Bronzed luminous skin is a look that many of us are after. That kind of look is especially popular in the summer months. However, I don’t see why this trend shouldn’t continue all year long for those that enjoy that kind of look! Until this summer that just ended, I exclusively wore matte bronzers. I felt that they were a better choice for my combination skin. However, I’d been eyeing the Milani Baked Bronzer (which has a shimmer finish) for quite some time simply because I heard several influencers on YouTube talking about it. Well, I finally gave in and tried it a couple of months ago!
While I still very much enjoy my matte bronzers, I’ve had fun testing Milani Baked Bronzer. I don’t have anything else like it in my makeup collection. I do have two of the Milani Baked Blushes and enjoy them very much, so I was almost certain that I’d like their Baked Bronzer formula as well.
In today’s post, I’ll be providing a detailed review of Milani Baked Bronzer. I’ll cover many aspects of this product such as inclusivity, packaging, pigmentation, staying power, and price. If you’re interested in Milani Baked Bronzer, please continue reading!
Milani Baked Bronzer product claims directly from MilaniCosmetics.com
When it comes to bronze brilliance — we’re all about the baked. Our Baked Bronzer will give your face a perfect glow and your complexion a bold, warm vibe. As part of our baked makeup series, this bronzer has been baked on Italian terracotta tiles. Part of a power couple with our Baked Blush, the Milani Baked Bronzer offers a streak-free glow with a smart shimmer finish. Choose from diverse color options like a hypnotic soft gold or a tantalizing electric tan. All three flattering shades give a glamorous vibe that always looks authentic and fresh. Our baked bronzer gives you a natural, lit-from-within luminosity — it’s light done right.
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Other product details
- Price: $9.99
- Net weight: 0.25 oz. | 7 g
- Made in Italy
- Cruelty-free
- Vegan
- Shelf life: 18 months
- Available in three shades
- Where to buy: MilaniCosmetics.com or Amazon.com (currently only available in two shades on Amazon)
- MilaniCosmetics.com ships internationally, but they currently don’t ship to Mexico, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain, Iraq, or Turkey.
- Overall rating: 8.4/10
- Inclusivity: 6/10
- Packaging/ease of application: 10/10
- Pigmentation: 8/10
- Staying power: 9/10
- Price: 9/10
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
Milani Baked Bronzer is available in three shades. That’s not unusual for drugstore brands. However, I don’t think it’s enough. I’ll list the available shades below. Milani unfortunately doesn’t provide shade descriptions. I’ll do my best to describe them, but I highly recommend that you take a look at the photos of all three shades on Milani’s website before choosing one for your own skin tone.
- 04 Glow: Light gold shimmer (this is the shade that I purchased)
- 05 Soleil: Slightly deeper gold shimmer compared to “Glow”
- 09 Dolce: Golden tan shimmer (this is the deepest shade)
I’m curious if there used to be more shades since the numbers skip from “05” to “09.”
You can probably guess this since all three of these bronzers are golden shades, but they are all quite warm. The “Glow” shade works well on my fair neutral skin to warm up my complexion. However, I think those with cool-toned skin may find these bronzers to be too warm.
In these photos, you can see how “Glow” looks applied to my skin. I should’ve probably taken all four photos in natural light, but I hope you can still see how much this bronzer warms up my skin. It gives me a lovely glow!
As far as the depth of these shades go, it looks like there is some range, but it’s minimal. “Glow” is quite light and good for fair skin, but may not work on light skin. I assume that “Soleil” and “Dolce” would work for light and medium skin tones, respectively. Unfortunately, I don’t think any of these shades would work for those with tan to deep skin.
Milani Baked Bronzer is not a new product, and Milani isn’t a small brand. For those reasons, it’s hard for me to understand why they only offer three shades in this product. I think Milani should seriously consider adding at least a few more shades in this range so there are options for every skin tone. Part of Milani’s product philosophy is to offer products that meet the needs of every skin tone, but in that regard, I think they dropped the ball with this product.
Packaging/ease of application
If you’ve tried any of the Milani Baked Blushes, the packaging for Milani Baked Bronzer is very similar. Just like the blushes, these bronzers come in a gold compact that looks like it could be high-end. The lid is easy to open while also snapping closed securely.
There are a couple of differences in packaging between the blushes and bronzers. The bronzers contain about twice as much product as the blushes, so the compact is larger. Also, the blush compacts have hidden compartments underneath the blush, containing a brush and mirror. I’ve always found the brush and mirror to be very unnecessary, so I was happy to find that the bronzer packaging doesn’t have that hidden compartment.
