If there’s one word that truly makes my soul cringe, it’s milk. I hate all things even slightly related to milk—the texture; the taste; the freakin’ concept of it just throws me off. So, naturally, I wasn’t super into the idea of cleansing milks. Plus, these thick cleansers can be ultra-hydrating formulas, which tend to leave my face feeling dirtier post-wash.
I genuinely don’t know why I decided to give Aesop’s new Gentle Facial Cleansing Milk a try, but something just led me towards it. The skincare Gods just let this product land in my lap, and I decided, “F*ck it, let’s switch things up.” On top of my random need to experiment, I was breaking out from my recent apartment move, so my skin was beckoning for change, too.
As per usual, I did my nighttime ritual: have a glass of wine, smoke my weed pen (when I relax, I relax), and descend to the bathroom to wash my face. I decided to put this cleansing milk for the biggest test: washing off my waterproof eyeliner—for reference, I was wearing the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner, which is infamous for not budging an inch, even during a car crash—so this was a true testament of this cleanser’s power.
Bummer: it didn’t fully wash off the eyeliner. But, it did smell amazing, it removed most of my less intense makeup, and it made my skin feel so, so soft without leaving a greasy residue—a major game-changer for me. My skin felt nourished and free of the piled-up grease that usually lingers at the end of the day, without feeling greasy or weighed down. So, while it didn’t remove my makeup fully, I was pretty intrigued to give it another try.
I ended up using it the next morning. And the next, and then the next, and one month later I’ve used it just about every morning. It’s great for removing the overnight sweat and oil from my slumber (I wake up surprisingly greasy), but doesn’t leave my skin beckoning for moisture. Plus, I love lavender, so the scent from this milky cleanser feels like a calming way to start my usually-hectic day.
After doing a little bit of digging, this cleansing milk is noted to be good for drier skin types, but my oily skinned friends will enjoy this nonetheless. The verdict? I’m down with it—it feels like therapy in a bottle: comforting, soothing, and a refreshing way to show yourself some love. While I won’t be moving on to other milky substances in my life (gross), this is the one “milk” that I’m okay with keeping around for a while.
