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If I’m being honest, I’ve never been particularly good at makeup application. It doesn’t come naturally to me, and in recent years, I’ve really embraced that fact and now actively seek out the easiest-to-use products that help me look and feel good, with brands like Refy and Elf really leading the charge in that niche.
Over the years Milk Makeup has gained a reputation for its clean, vegan, and cruelty-free products that are designed to enhance your natural beauty while also prioritising skin health. The American beauty brand recently launched at Boots.com, and having tried out a selection of their cult-loved and new viral beauty products, I’ve discovered some new makeup bag mainstays.
Founded by co-founder Mazdack Rassi, product developer and COO Dianna Ruth, seasoned Milk Girl and creative director Georgie Greville, alongside beauty and fashion editor and E! News correspondent Zanna Roberts Rassi, Milk Makeup is still considered to be a relatively new brand, having only launched in 2016 before making its way into the UK three years later.
It was in 2019 I had my first encounter with Milk Makeup at an event with TokTok star Sammi Jefcoate, where I was given a Kush Mascara for the first time. Five years on it’s set to be just about one of the buzziest beauty brands on the block, not least for the virality of their Cooling Water Jelly Tints, which have blown up on social media for their fun colours and unique texture, but for their effectiveness, longevity and quality, too.
Here are eight Milk Makeup must-haves that have earned a permanent spot in my beauty routine:
Milk Hydro Grip Primer
As the foundation of any flawless makeup look, a quality primer is essential as that’s what’s going to give you that smooth base to work on. Milk’s Hydro Grip Primer stands out for its hydrating formula infused with hyaluronic acid which helps to plump the skin, while keeping makeup in place all day. Milk suggests that this primer sees makeup stay put for up to 12 hours, and while it’s a pretty bold claim, it’s true. Using this primer in conjunction with other long-lasting products, like the Hydro Grip setting spray, my makeup doesn’t budge at all.
You only need a small amount of the Hydro Grip Primer – two pumps at most before blending a thin layer onto the skin and leaving it for 60 seconds to absorb and activate that grip. You know it’s ready when you press your fingers to your cheek and it feels tacky, as it essentially acts as a glue for your base makeup to adhere to.
Ideal for normal to dry skin, not only does it provide a perfect canvas for makeup application, but it also keeps my skin hydrated and glowing throughout the day, and can even be worn without makeup for a glassy, fresh faced finish.
The 45ml primer usually costs £35, but you can get a smaller 10ml bottle for £18 – alternatively, Elf’s Power Grip Primer is a more affordable alternative for £10, and you can read my review of that here.
Milk Future Fluid All Over Cream Concealer
This creamy, multi-use concealer is a medium-to-full coverage beauty hero that covers, sculpts, and hydrates without going cakey. Its buildable formula hides imperfections while nourishing the skin with ingredients like hyaluronic acid and aloe vera, and its lightweight, natural finish makes it perfect for using on targeted areas like the under eyes or for in lieu of foundation.
I use the shade 1W, which is the lightest available and it really helps to brighten my dark circles, disguise blemishes and create a primed eye base ready for any eyeshadow. Working alongside the Hydro Grip Primer, Future Fluid’s formula blends out well and covers for up to 12 hours without creasing or settling into fine lines. I love how much coverage it gives, and using it alongside products like the sculpt sticks and lip + cheek, you really don’t need to use foundation if you don’t want to, either.
Milk Sculpt Stick
For the longest time, Made By Mitchell has had me in a chokehold with his bronzed blursh shades for contouring, but Milk’s Sculpt Stick in the shade Toasted has just become my new favourite contouring product possibly ever. The matte, cool-toned cream formula melts into the skin, creating natural-looking shadows for a sculpted appearance. You don’t have to be particularly precise with it, and can be built up to the desired intensity – it really is ‘contouring for dummies’.
Milk’s makeup sticks are designed for the time-poor, and work alongside other products in the range to allow you to get ready in under a minute. The brand said: “All our sticks are made to play nicely together, so you can get an easy makeup look in 60 seconds flat. Start with Sculpt Stick to contour. Then apply Matte Bronzer for a sunkissed look. Swipe on Lip + Cheek for a flush of colour, and finish with Highlighter for a radiant glow.”
And while it may be small, these pint-sized sculpting sticks are said to have over 1,000 swipes in them, and are designed to be applied exactly where you want them.
