As someone with fair skin, bronzer is an absolute must in my makeup routine! It brings so much warmth and life to my skin. I don’t contour very much, but I appreciate neutral bronzers that can serve a dual-purpose to be used for a bit of contouring. The only bronzer in my collection for a very long time was the Milani Silky Matte Bronzing Powder in the lightest shade, which is that perfect neutral brown that I like. I hit pan on that bronzer recently, and started to look for other neutral bronzers that would also work well on my fair skin. I ended up ordering the Kiko Milano Mood Boost Matte Bronzer in my very first order from the brand!

Mood Boost is one of Kiko Milano’s collections launched earlier this year. I’m new to the brand so I’m not sure how long the Mood Boost products will be available, but I believe the “themed” collections are temporary. If you’re interested in trying this bronzer after reading my review, I recommend ordering it soon! 🙂

Kiko Milano Mood Boost Matte Bronzer product claims directly from KikoCosmetics.com

Compact bronzing powder with four shades (per compact) and a matte finish. Infused with a vanilla fragrance. Ideal for warming up the complexion, enhancing the facial features and achieving an instant, even “sun-kissed” effect. Exclusive lightweight and ultra-sensorial textures offer a comfortable application and an even finish, for a flawless result.

Disclosure: IntegriBeauty includes affiliate links within product review posts. I receive commissions for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Additionally, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. IntegriBeauty is independently owned and all products discussed within IntegriBeauty product review posts are thoroughly tested and given honest reviews.

Other product details

• Price: $17.00
• Net weight: 0.4 oz. | 14 g
• Made in Italy
• Cruelty-free
• Shelf life: 18 months
• Available in two shades
• Where to buy: KikoCosmetics.com 
  • Kiko Milano ships internationally, but there are unique websites for each country. When you visit KikoCosmetics.com, make sure the correct country is listed next to “My Country” at the bottom of the page. If it’s incorrect, click on the country name and it will bring up the full list of countries for you to select the correct option.
• Overall rating: 8.0/10
  • Inclusivity: 5/10
  • Packaging/ease of application: 10/10
  • Pigmentation: 8/10
  • Staying power: 10/10
  • Price: 7/10

Please note that I am not a makeup artist. The opinions expressed in this review are my own, as a regular person that loves makeup.

Inclusivity

Kiko Milano makes very good quality products, but I’ve noticed that the shade ranges for many products are lacking. Kiko Milano Mood Boost Matte Bronzer is unfortunately only available in two shades! Each option actually has four individual shades swirled together in the pan, but since the pan is not very large, it would be difficult to pick up the individual shades (especially the ones in the middle). Additionally, the four shades are very similar to each other. 

• 01 Sweet Honey is a light to medium warm brown
• 02 Neutral Sienna is a very light neutral brown (this is the shade I purchased)

Kiko Milano didn’t provide shade descriptions, but these are the descriptions I would give each shade option. As I said in my description of Neutral Sienna, the colors are very light. I think this option is absolutely perfect for fair skin, or even very fair porcelain skin. It would probably show up on light skin as well, but I think light and light medium skin tones would prefer the Sweet Honey shade.

The most obvious thing that’s wrong with this shade “range” is that it doesn’t go nearly deep enough!! I’m not sure if people with medium skin tones could make Sweet Honey work, and those with deeper skin tones definitely wouldn’t be able to use it. This is so disappointing! 

No one should be excluded, and many are being excluded with this puny selection of shades. The beauty world is waking up and more brands are finally realizing the importance of inclusivity; unfortunately, it seems Kiko isn’t there yet!

So, looking at the two available shade options… I think it was smart choosing to make Neutral Sienna have a neutral undertone, because it’s more likely to work for everyone with fair skin. Sweet Honey, however, might not work for everyone with light to light medium skin because it does look quite warm and that doesn’t appeal to everyone.

Adding deep shades should be the #1 priority, but I think Kiko should also add a shade similar to Sweet Honey that has a neutral undertone. Unfortunately, I don’t believe any shades will be added since I believe Mood Boost is a temporary collection.

