Milani Brow Tint Pen Review, Photos and Swatches!

Milani Brow Tint Pen

Milani Brow Tint Pen ($5.99) is a quick-drying and long-wearing felt-tip eyebrow pen that is used for filling and shaping the brows. It has a fairly fine point for precise application.

The Milani Brow Tint Pen is available in (2) shades: Natural Taupe and Dark Brown.

Natural Taupe is a light brown that will work well for most light hair colors, while Dark Brown is about one shade deeper of a brown, with an ash-brown/moss green undertone (no red tones at all). Natural Taupe has a warm undertone, without looking too brassy.

The pigmentation is very sheer. The color is buildable to a light-medium, but the color will never reach opaque pigmentation. Because of the sheer color, it's excellent for darkening/adding color to sparse and fine brows.

I like applying Natural Taupe through my brows to deepen them, and go back with Dark Brown to areas that need a little more definition. The result is very natural, clean brows.

I find them to last well on their own, but I always make sure to apply the brow product before applying my foundation to avoid build up on the tip of the pen. For oily skin, you may find that using a clear primer (such as Nars Smudge-proof Primer or UD Primer Potion) on your brows prior to application helpful, or dusting a transparent powder across the brows to pick up excess oil which can break up the product later in the day.

Swatches:

I swatched both shades three times. As you can see, you can achieve a very fine line, as well as a thick line with the brush tip. The thickest swatch is two layers. Natural Taupe is on the left, and Dark Brown is on the right.

Overall, I think this product is a great alternative to the more expensive brands. There aren't so many alternatives there for brow pens; some include: Anastasia of Beverly Hills Brow Pen ($21), Suqqu Eyebrow Liquid Pen ($25) and GOSH Long Lasting Brow Pen ($7.98). I've always wondered about brow pens, and am happy I finally can say I've tried one. So far, I really like these, but time will tell as I continue using them. I'll keep you updated!

The Round-Up

Pros:

• Easy to use.
• Pigmentation is fairly sheer, for a very natural appearance - great for darkening fine and sparse brows.
• Dark Brown works perfectly well for my dark brows without making my brows look too dark or overpowering.
• Long-lasting. 

Cons:

• Because the product doesn't get quite opaque, it might not be the best product for shaping thin or non-existent brows. If you like full, prominent brows, you might want to look into a more pigmented product such as Maybelline Define-a-Brow. 
• Hard to find in stores - I've been looking for this product for months (thanks to a recommendation from one of my readers) and I'm never able to find it. I finally found it at a CVS with a full Milani display (my local CVS only stocks about half of the products).

Price: $5.99, CVS or wherever Milani products are sold.

Wet n Wild Megalast 2% Milk and Milani Lavender Jewel FX Nail Polish!

I love anything that sparkles, and when I spot a pretty glitter polish, it's pretty hard for me to not toss it in my cart. Despite the P.I.T.A. glitter polishes are to remove, I think they're so much fun! Milani has a big variety of glitter polishes to choose from. If you like smaller, more uniform glitter, you have to check out the Holographic and One Coat Glitter polishes. But if you're a fan of large, chunky glitter, the Jewel FX polishes are for you.

I recently picked up Milani Lavender Jewel FX Nail Lacquer, and decided to experiment a little bit with it today. I painted some glitter tips, and thought I'd quickly share my NOTD!

I used three coats of Wet n Wild 2% Milk, two coats of Milani Lavender Jewel FX and then used the Milani Art of Silver Nail Art polish to create a silver, glittery line across the tip.

From the left to right: Wet n Wild 2% Milk Megalast Nail Color, Milani Art of Silver Nail Art Nail Lacquer and Milani Lavender Jewel FX Nail Lacquer.

Wet n Wild 2% Milk is one of my frequently used "no polish" polish. Most sheer, light nail polishes apply streaky, but because of the thick, flat brush of the Megalast polishes, it yields minimal streaks. I've gone through so many Essie polishes, and haven't liked any of them. This one is only $2 and it beats them all! I also like using Sugar Coat for a pinker alternative.

I think I might get a couple more of the Jewel FX polishes. They are great glitters to use for a statement nail, as the glitter is really chunky and metallic - it almost gives off a foiled look.

Milani Quick Flash Haute Flash Full Coverage Shimmer Lipgloss Review!

Milani Quick Flash Haute Flash Lipgloss

Milani Haute Flash Lipgloss ($7.49) is a new lipgloss range from Milani providing full coverage color with an extra shiny finish. It's non-tacky and won't won't feather; meaning, it will stay on your lips and won't travel outside your lip line.

There are six (6) shades available: Hot Flash, Flashy, In a Flash, Star Flash, Golden Flash and Quick Flash. A couple of the shades caught my eye, but I was the most drawn to Quick Flash.

