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Aang aang- hello! Hope your week has gotten off to a fab start!
So, Jerry and I have both noticed that cannabis has really become a “thing” lately. It’s not our thing, neither one of us uses it as we don’t like to feel “high,” although we know many people who use it responsibly and have benefited from it. We recently visited Seattle, where actual THC products are legal, and didn’t notice any weird smells while walking around, or anything like that. I’m thinking that the legalization has sparked a renewed interest in all kinds of cannabis products, which is a good thing, as it’s all natural.
While the stuff that creates a “high” is the THC that usually comes from cannabis indica, hemp products come from cannabis sativa, and have been around for quite some time. I’m sure most of have used lotions and potions containing hemp seed oil (the seeds contain zero THC or cannabidiol), as it’s a fantastic natural moisturizer.
The neat thing about cannabis and hemp products gaining in popularity is that mainstream companies are introducing new and updated formulas, and Milk Makeup is no exception. When Milk Makeup first hit the beauty scene, I was pretty skeptical. They are a design company and photography studio, so I didn’t expect much in the way of beauty products from them. I expected it to all be just hype and great marketing. Boy was I wrong! When I tried some of their lipsticks, I was pleasantly surprised. But, would their skincare be able to hold a candle to other companies?
I just happened to see a Kush Stash Bag set from the brand while shopping last weekend, and decided it would be a great way to try some new-to-me hemp products, and test the waters of Milk’s skincare. Yet again, I was quite surprised, and even found a new HG product!
The Kush Stash Bag set retails for $49, and includes a cute bag (the zipper pull is a cannabis leaf), full size Kush Lip Balm in Green Dragon (goes on clear), full size Cannabis Hydrating Face Mask, mini Kush High Volume Mascara, mini Cooling Water stick, and a pair of Cooling Water Eye Patches. The $49 price point at first seemed a bit steep, until I realized two of the products were full sized, so it was a good value. And I can gift the zippered bag to a cannabis aficionado- if I don’t decide to keep it for myself…lol.
I’m just getting over a severe allergy attack- runny nose, sneezing, burning, itchy eyes, you name it, I had it. These vicious attacks always leave my eyes puffy and swollen, and the skin around my nose raw and irritated. Yuck! Here’s where I was skeptical with this kit- Milk tends to make a lot of products in “sticks,” kind of like deodorant. Are these mere gimmicks, or are they for real? Lemme just say- I’m a believer!
Cannabis Hydrating Face Mask
The first product I tried was the Cannabis Hydrating Face Mask stick. It’s formulated with cannabis sativa seed oil (hemp seed oil- again, no THC or cannabidiol), aloe, and kaolin clay. The hemp seed oil not only hydrates and aids in retaining moisture, but also calms and soothes. Aloe also hydrates, calms, soothes, and provides antioxidant protection as well. Kaolin clay cleanses, exfoliates, helps cleans pores and balances oil. This sounded exactly like what I needed.
I took a shower, hoping the steam would help my sinuses, washed my face, then applied this. It was actually quite cooling, and super easy to apply. I really liked how simple the stick made this- it was NOT messy, it was quick, and it very easy to apply evenly. This also meant that I could apply less to get my whole face covered- so my entire face had a very thin, even layer. Not only did this account for eliminating waste, but it also dried faster, and rinsed SO easily. I didn’t have to wait 20-30 minutes for it to dry, and I didn’t have to scrub to remove it. If you’re wondering about the smell- it was light and fresh, and didn’t aggravate my sinuses. This is definitely a new HG product for me!
Cooling Water Eye Patches
This is another winner! If you’ve kept up with our blog, you may already know how much I LOVE eye masks. I keep a fairly large stash (no pun intended…lol) on hand for bad allergy days. Milk Makeup’s Cooling Water Eye Patches are purported to be cooling and de-puffing, as the gel patches contain soothing seawater and energizing caffeine. Caffeine energizes and depuffs, seawater and lavender calm and soothe, and aloe also helps soothe and calm redness.
