Gleam by Melanie Mills Radiant Dust - all 4 shades - pics, swatches, review!

Hello, Beautiful!

If you're a fan of the Gleam by Melanie Mills Body Radiance, or just a fan of a radiant glow, then you may want to check out this blog post on the Gleam by Melanie Mills Radiant Dust. I was sent sample jars of all four shades back in December, but I didn't want to write up a review until I was able to really try them all out. It took me longer than normal to try these out, but I did try them all several times and in several ways. I'm just going to come out and say this: I think I'm in love with every Gleam by Melanie Mills product that I've tried!!! I love her Body Radiance (Rose Gold is my favorite shade), I love her Lip Radiance glosses (Pop My Cork is my favorite shade) and her Glitter & Glam book (one of the best makeup books I own). She can do no wrong in my book! She makes some of the most beautiful, radiant, glowing products for your body. You'll look gorgeous in pictures and everyday life. So what do I think of her new Radiant Dust? Check out my full review below, including all the product info, after the pics!

Gleam by Melanie Mills Radiant Dust
Shades: Deep Gold, Rose Gold, Light Gold, Bronze Gold
Continue scrolling down to see more pics of each individual shade.
*NOTE: These are MUCH prettier in person! Also, these are sample jars, NOT full size*

Gleam by Melanie Mills Radiant Dust
Shade: Deep Gold

Gleam by Melanie Mills Radiant Dust
Shade: Rose Gold

Gleam by Melanie Mills Radiant Dust
Shade: Light Gold

Gleam by Melanie Mills Radiant Dust
Shade: Bronze Gold

Gleam by Melanie Mills Radiant Dust Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $59.00 (full size). Available on the Gleam by Melanie Mills website, and everywhere else Gleam by Melanie Mills products are sold. Click here to find a retailer near you.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Kisses!

Product Info...

This pure luxe, loose powder imparts shimmering glitz and glam. The world's most luxurious face/body luxe loose powder. Infused with her signature moisture rich ingredients to leave skin feeling like silk. Can be used as eyeshadow, blush, bronzer, and all over your body - with or without her Body Radiance.

Radiant Dust is finely milled face and body powder that imparts skin with a subtle shimmer and rich glow. Made from high grade pearls and all-natural ingredients that draw light in rather than reflect it, Radiant Dust is gorgeous on its own, or as a finisher with her Body Radiance.

Each shade of Radiant Dust blends beautifully and seamlessly, and can be used by every skin tone as a bronzer, blush, highlighter or eyeshadow. Apply with a makeup brush or powder puff to diminish fine lines and create a warm rich glow. Radiant Dust provides a dewy radiance and leaves skin with a warm scent of vanilla essence. Great for body in high humidity areas when you don't want to wear a lotion or liquid product - like her Body Radiance. This is a hydrating powder that blends beautifully and designed to work on all skin tones, as Radiant Dust comes in all four of her signature Gleam shades.

With potent anti-aging elements found in Green Tea and White Tea Extract, hydrating aloe vera, a skin nutrition blend of antioxidants, and the Gleam Hydroplex, Radiant Dust helps give your skin the appearance of a vibrant, healthy glow. With a silky texture, light vanilla scent, and ingredients that are good for your overall skin health, Radiant Dust is also talc-free and paraben, sulfate, GMO and phalate-free! All Gleam products are made in the USA and are also cruelty-free!



My Review...

I'm already a big fan of the Gleam by Melanie Mills Body Radiance, so I kind of expected to also love the Gleam by Melanie Mills Radiant Dust.... and I do! This is basically her loose powder version to her already amazing liquid/cream Body Radiance.

The colors are in her signature shades, so they can be layered on top of the Body Radiance for added glow and glam, or in combination with her Body Radiance -- such as using the Body Radiance on arms and legs, and then the Radiant Dust in the same shade on your eyes and cheeks. Also, can I just take a moment and just say that these smell yummy - like vanilla!

As you can see by the photos, I have sample jars of all four shades. This is the kind of product that is hard to photograph swatches and show how gorgeous they are. They're MUCH prettier in person. I think my favorite is Light Gold - it's the one I use the most, and the one I like best on my body - followed by Rose Gold. I like Bronze Gold and Deep Gold almost the same, maybe liking Deep Gold slightly more.

The price point is pretty high for a powder at $59 - and I'm honestly not sure how much product comes in a full size, as I only have the sample jars (and I don't see it listed on her website). HOWEVER, her products are formulated with some of the best ingredients. This isn't just a cheapo shimmer powder - oh no! Not at all! This has a nice silky smooth texture, blends beautifully, and has good-for-you ingredients. When a product feels nice, performs nice, is made with good-for-my-skin ingredients and looks great, then I don't care about price point. And for me, I tend to use this product more for my eyes so it will last awhile (since I don't have the opportunity to glam my body up with this powder -- maybe in the summer when more skin is exposed). I've used these sample jars mostly for my eyes and I have barely gone through them!


