Introducing Deborah Milano's Exciting New Products for 2023

#ProductReview: Skin Booster Serum Foundation3 Medium
#SkincareMeetsCoverage: This foundation claims to provide both skincare benefits and coverage. While it has vitamin C, it lacks the extensive list of skincare ingredients found in other foundations and BB/CC creams. However, the most important factor is how it looks on the skin. It promises a “second skin effect”, a lightweight formula, an illuminating effect, and SPF 15. Unfortunately, I received a shade that was much too dark for me, so I only wore it briefly and couldn’t test its longevity.

#Texture: The formula is not as liquid as expected, but it is lightweight and blends easily. It is similar to Catrice’s Nude Drop Tinted Serum, providing good coverage in a light formula. It dries quickly on the skin without settling into lines, creasing, or emphasizing pores.

#CoverageAndFinish: The finish is slightly glowy without being greasy. Unlike Maybelline Superstay Serum, this one doesn’t contain shimmer, but it still achieves a similar glowy effect. It’s difficult for me to accurately assess the coverage since the shade 3 Medium is much darker than my skin tone. It seems to provide light-medium coverage as my freckles are still visible.

#Scent: The foundation has a strong floral scent.

#ShadeRange: There are only 5 shades available, with 4 of them being sold here. Shade 3 Medium is similar in depth to Revlon’s 300 shades and has a cool undertone. I tried shade 1 Light in the store, but it wasn’t suitable for very pale skin tones. Unfortunately, there is no perfect match for me in this range.

#Packaging: The foundation comes in a glass bottle with a pipette. However, the formula is too thick for this type of packaging, making it difficult for the pipette to pick up the product.

Overall, if you are lucky enough to find a suitable shade within this limited range, this foundation is worth a try. I think it performs better than Catrice’s Nude Drop and Maybelline’s Superstay Serum.

#LikeAProMascara
#VolumizingFormula: This mascara features a silicone wand with a spiral design. It quickly deposits a lot of product, even when freshly opened. The formula is quite wet, so I need to comb my lashes with a separate wand to achieve a neater look. However, as the formula thickens and dries, it should provide better lash separation and volume. It reminds me of Milani Highly Rated Anti-Gravity Mascara, as they have a similar brush and both deliver volume and length when first opened. While it may not be suitable for my lashes, which struggle to hold a curl, it is a quick and effective volumizing formula.

#MatteBlushRedesign
#UpdatedPackaging: Deborah has redesigned their matte blushes, replacing the black, egg-shaped pans with a new design. However, I cannot confirm if the shades are new too, as I haven’t previously checked them. There are now 4 colors available, and I believe this particular shade is the peachiest or most orange-apricot, though all shades lean warm. The pigmentation is decent, requiring two light layers for optimal color payoff. Blending could be smoother, but it is not bad. However, their baked blushes have a better formula, providing a dimensional look with tiny shimmers. Shade Coral Pink is ideal for those who love peachy shades, but on me, it leans too orange. While shade 01 looks appealing, I prefer the lovely formula of the Hi-Tech range, so it’s not a must-have for me.

#LongLastingBlush: The staying power of this blush is truly impressive. I applied it around 11 AM, and it still looked fresh at 10 PM. This is noteworthy, considering I was wearing a cheap Eveline foundation underneath. The packaging is thinner compared to the Hi-Tech range, and it does not include an added brush (which was useless anyway).

#RedTouchLipstickNudeBouquet01
#MatteLiquidLipstick: As a fan of matte liquid lipsticks, I couldn’t resist trying this one, even though it has been available for some time. However, I am not a fan of the shade range offered here. Even the lightest shade appears dark on me. However, I discovered that there is an expanded range available, which might include shades that suit me better. I already own their other matte liquid formula, Fluid Velvet Mat Lipstick, which I believe is still sold.

#LightweightFormula: This lipstick has a very lightweight formula and provides full opacity with just one swipe. The heart-shaped applicator allows for precise application, though I still recommend using a lip liner for perfect edges. It sets to a comfortable matte finish quickly, without feeling tight on the lips. It feels better compared to their Velvet Fluid formula in terms of comfort. However, while it looks great when freshly applied, the longevity is not the best. I expect a matte liquid lipstick to last all day, as many others I’ve tried do, but this one tends to wear off patchily and doesn’t last as long as I would like.

#UnexpectedColorChange: Nude Bouquet appears lighter when swatched, but it oxidizes to a medium beige-brown shade on my lips, which is quite dark. On my arm swatch, it fully oxidizes.

#GelEffectNailEnamel
#Repackaging: I believe these nail polishes have simply been repackaged, as I have had several shades in the previous bottles, and the formula seems unchanged. However, these two particular shades have different formulas.

#SoftPink: With one coat, Soft Pink is almost clear. It doesn’t provide full opacity even with a second coat, and even with a third coat, the tips of the nails are still visible. The application isn’t my favorite due to the thick formula, and it requires three layers, which is a bit excessive for my liking. However, it is a good neutral shade.

#ChicViolet: Chic Violet is a medium violet shade with a smooth formula. It almost achieves full opacity in just one coat, with only minimal visibility of the tips. However, I always apply two coats for a more vibrant color. The staying power of both shades is good on my nails, though most nail polishes tend to last well on me.

Overall, Soft Pink requires more effort during application, but it is a versatile neutral shade. Chic Violet has a smoother formula and provides great color payoff with minimal coats.

