Can I see a show of hands how many of you have dry skin like myself? And how many of you dry skinned guys and gals find it difficult to find a powder that works? Oh boy, do I understand your struggle. Face powder is quite possibly one of the most boring makeup products, but one that can make or break your entire look in a heartbeat. Therefore my favorites are usually solid favorites. One such favorite is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light. It is a stunning glowy powder that gives me just the right finish to my makeup. But it is a pricey product! And you know me, I love it if I can find a dupe that is much cheaper than the original. Will the Kiko Milano Radiant Fusion powder stand up to the test?
Review: Kiko Milano Radiant Fusion Baked Powder 01 Ivory
Let’s chat about the basics first. I bought this powder on a bit of a whim: I wanted to do a full face of Kiko Milano and I wanted to try a powder. Since I like many products in this silver packaging, I thought: let’s just give it a whirl. And from the moment I tried this, I just knew: this is a potential Hourglass dupe. It retails for just €12.99 which is about a fourth of the price of the Hourglass. It is available in 6 shades and comes with 10 grams of product. However, Kiko does sales often and I bought this with a 25% discount at the time making this less than €9.99 for me.
What does this powder have to offer?
Like many products in the Kiko Milano Fusion range, this face powder promises to give a touch of healthy glow. It should smooth out the skin and also nourish it as the powder is enriched with Vitamin E and other ‘good-for-you’ ingredients. Now I am not sure how much a face powder that sits on top of foundation can contribute to that, but I think that is why this works for me and my dry skin. I love powders that are lightweight. I don’t necessarily need them to ‘set’ my makeup as most setting powders tend to look horrible on me. I just need it to add that glowy finish to make the whole look come together.
How does this powder work?
So for me, I knew this was a potential Hourglass dupe the minute I swatched it. I feel it’s perhaps a little less glowy in a swatch, but once applied to the face I can barely see the different. This is a glowy, lightweight powder that I use sparingly on my under eyes and my T-zone. I don’t ever powder the rest of my face, or else it will be cake central. I love how this blends into the skin, how natural it looks (you can barely tell it is there), yet it makes my makeup last all day without breaking a sweat. It never looks dry or cakey, not even over some of my dry patches. The shade works well for me as well and while it looks very yellow in this picture I find it has a neutral enough shade for me to pull it off.
How does this powder swatch?
When I say this powder is barely detectable, I think this swatch tells you all you need to know. This powder feels silky smooth to the touch, there is a bit of kickup and I feel it is more hardly pressed than the Hourglass is, but the formula is very similar indeed. In a full on finger swatch I feel the natural glow this gives isn’t as noticeable as when I apply it to the skin over a foundation and concealer. I find this powder comes even more into its own when used with more glowy, dewy foundations. Where those can cake up with powders quite easily, as the moisture in the foundation balls up and adheres to the powder, I feel with this powder that never happens.
What does the powder look like on the skin?
Can you even tell a difference between the before and after in this picture? Because I surely can’t! As you can see here, the powder is lightweight and barely noticable at all. As if you have just used your foundation and concealer and that’s it. In the picture on the right, there are just a few difference that may be noticeable: there is a bit more glow on my cheeks and the tip of my nose. That’s the powder for sure as I not wearing any bronzer or highlighter here just yet. I also feel that my forehead looks more even and ‘finished’ as does my chin. It just brings out the best, while still looking very natural. That’s exactly what I need in a powder.
My final thoughts
The Kiko Milano Radiant Fusion Baked Powder is a great powder indeed. I think it is natural looking, glowy enough but not too discoball and it just works really well over makeup. It blends smoothly and evenly and just gives a more perfected look to the overall makeup you’re wearing without turning it into a dry cakey mess like some powders can do. And yes, I do feel this is a dupe for the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light. The Kiko is perhaps a touch less radiant than that, but similary this is more of a finishing powder rather than a setting powder and that’s exactly what I need.
Would I recommend the Kiko Milano Radiant Fusion face powder?
Most certainly I do. I know I say there aren’t many powders I love, but if I had to choose then this and the Essence Sensitive powder are definitely my two favorites. And they are both much more affordable than many hyped up powders are. So yes, this is worth it as you get great quality, plenty of product and a product that only costs a fraction of the price of a cult favorite, much more high end powder. If you want the look, but without it breaking the bank, then this most certainly is worth a shot.
2 responses to “Kiko Radiant Fusion face powder review”
Thanks for the great review! Which shade did you use?
01 Ivory. As stated in the second heading of the post.