Let's talk about how I liked this Radiant Dust for different uses...

I honestly LOVED these for my eyes. They are gorgeous - perfectly shimmery! They can be sheered out for a wash of color, used to top over other shadows, or apply more heavily (packing on the lid over an eyeshadow primer or creamy base). Light Gold and Rose Gold look gorgeous as an inner corner highlight or to highlight the center of the lid. Bronze Gold and Deep Gold make great all-over lid colors for a gorgeous bronzy gold lid look.

These make gorgeous highlight shades to your cheekbones - I like Rose Gold and Light Gold as a top of cheekbone highlight and even down the center of my nose. I will top with a powder if I want a more subtle shimmer glow, or apply last if I want more of that shimmer to be noticeable. You could use Deep Gold or Bronze Gold as a blush, bronzer or contour color - but since it does have shimmer in it, it doesn't make the best contour color (unless you want an all-over shimmer/glow look).

This product, of course - as you might expect, looks amazing as a body glow. Just like with her Body Radiance, this is essentially the same thing - just in powder form. Dust on your collarbone, decollete, arms, legs, and anywhere else you may have exposed skin that you want to glow. And if you don't own her Body Radiance, and want a more subtle glow, you could mix some of this in with your regular body lotion and you'll get a very subtle all-over glow!

You could even use this product and mix with a clear lip gloss, or tap onto your lips (such as just the center of your lips or all over) for a lip color highlight, depending on the look you're going for.

Could also mix a little with your face moisturizer for a subtle glow all over your face. Once you top with another face product - like a BB/CC Cream, Tinted Moisturizer, powder, or foundation - it will be less shimmery and more as just a radiant all-over glow.

As you see, there are many different ways to use this - not just on your body!


Final thoughts...

I loved this product, just as I have with every other Gleam by Melanie Mills product that I've tried - and come to think of it, I've tried every one of her products, except for the Face And Body Brush (but that's $85 so don't know when I'll try that - not in my budget at the moment). She makes some great products that make us women (and men) look absolutely beautiful! I would love to see her line expand to even more products, and her Lip Radiance glosses... yeah, please come out with more shades, I love these!

But back to the product in this post - her Radiant Dust.... I think this is a great alternative for people who prefer powders other liquid/cream products. If you have oily skin and liked the idea of her Body Radiance, but prefer powders, then you'll love Radiant Dust. Or if you just prefer to use powders on your face and/or body, then you'll love Radiant Dust. Also great if you already own her Body Radiance and want to amp up the glam by topping with Radiant Dust.

As with every Gleam by Melanie Mills product, I would recommend this to you if you're looking for a shimmer/radiant body powder that is also safe to use on the eyes and face!

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this product? Have you tried this or is this on your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below.

Glitter & Glam - a book by Melanie Mills: pics, review!

Hello, Beautiful!

If you're a beauty lover, or know one, and want to gift yourself or a beauty-lover something fun and helpful this holiday season then I have a great suggestion for you... Glitter & Glam book by makeup artist Melanie Mills. Melanie Mills has the Gleam by Melanie Mills beauty line. I've reviewed her Lip Radiance glosses here, as well as her Body Radiance here.  Aside from great beauty products, her book Glitter & Glam is packed with instruction, inspiration, and beauty goodness. This book is very helpful - it even includes 50 easy step-by-step tutorials for everything from the very wearable everyday looks to specialty and fantasy looks. Check out my full review, including all the product info, after the pics!

Glitter & Glam
by Melanie Mills

 

Glitter & Glam book by Melanie Mills Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $22.00. Available on the the Gleam by Melanie Mills website, on Amazon, and everywhere else this book is sold.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Kisses!

In this colorful beauty book, Melanie Mills shares her glamorous makeup secrets.

Maximize the glam, access your inner diva, grab the glitter and get excited about makeup! With stunning photos, featuring stars like Jennette McCurdy, Ariana Grande, Brandy, and Willa Ford, and easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions, Melanie Mills shows you the makeup techniques for creating fun, trendsetting looks inspired by rock'n'roll vixens and fairy tale characters. Melanie Mills, who has helped create famous looks for celebrities like Kelly Osbourne, is on a mission to help everyone sparkle. With skin and beauty tips for both everyday and special occasions, Glitter & Glam is a celebration of all things fabulous, as well as a gorgeous collection of Melanie's makeup artisty and creative styling.

