Welcome to the Milk Fam Diaries. At Milk Makeup, we believe it's not just about how you create your look; it's what you do in it that matters. We see your creativity on our feeds and hear your support in our comments daily, but we wanted to dream up an interactive way to share a few more pages from your stories. That’s how this series was born. In these diaries, we’ve created a space to have candid conversations with our community on inspiration starters, self-expression, favorite products, and so much more. Get to know the faces behind our campaigns who are as inspiring off camera as they are on. This week, we talk to Mical, a makeup artist who thinks Missy Elliott is the greatest. (They’re not wrong.)
Meet Mical, who recently starred in our RISE Mascara campaign. When Mical isn’t posing in front of the camera, they’re creating makeup works of art—often featuring glossy textures, softly smudged finishes, and vibrant swaths of color. Their work has been featured everywhere, from Vogue to the famous faces of Bella Hadid and Precious Lee. Scrolling through their Instagram is guaranteed to give you nonstop inspiration, so we had to get to know them a little better.
A self-professed makeup minimalist that would groom their eyebrows with a stick if stuck on a deserted island, Mical’s beauty focus is set on skincare. Off duty, it’s all about food-filled days discovering the best breakfast sandwiches, slurping soba noodles, and cooking up pasta with clams to impress. Read on for a glimpse into their beauty style and thoughts on cake for breakfast.
How would you describe your personal style?
I would say that I dress like a skater dude who also shops at Claire’s.
How would you describe your approach to beauty?
My approach to beauty is more about grooming than anything. I’ve gone through a lot of different phases and approaches with beauty, but where I’m at now, it’s all about skin and brows. That, and making sure my undereye bags, which are generally pretty hardcore, are kind of taken down. But I love skin texture and I always want my brows to be upped and gelled. I hate nothing more than when my brows are down.
Do you have a specific routine or tips?
I’m pretty hardcore about my skincare, so I always double cleanse at night. I use a prescription retinol every other night and a vitamin C serum during the day. My skin is very sensitive, so I have to avoid things with fragrance. The time I would spend on makeup goes to skincare. And I’m hardcore about sunscreen—I’m the person telling everyone to use sunscreen when they don’t want to.
If you could only use one Milk Makeup product for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Probably the KUSH Clear Brow Gel. What I like about that one is that it doesn’t dispense too much product so I don’t have to wipe it off. I brush it through and make sure the front is very up and more down on the ends. I’ll kind of just rest my brow hairs down with my finger so they’re more on my face, which prevents them from getting messed up later on in the day. I use the clear shade since I have a lot of brow, and I don’t generally need to amp up the tint.
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What album or song is currently on repeat for you?I’ve been listening to a lot of Kate Bush, Hounds of Love, but also I always listen to a lot of Missy Elliot. Missy Elliot is the greatest. What beauty product would you bring with you to a desert island?The actual answer is sunscreen because I am no fun at all. Probably concealer—I’m just not that interesting. I could groom my brows with a stick. What is your go-to makeup look?Extremely minimal: It’s just skin and brows. I will say that I did get the Electric Glossy Lip Plumper. I use a tiny little bit in a dark color, kind of like a lip balm. Not enough to look too glossy, but still give the tiniest bit of color. It plumps my lips a little bit, and I like the feeling of the Sichuan pepper. What is your ideal day?I would sleep in, but not too late. I would have a really good breakfast sandwich, hang out alone for a while, putter around the house, take a long shower, and listen to music. And then do something outdoors with a bunch of friends. And get some really good lunch! It’s mainly eating. |
What’s your favorite hobby or hobby you picked up recently?
I don’t know if I really have a hobby besides cooking. It’s a hobby, but it’s also a functional thing. I like to make certain Mexican home-cooking stuff that I grew up eating because my dad is from there. Really simple food like rice and beans and vegetables. I eat a lot of soba noodles. I like to make pasta with clams if I’m impressing someone. I bake cakes—not impressive ones but just tasty cakes that you can get away with eating for breakfast if you wanted to.
What were your first impressions of the RISE mascara?
I like it. It’s not chunky, which I appreciate, especially if I’m going to wear it during the day. And it doesn’t flake. I have stubborn lashes that do not want to hold a curl, but they’re doing pretty well with RISE Mascara, so I’m impressed.
What would you pair this mascara with if you were going to do a look for yourself?
I would probably pair RISE with a burgundy red eyeliner, a little smudged. Or I would do a lid in a smudgy, brown, glossy moment. Or a natural lid—but glossy.
Follow Mical on Instagram @micalmicalmicalmical.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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