Today’s review is about redemption! My first experiences with Milani and Clinique blushes were not very good, but I decided to give them another chance. With one brand it was worth the risk, but not so much with the other.

Milani Rose Powder Blush in Coral Cove

This was the first Milani blush I purchased, and it was almost my last. This brand is so hyped up when it comes to blushes. I’ve never heard a single criticism about them, so while I was in the midst of making my original MAC blush post, I decided to give Coral Cove a try to compare. This blush is shockingly chalky and gives a low color payout. I can build it up on my cheeks, but it’s not just a matter of the shade not being pigmented enough. I really dislike this formula. The rose imprint and the color are nice, but I will never reach for this again.

Milani Sunrise Serenità

This shade and Cocoa Felicita are the newest additions to Milani’s line of baked blushes. They are the reason I decided to give the brand another try. I figured it was possible that when everyone raved about their blush formula, they might have been talking about the baked ones. I can say that I do enjoy these. They are much better than the rose powder blushes.

This particular shade works more as a highlighter or blush topper on me.

Milani Cocoa Felicità

In Yours Colourfully’s review video, she mentions that the blushes in the original packaging (with gold bottoms) were made in Italy. I expected to see the two new ones with this packaging (black bottoms) but the Sunset Passione shade that I’ll discuss after isn’t a new shade but was sent to me in the new packaging and was made in the US too. So, perhaps the original packaging is being phased out and all of the newly produced baked blushes are being made in the US now. I’m mentioning this because although I like these blushes, they have an insane amount of kickup! I don’t know if these are meant to be like this or if there was a formula change. On all three blushes, the powder you see around the edges were like that when I opened the package. The blushes weren’t even used yet when I took the pictures. And once I did start using them with my goat hair blush brush, a ton of powder came up with it. It has the most kickup I’ve seen from a blush or any other baked/pressed powder! When I switched to a synthetic brush, it lessened the amount of powder picked up, but there was still a moderate amount of kickup.

This shade works the best for me as a blush. I really like it! It’s not as dark as I expected from looking at it in the pan, but it’s the darkest shade in the line. I would like to see other deeper toned blushes from Milani in the future.

Milani Sunset Passione

This shade is very similar to Cocoa Felicita, but a little lighter and a little more rosy toned.

It’s a little harder to see on camera. In person, it still looks subtle on my cheeks with the exception of the obvious shimmer.

Clinique Warm Up Cheek Pop Palette 2019

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I bought this holiday palette last year and barely used it. The shades Blush and Sorbet were limited edition, but Cola Pop is a permanent single blush in Clinique’s Cheek Pop Blush line. The reason I wanted this item was to try out Cola Pop and for the ability to mix the shades for additional color combinations, but I just didn’t like how any of them looked on me.

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They brought back this palette with the same name but the only shade from the original is Cola. The two lighter blushes are different.

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Clinique Holiday Cheek Pop Palette 2020

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I told myself not to buy this year’s palette but my curiosity got the better of me. I knew the Black Honey shade would show up on me, based on another video from Yours Colourfully, and I really wanted the highlighter. I purchased this during Sephora’s Friends and Family sale, so the price was a great value. I like that this formula is more matte. The blushes from last year were more satin than matte. The packaging also feels sturdier and better quality, as this includes a mirror in the lid, unlike the one from last year. I like the highlighter, but unfortunately, I still don’t like how these blush shades look on me either.

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I think I can officially say the Clinique blush formula just isn’t for me. They aren’t bad blushes at all, and if you like them already, these palettes are a fantastic deal. It comes down to a matter of preference for me and how they look on my skin in person.

Clinique Comparisons

Overall, my second chance blush experiment was a success because it helped me fine tune what my preferences are. I’m glad I could finally try Milani’s blushes in a formula that I can recommend. Although Cocoa Felicita is the only shade that I will use as a true standalone blush, at $7.99 each (I used a first time customer discount code so it was even less) these didn’t break the bank. Do I still recommend waiting for MAC to have another 30-40% blush sale and purchase from them instead? Honestly, yes. But this is a decent alternative for those who don’t want to wait.

Thank you for reading!

-Lili ❤