When one of the leading cultural Hubs, (based in NY & LA) presents us with their answer to ‘the new, essential beauty products’;  we listen.  How could you not be at least a little [or totally] intrigued by a line of products derived from the minds of the most creative in fashion, music, photography & film?   Milk Studio’s latest venture brings us innovative beauty products, designed for the one on the go; the wanderer, the festival goer…the minimalist, the individual.  The packaging alone is cool & hip, in an effortless way & its natural, multi-use & portable products speak to us.

I’ve tried several products from this eco-conscious, cruelty free brand; here’s my take on them:

The products:

Everything about the packaging & design of this line speaks to me.

Milk Makeup Have A Good Trip Set: $48.00

This is a totally portable, six-piece set featuring a natural dry shampoo, oil lip stain, nourishing oil, mascara, makeup remover wipe, and matte bronzer stick—all tucked in a sleek, holographic zip bag.  My photo is missing the micellar cleansing wipe.  I forgot it in the photo, then used it.  oops..   I’m going to review each item in this set individually and give you my thoughts but first I want to give my quick observation of the brand as a whole after having tried 7 different items.  This brand is not for everyone.  I think that for most they will either love it or hate it.  It’s definitely a hip, cool brand designed for the young minimalist with a little edge.  You are not going to get a made up face or full coverage with any of these products; what you will get is a natural glowing face with products to accent your look;  a bold splash of color on your eyes or lips with brightly colored liner shades and lacquers for your lids.  This brand focuses on minimalist design, easy to travel with, sometimes multi use products for the wild and free.  The brand is definitely not short on the cool factor but whether you dig it or not is all preference.  I like the brand.  If I were still in my early 20’s I could totally see my self buying every item and calling it a day.  I do still really like a lot of the products for certain times and b/c I do take a lot of quick 2-3 day mini trips this bag and it’s content is a really good start for a beach-y getaway [with the addition of a few essentials] 😉  Time to get to the first item.

Biodegradable Micellar Water Makeup Remover Wipe: pack of 20 for $24.00

The concept of this product is excellent.  I keep a travel dopp kit at the ready.  In it I keep a travel size package of makeup removing wipes & it still takes up way too much room in my bag.  These small, single use, individually packaged wipes take up little room and you can toss in only the amount that you need.  You can keep a few in your purse, gym bag wherever.  They are the perfect item for the frequent traveler..or weekender.  The actual wipe;  it needs some work.  The towelette is a bit small; however if you are one sticking to Milk’s minimalist makeup, you will likely be ok.  The towelette is a bit odd though, it isn’t soft like others, a bit thick & stiff.  A lot of people have mentioned the unpleasant scent.  I’ll tell you what that scent is, I recognized it right away;  It’s the almost industrial papery scent of the thick, brown, paper towels that were in all of the school bathrooms.  It’s likely due to the towelettes biodegradable nature..which is a good thing..but may not make the best towelette of choice for many.  It does have a hint of cucumber when you first open the product but soon, ‘the brown paper towel scent’.  The towelette did get my face clean but I was wearing very little makeup.  One will not cut it for heavy makeup or lots of eye makeup.  Love the concept and the packaging but the product itself is not going to cut it for replacing my current micellar wipes. *photo courtesy of Sephora’s site.

– 1 oz Natural Dry Shampoo : (this is full size) $14.00

I think it is safe to say that most of us have tried several dry shampoos by now, if we’ve an interest in trying them… I have tried and use so many different versions and most of them, for me are just fine, few really stand out.  My hair doesn’t get oily so I just need something to freshen up and give a little life to my hair to prolong my washing needs.  I really love this one, b/c for my needs it’s mostly scent that sets them apart.  I don’t mind a bit of powder, b/c I’m light haired, but I didn’t really notice much of any in this version which is a must for a lot of people.  The scent is really nice, it’s kind of a light floral but not in a fake-y way…a ‘this could be a perfume way’.  It makes me really like the product.  I probably won’t purchase it but thats only b/c, thanks to beauty subs, I have enough dry shampoo to open a dry shampoo store. 😉

– 0.25 oz Ubame Macara (mini size): full size is $24.00

There are so many things I love about this mascara…I just wish I had someone else’s lashes to sport it.   This product could never replace my ‘statement mascaras’ but it really is a great product.  I seriously LOVE the brush.  I can get every lash with it and it gives my bottom lashes more oomph than any other.  The formula of this mascara is a drier one, which I like in a mascara, personally.  I’ve found that with this interesting  brush design you can shape and move around, even criss cross your lashes and because I could apply coat after coat of this stuff without getting any clumps or spider lashes, they almost ended up as long and thick as I’d like them to look.  What was really great about this stuff is the lack of crumbly, flaky pieces at the end of my lashes later in the day that I want to pick off, pulling out my puny lashes, they felt so soft, even after tons of brush swipes and felt really light on my eyes.  I touched my lashes so many times that first day, thinking I had not put on mascara.  I will definitely use this as my daily mascara due to all of the pros because I feel that as I’ve gotten older these ‘mega mascara’ formulas are causing my lashes to fall out more, especially when I’m trying to remove the stuff!  I think that if your lashes are pretty good in the length and thickness department this product might be really great for you, though it may take a few tries to get a feel for it.  If your lashes are very sparse and/or short you likely won’t get the results you are searching for.

