Vichy Idéalia Life Serum – RRP €34.50*
Since I became a twenty-something, I’ve been pretty interested in skincare. Especially French skincare – Les Français seem to be pretty expert on the subject, in fairness..along with being chic and stuff.
Skincare was never something I gave any thought, as I was one of those lucky teens who never had any acne, whatsoever. Although I think I more than made up for it with eczema and psoriasis and what have you, neither ever appeared on my face, so I always had an even-toned, clear complexion. Fast forward to now and I’m still paying for those clear wonder years. These days my skin can be blotchy, dry, totally uneven in tone and extremely sensitive. Anything can set it off, from food and drink to products, animal hair..maintaining a (somewhat) clear complexion can be a handful.
Given the history of my skin, I was pretty excited when I was sent the Vichy Idéalia Life Serum, as I feel an extra sense of confidence using French products on my skin and the effects of this serum sound pretty great. As it says on the Vichy website, the serum is ‘clinically tested efficacy on skin exposed to daily excesses: overstressed, pollution, unbalanced diet. Suitable for all skin types and all skin ethnicities, even sensitive skin.’
The serum is enriched with a unique combination of LR2412+LHA molecules (it’s also parabin free!) the formula helps transform and protect skin exposed to stress, pollution, smoke or an unbalanced diet.
I like the fact that this serum considers the life of an everyday lady and is totally judgement free about it. Vichy Idéalia Life makes a bold (but confident) statement promising a transformation in skin in just 8 days.
The serum aims to:
1. Improve the look of your skin – dull and grey complexions, be gone!
2. Skin contrasts – Improve uneven pigmentation and overexposure to harmful sun rays.
3. Change the look of stressed or tired skin – it will transform the effects of stress and lack of sleep on your skin. No more exhausted and drawn looking complexions.
4. Balances dry or oily patches and works it’s magic on enlarged pores.
Vichy suggest you use the serum after cleansing, and it can be worn alone or under moisturiser if your skin is very dry/dehydrated.
The serum comes in a very sleek pink glass bottle, with a colour not far off the pearly pink serum (which sadly didn’t come out too clearly in the pic below). The serum itself is silky, lightweight with a gorgeous sheen and when applied to the face, soaks in almost instantly. It feels great the second you apply it and it definitely perks up skin the moment it’s applied. It also makes a fantastic primer for makeup and after the first application my face felt incredibly smooth and soft. The serum has a very light floral scent, nothing bothersome, and I will admit I probably applied this more than I should have as a) I loved the smell personally and b) I didn’t need to wear any kind of coverage with this product so I would apply some before heading out to meet friends, etc.
I used the serum for 8 days (and past that, obviously!) and I love it. Since my skin is very dry however, I have to put moisturiser over it. It definitely perked up my skin and it felt smooth and healthy. It also feels more resilient against everyday factors that would normally affect my skin, the air-conditioning in our office being a big one.
Blotchy patches appear on my face very easily and my skin has been totally clear since about three days in using this serum. Although it took three days to make my skintone even, that was no time at all for me with previous experiences and I was very impressed. The only claim to this serum that didn’t work for me was the claim for dry patches. This could just be my skin but I felt I had to moisturise even more so around my nose, temples and jaw where I normally get dry patches as the combination of the serum and moisturiser didn’t shift the patches even with exfoliation. A minor issue when it lives up to literally every other promise!
I will definitely repurchase this product and I know my Mam would love it too as like many, she’s a fan of lightweight serums, creams and foundations. It’s an instant pick-me-up in a perky pink pearly bottle.*
The Vichy Idéalia Life Serum is available at most pharmacies across Ireland.
♥ ♥ ♥
*I love alliterations.