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Monday, February 4, 2013

Review: Milani Color Statement Lipsticks - reds & oranges

Many of us have been eagerly awaiting Milani's new Color Statement lipsticks, which are replacing the original Milani lipsticks. I recently received the reds and oranges for review (I'll be reviewing the other shades later down the line), so let's take a look.

Milani Color Statement Lipsticks
(retail: $5.49 each, 0.14 oz)
From the Milani website:

Make a statement without saying a word!  True Instant Color. One stroke, full coverage application. This next generation lipstick gives the ultimate in color, texture and finish.  The lightweight creamy formula contains Vitamins A, C, & E to moisturize and nourish lips. Paraben-free. Available in Vinyl, Metallic, Cream, Shimmer, Pearl & Matte finish.
 To view the ingredients lists for this collection, click here.


Keep reading for my full review...


These lipsticks are made in the USA and they have a safety seal/sticker that extends across the opening.








For once, I'm glad that my lips are currently dry and chapped, because I think you can see which shades are the creamiest and which make my lips look the smoothest. Take a look:
 (no lip liner was used for any of these photos)

Sweet Nectar: true orange creme (no trace of coral to this one)

Orange-gina: shimmery/metallic light peachy-orange

High Voltage: red creme with orange undertone

 Red Label: red creme with subtle blue undertone

 Cherry Crave: warm red with fine orange-gold shimmer

Best Red: neutral red creme
Ruby Valentine: red creme with slight blue undertone

Looking at the pics above, I think it's easy to see that the creme shades are quite creamy and "fill in" the dryness of my lips to create a smoother-looking surface. The two shimmery/metallic shades, Orange-gina and Cherry Crave, tend to accentuate my dryness a bit.

Texture and consistency: The creamiest lipsticks I've worn in quite some time. These lipsticks are buttery smooth and feel delightful on the lips. The lipsticks with a creme finish are more "cushiony" than the shimmers/metallics but, on the whole, these feel like a million bucks on the lips and they're quite hydrating as well. Of all seven shades covered in this post, my favorite in terms of texture is High Voltage, because for some reason this shade is extra creamy, buttery and cushion-y. It honestly feels like a $25 lipstick when you're applying it to the lips (the others feels amazing as well, but for some odd reason High Voltage feels extra-special to me).

Pigmentation and finish: Absolutely no issues with pigmentation here--they are all fantastic and richly pigmented. The finishes vary, of course--two of these shades are shimmery/metallic. The remaining shades are all cremes that have some shine to them, but I would not consider any to be glossy (or matte, for that matter). 

Staying power: I can get about 3-4 hours of wear from these lipsticks before I start to see major fading. I have not experienced "ring around the lips" when these fade though--they all fade pretty evenly and leave a nice, soft stain behind.

Flavor and fragrance: A wonderful improvement over the old style Milani lipsticks. These new lipsticks smell like watermelon and taste like watermelon as well. Both the flavor and fragrance are medium-strong. The fragrance seems to dissipate within a few minutes after application, but I can still taste the flavor of these lipsticks for about 15-20 minutes after application.

Packaging: I love the streamlined look of these lipstick tubes. The lids snap firmly in place and I appreciate that the bottom of the tube is a quite accurate representation of the actual lipstick color. The only downside to the packaging is that fingerprints do show up easily on the tube (you can wipe them away pretty easily though, with a cloth, etc.).

FINAL VERDICT: I absolutely love these lipsticks. They're very creamy, velvety and super hydrating, and the cremes in particular feel nice and cushion-y on the lips (to the point of almost feeling decadent). These lipsticks feel and look like higher-end lipsticks and I'm having a hard time believing such a lovely formula only retails for $5.95. The pigmentation is beautiful and you won't need to build for intensity--these are pretty much perfect after one application. The only negative thing I can think of is that, if you're quite sensitive to fragrance/flavor in your lip products, these might be a bit too strong for you. But other than that, I think these are wonderful and I've been rocking red lips since the day I received them. I can't get enough and I'm so excited to try the other shades in the range.

Milani Color Statement Lipsticks can be purchased on the Milani website. They should also be available soon at CVS, Kmart, Target, Walgreens and wherever else Milani is sold in your area.

Please stay tuned for my review of the ColorStatment Lip Liners, coming soon. In the meantime, have you spotted the new Milani Color Statement Lipsticks in your area yet? Thoughts?

 A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.
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47 comments

  1. There are a few reds here that I have to get. Lovely!!

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  2. I actually won Sweet Nectar in their current giveaways and I LOVE it!! Besides the fact that orange is my fave color, this lipstick actually looks really good on me! The watermelon smell is absolutely heavenly I love love these! Too bad they haven't popped up at my local stores yet :(

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    1. Thank you! I've picked up 4 shades today! I finally found them at a CVS and they had a huge variety. I got Best Red, Pink Frost, Fruit Punch and Dulce Caramelo. I'm obsessed!! :)

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  3. These are very dramatic, I'll be looking forward to how the neutrals look ;)

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    1. Same here. Curious about the nudes, pinks and mauves now!

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    2. I have teddy bare and It is awesome. The pinks rock as well. I love the remake of rose hip it is sooooo much better

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  4. ugh I think I need Red Label and High Voltage, AND they smell and taste like watermelon

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  5. The texture of High Voltage sounds amazing! I can't wait for your reviews of the neutrals!

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  6. Awesome! Looking forward to hearing about the neutrals. So glad they got rid of that AWFUL smell the previous version had.

