Swatch Gallery

Looking for the perfect color?
Look no further than Temptalia's Swatch Gallery.

Foundation Matrix

Need help finding your perfect foundation shade?
The Foundation Matrix is designed to help.

Dupe List

Duplicate a high-end product or never buy
the same shade twice. The Dupe List is here to help.

Milani Flashy Lip Flash Gloss Pencil Review, Photos, Swatches

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

Milani Flashy Lip Flash Gloss Pencil
Milani Flashy Lip Flash Gloss Pencil

Milani Flashy Lip Flash Gloss Pencil

Milani Flashy Lip Flash Gloss Pencil ($6.49 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “hot pink with hot pink shimmer.” It’s a medium-dark raspberry fuchsia with fuchsia micro-glitter. The color coverage is mostly opaque but a hint of my lip freckle peeks through. The formula is supposed to be highly pigmented, extra glossy, and contain “moisture-rich” ingredients. It’s not supposed to feather or feel sticky either.

It has nice color payoff and doesn’t require a lot of product to deliver the results seen in swatches, though it’s not as glossy as true lipgloss. The texture feels gritty over time as the color wears away but the glitter lingers on. With Flashy, I was able to get four hours of wear. It’s not perfectly non-sticky, but it doesn’t feel tacky overall, and my lips felt about the same after wearing these–not drier. I didn’t experience any bleeding or feathering of color with this shade.  They look and feel more like a lipstick with extra shine.

If you’ve wanted to try (or have already tried and are a fan of) Urban Decay Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Color, this is a good budget-friendly alternative, because Flash is an exact dupe of Urban Decay Big Bang. The two formulas feel very, very similar; I doubt I could point out the differences in a blind test. Some other similar shades include MAC Quite the Thing (slightly darker) and MAC Rare Exotic (brighter, no shimmer).

I’m not in love with the format or the feel of these, which is the same way I felt about Urban Decay’s version. I don’t love the grittiness that gets more noticeable as you wear the color, and sharpening them can be frustrating. Readers have recommended freezing pencils prior to sharpening to minimize waste, because of the soft, creamy texture, there can be a lot of waste when sharpened at room temperature. Sometimes the excess gets caught in the sharpener and smears more than it disappears when you go to wipe it away!

Where to Buy: Drugstore.com, $6.49

The Glossover

B

It's a gorgeous color, and I love how the glitter looks but not so much how it feels after an hour or two of wear--slightly gritty--and sharpening these types of pencils could be improved.

Product

8.5/10

Pigmentation

10/10

Texture

8.5/10

Longevity

8.5/10

Application

4/5

Packaging

3/5

See more photos & swatches!

Milani Flashy Lip Flash Gloss Pencil
Milani Flashy Lip Flash Gloss Pencil

Milani Flashy Lip Flash Gloss Pencil
Milani Flashy Lip Flash Gloss Pencil

Milani Flashy Lip Flash Gloss Pencil
Milani Flashy Lip Flash Gloss Pencil

Milani Flashy Lip Flash Gloss Pencil
Milani Flashy Lip Flash Gloss Pencil

Disclosure

This review contains a sample product sent for consideration by the brand or its PR firm. Our priority is to you, and we honor that commitment by being honest! We don't do paid reviews or guarantee reviews. We're going to give you the truth and nothing but! For more information, please read our editorial/review policies.

This post contains an affiliate link, which will give us a commission (often 2-5% of the purchase price) when you click-through the link and make a purchase. When you shop through affiliate links, you help to support the site!

Product & Review FAQ

Where can I purchase it? How much is it?

Is it limited edition?

No.

Any dupes?

If you've wanted to try (or have already tried and are a fan of) Urban Decay Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Color, this is a good budget-friendly alternative, because Flash is an exact dupe of Urban Decay Big Bang. The two formulas feel very, very similar; I doubt I could point out the differences in a blind test. Some other similar shades include MAC Quite the Thing (slightly darker) and MAC Rare Exotic (brighter, no shimmer).

Discussion and debate are highly encouraged, and we expect community members to participate respectfully. When asking a question, please check the FAQ section (above) for information about purchasing, price, dupes, and the like. If you have general feedback or need technical support, please contact us.

Comments that include advertisements, self-promotion, insults, etc. may be in violation of our comment policy and subject to deletion. Please see our comment policy for more information.

