Milani Adore & Lust Amore Matte Lip Cremes

Milani Adore Amore Matte Lip Creme

Milani Adore Amore Matte Lip Creme ($8.99 for 0.21 fl. oz.) is described as a “pink nude.” It’s a brightened, light-medium peach with a hint of pink and a flat, matte finish. It had had mostly opaque color coverage, but the texture dried down very, very dry and “cracked” as soon as I smiled or moved my lips, which made it a more uncomfortable shade to wear. This was my least favorite to wear, as it felt noticeably drying after three hours of wear and only lasted for six hours before flaking and fading unevenly. Kat Von D Noble (P, $20.00) is warmer (95% similar). Anastasia Pure Hollywood (P, $20.00) is cooler, glossier (90% similar). MAC Kinda Sexy (P, $17.00) is darker (80% similar). Melt Cosmetics Summer! (P, $19.00) is brighter, warmer, glossier (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

Milani Lust Amore Matte Lip Creme ($8.99 for 0.21 fl. oz.) is described as a “cool rose.” It’s a lightly brightened, medium pink with neutral-to-warm undertones and a matte finish. It had rich pigmentation that applied smoothly and evenly while drying down to a soft but not emphasizing matte finish. The formula is consistent with the range: thinner and more water-like, so take care with application to avoid messy edges or over-applying. It wore well for seven hours and felt a bit drying at the five-hour mark. Colour Pop Solow (P, $6.00) is lighter (95% similar). Kat Von D Magick (P, $21.00) is cooler, glossier (90% similar). MAC Mehr (P, $17.00) is glossier (90% similar). Colour Pop 1st Base (P, $6.00) is lighter, brighter, cooler (85% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

FORMULA SUMMARY | Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme ($8.99 for 0.21 fl. oz.) is a new, limited edition liquid lipstick that dries to a matte finish. You’ll mostly find them at your local drugstore (I got mine from Walgreens), but they are available online as well through Milani directly. These have a very thin, liquid-y consistency–they easily get outside the lines and in general, the applicator can apply far more than you need, so I highly recommend a little patience and maybe using a lip brush (if you can) to apply and get really precise, neat lines. The formula has a longer dry down–about five to ten minutes before you can press your lips together–and gets very tacky after two minutes or so (do NOT! press your lips together or else you will lift color in large patches!). They’re one of the lesser drying liquid lipsticks I’ve come across (but these did get a bit drying after four to six hours of continuous wear), and they are long-wearing and pigmented. They have a moderately strong sweet, vanilla scent.