Sometimes, I get curious about the weirdest things: underwater trampolines. Cocktails made with aquafaba. Quarantine bangs. My curiosity about Milk Makeup follows along the same vein. Because it is so SO blatantly not for me: looking at their IG, you see glowing twentysomethings with perfect skin, and looking at their FAQs, you’ll find sentences like this: “Because the world throws a lot at you, including tons of gross toxins, Milk Makeup strives to be clean.” Sigh. Anyways, Milk Makeup is obviously NOT my brand. But still, here we are: at my Milk Makeup blush and highlighter review. Because strangely, I couldn’t stay away from their famous Lip+Cheek and Highlighter sticks.
And immediately, we’re in trouble. I find cream products notoriously difficult, because 1) I hate when they don’t dry down and remain sticky and 2) because of their tendency to ‘lift’ products you applied underneath. I’d also never use blush or highlighter or bronzer without some kind of base underneath, and while my skin’s need for some kind of pep (aka glow) is growing from day to day, I own powder products that do that just fine, thankyouverymuch. (Looking at you, Hourglass.)
What it is
I have the Lip+Cheek in Werk, a very pretty soft, warm pink, and the Highlighter in Lit.
Werk
“Two-in-one stick doubles as a sheer blush and hydrating lip tint. Color payoff builds as you swipe. Mango butter, peach nectar and avocado oil provide instant hydrating benefits and help color blend seamlessly into skin. Swipe onto lips, cheeks, or both and blend with fingertips for an instant flush. No mirror required.”
Milk Makeup
Lit
“Luminous cream stick leaves a natural, radiant glow. Vegan formula is infused with coconut oil, mango butter, and avocado oil for lasting hydration. Easy stick form helps you glow from head to toe.”
Milk Makeup
Ingredients
The base for both products is castor oil, and both include an array of various butters and oils. Milk calls that ‘Milk Melt Technology’: “ (…) our secret weapon formula made up of a unique blend of coconut waxes that melt into skin on contact with body heat.” While the highlighter is blessedly free from essential oils, the blush stick contains a citrus peel product, linalool and limonene, producing a fresh orange scent, which is nice, but let’s not forget that citrus derivatives, linalool and limonene are highly sensitising and also totally superfluous in products used on skin.
Milk proudly claims never to include parabens in their products. I find that slightly problematic, because they, at the same time, promote to apply the sticks directly onto skin, or to use fingers. Am I the only one to be slightly grossed out by this?! This is a product I’d DEFINITELY bin after the recommended time of 12 months. (Lit contains phenoxyethanol, while Werk doesn’t contain any additional preservatives.)
Application
Yeah, well, it’s difficult. Werk is definitely the more emollient of the two, and consequently, easier to apply. Milk themselves promote application directly from stick to skin, with fingers to blend. For people who wear foundation or any kind of base product, that’s fraught with danger of ‘lifting’ the base product while applying and blending to a varying degree.
Fingers
I tried the stick/finger combo which works well on bare skin (although I can’t see a situation in which I wouldn’t wear a base, but blush, but well, the things we do for science), and it worked well for Werk. Lit tends to drag on the skin a bit.
When I wear a base (and this gets worse if I’ve concealed spots in the area), applying a few ‘dots’ of Werk and blending with a patting motion succeeds to lift my foundation. With Lit, I tried to warm up the product on my fingertips and then pat it onto skin, with the same result.
Tools
I also tried a small synthetic highlighter brush, a tiresome procedure because it took me ages to load up the brush with enough highlighter to stipple it across my cheekbones. Werk worked fine, as well as using it with a beautyblender. This might be my preferred method to apply both products: swish the damp beautyblender across the stick a couple of times, apply to skin, done.
Effect
I absolutely love Werk on me. It gives the prettiest flush and the staying power is decent. While this doesn’t sink in completely, it also doesn’t sit stickily on top of my skin. Do I prefer Fenty’s? Yes indeed. (Btw, as lip product it turns weirdly pastel pink on my rather pigmented lips. NOT a good look.)
Lit is more problematic. I don’t find the effect remarkable in any way: it straddles the middle ground between blinding and demurely glistening. I’m also rather doubtful about the formula: add a bit of shimmer to some coconut oil, and bam, same effect. The colour, described as ‘champagne pearl’ is rather universal across a wide range of skintones (look at Karen from Makeupandbeautyblog rocking it). It also vanishes on me after just a few hours, and draws attention to any pores I have.
Worth it?
Do you have good skin and enjoy going without any kinds of base products? Would you use up products quickly? Are ‘natural’ ingredients important for you? Do you enjoy using your fingers, instead of tools? You don’t mind products being a bit oily? Then Milk Makeup Blush + Lip and Highlighter products are for you. If not, you’ll likely have to faff about a bit to make both products work for you. (Think: tools, setting powder etc.)
Both products, btw, are absolute nightmares to wear with a mask (PPE). You definitely have to use a setting powder AND spray, otherwise they’ll be all over your mask.
Lit Highlighter: 0.24 oz/6,7g for $15 at Milk Makeup or 11,95€ at Sephora.de.
Werk Lip + Cheek: 0.21 oz/6g for $15 at Milk Makeup or 11,95€ at Sephora.de.
Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods or money for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
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