Quick Flash is a light-med pink (I can't decide whether it's a warm or cool pink, it's somewhere in between) filled with a mixture of white and pink shimmer. If you don't like shimmer, steer clear because these contain lots of shimmer.

Some of the shades in this range are more pigmented than others, and Quick Flash happens to be the sheerest. I was a bit disappointed because with the claims of being "full coverage", I was expecting a liquid lipstick type of gloss, and it just didn't deliver. It's very buildable though, and with two coats, it provides a nice medium coverage on my rosy lips.

Milani Quick Flash on my lips.

The gloss itself feels comfortable on the lips. There is a slight grit because of all of the shimmer, but the gloss itself is thick and moisturizing that it doesn't bother me. The consistency reminds me a bit of the Revlon Mineral Lipglazes; slightly thick, non-sticky, non-drying. I can see that's why these won't feather, because for a lipgloss, they aren't at all runny.

I love the way the gloss looks on my lips, and I feel like the formula and shimmer actually makes my lips look a little fuller. 

One thing I figured is worth a mention, for some reason after I've applied the gloss to my lips I feel a slight tingling-heat for the first couple of minutes - almost like it's a mild plumper? It's very subtle and goes away, but I'm assuming it's a very mild reaction to an ingredient in the gloss. I've had no side effects (such as dried out lips, swelling, or anything of the sort). I haven't read that anyone else experienced this, as results will vary from person to person with any cosmetic product.

Overall though, I'm pretty pleased with this gloss and I think it's an awesome every-day pink that can be worn alone, or tossed over top any pink lipstick.

The Round-Up
Pros:

• A great every day color that can be worn alone or over top any pink lipstick
• Keeps my lips moisturized - doesn't dry them out
• Makes my lips very shiny and appear fuller
• Good lasting power - it's still there after a few hours

Cons:

• Feels slightly gritty at first, but goes away shortly after
• Isn't full coverage like the claims

Price: $7.49, CVS, ULTA or your local store that carries Milani.

Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil Review!

Milani Liquif’eye Eye Pencil

Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil ($7.49) is basically a pencil liner with a super-smooth texture, that when applied, it glides on smoothly like a liquid liner - no tugging of the skin like a traditional pencil. It’s said to provide high pigmentation with long-lasting wear.

Milani Liquif’Eye Eye Pencils are available in five (5) shades: Black, Brown, Gold, Silver and Aqua. I own Brown and Aqua, but in this review I'll be focusing on the Brown pencil. (Swatches of both is at end of the post)

These pencils have been compared to Urban Decay’s ever popular 24-7 Glide-On Eye Pencils ($19 each) for their similar smooth texture, pigmentation and lasting power. Some even say they are exact dupes. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I don’t own any Urban Decay Liners so unfortunately, I can’t compare the two.

I do own other liners with smooth formulas – MAC Pearlglideand L’Oreal Extra Intense Liquid Eyeliner Pencil to name a couple, along with other liners such as MAC Eye Kohl, Stila Kajal Eye Liner, etc. Texture-wise, Milani excels above all of these.

 In this photo, I lined my upper lid with the Brown pencil (went over it twice for a deep line) and I applied a little under my eye and quickly smudged it with an angled liner brush and lastly applied the liner across my waterline.

The formula of this pencil is so smooth – much different than a kohl or kajal eye liners. It really does apply like a liquid liner. There is no dragging/tugging of the skin during application, and you never have to heat the tip (an old trick for hard pencils).

The pigmentation is amazing. I only have to run the liner across my lid once, and I’m good to go. If I want a deeper line – a black-brown, I’ll go over the line once more. In general, it is a very deep brown and almost looks black until closer inspection. On the waterline it appears a bit lighter. 

*A side note: I also read that the black is a very intense black – darker than Urban Decay Zero.

Swatches of Brown and Aqua

You can see with brown in particular, the color gets deeper with additional layers. The thin swatch is a single pass, and the thicker swatch is a few layers. (I thought Aqua would be a perfect dupe for Urban Decay Flipside, but upon comparison, Aqua is more metallic and much more pigmented. Color-wise, Aqua is more of an aqua (green-blue) whereas Flipside is truly blue. Incredibly similar, though.)

You are able to smudge this liner for a less precise, “smokey” appearance, but it sets in around 15 seconds, so you have to work pretty fast. If I want a smudged line, I’ll apply the liner to my lid and/ or lower lashline, and quickly smudge it with an angled liner brush. It works like a charm.

The lasting power is very good. I don’t wear eyeliner on my waterline very often because it irritates my eyes, but on my lids it lasts all day with minor fading by the end of the day.

The only downfall with this liner is because it’s so soft, it wears down quickly with frequent use. I came across a very helpful tip of placing the pencil in your freezer for 5-10 minutes or so before sharpening, to harden the product so it will sharpen easier with less mess. An awesome idea that I have the girls of Makeupalley to thank!