Right away, as soon as I opened the packet, I was greeted with two patches that said “Chill Out” all over them. This was kind of neat, as it reminded me to take time to lay back and just chill, and enjoy the experience of the eye masks. The next thing I noticed was that the masks are STICKY. Yep! While I was going to use this time to relax, I could have worn these for several hours, and did all sorts of tasks and house work, without them falling off. This also kept them from sliding around, too. But, no problems removing them- it was strange, not like tape or a bandage, they just came right off.
My eyes were significantly less swollen, and they were actually quite soothed on the outside when I took these off. My eye area felt hydrated and smooth, and I looked a LOT better after using some eye drops to take care of the redness in my actual eyes…lol. These would also be awesome refrigerated!
Mini Cooling Water Stick
The mini version of the brand’s Cooling Water Stick was in the kit, but you can also get a full-sized version as well. The ingredients are similar to the Cooling Water Eye Patches, but this is in stick form, kind of like the cannabis mask. Caffeine acts as an anti-inflammatory and helps depuff, seawater also addresses inflammation and soothes, aloe helps soothe and calm the skin, and kappahycus alvarezii extract hydrates. The stick can be used to depuff and hydrate under the eyes, as well as all over the face whenever you need an extra hit of moisture.
While the Cooling Water Stick can be refrigerated to make it even more soothing, I’ve been keeping mine on my nightstand. With such terrible sinuses, and a horrendous allergy attack, it was so handy to just grab this throughout the night and use it under my eyes, as well as around my nose. It immediately soothed my irritated skin, and my face didn’t feel as sore when I woke up. I’ve also used this during the day under makeup with no problems.
Kush Lip Balm
Yet again, if you’ve kept up with us, you know I LOVE lip balms, too! My lips are always chapped to begin with, and constantly trying out all the super-matte lippies that are so popular, havoc is wreaked on my lips. This full-sized lip balm contains hemp seed oil to hydrate and calm, shea butter to hydrate and smooth, and moringa butter to soothe and calm.
The Kush Lip Balm comes in five shades: Green Dragon (goes on clear), Nug (sheer warm pink with subtle golden shimmer), Cannatonic (sheer cool pink), Bubble (sheer, neutral rose with subtle golden shimmer), and Plushberry (sheer neutral berry). The Stash Bag set came with the Green Dragon, which is perfect for me, as I usually wear balms under a lip color.
I love the packaging- it’s sleek and feels lux, and… it’s magnetic! The formula has a fresh scent, which comes from the natural ingredients, like sage and peppermint oil. It’s very pleasant and refreshing. The balm feels ultra hydrating without any greasiness, and it doesn’t get sticky. My lips are left soft, smooth, and hydrated.
Kush High Volume Mascara
Who doesn’t love an awesome mascara? Especially one that helps nourish your lashes? I was a bit skeptical because this stuff is supposed to have “heart-shaped fibers,” and I detest all these lash fibers on the market- they always seem to look either clumpy or spidery. Neither of which is what I’m going for…lol. But with the shape being different, I was genuinely curious about the Kush High Volume Mascara.
But, these uniquely shaped fibers are purported to lay on the lashes in each direction, creating the look of length and width, as opposed to the gangly fibers in other formulas that appear spidery. Cannabis seed oil (hemp seed oil) fuses to the lashes for thickness without the fallout, and helps fill in the fibers. It will also leave lashes healthier looking, even after removing the mascara.
Wearing Milk Makeup Kush High Volume Mascara
This wasn’t quite what I expected. I didn’t get the earth-shattering overwhelming volume of other fibers. But I also didn’t get clumps and spidery looking lashes! Overall, this isn’t as volumizing as some of the Too Faced formulas, but it’s a great every day mascara. It provides length and modest volume for a “finished” look, without looking over-the-top. The best part was that it didn’t clump or flake, and it wore all day without smudging.
I was really happy with the Milk Makeup Kush Stash Bag set. They did a fantastic job of creating some new and updated products based on an fantastic ingredient that has withstood the test of time. I’m not unhappy with any of the products, and found a new Holy Grail mask- can’t beat that, and I can’t wait to try more of the brand’s products! Check it out at MilkMakeup.com.
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