If you have been here before, you might already know I have a thing for proper cleansing and good cleansers. I have about ten of them in regular rotation and I’m very picky about the quality, with Eve Lom, Omorovicza, Tata Harper, Sunday Riley and Tatcha cleansers among my top favourites. There is, of course, always room for another good cleanser in my heart, but the bar is set very, very high.

That’s why I wasn’t expecting Lumi’s Moisturizing Cleansing Milk to necessarily rock my world. I was hoping it to be decent, as Lumi is the first Estonian skincare brand I’m seriously interested in and I wanted it to be good. Lumi is science-based and developed in cooperation with Tartu University, but uses interesting natural ingredients that are often organic. There are no parabens, silicones, mineral oil or synthetic fragrance in the products – these would not be deal-breakers for me, but I know there are many people who prefer their skincare this way. The aesthetic of the brand is sophisticated and minimal, another plus.

The first try at cleansing seemed to confirm my initial hypothesis that this is an OK product, but nothing special. Surprisingly, I had some minor irritation (my skin is not sensitive at all and the line should be very gentle) and the star ingredient, hemp seed oil, has a distinctive smell that wasn’t a love at first sniff for me. But I decided to persevere with the testing, and it was all uphill from here. The more I used the cleanser, the more I liked it. Suddenly, it had replaced the four (or five?) times more expensive Tata Harper cleanser in my routine.

I use Lumi’s cleansing milk as second cleanse, removing make-up with a balm or oil first. For the first cleanse, you could also use Lumi’s make-up remover, but I haven’t tried it yet. The selling point of the cleansing milk is not its make-up removing ability, but the effect it has on skin, leaving it clear, soft and seriously nourished. My face never feels stripped, something that can occur even with some of the best cleansers (like the otherwise excellent Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip). I guess it’s the result of hemp seed oil being number two on the ingredient list, with other oils like camellia and grape seed featuring as well. I prefer to wash this cleanser off, rather than use a flannel (I use one with the first cleanse anyway), as the texture of the skin after cleansing seems nicer that way.

I imagine that Lumi cleanser would be ideal for someone with both dry and dehydrated skin (it also includes glycerin and lactic acid), but if it works on my combination skin, it should be OK for most skin types. I have also tried the night cream from the brand and although I haven’t tested it properly (it’s not the right fit for my skin, at least at this time of year), it again seems something that people with dry skin might appreciate. I have given it to my more dry-skinned sister for in-depth trials.

PS I promised that if I ever start receiving millions from companies in return of reviews, I’ll let you know. This hasn’t happened, but quite unexpectedly, I did receive these two Lumi products free of charge (no obligation to feature them on the blog). I can assure you, however, that I planned to write about the brand anyway and when the cleanser runs out, I’ll buy the replacement with my own hard-earned cash.