FIRST IMPRESSION: Dior Purifying Cleansing Milk

So today I was flying back to Germany from visiting my boyfriend in Sweden, and even though I'd done some minor damage at H&M I hadn't satisfied my shopping itch. So I stopped by the Euroshop in the airport (luckily they accepted euros, even though I had to receive my change in SEK) and I found something I'd always been interested in purchasing but never found the right time. Well, this was the right time. I found the Dior purifying cleansing milk for about 245 SEK, a little under 30 euro.

From the packaging:

 PURIFYING CLEANING MILK
with crystal iris extract
normal or combination skin - for face and eyes

"At the heart of Dior cleansers' performance are 3 voluptuous flowers with unsurpassed benefits in the first step of the skincare ritual. For normal or combination skin (I lean more toward oily but in the winter can be more combination), Dior has selected purifying Crystal Iris. The Purifying Cleansing Milk eliminates all traces of makeup while respecting the skin's balance. Freshly unveiled, the skin is clear, matte, radiant."

Ingredients:
Aqua, butylene glycol, isohexadecane, ethylhexyl palmitate, isdododecane, glycerin, diaprylyl carbonate, iris florentina root extract, phenoxyethanol, octlododeceth-25, aacrylates/c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, tetrasodium edta, parfum, sodium hydroxate, BHT**

**Now, these are a whole lot of words I don't understand so I'm not going to be making any claims about the benefit of them on the skin, I'm just going by what Dior is stating.

Me with a full face of makeup-- manhattan matte foundation, ben nye banana powder, mac blush, smashbox eyeshdow in 'chestnut', l'oreal liquid liner, l'oreal balm riche on the lips, and smashbox sumatra to fill in my brows

After reading some reviews online, I figured my best bet for using the cleanser was to apply it to dry skin, massage it in (I did this one area at a time--first on cheeks/chin, then on forehead, then eyes, removing the cleanser with a cotton pad after each section). I then did one final cleansing and rinsed with warm water. This may have been overkill, tomorrow night when I use it I'll just use it as a normal cleanser and compare the results. After about two/three weeks or so, I'll have a full review for you guys. But, after having used it tonight, I have to say my skin feels extremely soft, not tight or dry like with some other cleansers. I do have a little eye irritation, but I have unbelievably sensitive eyes and it might have been from rubbing the cotton pad a little too vigorously. Only time will tell.

 I used my trusty neutrogena toner to see if any makeup remained, and this was the result:

Based on the coloring, I would say this is mostly the eyeshadow I use to fill in my eyebrows. Still, not a great first impression for  an expensive designer cleanser that claims to remove all makeup. I'll keep experimenting with methods of use, and get back to you all with my final thoughts. On the bright side, I do have to say my skin looks really radiant and and feels very smooth.

Face post-cleansing (the power of makeup, amirite?)

Stay tuned for a full review in a few week's time! Will be purchasing La Roch Posay Effaclar K soon, and post a first impression about that as well.

Bis naechstes mal,

expat