Hello friends!
Milani is one of those brands that I hear lots of positive feedback on, and of course because of that I had to try it. If you couldn’t tell, I’m a bit of a nude lipstick fiend, so my product of choice was one of their most popular nude lipstick shades!
Color: Teddy Bare is a brown, midtone nude with a slightly warm undertone. I couldn’t find any descriptors on the Ulta or Milani website so this is my best guess! It’s mostly neutral, but there does appear to be just a hint of orange in the swatch. On my lips it looks like a neutral.
Finish: The Ulta website describes this color as a satin finish, however it is definitely a cream finish. There is a lot of shine starting with the application that doesn’t go away.
Packaging: The packaging of this lipstick is a shiny gold square shape, with “Milani” printed on in a matte gold/yellow. On the opposite side is a label with the product/color name and product information. The bottom has a clear section which shows the color of the lipstick and has the number/name printed in gold as well.
The shiny gold of the packaging does a very poor job at hiding fingerprints, so if messy makeup bothers you, you’ll want to be prepared to wipe it down on the regular.
Applicator: The shape of the bullet is just the standard pointed shape, with no special embossing on the actual product.
Application: I found application of this lipstick to be very easy. It is pigmented enough to go on in one swipe, and creamy, meaning there was no tugging on my lips and it applied smoothly. The bullet is pretty thick, so I was able to get all of my lips and the edges with little issue.
The scent of this lipstick is sweet, though I’m struggling to identify exactly what it smells like (there is a distinct possibility that this is just an older product and the smell has begun to fade). I couldn’t smell it after applying at all.
Transfer: This is a very standard bullet lipstick formula, including the level of transfer. It came off easily on my straw as I was drinking or eating and never really stopped transferring until it was completely gone. The lipstick lasted for around four hours, but if I ate a meal it would be gone and need to be reapplied.
Fading: Despite the high level of transfer, I didn’t have any issues with feeling like this faded patchy. I think that because the formula is pretty creamy, it was easy to just press my lips together and redistribute the leftover product across my lips to even out the color again.
Comfort: This lipstick has a pretty average comfort level. I didn’t feel like it was especially hydrating, but it didn’t dry my lips out either. My lips were dry a few times that I put this to the test, and it didn’t dry them out any more than they already were.
It is thick enough that right after application I could feel it sitting on my lips, and the feeling of it hasn’t really gone down at all. If you’re someone who doesn’t want to feel like you’re wearing lipstick, this might not be the formula for you.
Overall: I enjoy this formula! It’s very easy to quickly throw on and isn’t finicky. I think it’s a great option for people looking to build up their makeup collection on a budget, and it’s pretty enough to not feel like you’re just buying cheap makeup. I’d be interested in trying some more colors and really putting this formula to the test.
Price Point: This lipstick is available to be purchased at a number of different drugstores. It can also be purchased from Ulta for $5.99 or Walmart for an undeterminable amount (the Walmart website allows for 3rd party resellers so I can’t identify the actual price in stores but likely cheaper than Ulta). I can’t find this exact lipstick on the Target website, although I’m sure I’ve seen the lipstick in stores so you can potentially purchase it there as well. If you wanted to purchase direct from the Milani website you can pick this up for $5.99.
Karissa Talks Beauty 