Milk Makeup Review: The Amazing, The Good, And The Meh.
Since its launch, I have heard mixed reviews from my makeup artist friends on Milk Makeup products. From get-go, the brand never really "spoke" to me- if that makes sense at all? I didn't feel a connection to the whole "Vegan Cosmetics" angle, the leveraging of the Milk Studios name (a duo of very popular photo studios in NY and LA) felt a little contrived for me. But I did always take notice of the innovative packaging, and eventually, as with all beauty things, I had to try it.
Recently, my friend Vanessa told me she bought the Watermelon Brightening Serum Stick after seeing some crazy video tutorial where a blogger did her whole face in a glowy finish using it. In March, saw the Matcha Cleansing Stick on display at the Cosmetic Executive Women Beauty Awards product demo. Subsequently, I ran out of my beloved Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick and the Milk Makeup version looked good, so I figured why the heck not fill a cart and check this stuff out, right? Right.
Below, my honest rundown on the products I purchased:
Holographic Face Gloss: I LOVE LOVE LOVE this. The holographic makeup moment happening right now is RIGHT up my alley- I love iridescent-to-the-point-it-doesn't-look-totally-natural-but-I-am-okay-with-that skin. And this face gloss is AMAZING. I love love love it. The ultimate multi-tasker, I use it on my cheekbones for a hi-shine highlight, but I also use it on my lids as an eye gloss (did you guys ever use the CK One Eye Gloss back in the day? I was obsessed). When I want to go majorly futuristic (hair in oversized space buns, some sort of outfit with clean, modern lines), I also dab this on my lips over a matte neutral pink lip color. A tiny dab goes a LONG way to create a dewy effect that no traditional highlighter can come close to, in my opinion. For some, it may be too bold- but it really is so versatile and easy to customize (for example, blend it with a foundation to just bump up the glow factor a notch), I think everyone should own it.
Lip & Cheek Stick: First off, this thing is gigantic. As in, the $24 price tag makes it a GREAT deal. The size actually is perfect for quickly dabbing on the apples of the cheeks- not having to rub it around to cover the area helps to avoid any unevenness or streaky effect. The formula is very easy to blend- probably thanks to the inclusion of Mango Butter, and something Milk calls "Milk Melt Technology" but as the girl who came up with catchy phrases like that for dozens of makeup brands in my past life, I am not even gonna go there. Compared to my beloved Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick, this has a more sheer finish- like a true "just ran a mile...or ten feet" flush. I used the Beach Stick on my lips as the finish was a little thick and chalky for me, but this actually works beautifully on lips too. Making it a true multi-tasker, as opposed to a "naming gimmick" one trick pony. I bought the PERK shade- which they call a coral, but feels like a pinky-coral to me. Thumbs up, people. Thumbs up.
Watermelon Brightening Serum Stick: I think the whole "watermelon" thing is one of those "made-for-Instagram" trends, pretty in pictures and sounds happy and fun and juicy and millennials who take pretty "shelfies" love to post those kinds of things ad nauseum. But I was willing to forgo that because, hey, it is in stick form and to have a serum in a stick just sounds interesting to me. Like fried oreos on a stick. Or a pickle on a stick. So, as an on-the-go skin refresher, I am a fan- it feels so refreshing and cooling, and when I feel like my complexion looks kinda dry and blah, rolling this on and dabbing it in with my fingertips does give an instant infusion of hydration. But I don't see myself using this every day as part of my morning/evening skincare routine (except when I travel maybe, because it is so portable.) And since consistency is key for delivering real results (in this case, the product description talks about how swiss garden cress sprout extract will help brighten by reducing the appearance of dark spots), I see this more as a quick fix to throw in my makeup bag than a cornerstone of my skincare regimen.
Mini Blur Stick Matte Primer: Minis are so damn cute, I had to try one. And I chose poorly. Here is why- covering your entire face with a teeny tiny stick is tedious, and the primer really doesn't give you any hints as to where you have already put it on- there is very little "pay off" (beauty nerd term for the actual appearance of the product once it is applied on your face), so I missed a bunch of spots and as such, my foundation didn't go on very well afterwards. Not worth the effort to apply it, in my opinion. Plus, there are so many good primers out there right now that also contain SPF, I would rather use something with an added benefit if I am adding that extra step into my routine.
Have you guys ever tried any Milk Makeup products? Would love to hear about your favorites (and least favorites) so I can add them to my cart when I inevitably go back on the site and repurchase THIS gem.
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