Milani Blush: Baked, Liquid and Matte Shades I Reach For

Milani Blush: Baked, Liquid and Matte Shades I Reach For

Milani blush is famous for the baked powder that starts as a cream dough on Italian terracotta tile. Here are the baked shades, the liquids and the matte rose powders I would wear, plus the blushes that sit best beside them.

Milani was founded in 2001 by an art teacher in Los Angeles who fell in love with the culture and creativity of the community but was frustrated by the lack of diversity in the drugstore makeup aisle. Ten years later the brand launched its Baked collection, in the spring of 2011, and the blush is still what people talk about. Milani blush in the baked formula is slow baked on Italian terracotta tile. Each one starts as a cream dough infused with shimmers and colors, then dries down into a silky powder with a natural, lit-from-within glow. The brand calls it America's number one baked blush, and adds grape leaf extract, olive fruit oil and up to 12 hours of wear.

The three shades in the collage are Luminoso, Dolce Pink and Berry Amore. Around them I would look at other baked blushes. Laura Geller Blush and Brighten in Tropic Hues swirls coral, gold and pink for medium skin tones, and Pink Grapefruit blends soft peach, bronze and warm pink. Saie SuperSuede in Stella is a bright coral and talc-free. Kosas Blush is Life in Hype is a warm poppy pink baked with squalane and hyaluronic acid. The ILIA Ethereal Baked Face Palette in Coastal Bloom puts a bronzer, highlighter and blush together with 8-hour wear.

A quick test: swirl a soft brush lightly over the pan and tap it off before you sweep it on.

Magazine page collage for Milani Blush: Baked, Liquid and Matte Shades I Reach For, featuring Milani, Kosas and Laura Geller
Milani Blush

Milani Baked Blush and other baked blushes

Liquid blushes in the spirit of Cheek Kiss

Liquid is the easy version of baked, and Milani has one too. Milani Cheek Kiss Liquid Blush in Pink Flirt and Cheeky Coral is a creamy liquid infused with pomegranate, rose extract and watermelon, and it works on cheeks or lips. YSL Make Me Blush Liquid in Berry Bang is a deep red berry and Fig Fantasy is a mauve pink, both liquid-to-powder with up to 12 hours of wear. ciele blush & PROTECT in Giselle is a rich berry mineral liquid with SPF 50+. Armani Beauty Cheek Tint in Berry Red is a radiant magenta with a natural finish. Make Up For Ever Artist Liquid Color in Dreamy Pink is a warm medium pink that is waterproof and transfer-proof with a semi-matte finish. Anastasia Beverly Hills Blurring Serum Blush is the one I would try next for its name alone.

Pairing tip: dot Cheek Kiss on first, blend it in, then dust a baked powder like Dolce Pink over the top for a glow that lasts.

What I would skip: putting a liquid blush over a dry, heavily powdered base. It grabs onto the powder, so blend it over skin or cream first.

Liquid blushes like Milani Cheek Kiss

Matte powders in the spirit of Rose

Matte powder is the cleanest, calmest way to wear blush. Milani Rose Powder Blush in Romantic Rose is a matte powder that gives cheeks a kissed by a rose glow, from soft to dramatic. HUNG VANNGO Very Beautiful in Single Mother is a poppy pink velvet powder with a cloud-matte finish. Dolce&Gabbana Cheeks&Eyes Match in Blissful Mauve is pink and does not crease on the eyelids, so it doubles for a monochrome look. Gucci Luminous Matte in Silky Rose is a soft rosewood in a pastel pink compact. Tower 28 GetSet Blur + Set in Samo Spritzer is a rosy mauve setting blush. The Colorful blush in Shame On You is a muted dusty rose, and NARS Talc-Free in Dominant is a matte poppy pink built to last up to 16 hours. Sigma Beauty Blush in Nearly Wild is the last one I would try.

How to wear it: sweep matte powder high on the cheekbone, then take what is left on the brush across the bridge of the nose.

What I would skip: a matte powder on very dry skin without moisturizer underneath. It can look flat, so prep first.

Matte powder blushes like Milani Rose

Baked, liquid or matte

Choose the format by how you like your face to feel. Baked powders like Milani Luminoso give a lit-from-within glow, liquids like Cheek Kiss are the quickest and most forgiving, and matte powders like Romantic Rose give the cleanest color. If you are not sure, pick a pink or rose near your natural flush and build from there. Milani blush works best when you go lighter than you think, place it a little higher, and blend until you cannot find the edge. Keep the lips quiet or wear the same shade there, since several of these work on both. Then let the color do the talking, and change the format with the season or the mood.