Milk Makeup - An Introduction

As soon as I saw that Milk Makeup was coming to Cult Beauty, I signed up (here) to be given as much notice as possible when it lands.  Over the past few years I have managed to pick up a few bits of makeup and skincare from the brand and when I saw a few bits had landed in TK Maxx, I didn't leave the store without them.

Based in New York, all of their products are cruelty-free, they do not test products or ingredients on animals and do not retail in any country that requires animal testing. A phrase you will hear quite a lot is Milk Melt Technology and to Milk Makeup, this is their secret weapon formula and it is made up of a unique blend of coconut waxes that melt into the skin on contact with body heat. That means your makeup blends seamlessly into your skin, rather than sitting on top of it.

What I love about Milk Makeup is that everything about the packaging is minimalist, it looks good on the outside as it does on the inside.  The three products I managed to grab are the Charcoal Cleanser, Urban Defence Mask and Micellar Gel Makeup Remover and they were all priced between £4.99 and £7.99.

The Charcoal Cleanser is described as being a daily cleanser to detoxify, cleanse and smooth and it does it all without being overcomplicated. My skin loves charcoal products and living in London, there are often days when a day of travelling around on public transport can leave you feeling just incredibly filthy that you want to scrape a layer of skin off just to get rid of the dirt and grime.

Inside this cleanser, which I tend to use as a second cleanse depending on how my skin feels, you will find three main ingredients that are worthy of a mention:

• Charcoal – In this case, the charcoal comes from ubame oak trees and its one job is to absorb excess oil and draw out impurities and toxins that can cause breakouts.
• Marine Water – Filled with many minerals, such as Magnesium, which help to not only soothe and heal the skin but help it to retain moisture.
• Vitamin E – This antioxidant-rich ingredient fights free radicals and provides major nourishment.

On the skin, this cleanser feels incredibly smooth, it glides on and off relatively easily, but it is a cleanser, not a makeup remover, which for me is why it works better as a second cleanse, usually after a balm. I apply this cleanser all over my face, whilst avoiding around my eyes and give it a few minutes before removing with a damp muslin cloth.  Afterwards, I have soft to the touch skin, it isn't dry or taut and oddly, there is a wonderfully fresh scent to this cleanser rather than something chemical and I really like it.

The Urban Defence Mask is described as being a mask which helps to defend the skin against the daily toxins that leave skin dry, tired, and red.   I love that this mask is everything I expected it not to be and so much more.  Inside the pot is a clear gel-like formula rather than a cream and it applies like an absolute dream, isn't as messy as I expected it to be and is very much the case that a little goes a long way.

This mask is formulated using Vitamin E, Jojoba and Grape Seed Oils which collectively work to hydrate and nourish the skin. You apply this mask generously to clean, dry skin and leave for between 3 and 5 minutes and then using warm water, splash the face before using circular movements to loosen the mask, which slowly begins to turn from a gel to a milky lotion which you can then rinse off using water or cotton wool pads.  Afterwards, my skin does feel soft and smooth to the touch, but it wasn't my favourite product to use and I can't quite put my finger on why but it just feels like an extra step of skincare that I really don't need.

The final product I have used is the Micellar Gel Makeup Remover is the product which intrigued me the most because I've made no secret that I am not a fan of Micellar water in general when I double cleanse, but a Gel? Well, it caught my attention.

As with Micellar water, this gel uses non-ionic micellar action to entrap and lift both oil- and water-based impurities from the skin. Infused with extracts of Chamomile, Green Tea, Coconut, Cucumber, Papaya and Aloe Vera, it is, as you can imagine incredibly gentle on the skin as well as being nourishing and hydrating too.  To use, again no difference from a Micellar water in that you grab a cotton wool pad, use one pump of the lotion from the dispenser and wipe away dirt, makeup and any other nasty lurking on the skin.  What I prefer about this to water is the texture, slightly thicker as it is gel-like, it is soothing on the skin and works really well at removing everything in its path and it smells clean, think a combination of Aloe and Green Tea for the scent.  Afterwards, there is no sticky or tackiness to the skin, just a soft, smooth feeling.

Milk Makeup use only good cruelty-free and 100% Vegan ingredients, so I have no doubt that when it does land on Cult Beauty, it is going to be incredibly popular because it ticks all of the boxes for being on trend right now. With everything from Skincare to Makeup and a few pieces in between, I am excited to see what will be on offer, but in the meantime, I am happy enough what I have tried and definitely want to try more.

