If, like me, you have skin that doesn’t have a major concern (acne, extreme dryness, rosacea), but rather a medley of lesser concerns (dullness, poor texture, dehydration), then Vichy’s Idealia skincare collection is the stuff dreams are made of.
It’s created for women who are in a bit of a skincare grey area – they’re not quite at the stage of anti-ageing skincare, but they’re starting to experience complexion niggles from late nights, poor diet and other bad habits that are part and parcel of a hectic life.
Idealia brings the balance back, with a focus on rekindling a healthy glow. The well-edited range includes products for every aspect of your care routine, including the Idealia moisturiser, the super-charged Idealia Life Serum (which I’ve waxed lyrical about here), Idealia Eyes, the Idealia BB Creme, and the newest addition for nighttime, Idealia Skin Sleep.
That last product sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? And it really, truly is. Here’s everything you need to know about the brand new overnight spectacular from Vichy…
What’s It All About?
We all suffer from nights where we could have done with a bit more sleep. It’s a symptom of a busy life, whether you’ve been up with a baby, or you’ve drawn the short straw with a night shift. Aside from feeling really, really tired the next day, did you know that not getting enough sleep actually has a pretty big impact on your skin? A great night’s sleep is crucial to the quality of your skin, bolstering its ability to repair and renew itself. When that’s interrupted, your complexion can start to look dull and drawn.
Idealia Skin Sleep is created especially for those who find it difficult to get their 8 hours in, but don’t want their lack of sleep to compromise the healthy look of their skin. The formula stimulates key biological functions that are otherwise interrupted by a lack of sleep, like microcirculation and desquamation, ensuring that the complexion is soft, smooth and wonderfully radiant upon waking. It’s a good night’s sleep in a pot!
The Ingredients
Hyaluronic acid
If you’ve got dehydrated skin, this is an ingredient that will make your heart sing! Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in the body, and is responsible for making skin plump and cushiony. It also holds up to 1000 times its own weight in water, ensuring that skin is well hydrated.
LHA
Also known as lipo hydroxy acid, the LHA used in Skin Sleep is derived from salicylic acid and works as a biological exfoliator. It gently buffs skin to smooth its texture, and is responsible for the ultra soft feel of your skin the morning after using the formula. Night after night, skin looks more radiant.
Glycrryhizic Acid
Extracted from liquorice, glycerryhizic acid has anti-inflammatory properties and intensely soothes overstressed skin. It has the added bonus of preserving the integrity of the hyaluronic acid in the formula, ensuring it performs at an optimum level.
Caffeine
Draining, decongesting and energising, caffeine is the ultimate pick-me-up for tired skin. In Skin Sleep, it’s combined with adenosine to stimulate microcirculation and make the complexion look healthy, glowing and well-rested.
The Texture
Skin Sleep has a gel-balm texture that is just delicious. Even combination skin types should love this one; even though it contains pampering ingredients like apricot kernel oil, the balm sinks into skin without a trace, and doesn’t leave any residue come morning time. It also has a good amount of slip, which aids massage and encourages a further boost in microcirculation.
The Results
To give you a bit of context, I’m a twenty-something city dweller prone to late nights and broken sleep. I’ve got a bit of a tumultuous relationship with my skin in that I never seem to have the same concern two days in a row – some days my complexion is really dry and tight, but on other days my t-zone is oily I have break-outs. My one consistent concern, however, is poor texture and dullness. And that’s why I’m a little bit obsessed with the Idealia range.
I’m already in a committed relationship with Idealia Life Serum – I love its ability to keep all of my different skin concerns in check. Because of this, adding Idealia Skin Sleep to my routine was a completely natural step; it offers the same smoothing and balancing benefits of the serum, but with an added kick of retexturising exfoliation and plumping care overnight. It promises healthier looking skin, and it really delivers – come morning time it looks as though my skin has had a detox. I don’t have my usual morning puffiness, and my tone is really even. And to top it all off my skin is as smooth as porcelain. I can’t stop stroking my jawline!
If you’re in your twenties or thirties and you haven’t yet reached a stage where you’re looking into anti-ageing products, or have any specialised skin concerns (acne, rosacea, extreme sensitivity), I think this will be your ultimate night product. It achieves so much in one step with its hydrating, smoothing and plumping action, I bet it’ll completely transform your nighttime regime (and cut down on your concealing time in the morning!)
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Sacura29
Vichy Idéalia Smoothness & Glow - Energizing Cream for Normal to Combination Skin 50ml
I have ordered this cream last week so haven't used it for long but can see the difference. I have quite oily skin with tendency to blemishes and it's very hard for me to find the right face cream. I discovered this one in a beauty magazine as a sample and loved it! Smels absolutely georgeus, light in texture, doesnt live my face feeling like a mask. Skin looks more radiant doesnt feel dry and has a narutal healthly shine which is fine with me. Would recommend!