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  7. Got 3 of the nudes - 25 Naturally Chic, 26 Nude Creme, 27 Dulce Caramelo. I definitely want 06 Cherry Crave & 08 Ruby Valentine - didn't get Ruby Valentine because I don't use a red lipstick too often (and I have quite a few). Dark reds are my favorite kinds :) and Ruby Valentine looks amazing in online and in person.

    The watermelon smell was the first thing I noticed - Love It! The 3 shades I have are so creamy.

    Definitely also want 09-Pink Frost, 11-Fruit Punch, 14-Rose Hip, 15-Hot Pink Rage, 17 Plumrose, 33-Rose Amour, 36-D'Oro (online it looks gold - cannot remember if my CVS had it or not :|). The Plum shades all look good too.

    Totally recommend these! :)

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  8. "Make a statement without saying a word?" ...I'm pretty sure that was the tagline for Exclaimation! Perfume/edt back in the day, lol. Anyway, Sweet Nectar is looking mighty nice...but very similar to Revlon Siren. Maybe siren has a touch of redness though, I would have to see them at the same time, as I'm just going on memory.

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  9. I can't wait for these!!!! Thanks for the great review, G

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  10. I'm so glad the smell/taste is better than the original lipsticks! I have 2 of the orignal formula ones and I can't stand to wear them because of the smell and taste. I can't wait to pick up some of the new formula ones!

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  11. I'm craving these now. I don't wear red lipstick often, but I love it so much. It's a "cheer me up" color. I need to make "wear red lipstick every day" my mantra for February.

    Do you know if the new Orange-gina is the same shade as the old version? I wonder how much difference there is in the texture.

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    Replies
    1. I'm not sure, but I'll try to find out for you!

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  12. These are beautiful. Are they as strongly scented as the old Milani lipsticks? That was my one beef with them, that they were too perfumed. I can't wait for the review of the neutrals.

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    Replies
    1. They're not as strong to me, but they are definitely noticeable.

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  13. Another addition to my long list of Milani must-haves. I need to make a big order on the website at some point.

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  14. Ooh, these look nice. Next time Milani is on sale, I'll pick up a few :)

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  15. Wow, your swatches really show the quality. Great, even pigmentation and creamy enough so your dry lips don't look dry at all!

    I see they changed the shape of the lipstick itself to the more common cylinder with tapered tip. Their old one was a little odd, like it was faceted (not that that would stop me from purchasing, just saying).

    Confession: I did a double take at the names because at first glance, I saw "Red Label" as "Red Labia"! Mental record needle scratch!! I was like, "wow, that's way edgier than I'd think Milani would be!" haha.

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    Replies
    1. lol, actually the word labial is printed on quite a few lip products as it means lips in other languages. I guess it goes back to the prefix of the latin word for lips.

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  16. Awesome review G! I love the way Best Red looks, it looks like an awesome red for some drama, but still not be too intense. And the watermelon scent sounds super yummy <3

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  17. You lost me at "watermelon". Bleah!!!

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  18. While I question the wisdom of the name "Orange-gina" (this gutter is awfully hard to climb out of), it is definitely on my radar. I don't currently have anything like it.

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    1. Huh? Its orangeeeeena, like the drink in the distinct shaped glass bottle. Thinking of pronouncing it the other way (orange-eye-na) is ewww gross...but pretty funny.

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    2. I second what BubblegumBengal said! Orangina is a very popular (and yummy) drink. Great...now i'm craving one. Lol!

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    3. Ah. I didn't recognize the pun until now. Orangina isn't really sold around here, so it's not on my pop-culture radar.

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  19. My local Walgreens had a sort of display of these, with one of each color. I picked up two - Plumful and Naturally Chic - and I love, love, love Plumful. The texture is great, it's comfortable, and the color's just lovely. I'm really sensitive to scents - can't wear the Neutrogena moisture stick things - but the watermelon scent on these is okay. I'm not sure about Naturally Chic because it's a bit warm-toned and I don't know if it works on me, but I will probably go back for other colors even if I return that one.

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  20. I meant Plumrose, not Plumful. D'oh!

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    1. I'm so glad you find these comfortable too! :)

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  21. Oh, blerg. I wish they had done these without their characteristic watermelon scent. I was hoping that would be one of the things that disappeared in reformulation. These sound so nice, but I really, really dislike that fake watermelon on my lips.

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  22. Beautiful cremes, esp Nectar and High Voltage, normally flavor/scent is a problem for me- but I liked the mild watermelon scent Mabelline used to use so maybe...?

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  23. Does the bullet fully retract into the case? I've never owned a Milani lipstick, so I don't know...and don't have any for comparison.

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  24. These are so, so pretty! My drugstores NEVER carry the gorgeous new Milani items!! I need Orangina and Cherry Crush!

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  25. I have High Voltage and a pink one called Flamingo Pose. I like both a whole lot, so far.

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  26. I got one of these lipstick- purple color and i have to say it was amazing, but the scent is still too strong for me, better than their previous lippies but still strong. I almost cried because these lipsticks are great. The smell is similar to the jordana lipstick which is owned by Milani so i guess they are being made in the same factory. Why couldn't they make them like the revlon or wet and wild megalast lipsticks? free of secent or at least very little. What a bummer:(

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  27. I need another lipstick like a hole in the head but I broke down and got one. So glad I did, Nectar and High Voltage were sold out so I got Flamingo Pose. Amazing texture and color. I thought there was minimal taste and I like the scent, but I agree it divides people so why do it? Also, a pretty nude I looked at smelled a bit spoiled and less intensely watermelon than the FP, weird.

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  28. I like Orange Nectar! Need a pretty coral-tangerine shade like that...but G also reviewed NYC's Megalast line & I'm thinking 24 Carrot Gold will work just as well for less $$$ :)

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