Have you ever tried anything from Milk Makeup?

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Slip Silk Pillowcase

Having that perfect pillow is something I am still looking for, perhaps something I will always be looking for and whilst on that journey, I have tried quite a lot of extra products in an effort to find comfort as I drift off to sleep.  I have ice cold gel inserts to try and regulate the temperature of my pillow because as soon as it gets too hot, I wake up.  Did you know that your pillow could actually be causing you a few other issues though?

I have read rave reviews of how amazing silk pillowcases are and admittedly, I am always one who wants to jump onto the bandwagon to give something a try to see what all the fuss is about.  I was kindly given a Slip Pure Silk Pillowcase in Pink in Queen (of course) to try.  Priced at £79, the Slip Pure Silk Pillowcase is available in four different sizes. a choice of how you want the closure to be as well as the choice of pattern or 13 different colour options, so you should be able to find something to fit your own pillows and match your bedroom decor with relative ease.   It comes beautifully boxed with everything you need to know about your pillow clearly visible.

This pillowcase comes with a huge celebrity backing as to how wonderful it is and whilst that wouldn't usually sway how I feel about a product, honestly, even if it did absolutely nothing it promised, I can still see why people rave about it.  But what are its selling points?

Anti-Aging, Anti Sleep Crease, Anti Bedhead

Slip Silk are aware of many other products available on the market but for them, the slipsilk™ difference is the big selling point. Slipsilk™ is specially-commissioned and made to our exacting standards, developed and re­fined over ten years to provide the ultimate combination of shine, thickness, softness and durability. They use the highest grade (6A) long ­fiber mulberry silk, with a thickness of 22 momme and enforce the strictest quality guidelines, including non-toxic dyes.  To the honest, this is the smoothest, silkiest product I have ever laid my head on, it is pure delight.

The term anti-ageing usually raises someone hackles, but in this case, it isn't about slapping on a cream for a few days and seeing a remarkable difference, it goes much deeper.  It is said that we spend around a third of our lives in bed (I suspect for me that is much more) and the reason Silk have chosen specific fibres is because they are  signi­ficantly less absorbent than many other ­fibers, so they can help keep your skin’s moisture and expensive face and hair products where they belong, on your face and hair. Slipsilk™ can help to reduce friction, which can reduce stretching and tugging on delicate facial skin.

The term anti sleep crease has been the one I've come to associate with Silk pillowcases and this one is no different.  I am sure we have all woken up with the sleep crease, where your pillowcase has twisted whilst you have slept and it has left creases, known as the sleep crease on your face? We all know that as we age and as our skin ages, it loses elasticity and sleep creases can become more pronounced and longer-lasting. While the creases usually go away later that day, it is said that they can be gradually ‘ironed in’ over the years. Slipsilk™ can help to reduce friction, allowing the skin to glide along the pillow while reducing extra pressure on creased skin.  Since having my own Slip Pure Silk Pillow Case, I have not had a single sleep crease, my pillow hasn't become creased either.

Finally, we have anti bed head, something which really intrigued me with regards to a pillowcase and whether having one made of silk really would make a difference.  Ordinary pillowcases can cause your hair to pull, tangle and cause friction which leads to the dreaded 'Bed Head'. A silk pillowcase helps to reduce friction and frizz and I can totally see why the world’s most renowned hairstylists and beauty experts have long recommended sleeping on gentle, hair friendly silk to help preserve your blow out.

Until the Slip Pure Silk Pillowcase came into my life, I had always bought cotton pillowcases, assuming that they would be among the best fabrics I could buy, now I can't ever see me going back.  Having a silk pillowcase has been life changing for me, remember at the beginning of the post I mentioned the hot pillow syndrome which wakes me up? Well, having something silk to sleep on has changed all of that because the temperature is now regulated and my pillow always feels cool to the touch, so whilst I wake less during the night, I now just need to find the perfect pillow for comfort.

Alongside pillowcases, Slip has a whole host of products that I am really keen to try, everything from Hair Scrunchies and Sleep Masks to their very own cleaning solutions to keep your Silk products in the best possible condition.  Slip Silk products can be found on the highstreet or online via sites such as Lookfantastic, Feelunique and Cult Beauty to name just a few.

Have you ever tried a Silk Pillowcase? 

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.