Vichy is one of my favourite high street skincare brands and lately I have been loving the cleansers especially the micellar cleansing oil. The Idealia Smoothing & Illuminating face cream is actually the first cream I have tried from them and wanted to share with you my initial thoughts. This cream is all about brightening the skin & smoothing the texture. They do two formulas ; one for dry skin and one for combination skin. I have the one for dry skin and in hindsight I think the other one would have been better but this one still seems to be ok for me.
Key ingredient Kombucha is a powerful black tea extract that has proven benefits to the skin including maintaining moisture levels, improving elasticity and evening the tone. It also contains Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) which help gently brighten the skin. From looking at the ingredients I think the key one is salicylic acid which is great for keeping the pores clean and refined. Polyphenols are antioxidants which protect the skin from free radical damage and this cream is also enriched with Vichy’s signature ingredient ; Thermal spa water.
The packaging is simple and pretty, nothing too fussy or complicated which I like. There is a very light fragrance of soft jasmine which is very calming and pleasent. As I said this is the one for dry skin yet it doesn’t feel overly rich or greasy and still sinks into my skin quickly. I actually took this away with me when I went on ‘Staycation’ last month to Wales and was pleasantly suprised at how well I got on with it. I used it as an every day cream, but I switch up my night cream to something different as I don’t like to use the same thing day & night. It’s a perfect day cream for someone like myself (30yrs +) who is feeling a little dull and lacklustre and wants to step up their face cream game into something a little more active without dropping big buck$. I have only used it for a few weeks now, and can’t say it’s softened lines and wrinkles or made any miraculous different, but it’s kept my skin clear, nourished and feeling really protected and comfortable. For just £25 I am not expecting overnight miracles, but I would think after 4 weeks or so of continued use you will start to see skin tone and texture improving.
Have you used anything from Vichy skincare yet? I think it’s one of those brands that most people have tried *something* of over the years as it’s in most boots and readily available
Vichy Idealia cream costs £25 and is available at Escentual & Boots, along with various other beauty retailers.
