Milani 2-in-1 Foundation + Concealer Review & Swatches (Darker Shades)

Being backed up on beauty products to review sounds like a good problem to have—and it kinda is, but I would like to get to a point where I can just churn everything out back to back but see, the way my schedule and my attention span have been setup lately—I’m just getting by…lol.

A little while ago while I was portraying the need to protect your neck on my Instagram, a reader asked if I could review the deeper shades of the Milani 2-in-1 Foundation + Concealer. I’m not always able to get product to review whether a brand sends it or I buy it (read more about that here) but thankfully Milani’s PR was able to send over the deeper shades and here we are.

Official info:

Combat under eye circles, redness and other skin imperfections with this full coverage, water-resistant foundation plus concealer in one. A no mess, no drip pump dispenses just the right amount of fluid needed to achieve a flawless look and works around the clock to keep skin looking naturally perfect!

Application:

AS FOUNDATION
Apply a dime-sized amount of product with fingertips or a brush beginning at the center of the face, blending outward.

AS CONCEALER
Use a small amount of product and apply where additional coverage is needed in a tapping motion until blended.

In case you were wondering what happened to #11 Amber—it broke before it got to me :/

I love foundation formulas like this because they can be manipulated in a number of ways which you can’t always get with lighter coverage formulas. You can sheer it out for days when you want to look natural or layer it up when you want more coverage while still allowing your skin to look like skin. Just like the application tips above from the brand mention, you can dab a little more product on areas where additional coverage is needed. This worked well for the dark spot colony that’s temporarily taken residence on my forehead (getting pimples in the same area a few times can cause some mess). The formula works well in a number of conditions (it really stands through tears—I was testing it out while having the big sads over Prince passing) and through a day of running errands. I’m not sure yet how this would work out for my oily skin in warmer weather but I assume for now that with the right mattifying moisturizer and/or primer I might be in good shape. Or I’d just switch to one of my summer foundations.

Milani 2-in-1 Foundation + Concealer Shade descriptions as per the brand:

09 Tan: For medium/dark skin with neutral undertones
10 Golden Tan: For medium/dark skin with golden undertones
11 Amber: For medium/dark skin with warm undertones
12 Spiced Almond: For dark skin with neutral undertones
13 Chestnut: For dark skin with golden undertones
14 Golden Toffee: For dark skin with deep, warm undertones

The closest shade for me was #14 Golden Toffee. My undertones are more on the neutral side but I can sometimes take a little warmth in the undertones of a foundation depending on how much red is in it. If it’s too red, I’m looking like an oompa loompa but this one wasn’t TOO red so it passed—it might be an even better match in the summer depending on how tan I get. Sometimes when I tan I don’t necessarily get darker but my undertones can get redder/warmer. You can see what other foundations I wear here.

Wearing #14 Golden Toffee—I only powdered lightly where I tend to get the oiliest on my T-zone but with my oily skin type, I need to powder a little more. This was taken on a day where it was about 60 degrees out. Look below to see how it looked just a few hours later.

How it looked a few hours later. I normally highlight and contour when I wear foundation and of course add WAY more beat than this but I was feeling a little lazy that day…lol.

Here’s a before and after. Over the last few months I’ve been dealing with adult acne and getting the same pimples popping up in the same areas which all leave dark spots just as the previous dark spots were fading :/ So I have the most hyperpigmentation I’ve had in like a decade—I’ll be updating you on what I’m doing to treat it but for more posts on acne and dark spots and other things I’ve been using on my skin, check out my Hyperpigmentation posts as well as my What I’m Using on My Skin Right Now series.

See more drugstore foundation reviews here

See more foundation posts and reviews here

Bottom line: Milani 2-in-1 Foundation + Concealer is a pretty decent foundation if you’re looking for something on the drugstore level that has more coverage AND you have a shade match. Great coverage that you can control, durable, doesn’t look masky (this of course depends on your application skills), and is priced nicely. BUT from what I’m hearing from some people, and of course this will depend on where you live and how well your stores stock shades, the deeper shades are probably easier to find online.

Price and where to buy: $9.99. See milanicosmetics.com to buy and for in-store locations.