Milk KUSH Mascara
Never in my life have I known a volumnising mascara so weightless until I discovered KUSH. Infused with conditioning hemp seed oil, this vegan mascara delivers intense volume, length, and lift resulting in fuller, healthier-looking lashes without any clumping or flaking. But I think what impresses me the most is how soft and flexible my lashes feel to touch when wearing this product – it’s as though there’s nothing on them, as other mascaras can often leave them feeling stiff or crunchy.
The mascara features hollow heart-shaped fibres to create their voluminsing effect, which is locked into place with a vegan ‘beeswax’ that helps to prevent fallout. And again, like many of Milk’s formulas, it’s really buildable and can be layered for a more intense look, or simply swiped for something more natural looking and defined. It wears well throughout the day with no smudging or transferring, and doesn’t require any aggressive scrubbing to remove, either.
Milk Cooling Water Jelly Tint
These have to be one of the most talked about products of 2024 so far – and for good reason, because these innovative tints are a game-changer. Available in four shades, this sheer but buildable burst of colour is a stunning long-wearing lip and cheek stain that comes with a ‘do not eat’ disclaimer.
Fun, colourful and textured beauty products are set to take social media by storm this year, and Milk has really got their finger on the pulse with this one. I’d heard mixed reviews about them so far from some saying they’re difficult to work with, while others couldn’t get enough of them. As someone not particularly makeup savvy, I wondered if I’d get along with them, but I was so pleasantly surprised that they are a dream to apply – you just have to work quickly.
The lip and cheek stain boasts a hydrating jelly texture that glides on for a fresh, dewy finish, but it dries quickly, so the best tip I can give you is to work one cheek at a time. I found it best to apply a small amount and blend, then go in again if I wanted a more vibrant appearance. For a softer look, you can also sweep a brush over the stick to apply, which will help diffuse the product a little more.
What’s more is its innovative formula includes skin-loving ingredients like vegan collagen and aloe to keep skin looking and feeling its best, while seawater helps hydrate skin and gives a refreshing cooling effect. I’ve been using the shades Spritz and Burst – but I have to say that the coral hue of Spritz has become a fast favourite in my regular beauty routine.
Milk Lip + Cheek
Who doesn’t love a two-in-one product? Milk’s Lip + Cheek offers buildable, blendable colour for both lips and cheeks in one convenient stick. The shade Flip is a ‘true red’ and can be blended out with a finger for a wash of colour, or can be applied like a regular lip product for a more intense colour pay-off.
Formulated with hydrating mango butter and nourishing oils, it provides a natural-looking flush of colour while keeping skin moisturised, and really helps to tie a makeup look together since the lips and cheeks match.
The cream formula is really easy to apply and more hydrating than powders, which is why they give such a healthy, natural-looking glow. And much like it’s sculpting sister, it blends effortlessly for a flawless finish.
Milk Odyssey Lip Oil Gloss
While Lip + Cheek can be worn alone, for a juicier, plumped appearance, the Odyssey Lip Oil Gloss is gorgeous. This non-sticky lip gloss combines the best of both worlds, delivering semi-sheer colour and long-lasting hydration thanks to nourishing ingredients like jojoba oil and goji berry extract.
The formula is really smooth and comfortable to wear all day, and my lips still feel hydrated long after removing it, too. I have the shade Trek which is a deep rose shade with a subtle shimmer, perfect for summer and flatters a range of skin tones.
Milk Hydro Grip Set + Refresh Spray
My friend Sarah has raved about this setting spray for years after falling down a set of stairs and spilling the contents of her gin and tonic over her face – yet her makeup remained impeccable. While I’ve not put it through quite such rigorous testing, I have been really impressed with how my makeup looks by the time I come to take it off in the evenings.
The award-winning, dual-phase makeup setting spray locks makeup in place for up to 12 hours and hydrates skin with a dewy glow. Infused with blue agave extract and hyaluronic acid, it ensures your makeup stays put without feeling greasy or heavy, and it’s alcohol-free formula makes it suitable for dry skin, too.
Some setting sprays I’ve used in the past seem to sit on top of makeup, or leave my face feeling tacky, but Milk’s Hydro Grip creates a weightless invisible layer that prevents makeup from melting, fading or creasing throughout the day, meaning my makeup looks as good at 7pm as it did at 8am when I applied it – what more can we ask of a setting spray, really?
Milk Makeup is a brand with its finger on the pulse, offering a range of innovative, high-quality products that prioritise beauty, skincare and ease of use. From hydrating primers to long-lasting tints, each product is designed to enhance your natural features and work well together. With MILK Makeup now available at Boots, it’s easier than ever to incorporate clean, vegan beauty into your daily routine – take a look at the range here.
