Milani Desire & Romance Amore Matte Lip Cremes

Milani Desire Amore Matte Lip Creme

Milani Desire Amore Matte Lip Creme ($8.99 for 0.21 fl. oz.) is described as a “bright red.” It’s a brightened, medium red with neutral-to-warm undertones and a smooth, matte finish. It was intensely pigmented and applied with even coverage, though the more liquid-y consistency does make it a little harder to maneuver around the edges. As always, I recommend trying to remove excess product from the applicator or using a lip brush to make it easier to apply. It wore well for eight hours with minimal fading and was a little drying after seven hours. Colour Pop Succulent (P, $6.00) is lighter, brighter (95% similar). NARS Mysterious Red (LE, $25.00) is glossier (95% similar). Hourglass Raven (P, $28.00) is warmer, glossier (90% similar). Kat Von D Underage Red (P, $20.00) is warmer (90% similar). Illamasqua Maneater (P, $24.00) is warmer, glossier (90% similar). Maybelline Siren in Scarlet (P, $7.99) is glossier (90% similar). Kat Von D Tijuana (P, $21.00) is warmer, glossier (90% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

Milani Romance Amore Matte Lip Creme ($8.99 for 0.21 fl. oz.) is described as a “deep red.” It’s a medium-dark red with cool, blue undertones and a matte finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation but a translucency to it–you could see my lip freckle coming through–but doesn’t look streaky, which was a surprise. It had a softer look to it than some liquid matte lipsticks do as a result. It wore for six and a half hours and left a stain behind, and it was neither drying nor hydrating. Colour Pop Creeper (P, $6.00) is lighter (95% similar). NARS Dragon Girl (P, $25.00) is darker (90% similar). MAC Damn Glamorous (LE, $17.00) is lighter, glossier (90% similar). Kat Von D Hexagram (P, $21.00) is warmer (90% similar). MAC Charlotte (LE, $17.00) is glossier (90% similar). MAC RiRi Woo (LE, $17.00) is lighter, brighter (95% similar). MAC Victoriana (LE, $17.00) is lighter, brighter, glossier (80% 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.