Milani Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss – Swatches and Review
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Another Brilliant Offering from the Drugstore Fave
Weheartsters looooove Milani Cosmetics. Just search our archives – we can’t stop raving about them. Cheap only on terms of price, Milani’s products are good quality, and come in an array of colors usually only available through makeup artistry brands. Milani has shades and products for everyone, from the gal who barely wears any makeup, to the budding makeup artist, and in every color of the rainbow.
I’ve tried quite a few of their products, but the new Milani Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss may be my new fave product – they’re THAT good (although the Illuminating Face Powder is awfully nice too). The Brilliant Shine Lipgloss comes in fourteen very different shades: there’s coral, there’s red, there’s burgundy, there’s pink, there’s purple, there’s nude, there’s shimmery finishes and cremes too… No matter what your skin tone and lip color preference, there’s something fabulous for everyone.
Each gloss is housed in a clear tube with a gold lid, and a specially-shaped slightly flexible doe foot applicator. The shape of the tube means it won’t be rolling off the bathroom counter for the millionth time while I’m doing my makeup. I love that the tube is clear – not only can you see how pretty the glosses are, it makes finding the right shade a cinch.
Add in the facts that these glosses are paraben-free AND each gloss is less than six bucks a pop and you can see why beauty lovers are scrambling to the store to get their hands on every single shade. It’s a product that you’d expect to see from a much more expensive makeup company, but at drugstore pricing.
Let’s take a look at a few of the shades, shall we?
Bare Secret, Mai Tai, Luminous
Mauve Fetish, Berry Tempting, Ravish Raspberry
Berry Tempting and Mauve Fetish
01 Bare Secret -medium nude cream
02 Mai Tai – bright apricot with gold shimmer
03 Luminous – shimmery wash of sheer pink and gold
04 Mauve Fetish – mauve with gold shimmer
05 Berry Tempting – like a sheer grape popsicle
06 Ravish Raspberry – berry cream
Fair warning – these glosses are STICKY. Despite the claims, I found the Milani Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss had a thick texture and was even stickier than MAC Lipglass (my favorite lipgloss of all time, but Lipglass tends to be the sticky gloss to which all other sticky glosses are compared.)
While almost verging on the edge of being too thick and sticky for me (which is saying a LOT), they are also quite moisturizing, so that makes up for it in my opinion. As they get near the end of their wear time, they seem to get stickier, but the color lasts for hours and fades evenly.
Pink Lady, Rose Blush, Sweet Grapefruit, Coral Crush
07 Pink Lady – bubble gum pink cream
08 Rose Blush – pink berry with silvery shimmer
09 Sweet Grapefruit – pink grapefruit cream
10 Coral Crush – pure coral cream
If you DO enjoy the texture of these glosses, you’ll be in heaven, because everything else about the products is pretty awesome. The medium pigmentation on these mean they can be sheered out a little, so don’t let the color in the tube intimidate you. But if you want bold color, go ahead and layer on a little bit more gloss!
Nude Touch, Red My Lips, Brownberry, Black Cherry
11 Nude Touch – sheer nude with gold shimmer
12 Red My Lips – bright blue red cream
13 Brownberry – -shimmery berry brown
14 Black Cherry – dark vampy berry cream
Worn sheer or layered, I love the versatility of the Milani Brilliant Shine Lip Glosses. And they are a great way to ease into the fabulously glam world of bright lip colors. The glosses are all vanilla scented, and I really enjoy it. It’s sweet and somewhat strong, but not plasticky or overly synthetic smelling.
For less than $6 a tube, you will be hard-pressed to find a better deal on lip gloss this spring. So get to your favorite drugstore and check out the latest from one of our favorite drugstore lines!
we heartsters – Are you mad for Milani?
photos: Marilyn and Stef for we heart this; swatches shown on NC25/30 skin tone
Talk about a bang for the buck! I tested Milani lip gloss in 08 Rose Blush. It is a rich, sparkly pink that I am LOVING! Love the, (non-rolling), square tube, and the applicator. The stickiness doesn’t bother me at all. I would definitely buy this product when I run out!
Milani Milani Milani! We do love you at WHT! I got to check out Milan’s Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss in “Sweet Grapefruit” and the instant I used it, I was even more impressed.. Super rich and super shiny! It goes on easy- love the applicator and looks pretty on! It’s a bit tacky but that’s not even an issue. It has a slight vanilla scent which I don’t mind at all. I dare say, this is as good as my expensive Dior’s lip-gloss.. and for 6$, who can ask for more! I am sold!
I tested Ravish Raspberry and it was fabulous. Rich, creamy and a really wearable berry with a good punch of color!
I’m not a huge fan of sticky lip glosses, but when I want longevity I do turn to them for events etc. These look really great @lipglossandspandex! I’m LOVING Milani these days.
I tested Black Cherry–I love it because it’s a darker, moodier color, but the shine and sheerness makes it very wearable. I also LOVE the creamy, vanilla frosting scent on these. I’ve already purchased Sweet Grapefruit and Luminous, too.
Milani is excellent as always!!! I had the pleasure of testing Coral Crush. It is a lovely shade of coral that does not wash me out(this is easy to do). It is a very flattering shade that should work with most any skin tone. I adored the vanilla scent. It is very pleasant and not at all cloying. I feel that the texture was also very agreeable. While it is thick it does not in my opinion have an “annoying sticky feeling”. This is a lovely lip gloss and I can not wait to try some of the darker shades. They are gorgeous!
@lipglossandspandex – Great review. I know how particular you are about lipgloss. I love that I can try a new color on a whim and get something moisturizing with good color payoff. You really rock Red My Lips! It makes me want to try another red.
I like these glosses a lot and it seems like they only get seriously tacky when they’ve almost completely worn off. Still, a very small issue, compared to all the other fab qualities of these glosses. I’m definitely hoping Milani keeps these around, because I love the color selection and price!