I purchased the Milk Made Smoothing Hand Buffer by Cake Beauty because the skin around my fingernails is a scary mess. When I was really young, I had a habit of picking the skin around my fingernails. Since the habit is still with me today, I try to moisturize my hands and give them spa-like treatments instead of picking at them.

The hand buffer arrived in a 4.9 fl oz (145ml) plastic container. The container had a plastic seal on it when it had arrived with a little plastic spoon included for stirring the product. The front of the bottle states the company name, product name, and states a few of the natural ingredients. The back of the bottle states the usage instructions, a full list of ingredients, the company website, and company contact information. The clear bottle has a white twist off lid. When you first receive the buffer, there will be a foil seal beneath the lid that you will need to remove before use.



The ingredient list for the buffer is as follows: Sugar, Grape Seed (Vitis Vinifera) Oil, Coconut (Cocos nucifera) Oil, Avocado (Persea gratissima) oil, Sweet almond (Prunus Amygdalus dulcis) Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Milk amino acids, Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl glycol (and) sorbic acid, parfum (Fragrance), red 17 (CI 26100), Violet 2 (CI60725). I’ve searched online to find what the specific ingredients are/do, which you can read below.

Sugar- exfoliant
Grape Seed Oil- antioxidant properties
Coconut Oil- emollient properties
Avocado Oil- emollient properties, antioxidant properties
Sweet Almond Oil- emollient properties
Tocopheryl Acetate- this is vitamin E, antioxidant properties
Milk Amino Acids- skin conditioning
Phenoxyethanol- fragrance ingredient, preservative
Caprylyl Glycol- skin conditioning
Sorbic Acid- fragrance ingredient, preservative

When you first open the bottle, you’ll notice that the oils sit at the top of the bottle while the grains of sugar sit at the bottom, separated from the oils. You’ll want to mix up the ingredients with the included spoon before using the product. Once it’s stirred, you can scoop a small amount of the buffer with the spoon and apply it to the desired area. The oils make the product a bit runny, so you’ll want to make sure to use the product over the sink or bathtub to avoid a mess. I haven’t had any issues with the bottle leaking, but I always keep the lid done up tightly and kept in the bathroom standing upright on the shelf.



The product is a hand buffer, but can really be used anywhere on the body that needs a bit of buffing. Once you’ve applied the buffer to the desired area, the directions state to gently massage the buffer into the skin for 30 seconds. Once you’ve done this, rinse the product off of your hands (or wherever you’ve applied it to) and pat them dry.

When I used the product on my hands, I wasn’t extremely impressed. Firstly, I’m not a fan of how oily the product is. When I rinsed off my hands after I had used the product, my hands still had an oily residue on my skin. I actually had to wash my hands vigorously so that my hands no longer felt oily. Secondly, the granules are quite large and very abrasive against the skin. Just gently massaging the product on my hands left my hands red from the abrasiveness of the sugar.

I decided to use the product on my feet because I have rough patches on my heels. I was much more pleased with this product as a foot scrub than a product to use on my hands. The skin on my feet is much tougher than the skin on my hands so the abrasive granules were not painful when massaged on my heels. The only issue I was still left with when I massaged my feet with the product was the oiliness.

...continued

I will admit, once the oily residue was washed off of my skin completely, my skin felt heavenly. The granules exfoliate, removing the dead nasty skin. The buffer also makes the skin feel very soft and moisturized. When I had washed off the oil from my skin, I was still left with a faint raspberry scent. The scent is not terribly strong and should not bother those who are sensitive to stronger smelling products. The product should last for many uses because you do not need to use much for it to work.

Overall, I’m happy with this product not as a hand buffer, but as a product to use on my feet. I prefer less abrasive granules for exfoliating the skin on my hands. I actually use the Satin Hands kit by Mary Kay, which is less abrasive, not oily, and works wonders. I’ve deducted one star from the rating because I don’t like the oiliness of the product. I’d recommend this product if you’re looking for an abrasive exfoliant that will leave your skin feeling lovely afterwards. Just note that you’ll need to really wash the product off afterwards to avoid the oily residue that it leaves behind.

As I mentioned in my original review, I found the granules a bit too abrasive for my hands. I have used the buffer on my feet a few times now and while the end result is nice, I can't stand how oily it is. I don't like the feeling of the thick oil, nor do I like how long it takes to clean off. If you enjoy the oily products, you'll probably really like the Milk Made Smoothing Hand Buffer. I have other buffering products that aren't oily like this so they are easier to use, easier to clean off, and do just as good of a job (if not better).