Archipelago – Best of Soy Milk travel set

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Great things really do come in small packages!

photos: we heart this

Why is everything better in a smaller size? Bite-size candy bars, teeny tiny kitty cats, mini-cupcakes; they all make me swoon with delight. My fascination with all things little and wee extends to beauty products; unless it is something I love, I vastly prefer travel sizes.

Those little bottles allow me to try a product without much commitment; plus they are cute and easy to carry. So when I got the Best of Soy Milk Gift Set from Archipelago Botanicals ($20) my heart did a little happy dance.

Archipelago Botanicals is well-known for their soy candles, (in fact, the wht team raved over these classic candles in this review) but their bath and body products are most definitely nothing to sneeze at. Just like the elegant candle collections, the bath and body products feature simple and appealing packaging, high-end, natural ingredients and distinctive scents.

In fact, bath and body product lovers will have a blast sampling Archipelago’s range of lush scents like Sugar (with vanilla, mango and coconut), Pomegranate and Boticario de Havana (a mixture of coffee bean, tobacco flower and extracts of orange, sugar cane and pineapple – yum).

The wht team tested items from the Soy Milk line, which takes our dairy consumption to a whole new level! Using this centuries old beauty secret ingredient, Archipelago combines dried milk solids and natural soy proteins to sooth, soften and nourish dry skin.

These pure and simple ingredients mean there’s no reason to add synthetic chemicals, parabens, phthalates or sulfates. And no worries for animal lovers – all Archipelago products are cruelty-free, formulated with ingredients developed without the need for laboratory tests on animals.

The Best of Soy Milk Gift Set comes packaged in a cute little box stuffed with Archipelago’s most popular Soy Milk products. It’s perfect for planes, trains and automobiles and includes travel sizes of their Soy Lotion, Milk Body Wash and Soy Milk Hand Crème, as well as a tube of their Milk Lip Balm.

Sadly, I was unable to test the Milk Lip Balm as I am allergic to its sunscreen ingredients, but our very own lip balm addict, Tyna claims it quickly became one of her high rotation balms. She says “this super soft, smooth and lush balm glides onto lips and stays put for hours. I found the sweet creamy scent to be irresistible – it reminds me of the old-fashion, homemade (by the local Amish) sweet cream ice cream of my youth (sort of like vanilla, but not quite). The added SPF15 makes this balm a must in my (highly selective) permanent collection.”

I was able to dive into the other Milk products and started with the Milk Body Wash. This foaming wash adds oat and rice proteins to the Milk formula for an extra gentle, yet thorough clean. I was happy to see this body wash lathers well and my body was left feeling fresh and clean but my skin was still nice and soft.

The Soy Milk Body Lotion is a best seller at Archipelago and I can see why. The soy proteins in the formula are known to help hydrate cells and keep them that way. This luxurious, yet not heavy all over body lotion worked really well on my dry areas, of which there are many due to the lovely HOT weather we’re having.

My favorite item, however, has to be the hydrating Soy Milk Hand Crème. It’s thick formula soaked into my parched digits and left my cuticles very moisturized. Just be careful, it comes in a tube that can be easily confused with toothpaste in your travel bag in a dark bathroom. (That was a fun 5am discovery…) But for the amazing job this lush crème did on my hands, it’s a risk worth taking.

There is for me, unfortunately, one major flaw – its scent. The lotion and body crème in particular, while not bad, were just very…peculiar. It has a creamy scent due to the milk solids, but it is creamy in its true form – like frothy milk on a cappuccino. However, there’s also another vaguely herbal scent to it (possibly chamomile?) This would appeal to users who prefer a natural to their products.

Archipelago’s Milk set proved itself to be a good solid line with its hydrating powers and lush formulas, but the scent, is not my cup of tea. Retailing for a reasonable 20 bucks, and with its neutral scent and classy packaging, the Soy Milk travel set makes a nice gift for someone whose taste you don’t know that well (a co-worker, perhaps). It’s definitely on my list for no-worries, unisex gifts during the upcoming holiday season.

As for this travel size loving lady, I’m off to daydream over all of the other travel sets available from Archipelago including additional bath and body sets, mini tins of their signature candles and even mini diffusers. It’s a small size lovers dream!

we heartsters – has the Best of Soy Milk products become part of your daily diet?

Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.