Black radiance and Miliani lip colors - sassycritic blog

Review: Black Radiance and Milani Amore Lip Colors

A few days ago I saw on Instagram that Wet n Wild has new metallic lip colors so I went to my local Walgreens after work to check them out but didn’t see them. But in my search I saw a little display with new (well, new to me) lip colors by Black Radiance and Milani! I have other lip colors by both brands that I really like so I was very curious about these ones.

While the Black Radiance Illusions lip glosses are not a new product, they appear to be new to stores in my immediate area because:

1) I’ve never seen them before
2) They were on a separate display as if they were a new product

So unless it’s been available at my local stores for a while and people keep buying them up so I don’t see, I’m gonna keep telling myself it’s new 😆. These Illusions glosses come in 6 vibrant colors and are supposed to capture light like a prism to give your lips a 3-dimensional look that’s full of shine. Four of the six colors were available on this display and I chose to buy Elegant Bronze, Posh Plum, and Marvelous Mocha.

Black Radiance Illusions Lip Gloss in Elegant Bronze, Posh Plum, and Marvelous Mocha - sassycritic blog
Black Radiance Illusions Lip Gloss in Elegant Bronze, Posh Plum, and Marvelous Mocha

I wore Elegant Bronze to work today and was really surprised, in a good way, at how shiny it is! It’s a very different look from what I’ve become used to with all my matte lippies but it is really a beautiful bronze color and I think it goes well with my complexion. It’s almost like a nude or dark nude lip with a pop of sass! It’s sexy too! I tried to capture the shine in my photo but it just doesn’t do it justice. It looks a bit brighter in person.

Black Radiance Illusions Lip Gloss - Elegant Bronze - sassycritic blog
Black Radiance Illusions Lip Gloss – Elegant Bronze (#3227)

Next, up is Marvelous Mocha. This gloss is a lighter brown than the bronze, looks to have a hint of silver in it, and is just as shiny. When I first put it on I wasn’t too sure about the way the color was looking in my bathroom lighting because it looked like it just blended in with my lips. Girl, once I stepped into the sunlight I was like that guy in the beginning of Beyonce’s Formation song…”Ooohh yeah baby, oh yeah,  I like dat!” Lol! It deceived me! What I really like about this color is that although it’s lighter, it catches the light very well to add that spark to your look without being too bright. I like this color more than I thought I would!

Black Radiance Illusions Lip Gloss - Marvelous Mocha - sassycritic blog
Black Radiance Illusions Lip Gloss – Marvelous Mocha (#3225)

The third Black Radiance Illusions gloss I got is called Posh Plum. This one is a shiny purple color, and if you’ve read my post about my favorite purple lippies, you know I feel about this color! This one went on more sheer than the other two but it is build-able to get a richer color outcome. I couldn’t really see the true hue until I stepped into the sunlight. When I did, I was like “whoah that’s bright!” It doesn’t look as bright in the pic as it did in person but although it naturally has a lot of shine, the fact that I put on 3 layers definitely amped it up!

black radiance illusions lip gloss posh plum - sassycritic blog
Black Radiance Illusions Lip Gloss – Posh Plum (#3224)

› my verdict on black radiance illusions gloss ‹

Pros:

  • They go on smoothly
  • They’re build-able for extra shine
  • The colors aren’t overly bright
  • The way they reflect light is really pretty
  • Removing them was easy and my lips were not dry afterwards. Almost like they have a moisturizing quality to them
  • They are priced at $2.99. Beauty on a budget baby!

Cons:

  • They will transfer, as most glosses do
  • They only come in 6 colors
  • The greatest flaw I found was that after a few hours of wear, the shine and richness of the color decreases
  • In general, Black Radiance puts the name of the color on the throw away packaging instead of on the actual tube

I also picked up a Black Radiance Argan Oil tinted lip balm that I also wore for a day but totally forgot to swatch on my lips. These lip balms are new and available for a limited time. I got it in the color “Ladylike”. Here’s a swatch on my forearm:

Black Radiance Argan Oil tinted lip balm Ladylike - sassy critic blog
Black Radiance Argan Oil Tinted Balm – Ladylike (#5213)

As expected, this balm goes on pretty sheer but still shows some color. This particular one is a light plum color. It goes on very smoothly, probably partially due to the argan oil, which is very good for your skin. If you missed my review on argan oil, you can read it here. For me, this lip balm will be great to keep in my purse as a back up or as something to put on on those days when I just want to keep it simple and wear little to no makeup. It’s probably also a good product for young teens just starting out with makeup. Do they still ease into makeup or am  I just old school like that? I have boys so I don’t know what girls do these days!

