Milani Neon in Rad Purple, $5

I had been eyeing Milano's Neon nail polish in Rad Purple for a while now. It just looked so intensely purple. In the bottle it looks opaque and vivid, an intense shade of a plum color that's usually so dark.

(It was difficult for me to get an accurate picture of this shade, so I did my best. I manipulated the pic below to get it as close to the real color as possible. Actually, the color on the site is pretty close to the bottle. My camera did a good job with the polish on my nails, though.)

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed. The polish is very thin, which often happens with bright colors. I put on probably 4 coats here (I got impatient and started putting them on thicker and thicker) and I feel like I can still see through it. At first it dried quickly, but the more I put on the gooier it got (probably because, um, I put it on so thick). This meant that while it looked dry, it got smudged and nicked easily.

The color on my nails also doesn't exactly match what's in the bottle. I wanted a really grape-y, pure purple. What I got instead is a more of a fuchsia. Still a pretty color, but not what I expected. In the pic above, the ring basically matches the color of the bottle. You can see around the top of the bottle how light it actually looks--this is more like it actually looks on your nails.

Final verdict
Cost: $5.
Texture: Really thin. It dries quickly at first, but takes a lot of coats, so it gets gooey.
Color: The color is pretty--like a pinky fuchsia--but not what I expected at all.
Repeat offender?: No, I wouldn't buy this again. I might actually return it. The color's pretty, but the texture bothered me and I was really bummed that it doesn't look like the bottle!

-T

Milani Runway Eyeshadow, $6

(Milani Runway Eyeshadow in Black Out)
I first decided to try Milani Runway Eyeshadow on a trip to CVS. (I swear, they make you wait for your prescription just so you do some impulse buying!) I was attracted to this color, Black Out, because it looks like a disco ball and, let's face it, I'm pretty much attracted to anything that looks like a disco ball.


The eyeshadow comes with its own little sponge-brush applicator. It's a little small and oddly shaped--to be honest, it was kind of awkward to use without touching your face with the other side of the applicator. But hey, if you're on the go and that's all you've got, it can work in a pinch.

(top: wet sponge; bottom: dry sponge)
Milani encourages using the eyeshadow wet or dry, so I used both methods for the above swatch. As you can see, the dry eyeshadow is subtler and blends easier. The wet eyeshadow is more intense and catches more of the glittery sparkles (yay!). A disclaimer on the site warns that the glitter "over-spray" is only on the top (see 2nd photo above: you can tell where I've used it) but I really think they're selling themselves short. I've dug down deeper and there's still a ton of shimmer.

To me, Black Out isn't an accurate name--they describe it as "black with multicolored glitter." It's actually more of a gunmetal gray with silver glitter. As with a lot of glittery eyeshadows, the glitter kind of gets everywhere, but it's easy to wipe off. The last time I wore it was without the Urban Decay primer, and it lasted alright, wore off per usual. I suspect with the primer it would be better.

Final verdict
Cost: $6 is a usual price for a drugstore brand eyeshadow.
Color: The color, even though it's not exactly how they describe it on the site, is really pretty. I would suggest checking out the shadows in-store. It seems to be noticeably more intense when used with a wet sponge.
Staying power: Meh. Not terrible, not amazing. Use with primer, def.
Repeat offender: Sure, why not. I'd try their colors again. I'm not floored with the quality but it didn't disappoint me. The color showed up as I hoped it would, and it lasted about as long as I expected. If you catch yourself being drawn to their colorful display, I'd say give it a try.

EDIT: I don't know why the dry version looks brownish and weird, but I can assure you in person it's a dark gray! It looks very similar to the eyeshadow itself.

-T