Packaging/ease of application

That first section was a bit of a bummer, I know. Good news, though! In this section I have nothing but good things to say about Kiko Milano Mood Boost Matte Bronzer. 

The packaging is absolutely stunning, which isn’t surprising as Kiko is known for making beautiful packaging. The compact is a pretty blush pink color and made out of plastic, but it feels sturdy and has a “soft touch” finish so it feels like a luxury product. It also has a very nice mirror in the lid. This compact is very travel-friendly.

The bronzer itself is a very smooth fine powder. It’s easy to pick up just the right amount on a brush because the bronzer isn’t too soft. I never need to tap off excess product before applying to my skin. My favorite brush to use with this bronzer is my trusty EcoTools Blending & Bronzing Brush. Application is smooth so this bronzer never looks streaky or patchy.

Since I have the more neutral shade, Neutral Sienna, I’m also able to use it to subtly contour my cheekbones. The shade at the very top (closest to the mirror) is actually an ideal contour shade for me, so I try to focus my brush on that area when picking up bronzer to use for contouring.

Pigmentation

Kiko Milano Mood Boost Matte Bronzer is not very pigmented. People that are very skilled at applying bronzer may be bothered by formulas that aren’t very pigmented, but I actually think the lower pigmentation makes it much easier to apply. I can sort of go crazy with this bronzer and it never looks like too much!

To illustrate the pigmentation of this bronzer, I did four separate arm swatches. Going left to right, these swatches go from one swipe of bronzer to four swipes. As you can see, the first one is barely visible. Even on my fair skin, I have to build up this bronzer to make it visible on my skin. That’s partly because the shade is so light, but pigmentation is definitely a factor.

I appreciate the lower pigmentation for how easy it makes this bronzer to apply. However, I think it would’ve been nice if it had been formulated to be just a little bit more pigmented than it is. That’s because I have to spend more time building up this bronzer than I’m used to with the Milani Silky Matte Bronzing Powder.

Staying power

I have high expectations for my makeup’s staying power. I usually put it on in the morning and wear it for at least ten hours. Powder products generally last longer than creams, so my expectation for this bronzer to last was especially high. 

I wasn’t disappointed! I have never noticed any fading or change in how this bronzer looks on my skin, from the time I apply it to when I take it off at night. I don’t think about touching up my makeup most days, so I really appreciate that this bronzer is a “apply it and forget it” kind of product!

Price

If you’re not familiar with Kiko Milano, most of its products are quite affordable and would fall into the “drugstore price” category. Some Kiko products are definitely inching toward high-end prices and this is one of them. Kiko Milano Mood Boost Matte Bronzer is $17.00 for a pretty standard amount of product.

There are several bronzers from other cruelty-free drugstore brands that can be purchased for $10.00 or less. I think Kiko Milano Mood Boost Matte Bronzer is probably superior to many of them. The packaging is also prettier than other drugstore bronzers. However, I still think $17.00 is too expensive for this bronzer; $12.00 would probably be more appropriate.

---

Kiko Milano Mood Boost Matte Bronzer has some faults, but I have really enjoyed it so far. It’s one of the most beautiful makeup products that I own, which adds an extra element of fun to using it! I also like that I don’t need to be precise with this bronzer, and I can sweep it on until I achieve the look I’m going for. It really does provide the prettiest, most natural-looking glow.

Kiko’s product claims for the Mood Boost Matte Bronzer were spot on. This bronzer really does warm up the complexion and provide an even sun-kissed glow. The formula is also lightweight and easy to work with. I didn’t mention the fragrance before, but there is also a subtle vanilla fragrance as Kiko stated in the description. It is almost undetectable and I never smell it once it’s applied to my skin.

This is a really good bronzer. If one of the two shade options will work for your skin tone, and it’s in your budget, I definitely recommend it!

Have you tried the Kiko Milano Mood Boost Matte Bronzer or anything else from the Mood Boost collection? What about other bronzers from Kiko? Please comment below!

Lauren

---