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Milani Flashy Lip Flash Gloss Pencil Review, 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 ($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!

Flashy

DCDiscontinued. $6.49.
B+
B+
8.5
Product
10
Pigmentation
8.5
Texture
8.5
Longevity
4
Application
88%
Total

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

41 Comments

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blkrox Avatar

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

Cassy Avatar

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)

Sassy Auburn Avatar

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).

alison Avatar

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!

Jae Avatar

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.

Nalina Avatar

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!

Jenelle Avatar

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

Veronica Avatar

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.

Aimey Avatar

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

Tara Avatar

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.

Jessica Avatar

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.

Terra Avatar

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 ^_^

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