Can Milani Lip Color Really Compare to Dior "Serum de Rouge" - In appearance, YES!

I will tell you right now, I'm a a Dior whore--a practical one--but a whore for it nonetheless. However, once upon a CVS run I spotted these Milani HD Advanced Lip Colors, and the packaging made me do a double take. Is this my holy grail of drugstore beauty? Could I really only need to spend $7.99 for gorgeous lips as though I used a $32 product? The answer is a bit more muddled than you'd think.

Product Claims:
Milani HD Advanced Lip Color is a "3-in-1 lip color that nourishes, hydrates, and delivers a sheer wash of color with clarity and perfect radiant shine. It instantly comforts dry, chapped lips, and provides long-term moisturization." (from Milani's site)
Dior "Serum de Rouge" Lip Treament is "ten times more active skincare ingredients than other lipsticks... an amazingly creamy texture to moisturize, smooth and pamper your lips day after day...[and] enriched with mango butter and other natural extracts, this nourishing treatment actually boosts your lips' microcirculation and collagen levels and enhances their appearance with luminous color." (from Nordstrom's site)

From Left: Milani Raspberry Blush,  Dior 710 Beige Serum, and Milani Romantic Rose

So...

YES, the packaging looks totally duped, but who wouldn't want a Dior-style product to inspire more sales?

YES, I find both formulas moisturizing and moderately lasting. They glide on smoothly and distribute even color. (Raspberry Blush can go on a bit patchy for me, most likely because my lips are so light; a few lip-presses and it's even though.) If you have very chapped lips, the application will be quite clumpy and not look very nice. Just a first thought because keep wearing these and the chapping should go away (did for me). However, I've seen no plumping effect and can't attest to the anti-aging claims.

Romantic Rose, Beige Serum, and Raspberry Blush in daylight

in shade

NO, they are certainly not perfect substitutes for one another, and here's why. Milani HD Lip Color has a scent exactly like a watermelon LipSmacker gloss I had freshman year of college, which brings back certain memories....and smells really fake in this formula. I don't want my lipstick to smell like LipSmackers when I am trying to pull of a lipstick look. Dior "Serum de Rouge" has no scent as far as I can sniff and has a thicker, lipstick consistency. This is not to say that Milani isn't a nice formula without the scent because it is. I have been using the Milani's a lot, just not in public so far.

Also, in terms of actual COLOR, these Milani HDs have 12 shades total, 6 creams, 6 pearls, but the two I have are not all that natural looking. Raspberry Blush is a rather garish shade of fuchsia on my lips and brings my blemishes to the forefront of any look I do, but Evening Rose is subtle enough to wear as a noticeably rose-pink shade on me. Dior Serum de Rouge in Beige 710 may not have been the best color choice for me at the time of purchase, but it's grown on me. The beige used to be a sort of bronze that sucked the color right from my skin and made me look sickly; now I can wear it with my natural lip color peaking through and it's lovely.

with flash

However, Raspberry Blush has been working out as a balm to put on before bedtime. Guess that's a plus personally.

UPDATE: I'm glad I waited to publish this review. They have all grown on me, and I think look quite good when used with the right colors. Seriously, I'm liking the Milani's more and more, AND don't feel as though the beige is overdoing it on me.

OVERALL, I prefer the Dior mainly due to the scent-factor, but I think these are both good options to add to your lip collection or regular routine, but be sure to find a color in either that works for you and your preferences. Milani HD Lip Color contains 0.06 oz of product for $7.99; Dior Serum de Rouge contains 0.07 oz for $32...but isn't it pretty?!?! I feel more guilty using the Dior because of so little product, but also it feels like I'm wearing a real lipstick instead of the balm-y feeling of Milani. Milani is certainly a comfortable formula, but not a lipstick and smells kinda cheap. It's hard to pick an absolute favorite when there are big downsides to each.

Beauty Newb Rating: (Milani) ✪✪✪✪✩; (Dior) ✪✪✪✩✩