I like to use my trusty EcoTools Blending & Bronzing Brush to apply Milani Baked Bronzer. It’s actually the only bronzer brush I own, because it does a great job applying every bronzer I’ve ever owned. Since this is a baked bronzer instead of a standard powder bronzer, it isn’t a very powdery formula. That means you can swirl a brush in this bronzer without coming away with too much product. I never need to tap off excess bronzer before applying it to my skin.
Milani Baked Bronzer doesn’t feel buttery smooth if you dip your finger into the pan, unlike the Milani Silky Matte Bronzing Powder. Fortunately, that doesn’t translate to application. This bronzer applies smoothly to the skin and never looks patchy. I get an even application with this bronzer every time.
One thing worth noting that isn’t directly related to ease of application–the only part of my face where this bronzer sometimes doesn’t look quite right is on my forehead. That’s because I have a wrinkle on my forehead less than an inch south of my hairline and the subtle shimmer in this bronzer makes it stand out more than it normally would. I generally don’t have any other types of texture on my skin, but I think this formula has the potential to emphasize texture anywhere on the face.
Besides the minor issue with my forehead wrinkle, I’m always happy with how Milani Baked Bronzer looks on my skin. It’s easy to apply and gives me a bronzy glow that makes my skin look healthy.
Pigmentation
Milani Baked Bronzer isn’t nearly as pigmented as the other bronzers in my collection. In these arm swatches of my shade “Glow,” you can see that it is very light. The swatch on the left is only one swipe, while the one on the right is three or four (I wanted to build to maximum opacity).
While I wish this bronzer was very slightly more pigmented, the low pigmentation actually makes it easier to use on my fair skin. If it was highly pigmented, I’d need to be cautious when applying this bronzer, and use only a very small amount. As it is, I can’t really go wrong with this stuff! I build it up until I achieve the look I’m going for, but it never looks like too much.
Staying power
It’s rare that I think about reapplying or touching up my makeup, so I have high expectations for most of my makeup products to last all day. I’m very happy to report that Milani Baked Bronzer’s staying power is really good!
I usually wear my makeup for 9-12 hours and I notice only a minimal difference in the appearance of this bronzer on my skin at the end of the day. It hangs on quite nicely, but there is a small amount of fading. I do use a setting spray, but it’s not one that’s meant to make a big difference in the wear time of makeup, so I think the staying power of this bronzer is great even on its own.
Price
Milani Baked Bronzer is $9.99, which is the same price as the Milani Silky Matte Bronzing Powder that I previously reviewed. I gave that bronzer 10/10 for price, but decided to give Milani Baked Bronzer 9/10. That’s because the matte bronzer contains slightly more product and less of it is needed since it is more pigmented than this bronzer.
Does that mean I think Milani Baked Bronzer is overpriced? Nope! However, I think it’s a bit inconsistent. Since more of this bronzer is needed to give skin a similar effect, I think Milani should consider increasing the amount of product in the pan.
Compared to bronzers from other drugstore brands, Milani Baked Bronzer’s price is “middle of the road.” There are some that are around $5.00, and others that are $15+. I think $9.99 is very fair for the quality of this bronzer.
When I think about all the bronzers in my collection, I have to say that I still prefer my matte bronzers over this slightly shimmery formula. However, that’s really only because of that pesky forehead wrinkle that I mentioned. I’ll continue to use Milani Baked Bronzer on days that I want a little extra glow!
Let’s take a look back at the product claims for Milani Baked Bronzer. Milani’s first claim is that this bronzer gives skin a perfect glow with bold warm color. The level of “glow” is perfect! However, I wouldn’t call the color “bold” since it isn’t very pigmented. This bronzer (at least the “Glow” shade) is more on the subtle side.
Next, they state that this bronzer is streak-free with a smart shimmer finish. It does apply streak-free, and never clings to certain areas like some cheek products. The shimmer finish is just right, as there’s no glitter and the shimmer is so subtle it really does just look like a natural glow on the skin. Now for one claim I don’t agree with: diverse color options! The shade range for this product is lacking and certainly should never be considered “diverse.” I hope Milani will consider creating additional shades.
Even though Milani Baked Bronzer isn’t my personal favorite, I still think it’s an excellent bronzer! If there is a shade in this range that would be appropriate for your skin tone, and you like a glowy bronzer (or want to try one), I definitely recommend this one. It is a beautiful product!
Do you prefer matte or shimmer bronzers? If you answered “shimmer,” do you wear them all year-round? I’m planning to wear this one whenever the mood strikes, regardless of season!
Lauren
