Introducing the Vichy Idealia BB Cream, sister to last year’s Idealia skincare collection, and a really exciting product for those who battle with a dull complexion.

The Idealia BB Cream formula takes its cues from the aims of the original BB Creams, which were designed to treat skin as well as temporarily beautify it. This formula deals most specifically with combating a grey complexion. It has a wealth of mineral illuminators to instantly pep up the skin, smoothing ingredients to optimise the ‘glow’ effect, and Kombucha tea extract to reduce the appearance of dark spots and an uneven skintone in the long term. It’s a bit like a BB cream, a CC cream and an optical blurring perfector all rolled into one pretty pink package.

Twist off the top and you’ll find that the applicator nozzle is narrow and tapered, so you can really control the amount of product you dispense. The small opening means less product congeals around the top, keeping things nice and hygienic.

Pale girls rejoice – the Light shade of this BB cream is actually pretty fair!  The neutral tone suits my fair skin really well and doesn’t lean too pink or too yellow, which is a problem I know a lot of paler girls have  with BB creams. For reference, I use the Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation in 15 Opal, Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation in 103 Ivory, and Dior Nude Foundation in 010 Ivory. The other shade in the range is Medium; a warm, healthy glow sort of colour.

It’s worth noting that the collection has only two shades as the lower level of pigment means they’re adaptable to a wider range of skin tones. I can actually wear Medium too, albeit more sparingly and with some decent blending!

Both of the shades have light to medium coverage. If you’re someone who’s used to full-coverage foundations due to flaws or pigmentation, I’d recommend giving this BB cream a try. Though the coverage is quite sheer, the focus on light-reflection means that flaws are actually diminished without the need for high pigmentation – you can see such how luminous the swatches are above. It’s really clever, and it’s what really sets the formula apart in my mind. I’ve been wearing it with a touch of concealer around my nose and beneath my eyes, and my skin looks ultra fresh (finally nailing that S/S13 runway dewiness!)

What’s your favourite BB Cream? How do you feel about lower coverage bases?