MILANI - Color Statement Lipsticks

Do you ever go into the drugstore makeup section and say the following to yourself?:

"This lipstick is so pretty! I think I have something like this at home...but this one is different! I better buy it just to be safe..."

Oh, the lies we tell ourselves!

That happened a couple times to me at CVS last week since Milani lipsticks and lip liners were all $2.99. I went in the first day and walked out with Matte Beauty and Matte Love after looking at some swatches on my phone. I went back home and looked at the swatches again. Something was telling me to go back. I went back the next day and got Matte Confident. A couple days go by and then came the last day of the promotion. I went one more time and got Matte Naked and Naturally Chic in the original finish. At the end of the week, I wound up with five new lippies! I only have a few lipsticks with a matte finish so I was excited to try these.

Here are my five new beauties from the Milani Color Statement line:

L to R: Milani 25 Naturally Chic, Milani 61 Matte Naked, Milani 69 Matte Beauty, Milani 67 Matte Confident, Milani 73 Matte Love

The main reason why I initially kept going back to CVS was because I wanted to get more of the transparent lip liners. I hear they are a dupe for Urban Decay Ultimate Ozone Primer Pencil ($16). I've been using Ultimate Ozone almost every day and it actually runs out pretty fast since it's so soft. I've tried looking for the Milani transparent lip liners before but they were always sold out so I just caved and bought Ozone when Sephora was having 20% off. However, the lipstick colors were looking more and more beautiful every time I checked out the swatches or looked at the CVS display. I would've gotten Matte Passion, too, had it not been sold out. I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder. And bonus: my CVS puts anti-theft stickers right over the seal of the lipsticks making them a lot harder for people to open right on the spot. The downside to buying lipsticks from drugstores is that a lot of them are sampled by other people because there's no protective seal. I am happy to report that all my lippies are brand new :).

I'm currently challenging myself to a swatch fest of all of my lipsticks and see how many dupes I really have. But before I do that, I decided to share with you my new additions to my lipstick family. I've swatched them from lightest to darkest to minimize staining. I tried my best to capture these in their truest representation, but apologize for any inconsistency in lighting, you know how the sun is!

Gorgeous gold packaging with true-to-shade bottoms

I've swatched each shade on my lips so I hope this can be helpful for people with similar skin tones.

To start off, here I am without any lipstick. My lips are naturally very pigmented.

My Bare Lips

Milani 25 Naturally Chic

Milani Naturally Chic is from the original Color Statement line which are regular creme finishes instead of matte. I picked this up thinking it was going to be very similar to one of my favorites, CoverGirl Lip Perfection in Heavenly, but it turned out to be a spot on MLBB for me since it was a little less pink. See? The color almost disappears into my lips!

Milani 25 Naturally Chic

Milani 61 Matte Naked

I wasn't too sure what to expect from Matte Naked. I was hoping it would be a beautiful nude lipstick but I was also afraid it would make me look washed out like many other nudes I had tried in the past.

Milani Matte 61 Naked

I was pleasantly surprised by Matte Naked. Not only did it not wash me out but it turned out to be a very flattering light browny pink that's so trendy right now. I'm very happy that I was proven wrong! I don't own anything like this. I'm very excited to incorporate this shade into my MOTDs. I would probably just add a little more blush next time and do an even smokier eye.

Milani 69 Matte Beauty

I purchased Matte Beauty thinking it would look like a dark nude on me. It turns out it's one of those "spicy" shades that I have grown so accustomed to wearing over the past few years.

Milani 69 Matte Beauty

It's got that bit of terra cotta in it that makes it a great transition shade for Fall and it doesn't lean too orange.. I find it to be very flattering on my skin tone and gives me a healthy glow. This is something I would wear to work or school. I think this would make a nice MLBB for someone who has the same skin tone as I do but a little bit darker.

Milani 67 Matte Confident

Matte Confident is a gorgeous crimson. This feels like the fancier version of Jordana Matte Red. I would probably be more inclined to use this for a special occasion, but if the mood strikes, I would slap this on in a heartbeat just to run errands!

Milani 67 Matte Confident

I've only recently started becoming more comfortable with wearing red lipsticks. Not all reds are created equal and you've just got to find the ones that work well for you. I think the velvety texture of the finish adds a whole other level of sophistication that my other reds don't have. I love this!

Milani 73 Matte Love

Last but not least, Matte Love! This is a beet shade that I find very flattering on me even though I was a little intimidated upon first application. Shades like these have a bit of blue in them and I think I get that kind of porcelain doll effect while wearing them.

Milani 73 Matte Love

This is stepping into berry territory, which I also love. This is another gorgeous shade for Autumn.

Formula:

Milani Naturally Chic was the only creme formula lipstick I purchased from the Color Statement line. I didn't find it to be above and beyond of what a normal creme finish lipstick should be but it was fairly opaque. I do love the color and the fact that I found a 100% match MLBB, woohoo! The only thing I found strange about this one was that it kind of had an artificial watermelon scent. It reminded me of watermelon Jolly Ranchers, which I happen to love. It's just strange to smell it in a lipstick! The scent didn't linger for long after application.

Milani Matte Naked, Beauty, Confident, and Love had a really lovely velvety finish. They weren't overly drying, which is nice, and I don't think that can be said about most mattes. Mattes are not as emollient as creme finishes so I did have to go over my lips a few times to achieve full opacity. However, they applied relatively smoothly and I wasn't yanking on my lips trying to get the colors on. These all had a faint vanilla scent that's typical of many drugstore lipsticks but it didn't bother me. These scents usually dissipate after several seconds. Just a heads up for those with sensitive noses, though!

Packaging:

I'm usually not a huge yellow gold fan, but Milani did an amazing job with the packaging for their  Color Statement lipsticks. Each tube in encased in a slick gold tube with a very true-to-color bottom label. They feel quite luxurious in the hand! I usually don't give much thought to drugstore packaging but these made me take notice. They'll look nice on a vanity if you have one. The packaging does attract fingerprints but that's inevitable and doesn't bother me.

The caps fit pretty securely over each tube. I just hope they don't crack after opening and closing too many times.

Favorites:
As far as favorites from the bunch go, it's so hard to choose! I ended up loving each one but I think the two that stood out the most were Matte Naked and Matte Confident.

Matte Naked surprised me with being a browny pink nude shade that was new to my collection. It's hard for me to find drugstore nude lipsticks that don't make me look washed out but I think this one was perfect for me despite my initial doubts. I actually bought Matte Beauty first thinking it may be a good nude for me but decided to get Matte Naked, too, just in case the former was too dark.

Matte Confident took me by surprise with the combination of the vibrant scarlet along with the velvety finish. Just looking back at the photo, I think it looks so lush and multi-dimensional. I had acquired quite a few reds in the last year but I think this one is still unique enough to stand out among the rest in my collection.

Is It Worth Your While?:
YES! Milani really did an amazing job with their Color Statement line. I think I may pick up some more the next time there's a sale! I hope they release more mattes by that time. As of right now, I think there are at least a few shades for everyone. They're affordable, too! I've posted a link above each photo to where each shade can be purchased.

Other products used in today's look:

Face:
Clinique CC Cream in Light
Muji Concealer
Essence Silky Touch Blush in Babydoll

Eyes:
Urban Decay Naked 2: Foxy, Bootycall, Chopper, Snakebite, Busted
Maybelline Volum'Express Cat Eyes Waterproof in Glam Black
Have you tried any of the Milani Color Statement lipsticks? Let me know in the comments below!