list for purchase…and since I’m there, I might as well get Royal Purple, RIGHT??
Five stars from me! I have no issue with these babies…
I have this in Champagne Toast. I have to admit, I was a little wary of the color and how it might turn out on my skin at first, but in the end, I love it. Since it’s a lighter and shimmery color, this can definitely double as a highlighter. I put a little on my finger and smugged it along my brow bone and inner corner of my eyes and it provided a great little pop. 4 stars for me for versatility alone!