Skin Booster Serum Foundation

3 Medium

A foundation that claims to have skin care benefits, combining a serum and coverage. This one has a bit of vitamin C in a 3-o-ethyl ascorbic acid form, which is by now nothing special and it can’t compare to some foundations or BB/CC creams that have a ton of skin care ingredients – but it doesn’t matter, what’s important is how it looks on the skin. This one claims to have a “second skin effect”, a lightweight formula, an illuminating effect and SPF 15. I got sent a shade much too dark for me, so I wore this for a short while before I took it off and there was no full day test.

Texture: Formula isn’t super liquid as you might expect from the packaging, but it is regardless lightweight on the skin and it blends easily. It’s similar to Catrice’s Nude Drop Tinted Serum, so it has quite a lot of pigment in a light formula. It becomes dry to the touch quickly on my skin, doesn’t slip into lines nor crease under the eyes or emphasize pores.

Coverage and finish: Finish is slightly glowy without looking or feeling greasy. Unlike Maybelline Superstay Serum it doesn’t have shimmer in the formula, but the glowy effect is similar. Coverage is hard for me to asses, since 3 Medium is so much darker than my skin tone. Maybe light-medium, as my freckles are visible.

Scent: Foundation has a strong floral scent.

Shade: There are a only 5 shades, 4 are sold here. 3 Medium is something like Revlon’s 300 shades in terms of depth, undertone looks cool. I tested shade 1 Light in the shop and it’s not for very pale skins, so there is no match for me in this range.

Packaging: Glass bottle with a pipette. The formula is too thick for such a packaging, so the pipette has a hard time picking up product.

If you’re one of those lucky ones who can find a match in this very limited shade range, it’s a foundation worth a try, as I think it’s better than Catrice’s Nude Drop and Maybelline’s Superstay Serum.

Like A Pro Mascara

A mascara with a silicone wand and a spiral design. It’s one of those that quickly deposit a lot of product even when freshly opened and it’s quite a wet formula. I need to comb my lashes with a separate clean wand so the lashes look more neat, but I expect that it will become better at fanning out the lashes as the formula thickens and dries. It reminds me of Milani Highly Rated Anti-Gravity Mascara, as they have a similar brush, both add a lot of volume and length when freshly opened. Since it’s so wet it not suitable for my type of lashes, but if you don’t have a problem with lashes holding a curl, this is a quick volumising formula.

Deborah changed the packaging of their matte blushes. Their old ones had black, egg-shaped shaped pans for ages, but I never checked the shades, so I don’t know if they are new as well. There are 4 colours. This I think is the peachiest or most orange-apricot, though I think all colours are warm.

Pigmentation is ok, I need two (light) layers and wish blending were just a little smoother – not that it’s bad, but their baked blushes are better. Finish is matte, so I feel this looks a bit flat on my skin, but again I’m comparing this to the really good Hi-Tech formula which is baked blushes with tiny shimmer that add dimension. Shade Coral Pink is for those that love peachy shades, while on me I feel it ends up leaning too much to orange. I liked the look of shade 01, however, since I prefer the lovely formula of Hi-Tech, I’m no longer than drawn to add it to my collection.

Staying power is where it truly shines. I applied this at around 11 AM and it was still looking nicely fresh at 10 PM. The foundation I wore was nothing special, a cheap Eveline one.

Packaging is thinner than at Hi-Tech and it doesn’t have an added brush (the one at baked blushes is useless anyway).

Red Touch Lipstick

Nude Bouquet 01

I always like to try matte liquid lipsticks and I didn’t miss this one in the shops thought they’ve been out for a while, but I’m not fond of the shade range sold here. Even this lightest shade turns quite dark on me, but I saw there is an expanded range available (maybe just in Italy?) and there are a couple of shades that are more me. I own their other matte liquid formula, Fluid Velvet Mat Lipstick, which I think is still sold.

Formula is very lightweight and fully opaque with one swipe. The applicator is heart shaped so it’s good enough for a precise application, though for perfect edges you may still need a lipliner. It sets matte quickly and without feeling tight, so it’s quite comfortable for a matte liquid lipstick and feels better than their Velvet Fluid in that respect. However, as good as it looks freshly applied, it’s not the most long lasting. I expect great staying power from liquid matte lipsticks, as a lot I tried can last all day, but this wears off in a patchy way and it’s gone quite fast for such a formula. It still lasts a long time compared to classic lipsticks, but it’s not as resilient as I’d like.

Nude Bouquet looks lighter when freshly swatched than how it oxidises on the lips. It ends up a medium beige-brown on me, quite dark. On the swatch on my arm it’s fully oxidised.

Gel Effect Nail Enamel

20 Soft Pink and 130 Chic Violet

I think these were just repackaged, as I had several shades in the previous bottles and these feel about the same. However, these two have quite different formulas. 20 Soft Pink is almost clear with one coat, second also doesn’t get you full opacity and at third the tips are still visible. It’s not my favourite nail polish when it comes to application, the formula is thick and I need three layers, so it ends up a bit too much for my liking. But it’s a good neutral shade.

130 Chic Violet is a medium violet with a smooth formula that needs almost just one coat (tips are minimally visible), but I always apply two. Staying power of both is good on me, but most nail polishes last well on my nails.

20 Soft Pink