From skincare basics to professional makeup tricks, Glitter & Glam will unlock your inner diva and open up a world of glamour. Glitter & Glam shows everyone how to use makeup to be a fearless trendsetter. Learn the secrets of celebrity models such as Ariana Grande and Audrina Patridge to maximixe your glam! Whether you're looking for ways to amplify your natural look or fathering inspiration and beauty secrets that only celebrity makeup artists know, Glitter & Glam will inspire you to experiment with fantasy. Unafraid of bold colors and dramatic styling, Melanie Mills will show you how to use makeup to showcase your most beautiful self.

All copies (at least the ones sold on the Gleam by Melanie Mills website) are personally signed by Melanie Mills herself! Also, if you order from the Gleam by Melanie Mills website Melanie Mills will personalize a message in the book for you! You just need to send your order confirmation email to gleamorders@gmail.com with a note of what you'd like Melanie to write. I'm not sure how long either offer will go for, so if that's a special touch you'd be interested in then I'd get it before it's gone.

As a beauty blogger, I of course am obsessed with all things beauty related. I love collecting makeup related books because they are pretty to look at, and usually very informative. What I love most about the Glitter & Glam book is how many tutorials are in the book. If you're someone who knows basics - and it does go over some basics - then you don't need yet another beauty book telling you how to do all the simple stuff. You want something fun, inspiring, and creative. This book has it all. It's one of the most well laid-out beauty books I've seen in awhile.

There are 149 glorious pages to this beautiful beauty book. The size of the book is nice too -- it's about the size of a magazine. The cover has a beautiful photo but also has this holographic glitter overlay that you can see as the light hits it -- I LOVE that effect! This is a soft cover book, which I don't mind because I stack my books one on top of the other, but if you stand your books up in a book case you may be the type that prefers a hard cover. But the cover material really isn't what's important here. It's what's inside!

Here is a break down of how the book is laid out and what's inside:

Of course it starts with the usual start of a book stuff -- table of contents, etc. In the front is also where Melanie signed my book. Then there is the introduction.

After the introduction comes The Basics. She starts with skincare, then onto the face makeup (foundation, setting, etc.), and highlight/contouring. Then a few pages on eyes, a little on lips, and then onto body (topics like body makeup, self tanners and tattoos). Then there is a glorious section on glitter - which is my favorite topic, seeing as how I'm a glitter-aholic.

After the basics - which is a small part of the book (pages 2 to 19), and I appreciate that it's a smaller part of the book - Glitter & Glam goes right into The Looks.

I want to note that these looks are gorgeous laid out. There is a color photo of the finished look, which immediately draws your attention because the photography is really nicely done. Then each tutorial lists a Took Kit - letting you know what you'll need to re-create this look, as well as step-by-step on how to make it happen. When she lists the step-by-step looks one thing I appreciated is the fact she doesn't list specific brands and/or shade names. Instead she just tells you the color you need in what product you'll be using - which allows you to more easily use what you already have. What I mean is, say she say "use MAC's Snob lipgloss" - if you don't know what shade Snob is, you wouldn't know exactly what to use to duplicate the look (without doing more research on what that shade looks like). Instead she'll just say something like "use a burnt rose cream blush", so you know to look for a burnt rose blush in your collection (be it cream or powder). That's just something I thought she was really smart about because I find it allows people to be more creative with what they already have, rather than feeling like they need to go out and get those exact products.

Anyhow, back on track to The Looks. I'll list each look name below so you can see just how many tutorials and variations there are. Some of The Looks are in the photos above, but obviously you should purchase the book to see them all rather than me photographing each look. However, below will be the cover look's tutorial - pic, tool kit and step-by-step instructions - to show an example of how it's set up.

The Looks starts with the Color Wheel, with 10 different tutorials:

• White
• Pink
• Red
• Orange
• Yellow
• Green
• Purple
• Blue
• Brown
• Black

Then The Looks go into Icons, Fantasy & Pin-Up, with 12 different tutorials:

• The Queen
• Liz Taylor
• Up, Up & Away!
• Water Dancing
• Moulin Rouge
• Audrina On The Rocks
• Ice Huntress
• A Mad, Mad Hatter
• Snow White
• The Wolf Within
• The Siren
• Ariana Of OZ

Then The Looks go into Glam, with 11 different tutorials:

• The Golden Goddess
• The Video Vixen
• The Rock Star
• Like A Virgin
• Cotton Candy Disco
• Sizzling & Sexy
• Football Diva
• Pool Goddess
• Roller Girl
• Dirty Dancer
• Vouge

Then The Looks go into Faces Of The World, with 16 different tutorials:

• The Lioness
• Femme Fatale
• Copper & Smoke
• The Fifth Element
• Cover Girl  (shown in the photo example below)
• Tokyo Nights
• Warrior Princess
• Tribal
• Bollywood
• Tequila Sunrise
• Pop Glam
• Tranquil Beauty
• Arabian Nights
• Irish Rose
• Motorcycle Mama
• Showstopper

Example of a tutorial, using Cover Girl from the Faces Of The World section.

