Friends, I've got another ridiculously exciting spring makeup launch to share with you! Milani is releasing not one, but two eyeshadow palettes that may just rival what you're used to seeing from high end brands. Most Loved Mattes is a collection of 12 matte shadows in everyday essential neutral tones, while Bold Obsessions has a mixture of mattes and metallics perfect for creating your next glam look. As soon as they appeared in the displays at my local Walmart I knew I needed to pick them up to review for you. So let's take a closer look!
One of the first and most noticeable things about these palettes is that Milani has really stepped up their packaging game. While black and gold are familiar colors to Milani products, the structure and design of these palettes definitely feels more high end than anything else I've seen them release. The palettes have a sturdy snap closure, a large, beautifully clear mirror, and keep everything perfectly compact with no excess packaging or wasted space.
Each palette contains 12 shadows, organized into coordinating columns of color. Not only is this visually appealing, but it also creates an easy guideline for those that feel a little less confident randomly picking colors. I also really appreciate that in each palette there is a warm, cool, and neutral column of colors, making them feel incredibly well balanced, yet diverse.
But before we get into more specifics, let's first address the elephant in the room. These palettes cost $20 a piece. That is no insignificant amount of money, especially when we're talking drugstore makeup. If you're a regular beauty shopper like myself, you've probably also noticed the narrowing gap between the prices of well-known drugstore brands and those you might see at Sephora. So if you're looking at these palettes and your first thought is, "Seriously, Milani?" I totally understand where you're coming from.
But let me put this out there. I do think there are beauty brands out there that are jacking up their prices without actually delivering an increase in quality just because they know people will buy whatever they release regardless of whether or not it's any good. I don't think this is one of those cases.
Considering the overall quality of the packaging, the design, and the shadows themselves, I think Milani priced these palettes pretty perfectly. It's also very easy to get caught up with bottom line at the drugstore without actually looking in to the value of what you're buying. Take the Maybelline City Mini Palettes, which at a retail price of $9.99 are half the cost of these Milani ones. Seems like a bargain, right? In actuality, your $10 only gets you 4 grams of product, and not that great product at that. These Milani palettes, on the other hand, have 12 grams of product each. Doing a little math wizardy, that puts the cost per gram at $2.50 for Maybelline, and only $1.67 per gram for Milani.
Long story short, yes these palettes are more of an investment, but you're also getting more product, better packaging, and better quality eyeshadows.
So let's first take a closer look at Bold Obsessions. If you're looking for an all-in-one palette that would be perfect for traveling as well as everyday use, this is a great pick. The mixture of matte and shimmer shades allow for a ton of creativity and are perhaps a little more dynamic than Most Loved Mattes.
When it comes to essential colors, this palette hits all the checkboxes. You get a matte bone shade, a matte black, a few different crease transitions, and a variety of shimmering and metallic shades in neutral and colorful tones. As I mentioned before, they're also organized in a way that makes it incredibly easy to make a look.
Your first column on the left is your go-to for a classic, everyday appropriate eye. The middle column has super trendy warm tones for something a little more fun and impactful. And the last column on the right has everything you need for a dramatic smokey eye. Of course you can also mix and match with all of the shades and get as creative as you want.
Quality wise I was very impressed with these shadows, especially knowing this is something coming from the drugstore. The matte shades have a very soft, buttery texture that are even in pigmentation and blend with ease. The metallic shades are a little chunky and crumbly, but they pack a ridiculously intense sparkle on the eyes. Gold-Getter in particular was prone to a lot of fallout, and would probably work best if tapped over a glitter primer that will really lock it into place. That being said, if one of your complaints is how lackluster most drugstore metallic shadows are, these are probably going to knock your socks off.
Now when it comes to Most Loved Mattes, the benefit of an all-matte palette might be a little less obvious (especially if you're a big fan of that pop of shimmer on the lid). In that respect yes, you'll need additional products to create your finished look, which may or may not be a bit of a hassle. At the same time, if you've got a drawer full of pigments, single shadows, and other fun glittery products you don't find yourself getting enough use out of, this palette may just provide the inspiration you need to finally make them a regular part of your routine.
There are mainly two things I love about this palette. The first is the actual quality of the shadows themselves. While I can sing their praises, the swatches above kind of speak for themselves. These shadows are incredibly smooth and pigmented, in a way that I feel is extremely comparable to high end brands. They're very easy to work with, which will make them friendly to makeup pros and novices alike.
The second thing is the color selection. It's that perfect balance of neutral, yet colorful, that actually gets me excited to create a look. Again, your first column on the left has your basic browns that are a staple in any collection. Then you have a column of cool toned purple shades (that are channeling the vibes of one of my favorite Laura Mercier palettes), and finally, a column of warm, peanut-buttery tones. Perhaps the one thing this palette does not have that the bold obsessions does is a matte black shade. Although to be honest, I don't feel like EVERY palette necessarily needs to take up a precious slot with a black shadow. Also, as someone that now owns both palettes, I'm happy to see that there isn't a ton of shade overlap or repetition.
I've had a lot of fun playing with these palettes lately, and honestly find myself more excited to reach for them than any of the expensive palettes I have lying around. I used the Bold Obsessions palette to create the look above, using the shade Can't Pink Straight on the browbone, Bare in Mind and Sweet As Honey as transitions in the crease, Gold-Getter and Blazing Hot on the lids, Sands of Time in the inner corner, and Little Black Dress as a liner. I did experience a bit of fallout from the metallic shades, which I applied with a short, dense shader brush. As I mentioned before, while you can still get a really impactful look applying these shades dry, using them wet or over a glitter primer will alleviate a lot of the mess.
I have to say, I am all for this trend of drugstore brands really upping their game as-per-late. Having better quality, affordable makeup options is never a bad thing in my book. If you're interested in picking up either of these palettes, I would highly recommend checking out your local Walmart for the updated display. They were being sold for only $14.97 a piece! While you definitely don't need to buy them both, I'm still amazed that I was able to purchase the pair for way less than what I'd spend on a single high-end palette. If either or both of these Milani palettes are calling to you, let me know in the comments down below. Which one would you pick up? Do you think its worth it to own both? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