Anywho, let me get into this Milani Amore Mattallic lip creme I also picked up. Because I tend to be drawn to darker colors, I try to step out of my box now and then and venture into more pink territory. Milani’s Amore Mattallic lip creme is a liquid matte lipstick that is also a new limited edition product, which comes just in time for this season’s trend of bold shimmer and metallic lip colors. It comes in 8 colors, but there were only 3 available at the time I purchased mine. My curiosity about a metallic matte lippie outweighed my hesitance to pay $7.99. I’m not gonna lie, I stood in that aisle for a few minutes trying to decide if I really wanted to pay that much for a lippie that I was mainly getting to pull myself out of my comfort zone. Finally, I decided to just take a chance on it. I know, $8 isn’t a LOT but it’s more than I typically spend on a lip color I’m not yet familiar with or seen on someone else, or even read reviews about. The color I chose is called Cinematic Kiss and here’s how it looks on me:

Milani Amore Mattallic liquid lipstick - sassy critic blog

First off, it’s very metallic and it’s a pretty color. With that said, the metallic quality makes it super bright. Like, really bright! The picture doesn’t quite capture the full brightness of it.  I’m not sure if it’s a color I’d wear during the day. It’s definitely not appropriate for work, for me at least. I think it would be too distracting. But it’s a great color for a nighttime look or a weekend event.

› my verdict on milani amore mattallic lip creme ‹

Pros:

  • It dries matte while still maintaining the metallic look
  • The color is pretty

Cons:

  • I was disappointed that it goes on very streaky which made me have to keep dotting more on to make it look even
  • It shows every detail of every line in my lips, which is a turn off to me but may not be a big deal for others
  • The price –  I took a chance on this one but I honestly don’t think it’s worth the $8 for the two reasons I mentioned above

So that’s my take on these new goodies!I think the Black Radiance Illusion glosses are also a good place to start for people who are new or fairly new to wearing makeup. Don’t be afraid of the shine! Make those beautiful lips pop! Makeup is all about enhancing your features so go for it! The Milani Mattallics would be good for anyone who likes to make a bold statement with their makeup. It would go great with a casual, natural look with a white t-shirt and jeans. I may need to play with it a bit more to see if I can get it to look even on my lips so I can rock it when I’m in a bold kind of mood.

I hope this review was helpful to you in making a decision on purchasing any of these lip products (if you were considering it).  Here is a swatch of all of them (excluding the tinted lip balm):

Black radiance lip and Milani lip color swatches - sassy critic blog

I’m still going to be on the look out for the Wet n Wild metallic lip colors that I was originally looking for. When I find them, I’ll let you know!

So tell me, have you tried any of these lip colors or other colors from the same collections? Comment and let me know!

*This post contains affiliate links*

20 thoughts on “Review: Black Radiance and Milani Amore Lip Colors

  1. I havent worn wet n wild since high school. I will be sure to check out the colors. I have seen a few people talk about the new line but every time i have gone into walgreens i dont see the line.

    1. I find in my area it seems to be hit or miss with some things too. Maybe they roll it out to different areas at different times. I didn’t really get into makeup until a few years ago but I’m noticing Wet n Wild has come quite a ways since my clear lip gloss days when I was a teenager lol!

  2. I’ve bought makeup and hair products marketed to Black Women for years. It’s usually cheaper and the quality is the same in my experience. Remember when Milani was cheap? I don’t really like their products. You are so Beautiful!

    1. Aww thanks for the compliment Heidi 🙂
      Yes, the great thing about companies like these is that the colors can really work for all skin tones, giving everyone more options! I do remember when Milani was cheaper. They’re more popular now so I guess the price hike comes with the territory. But their eye shadows are really pretty. There’s a matte liquid lipstick I’d like to try but I think I’ll wait for a sale 😉

  3. These colors really make your lips pop! I am loving them. And it seems great for all skintones too. Love ’em!

    1. Thanks Tyra! They really do provide that shine that will make your lips stand out. Have you tried any of them?

    1. Yes, that plum really stands out. I just started using BR products a little less than a year ago and I’m really liking quite a few of their products. Not to mention their great prices!

  4. OMG , how pretty are YOU ! I don’t know that brand , never heard of , so I couldn’t say anything about this , but it HAD to be said , how beautiful you are ! 🙂 From woman to woman compliments are THE BEST , anyway a great review ! Will keep that in mind , I am wondering if I can find this brand here in Spain ?!

    1. OH thank you so much for the compliment Klaudia 🙂 I love when women can compliment each other. If Black Radiance isn’t sold in stores in Spain, you may be able to purchase it online. I know that Amazon sells it on their site.

  5. Thanks for sharing. I’m always looking for different brands of lipstick especially as a black woman. This was a great review and breakdown.

    1. Thank you Ashlee! I’m glad it was helpful to you! This was my first time trying their glosses but I have some of their lipsticks and I like them too. Lots of nice colors to choose from that go with various skin tones.

  6. All of those colors look great on you, but I LOVE the Milani Amore! The color is gorgeous, and I like the matte look. I would definitely try that!

    1. Thanks Kasi! The color of the Milani Amore is very pretty…and very metallic! If you try it, let me know how you like it!

  7. You make these colors and gloss look great! I’ve been interested in trying out that brand, I’ve been skeptical because I don’t really like gloss, I more so like matte colors and they’re so cheap lol. However, after reading your post and seeing how it looks on you, I’m going to give it a try!

    1. I’ve been big on matte colors too. I haven’t worn a gloss in at least a year but these are really nice!

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