This has definitely become my favorite pencil liner, and I will continue purchasing it – until something better comes along, of course. ;)

Price: $7.49, CVS, and right now, all Milani is Buy 1, Get 1 50% off!

Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil Review!

Milani Liquif�eye Eye Pencil

Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil ($7.49) is basically a pencil liner with a super-smooth texture, that when applied, it glides on smoothly like a liquid liner - no tugging of the skin like a traditional pencil. It�s said to provide high pigmentation with long-lasting wear.

Milani Liquif�Eye Eye Pencils are available in five (5) shades: Black, Brown, Gold, Silver and Aqua. I own Brown and Aqua, but in this review I'll be focusing on the Brown pencil. (Swatches of both is at end of the post)

These pencils have been compared to Urban Decay�s ever popular 24-7 Glide-On Eye Pencils ($19 each) for their similar smooth texture, pigmentation and lasting power. Some even say they are exact dupes. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I don�t own any Urban Decay Liners so unfortunately, I can�t compare the two.

I do own other liners with smooth formulas � MAC Pearlglideand L�Oreal Extra Intense Liquid Eyeliner Pencil to name a couple, along with other liners such as MAC Eye Kohl, Stila Kajal Eye Liner, etc. Texture-wise, Milani excels above all of these.

 In this photo, I lined my upper lid with the Brown pencil (went over it twice for a deep line) and I applied a little under my eye and quickly smudged it with an angled liner brush and lastly applied the liner across my waterline.

The formula of this pencil is so smooth � much different than a kohl or kajal eye liners. It really does apply like a liquid liner. There is no dragging/tugging of the skin during application, and you never have to heat the tip (an old trick for hard pencils).

The pigmentation is amazing. I only have to run the liner across my lid once, and I�m good to go. If I want a deeper line � a black-brown, I�ll go over the line once more. In general, it is a very deep brown and almost looks black until closer inspection. On the waterline it appears a bit lighter. 

*A side note: I also read that the black is a very intense black � darker than Urban Decay Zero.

Swatches of Brown and Aqua

You can see with brown in particular, the color gets deeper with additional layers. The thin swatch is a single pass, and the thicker swatch is a few layers. (I thought Aqua would be a perfect dupe for Urban Decay Flipside, but upon comparison, Aqua is more metallic and much more pigmented. Color-wise, Aqua is more of an aqua (green-blue) whereas Flipside is truly blue. Incredibly similar, though.)

You are able to smudge this liner for a less precise, �smokey� appearance, but it sets in around 15 seconds, so you have to work pretty fast. If I want a smudged line, I�ll apply the liner to my lid and/ or lower lashline, and quickly smudge it with an angled liner brush. It works like a charm.

The lasting power is very good. I don�t wear eyeliner on my waterline very often because it irritates my eyes, but on my lids it lasts all day with minor fading by the end of the day.

The only downfall with this liner is because it�s so soft, it wears down quickly with frequent use. I came across a very helpful tip of placing the pencil in your freezer for 5-10 minutes or so before sharpening, to harden the product so it will sharpen easier with less mess. An awesome idea that I have the girls of Makeupalley to thank!

This has definitely become my favorite pencil liner, and I will continue purchasing it � until something better comes along, of course. ;)

Price: $7.49, CVS, and right now, all Milani is Buy 1, Get 1 50% off!

Milani Sweet Rose Minerals Blush Review!

Milani Sweet Rose Minerals Blush

I recently picked up three of the four Milani Minerals Blushes once they were marked clearance (75% off) at CVS. (View the post here, with swatches) Well, a couple of weeks ago, I walked into another CVS and noticed they still had several of the clearance products without clearance tags. So, I scanned them, and sure enough they were 75% off. I grabbed a couple of powders, a bronzer and the only blush I didn't purchase prior; Sweet Rose.

Sweet Rose is a dusty plummy-pink with rosy undertones. It's a very natural, every-day kind of color that won't clash with most of your makeup looks. I initially skipped purchasing this blush at first because I figured the purple tone would make me look ashy. But, I was very wrong. You don't see much red in the pan, but once the color hits my cheeks, it mimics the rosy hue my cheeks would turn after a jog.

All of the shades in this range are pretty pigmented, especially Mai-Tai and Sunset Beach, and I expected the same from Sweet Rose, but it's actually a little less pigmented with one tap of the brush. It doesn't lack in pigmentation overall - it does pack a good amount of color, and is very buildable. It's just not one of those blushes you have to be nervous about over-doing.

It's my favorite blush from the range, as I easily favor shades that can be worn the most often.

