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Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick Review, Photos, Swatches

Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick
Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick

Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick ($5.49 for 0.14 oz.) is described as a “purple metallic.” It’s a rich, red-toned violet magenta with violet shimmer and a frosted, metallic finish. MAC Heroine has no shimmer, so it is a bit darker and purpler. MAC Seductive Intent is very similar in color but has no shimmer. MAC Violetta is slightly purpler (not as red/magenta) but also has shimmer–but it is smaller so it doesn’t appear metallic.

Milani recently revamped and released their lipstick range, and one of the first shades I tried was Violet Volt (because who doesn’t love seeing a new purple lipstick?). The new formula is supposed to have “one stroke, full coverage application” with a “lightweight, creamy formula [that] contains vitamins A, C, and E to moisturize and nourish lips.”  It has mostly opaque color payoff, though it takes a little more than one stroke to get it there, but my biggest issue with it was how dry the lipstick felt.  I imagine part of that is due to the high frost content in this, as I could almost feel all the bits of shimmer as I applied it.  It definitely tugs and pulls at the lips, so “one stroke” is hard to achieve from a technical standpoint.  Unsurprisingly, the dryness does mean it wears like iron–no problem getting this color to last six hours (and it will stain).  It was neither drying nor hydrating, which was surprising, given how it felt on, I expected it to be drying.

Violet Volt

PPermanent. $5.49.
B
B
8
Product
9
Pigmentation
7
Texture
10
Longevity
4
Application
84%
Total

Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick
Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick

Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick
Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick

Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick
Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick

Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick
Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick

Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick
Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick

Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick
Milani Violet Volt Color Statement Lipstick

30 Comments

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18thCenturyFox Avatar

I am tired of overwhelmingly pink purples. Gimme some blue or pastel ones and I’m psyched. I canNOT believe MAC managed to drop the ball so heavily on their reissue of Lavender Whip- it looks like a color from Clinique I don’t need. I love Clinique, but that reissue was *not* Lavender Whip. I’m still searching for my perfect pastel purple, lost to me when Hard Candy the HE version disbanded their lipsticks.

Hanna Harlow Avatar

I agree with you whole heartedly! Why is it so hard to find purple that’s just PURPLE?!

I do own both Airborne Unicorn and D’lilac by Lime Crime and they are great, you should check those two out if you haven’t yet!

gabriella Avatar

I was disappointed with lavender whip, too. 🙁 still searching for the perfect pastel purple shade (and I’m not doing lime crime…)

Veronica Avatar

I love these shades, but I admit I’d love to see more cool-toned purples and lavenders, myself. They’re the shades that work best on my face.

Julia Avatar

Looks great on you! This purple is very wearable. Too bad it feels dry going on… I’ve never tried any of Milani’s lipsticks, will wait until you give one of them an A. My dry lips wouldn’t be able to handle anything that isn’t creamy.

Lee Avatar

Something about this color in metallic just looks cheap to me. I like Violetta and love Heroine but adding the frostiness just makes it look “drugstore” and unsophisticated color.

VickyM Avatar

I agree I dislike this color aswell, it does look cheap but in the end it just reflects it´s real price tag. Though it´s not the worst I have seen and some prefer a low price instead of a more expensive quality product. This just reflects what it is, drugstore.

Veronica Avatar

I think frosted lipsticks in general just tend to have a less sophisticated look to them, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There are looks for which I prefer the chic simplicity of a matte or satin, while other times I like the playfulness of a frost or gloss.

Heather Avatar

Are there any inexpensive dupes for this? I ‘ve been wanting to try a purple lip color (not a gloss) but something not too pricey since I’m not sure if its something I’d wear often.

CeeBee Avatar

I don’t have this one (I don’t like overly shimmery or frosty lipsticks), but I adore Uptown Mauve and Plumrose from this range – the pigmentation and lasting power are incredible.

Andi Lockhart Avatar

I tried flamingo pose which was a cream, and hot pink rage which was a matte. The textures were both horribly dry. I couldn’t get them off my lips fast enough! It was a shame, the colors were gorgeous! 🙁

Quinctia Avatar

I wore Plumrose today and it was pretty nice. Went on smoothly, it isn’t exactly a cream finish–those tend to get patchy on my lips, it’s more translucent, but it’s quite bright and pigmented. Fairly shiny. Wore off evenly, was like a stain at the end.

Formula wise, I liked it better than the other shade I have which has shimmer, but isn’t quite a frost (I forget which shade it was at the moment, one of the more neutral ones).

CeeBee Avatar

The cream ones I have (except for Nude Creme for some reason) are just fine, quite thin and not super creamy to apply but they have just enough slip and don’t slide around or creep once applied.

I really like them, they’re definitely up there with the Bobbi Brown Rich Colour range for me.

Definitely try Uptown Mauve, it’s completely fabulous. 🙂

Coco Avatar

I have one in the color Fruit Punch (a creme finish), I found it waxy and not too long wearing. Plus, I can’t stand the sent. I was underwhelmed by the new Milani lipsticks.

An Avatar

The color is so lovely and bold, but the high amount of frost is a turn off.
Thank you for the new Milani lippie review! I hope you do more.

These lipsticks are on sale at CVS this week: $3.69 each with $2 Extra Bucks (Limit 1 EB reward). ^^

xamyx Avatar

I often wonder how “reformulated” products are, just before they double in price, and the brand has quickly gained so much momentum, LOL. That said, I actually really like Milani lipstick, and while I’m glad many are now discovering the brand as a whole, it kind of bums me out to see the displays so picked-over, and the prices go up.

Quinctia Avatar

If your CVS stocks these, they’re on sale right now for $3.69 and then you get $2 in Extra Bucks. So, if you were curious, it’s definitely not very expensive.

My favorite lipstick line by them is the HD Advanced, and I’ve never seen them in a store, but they retail at like $8, which is still more than these.

RaeB Avatar

Well, I dunno, but I like Milani’s Violet Volt. I missed out on Heroine, so I decided to buy this lipstick. I do agree the color pay-off is nice. It’s a bright vibrant color. I have a darker skin tone (NW45) and for me, and I don’t think it looks “frosty” or “cheesy”, which can happen with certain drugstore brands. I have gotten quite a few compliments for wearing this lipstick, so it’s a winner in my book! Over the course of the day while I am work, I did notice it dries, and looks like a matte over time.
I did fill my lips completely with NYX Purple Rain Lipstick, and then I put the Milani Violet Volt over that. And it smells great! I love sweet smelling lipsticks.

evr Avatar

this tone is very cliche. looks exactly like what the drugstores we’re selling in the 80s and 90s. I agree with the other comments about wishing more companies would stop doing the same pink-purples over and over and over and over. where are the true purples, lavenders, and pink-lavenders. they are too rare.

Liz Avatar

are you going to review Flamingo Pose from MIlani any time soon? i’ve had my eye on that one for a while but i want to see it on other people before i snatch it up

anyways, i like this color but the frosty finish is throwing me off. it reminds me of a lipstick i wore when i was thirteen. color and finish and everything. no thank you.

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