You can click on them to view them larger and read it.

At the very end of the book there are some acknowledgements, credits, and a little bio about Melanie Mills herself.

On the Gleam by Melanie Mills website it says there are 50 tutorials, but based on my list above, there are only 49. However, my book did have a pin-up look on pages 60 & 61, but it was just a photo - no tutorial included. Maybe that was some how accidentally not printed in my copy? I would assume that is the missing look and they even mention pin-up looks as one of them, but no tutorial on mine (there was even an empty white space on the side where the Took Kit could have been listed, possibly). But still 49 amazing looks - from your date night to specialty and even looks you could do at Halloween.

I really enjoy this book everytime I pick it up and open it. I'll have to do some re-creations of the looks and post them either on my blog or on my Instagram (follow me on Instagram if you don't already; I post lots more swatches, before & after FOTD's, mini reviews, my subscription boxes/bags - like Ipsy - my kid, my tattoos and more. Instagram name is valentinekissesbeauty).

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this product? Have you tried this or is this on your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below.

Gleam by Melanie Mills - Body Radiance: all 4 shades - pics, swatches, review

Hello, Beautiful!

Earlier this month I shared with you all the Gleam by Melanie Mills Lip Radiance, which I really liked and have been using the shade Pop My Cork a lot! In this post I'll show you the Gleam by Melanie Mills Body Radiance, which comes in four pretty shades to give your body a beautiful radiance.

Check out my pics, swatches, info, and review... click on pics to view them larger.

Gleam by Melanie Mills - Body Radiance
Shades: Bronze Gold, Rose Gold, Light Gold, Deep Gold

Gleam by Melanie Mills - Body Radiance

Shade: Bronze Gold

 

Gleam by Melanie Mills - Body Radiance

Shade: Rose Gold

 

Gleam by Melanie Mills - Body Radiance

Shade: Light Gold

 

Gleam by Melanie Mills - Body Radiance

Shade: Deep Gold
 

Gleam by Melanie Mills Body Radiance Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $15.00 (1 oz size) - OR - $30.00 (2 oz size) - OR - $40.00 (3.5 oz size). Available on the Gleam by Melanie Mills website, and everywhere else Gleam by Melanie Mills products are sold. Click Here to find a location near you.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Kisses!

Gleam Body Radiance is versatile makeup that can be blended into foundation for that lit from within glow, and used on bare clean dry skin to improve texture as it makes a flawless transfer-resistant canvas for you to glow and shimmer without hard glitter.

Pure velvet sheen and subtle perfection, Gleam Body Radiance is called liquid pantyhose by Hollywood's top wardrobe and makeup people because of its coverage and wearability. Veins, scars, stretch marks and blemishes disappear instantly. Safe, botanically based and long lasting.

This is one of those products that is WAY prettier in person than in the swatch photos. It's really beautiful and goes on so nicely. Adds gorgeous shimmer and glow to your skin without looking glittery or over-done. A little goes a long way. and it blends easily. It has a light scent, which I can only describe as a light fresh, tropical-like smell. I don't know if that is the best way to describe it or not, but that's what I wrote down in my notes.

Available in four skin loving shades, which can be custom blended together for the perfect shade and depth, depending on your skin tone and the season.

The Shades....

Light Gold is the lightest formulation of Body Radiance. It has a pale yellow base that counteracts ruddy and reddish skin undertones. Great for light to medium skintones.

Rose Gold is Melanie Mills' signature color and her personal favorite. This shade is the original color and was created first by Melanie for the "Golden Glow" that all Dancing With The Stars celebrities and pro dancers are finished with for the camera. Melanie wanted this shade to emulate real rose gold and be liquid metal for the skin.

Bronze Gold is a pure bronze, like a statue and has a wonderful yellow-orange undertone that also acts like liquid metal. It's the third deepest shade, perfect for medium to deep skin tones.

Deep Gold is pure luminous, chocolate souffle, with red velvet undertones that never look ashy on the skin. This deep liquid metal shade is great for deeper skintones, or someone who wants a deep, bronze look.

No matter which shade you choose, remember to apply to dry, clean skin with no other skincare lotions or products for maximum transfer-resistant efficacy.

Available in three size tubes: 1 oz, 2 oz, and 3.5 oz. I have the 1 oz sizes and trust me when I say a little goes a long way so the 1 oz size tubes will give you more product use than you would think.

Overall, I think this is a gorgeous way to accent your skin on a special night out, for a photoshoot, or just because you feel like it! Highly recommend you pick up a tube or two to keep for a special occasion!

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this product? Have you tried this or is this on your wish list? What shade do you like best? Discuss in the comments below.