Milani puts emphasis that this blush is talc-free and non-irritating. So for those sensitive to talc, this may be a range to look into. (For the full ingredient list, scroll down to the end of the review.)

Milani Sweet Rose Minerals Blush

READ MORE!

I'm not too crazy about the packaging - it's a little bulky and I notice with many Milani products, the words printed on the plastic lid fade/chip off shortly after using the product on a regular basis. It does have a mirror, which is wonderful for touch-ups. There is also a brush, which I don't find useful at all. It's too scratchy and doesn't yield even application. Most brushes included in drugstore products don't work well anyway, so I wouldn't hold it against this product.

Here's a quick swatch of the color across my fingers.

And, here's what a light dusting of Sweet Rose looks like on my cheeks. I notice that when I wear this blush without foundation, the color is a little redder/rosier.

I thought it may compare to MAC Blushbaby Powder Blush, but upon closer inspection, Blushbaby is much warmer and ruddy, whereas Sweet Rose is pinker.

I've looked over several reviews for this blush, and it appears to work well for most skintones from light to dark.

I believe Milani is discontinuing this line of blushes, so it may become hard to find with time, but if you do come across this blush on Clearance, and are looking for a natural, rosy blush, this is a pretty good one. I only paid about $2 for this blush, and I'd say it's totally worth it.

Ingredients: Mica, Kaolin, Squakane, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Stearate, Silica, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Sorbitan Stearate, Potassium Sorbate, Lauroyl Lysine, Tourmaline, Malachite Extract. +/- MAY CONTAIN: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288), Chromium Hydroxide Green (CI 77289), Red 6 (CI 15850), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985), Blue 1 Lake (CI42090).

Price: Around $2 on Clearance at CVS, but can be found at various online retailers, such as Cherryculture for about $6.

75% OFF Select Milani Cosmetics at your local CVS!

As a beauty blogger, I pretty much have a weekly routine of checking out my local drugstore makeup aisles, taking note of all of the new sales and product displays. My drugstore of "choice" is CVS Pharmacy, as most of the time, I fine a little gem in the rough, ticketed to a price too good to pass up.

Sometimes there aren't any good sales going on, but I always make sure to quickly scan each brand section, looking for a little neon orange sticker. That wonderful little sticker means that the item is a whopping 75% off. 

So you can imagine my excitement last night when several items on the Milani Cosmetics Display had orange labels on them! In my opinion, Milani is an awesome brand. You don't hear too much about the brand because they don't do much advertising, are hard-to-find, a little pricey, and they rarely ever go on sale! 

Not everything is on clearance, but there is a good number of bronzers, blushes, nail polishes, nail art pens, eye liners, lipsticks, etc, that are all a part of the amazing deal. 

*Note, if you go to your local CVS and don't see labels on the Milani cosmetics, make sure to take some (select) items to the price-checker, as they should scan the clearance price.

Onto the goodies I purchased!

Milani Minerals Blush is a talc-free pressed mineral powder blush. It's lightweight, pigmented and has a smooth finish. It's available in 4 shades: Sunset Beach, Mai-Tai, Luminous and Sweet Rose. I purchased 3 of the four shades, and have yet to test them out on my face, but I'm excited to try them! I've known for a while that Luminous is a dupe for Nars' popular Orgasm Blush. They do appear quite similar.

Heavy Swatches of the three shades:

Milani Minerals Compact Makeup is a talc-free, pressed mineral powder with a sheer to medium coverage that builds wonderfully. Granted, I've only tested it twice so far, it seems to be a very nice powder. It also has pretty good reviews! It's available in 8 shades, and I picked the shade Nude Buff, which I believe is the lightest shade.

Milani Body Bronzer is a cream bronzer that adds a bronze shimmer and glow to your body. I find it a little heavy, but mixed with a lotion, it gives a nice golden sheen to the skin.

Milani Color Perfect Lipstick are creamy, pigmented and opaque coverage lipsticks in a variety of finishes. The formula is great, but I wish there was a better variety of colors to choose from! Some shades have large, gritty glitter, while some have a lustrous, cream finish. There weren't many shades that interested me, but I chose Mandarina, a bright orange, reminiscent of MAC Neon Orange & Morange Lipsticks. Berry Rich is a bright, cool-toned raspberry shade with rosy undertones.

Swatches:

Milani Nail Lacquer is available in a wide variety of shades. Although the shade selection is very limited at select CVS stores, they do have a pretty good selection of trendy shades. I only picked up two colors for the upcoming Spring & Summer, Pink Pop and La Vie En Rose.

Would you believe I only paid $13 for all of this!? The total was actually about $20 after taxes, but I had a couple CVS coupons & extra cash from my previous trip at CVS. The 75% sale gave me a total savings of $51.15 (before tax)!!! Totally awesome.

Definitely check your local CVS for this great deal!