Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme Swatches and Review First Impression

Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme ($6.99 at Walgreens) is a brand new, limited edition line of matte liquid lipsticks that just arrived at Walgreens stores. I posted about these on Instagram the other day, and based on the reaction, it's safe to say that everyone is going crazy looking for these. I did check CVS also but I haven't seen them there yet. I had a really hard time finding these because out of the 6 Walgreens in my area, only one of them carries Milani. It's weird because the other locations used to carry Milani but seem to have recently stopped. Anyway, I wanted to give you my first impressions and swatches of the three shades I purchased, so let's take a look! 

First, some close-ups of all the shades: 

Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme in Crush, Adore, Beloved

Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme in Lust, Embrace, Desire

Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme in Romance, Flirt

First of all, I'm so glad that more drugstore brands are releasing matte liquid lipsticks because there's such a demand for them! It's nice to be able to have more affordable (and more accessible) options!

These actually don't have that thick, velvety texture that a lot of matte lip cremes do...instead they're very liquidy (almost watery-feeling) and practically sink right into your lips upon application.  They feel really soft at first, then they take on a very sticky texture until they dry a few minutes later. Then you're left with a soft, suede-like finish that doesn't feel dry. They're also super long-wearing! They lasted the majority of the day on me and felt comfortable the whole time.

But unfortunately, there are downsides to these. For one, if you have lips with a lot of lines in them like I do, they'll look very dry even if they don't feel dry. Because these are so liquidy, they don't sit on top of your lips...they sink right into your lips and into every line. At least that was my experience. I was able to remedy that somewhat by applying my matte finish Nuxe lip balm either under or over them, but they still looked a little dry.
Also, due to the watery nature of these, they're a bit messy to apply. The wand picks up way more product than you need to cover your lips and the first time I used these, the product spread outside my lip lines (and was really difficult to get off my skin). So you have to be extremely careful when applying them. I found that if I dot it in the center of my lips and then blend it out with my finger, it works a little better and creates less mess. You can also use a lip liner or a clear lip liner to keep it inside your lip line.

Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme Swatches

Lust is probably my favorite of the three shades I purchased. It's a beautiful mauve-pink.
Beloved is that tawny brown-pink 90's shade that's been making a comeback this year.
Adore is a light peachy nude that washes me out quite a bit so I don't think I can pull it off very well.

Here I am wearing Lust (with Nuxe lip balm on top):

Overall, I think this is one of those products you'll either love or hate depending on your preferences. I personally don't care for matte lipsticks because I have really dry lips with a lot of lines, so I tend to gravitate toward more moisturizing formulas with some shine to them. Still, I can appreciate this long-wearing, comfortable formula and if you're a matte lipstick fan, I think you'll really love these! I know that matte lips are still having a moment, and I wish I could jump on the bandwagon but I guess I'll just have to wait for the day when glossy lips are back in style! xo