Milani Bella Eyes Powder Gel Eyeshadow - My Picks

 purchased by me 

There was so much buzz about the new Milani Bella Eyes Powder Gel Eyeshadow when it first came out.  I don't wear makeup very often, but when a drugstore product is so universally praised, I get curious.  I wound up buying six of them at CVS shortly after they came out...and then running out of time to get them onto the blog before the Halloween theme-a-thon that was Pretty Ghoul Science.  So here were are.

I originally bought four, but found the display so tempting that I got two more a few days later.  The color and finish selection is overwhelming in the best way.  You can tell just what an autumnal mood I was in when I bought them, but there's really something for everyone and every season.  There are three finishes; satin matte, shimmer, and metallic.  I made sure to try a bit of each.

Bella Bronze - Bella Charcoal - Bella Taupe
Bella Khaki - Bella Chiffon - Bella Teal

Yes, the shade names all start with "Bella".  In my head that word always sounds like it did at the end of the old Asti Spumonte commercial...complete with the little "pop" sound.

These are every bit as good as you've heard.  They glide on effortlessly.  All of my photos are the shadows on their own, without primer.  If you use primer and a heavier hand, you can get some serious color out of them, but they've got decent impact as-is too.

Bella Charcoal - Bella Taupe - Bella Chiffon

Bella Khaki - Bella Bronze - Bella Teal

I couldn't leave it at just back-of-hand swatches though.  I had to put them on!  The lid swatches are all without primer.

Bella Chiffon - ivory shimmer highlight

Bella Taupe - mushroomy satin matte

Bella Charcoal - gray-brown shimmer

Bella Teal - bright metallic teal

Bella Khaki - brown-toned green shimmer (greener in person)

Bella Bronze - metallic bronze

Bottom line: I want more!  They're amazing, especially for the $4-ish price.  I paid less, of course.  If you play your CVS coupon game right, you can too.


...which leads me to a question I've been meaning to ask.  Should I write a little guide to getting the best deals at the big drugstore chains?  What about a list of what brands are where?  Any other shopping topics you'd like to see covered?  Against shopping posts entirely?  I've almost written a few before, since most of you are in the US, but I wonder if there's interest.

 all products in this post were purchased by me