– 0.23 oz Matte Bronzer in Baked (mini size) : full size is 24.00

This is my very favorite product in this set and I have used it every single day since I received it.  I love that it’s in an easy to use stick, love that it’s matte, it blends super easily and it’s not orangey on my skin at all.  It doesn’t have much of a scent, a bit like a box of crayons.  It gives a very natural tan look whether you go darker or light handed with more blending.   I have SO many great bronzers yet now I have found this, and it takes seconds to scribble it on where you need it and blend, all while not feeling like another layer of makeup.  It’s wonderful.

swipe, blend. (I purposely left the sharp line on ‘the blend’ to show where it began)

– 0.355 oz Oil Lip Stain in Tude: (product is full size) $18.00

This is a rollerball lip oil stain.  The shade appears red but comes out to be more of a sheer rose.  I don’t do red so it’s good news for me.  It gives your lips a nice flushed look..like maybe a bit of benetint would do.  Due to the oil formula it’s a tad bit more moisturizing than a flat out stain and doesn’t adhere to dry patches the way a typical stain would..also good news for me and anyone with drier, frequently chapped lips.  Because of the oil component,  it does not have quite the staying power of a typical stain and fades more quickly, so you would need to reapply to keep it at its boldest hue.  I personally like it as a natural rose flush.

swatch

– 0.27 oz Sunshine Oil (mini size) full size is $38.00

If you are a fan of using oils on your face for moisturizing this sunny yellow version with a perky, bright scent that matches and an easy rollerball application, might be just what you’ve been looking for.  My face will only tolerate a couple very specialized facial oil products and only area specific, but this tube and scent are such a fun little pick me up I’ve dabbed it on my lips and knees and I’ve used it on the tops of my cheekbones as a natural highlighter and really liked the way it looked.  I’m definitely going to try the Milk face Gloss stuff next to use for that very thing…and possibly to gloss up the front of my legs as well.

This final product was a separate purchase & not part of the set above.

Milk Makeup Coverage Duo:  $30.00

This is a really unique little product that houses two concealing products.  The flip top contains a thin liquid that you apply with a rollerball applicator and the bottom portion has a small well with a cap that opens to a concealing product dubbed ‘marshmallow concealer’  (It really feels like one too.)  The product amount for each of these products is  small, to be warned, but it seems as though they will go a really long way if used as it is designed.  When I purchased this I had thought one end was a foundation and the other a concealer yet they are technically both concealers.  I used the roller ball portion for my face and the marshmallow for areas that needed a bit more and blended it all with my beauty blender, (though you could easily use your fingers as your only means of application) Just to be clear, for anyone looking at this product, if you are a daily wearer of a serious primer and medium to full cover foundation, it’s likely not for you.  If you like a product for every day or some days that looks and feels as though you are not really wearing anything yet gives you the light coverage and evening out you need..then it may be just what you’ve been looking for.  My experience: When first applying the marshmallow concealer it’s bouncy and springy and light as air on the skin, almost pure pigment.  It covered light spots and though it feels a bit drying on the face at first it never made my face look dry…It’s almost invisible once blended and if you get a shade match, (which could be hard for some due to the minimal shade selection),  you will hardly appear to be wearing makeup.  The roller ball product is very thin and watery and it takes a while to get the rollerball to cooperate, but eventually it does.  This product feels just the same as the marshmallow concealer once blended, light as air.  When I had the products blended my skin looked even and natural.  (I chose the medium shade)  I really loved how light and free of makeup I felt when I wore this product.  I spritzed my face after application and a couple more times throughout the course of the day with Pixi Milky Mist for a moisture boost but the product held, didn’t break up, didn’t make me oily throughout the day and didn’t break me out.  It’s definitely unique and perfect for travel and on the go.  Definitely worth a try if you like natural products and trying new things.

Shade is not nearly as dark as it appears, picture below, I’m wearing it and my totally natural, OK a tiny wing, look. 😉

I feel totally naked and bare, so close up, but you can see how glow-y my skin is and it covers just enough.

I tried a lipstick from the brand first, via Birchbox & loved it, which prompted this little purchase spree.  You can check my review on that product out here.

And that’s my take on Milk Makeup.  I hope to see a little re-designing and more from the brand in the future.  I do plan to purchase a few of their other items now that I know I’m a fan.  I’ve got my eye on a soon to be released eye quad & plan to check out their face gloss & eye lacquer, add some bright shades for a little edge.  Thoughts?

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-Kelli xoxo