The Makeup Box

2 Hot Drugstore Lipsticks for Spring/Summer: Review and Swatches for Milani Mango Mambo and Rose Hip

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Color Perfect Lipsticks

One of their star products are the Color Perfect Lipsticks, which are silky, richly-pigmented, and come in trendy colors (like Mango Mambo and Rose Hip). If you are interested in getting 2012’s hottest color, Tangerine, or the ever-popular Hot Pink, but find yourself on a tight budget, Milani is one of your best bets.

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Overall texture

These are a cross between MAC Lustres and Amplified Cremes. They are not as highly-pigmented as Amplified Cremes, so you will need to apply a couple of coats to build up the color, but they aren’t as slick and sheer as Lustres.

One thing I noticed was that bright shades like Mango Mambo and Rose Hip aren’t totally color-true when applied. They go on more translucent and darker, until you build it up to a few layers, so if you love strong pigmentation from the first swipe, these are not the lipsticks for that.

If your lips are very dark or pigmented, you may notice pigments settling into lines.

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Wear

This is a creamy lipstick, so you know it’s not going to stay through a greasy meal. I’d say it lasts through about 3-4 hours of normal wear (talking, drinking, etc) before you need a touch-up noticeably.

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Scent

Fruity-floral; quite strong. You might want to avoid if your skin is sensitive to fragrances in lip products.

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Shade Range: 

The line has more than 40 shades so you’re likely to find something you like. Finding a single place with all 40+ swatches is almost impossible though, so you’ll need to Google Image each shade one by one most of the time.

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Other cool products from Milani

Milani Lip Flash (lustre lipstick in a jumbo pencil form)

Milani Baked Blushes (I have 3 to swatch and review for you soon)

Milani Liquif’Eye Eye Pencils (cult favorite)

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If you’re interested in checking out Color Perfect Lipsticks and other Milani products, they’re available online for international buyers at Beautyjoint.com with a 5% discount code (MAKEUPBOX) for Makeup Box readers!

Milani Haute Flash Full Coverage Shimmer Lipglosses (lip swatches and review)

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I might be a little late to the Haute Flash game, but I found out not too long ago that Milani has come up with a line of full coverage Shimmery Glosses which remind me suspiciously of MAC and Lime Crime ones. 

Of course, I was curious if a drugstore brand could really match up to the high-end ones, so here’s the run-down.

There are 6 shades I believe, but I only got 4; 

102 Flashy: Neon sparkly blue-pink (below)

103 In a Flash: Deep sparky plum-purple (below)

106 Quick Flash:  Soft sparkly baby-pink

101 Hot Flash: Red on red sparkle (below)

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Smell: 

Not discernible

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Texture/Feel: 

Medium-thickness, like a Plushglass, but a lot less sticky. Not as thick as Lime Crime Carousel Glosses, and only moderately buildable in coverage.

Slight minty tingle on the lips, which is quite pleasant and inoffensive even if you dislike minty feeling products.

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Opacity:

If MAC Dazzleglasses are a 3 and Lime Crime Carousels an 8, these are about 6. I wouldn’t say they are really full-coverage, but you definitely get pretty good color payoff. All lip swatches shown above were done with just gloss over bare lips, without base or liner. 

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Application:

I really like the flat doe-foot paddle. The wide surface picks up more product than the typical doe-foot applicator shape, and allows you to apply a thicker layer of product without sacrificing control.

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Wear/Tenacity:

These wear like the typical gloss. They aren’t sticky, which is a plus for those who hate a gummy texture on the lips, but this also means it does not stay on as long as stickier glosses do. I’d say you can go 3-4 hours without touch-ups. 

It also goes on fairly evenly and does not gunk up in the center of your lips or in cracks. 

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Colors:

The colors are really pretty of course. My initial favorite shade was 102 Flashy, the hot pink, but then this particular gloss also has the poorest texture, as it is slightly gritty and lumpy.

The one I reach for most is Quick Flash because it’s so pretty and wearable for everyone. My least-favorite shade is 103 In a Flash, because it’s a deep prune-purple which does not wear as evenly as the other shades, although it does make a statement. You will need to apply a thick layer and keep touching up to keep it looking its best.

If you like really strong color, these are probably not going to have enough of a kick for you. If you want more color than regular glosses but don’t want anything too high-maintenance or dramatic, then you should try these.

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Finish:

These are not very glossy compared to other tube glosses. The texture is more like that of stick products like Revlon Lip Butters or MAC Sheen Supremes but in a tube, so you get sparkle but not dramatic shine. 

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Price:

At $7.25 per tube from Beautyjoint.com, these are not cheap compared to some drugstore glosses but definitely way cheaper than similar department store equivalents. (Use coupon code: MAKEUPBOX for an additional 5% off.)

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Verdict?

If can’t bear to shell out for MAC Sheen Supreme lipsticks but find Revlon Lip Butter shades a little too “tame” (which I do) then these are great for giving color, sparkle and some shine. I wouldn’t put these in the same category as other full-cover glosses and lacquers.