It's coming up to the holidays, which means time for us to start enjoying all the rich tasty seasonal foods now available in the supermarkets, enjoy our Christmas parties and the free drinks that comes along with them, not to mention the late nights and sore heads that always inevitably follow.
December can definitely be a busy, stressful month where having the craic or working overtime often overtakes our best intentions. Simply put, life can get in the way of looking after ourselves and our well-being!
I know when it comes to these times where I sleep less, work more, party more and eat & drink whatever I want, my poor skin can really suffer. Plus the indoor heating and outdoor chill doesn't do it any favours either.
Basically my skin is put under severe pressure this time of the year, and I have to work that little bit harder to keep it looking and feeling as healthy as possible!
Vichy's newest serum, their 'Idéalia Life Serum' was formulated with this stress of living in mind.
As Vichy put it "small excesses in daily life and a demanding lifestyle can have a negative impact on skin quality". And they are not just talking about the excesses I mentioned above, there is also pollution, sun exposure, smoke and other daily nasties that negatively affect out bodies' largest organ.
This is the first serum that looks beyond "genes, natural aging and hormonal changes" and addresses these real life issues.
'Idéalia Life Serum' helps to undo some of the damage that everyday life causes like
*tired, lined & wrinkled skin
*imperfections, blotches & unevenness
*sun-damage and dark spots
*dehydration
*dull, grey complexion
*enlarged pores, overly oily & dry patches.
Thanks to "an exclusive combination of 2 powerful ingredients" LR2412 & LHA, this serum can offer your skin a return to a fresh complexion, more even skin tone, rested features and refined pores.
It might sound too good to be true but after using up the entire 30ml bottle over the past couple of months, my skin has been looking the better for it!
The Opalescence is noticeable in the swatch of serum above.
The serum blended into the skin.
As shown in the pictures above, the serum has a lovely opalescence finish that immediately freshens & perks up the appearance of the skin, particularly great for early starts or for those days where sleep just didn't happen the night before. It's not just an immediate short term freshness that it offers though thanks to the 2 special ingredients.
When the LR2412 molecule (a botanical acid derivative and powerful anti-aging molecule that allows the skin to better repair and protect itself) is combined with the LHA (an hydroxy acid known for it's effectiveness in stimulating cellular renewal in skin) it becomes this super duo that helps to reduce pigmentation, brighten the complexion, balance the skin and refine the pores.
Keep in mind though that these results happen over time with regular use of the serum and not over-night or by just using the serum every now-and-again. The quest for healthy looking skin takes dedication which I think is well worth it and not too much of a hassle once you forge a daily routine and stick with it!!
Ingredients List;
I applied the serum every morning onto clean skin before my moisturiser. It isn't 100% necessary to apply a separate moisturiser as the serum offers decent hydration in itself particularly if you have an oilier skin type, but since it doesn't offer any sun-protection (just helps reverse sun-damage) I liked to apply a light moisturiser with an SPF over it once I allowed it to absorb a bit into the skin.
It can alternatively be used at night, or both morning and night, but I do personally prefer to use a separate formula for night time and feel like the gorgeous opalescence that the formula delivers to the complexion is a little wasted on my skin when I'm tucked into the sheets & away in noddy land.
In regards to packaging, the bottle comes with a very handy and easy to use pump dispenser (you'd be surprised how many pumps are out there that are a pain to use!!) and the glass bottle has a lovely girly pink overspray with reflective silver writing. Even the box has a class looking holographic finish that I'm sure is supposed to mimic the reflective quality of the serum itself on the skin.
I got about 2 and a half months out of the 30ml bottle after using it every day during that period.
I found that it took a good 2 pumps to cover the entire face and a little way down the neck (always try to remember your poor neck when using skincare products!!!)
This is definitely one of the nicest serums I have used on my skin to date and love that it is super lightweight unlike the often too-rich or too-heavy offerings brought out by many 'high-end makeup' brands.
The serum was launched at the beginning September in Ireland and is now available nationwide from all the usual pharmacies for the RRP €34.50.
Have any of you guys given this a try???
I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!
Til next post,
Shiv.
xx