Post comment as twitter logo facebook logo
Sort: Newest | Oldest

I just picked this up and hot flash too. The pictures really don't do these justice! Flashy is so glittery and pink I can't believe how pretty it is ^_^

oh i actually really like this!

This color is gorgeous on you! Love it.

I love this! What are you wearing on the rest of your face?

UD's crush ultra pigmented lipgloss pencil is just like this but sans glitter.

Well, I don't care how uncomfortable you find it, because it looks fantastic on you! I have the true red one, and I agree that the grittiness is annoying, but it really was the perfect lip color for a holiday party I attended, and you can't beat the price. It's a great look, even if you might not want to wear it every day.

Hard Candy has a very similar product called Visibly Wet shockingly glossy lip pencil. The shade Babe is similar but warmer toned with a pink/gold shimmer.

wow, this looks pretty even with all the shimmer! like lips out of a fairytale :D

OMGS I TOTES WANTS! I absolutely LOVE the color, not to mention the slight sparkle! Definitely not too go-go girly. It's too bad most boys don't appreciate the beauty of lip color! I recently started wearing lip color (i.e. lipliner w/ gloss, lipstick) & my boyfriend absolutely hates it, especially when I leave pink prints on his lips heehee Oh well, he'll have to deal with sparkles now! ;D

Love this color! Usually I have to keep an eye on fuschias and reds due to feathering, but this didn't bleed on me at all, which was a major selling point. I wound up picking up a red from the collection, as well. I agree it's a little sticky when first applied, but I found that sensation faded a bit once the color settled onto my lips.

DAMNNNNNNN. I love the color. Normally, I am against glitter in lip products. But this looks really fun. :)

I like an idiot bought the UD one when I had the Milan dupe. I didn't realize it was the wrong one until I had it out of the packaging (which I threw out) so I can't return. Total bummer

omg I have this and loooove it despite the glitter its such a fun colour!! Its a lovely colour on you!

I bought my first one of these this summer and it is a GORGEOUS color. I especially love the red one. It does wear down kinda gunky, but I just wipe it all off, throw on some balm, and reapply. Touch-ups with this product just make it worse. All in all, it's a steal considering the price!

This is cute! That glitter however....

That is SUCH a beautiful color but I absolutely HATE anything in pencil form but especially lip glosses.

While this looks super fun, I hate sandpaper-feel on lips!

I love these lip flash pencils! The colors are awesome! I really like the color on you!!

I have this color, Flash and In a Flash and do like them. The wear on me isn't very long, but the color is eye catching so I don't mind and for the price point, it works! I didn't notice the grit, but I might have to pay more attention next time I wear it.

Any idea how this compares to the Hard Candy lip pencils? I *love* those but it's hard to find them since they are only at Walmart. Looks pretty!

Don't have those, sorry!

I was eyeing these a couple days ago at CVS! I can't afford the UD ones right now, so it's awesome to know these are so similar. :) I'll be picking up this color for sure... and I think they had a true red and a lighter pink I was interested in too!

I've used these before and really like them. I, too, am not a big fan of the eventual grittiness it gets after being on a long time, but the colors go on smooth and are highly pigmented. Although I like pencils for the eyes, I'm not a huge fan of them for lips. (Yes, sharpening is an issue). But these colors make it worth while (and easy to carry with me).

OMG I love this... glitter & pink totally works for me. ^_^

Ahh I need this! Such a fun colour!

If it didn't have the glitter I would totally buy it.

Love it! Looks just gorgeous on you!

That colour is awesome! Can't wait to get my hands on one of these

Totally with you on the texture. I have Big Bang and find it a little sticky at first and then the leftover glitter (which lasts hours after the color) can be irritating (both to see and to feel)

I have this and really like it. I layer it sometimes over Milanis rose hip lipstick too

I like this. It would look so nice with just a touch of beige shadow and purple mascara.

I have this pencil in News Flash (a vampy burgandy) and Photo Flash (a pinked red) and I adore both of them! Haven't had to sharpen either one yet as you really don't need much to get full coverage, so the tip about freezing them before sharpening is much appreciated. I didn't have any issues with grittiness from the glitter but I did notice I had to be careful to dab at my lips as opposed to wiping otherwise I ended up with glitter around my lips, on my cheeks, and down my chin - eeek! LoL

Whoa, this is mega fun! Definitely a statement lippy!

My husband would hate kissing me with this stuff on! He is not a fan of glitter residue :)

That's a pretty cool look for $6.50! I don't know if I could handle the gritty part though...