'Tis the season to get BB'd, and particularly sun-screened while wearing your BB Cream. Most BB creams have some level of sun protection in them but often not enough for my pale Irish skin (& peace of mind) when it does meet a biteen of sunshine.
What makes Vichys' offering unique is that it utilises the 'World's 1st "Anti-Grey" Technology' which ensures that the finish helps to banish any "dull, tired, grey tones" in the skin. It does this through three main channels;
1. Pure mineral pigments add a glow & radiance to the skin.
2. The ingredient Kombucha, a natural derivative of Ceylon black tea, brightens the skin from beneath the surface.
3. SPF25 & PPD16* (*UVA light protection) helps to protect your skin from the Suns' damaging rays further helping the skin from becoming dulled in the future.
It is described as having 6 in 1 Skin Perfecting Actions.....
Illuminates instantly
Hydrates over 24 hrs
Smoothes the appearance of wrinkles
Refines the complexion
Helps to reduce dark spots
Protects from sun damage with SPF25, PPD16
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| 'Light' shade. |
It's available in 2 shades Light & Medium, so is exclusionary of people with deeper skin tones which is becoming somewhat less acceptable in todays multi-cultural Ireland.
It is a lovely light and very smooth, hydrating cream formula that 'sets' nicely on the skin meaning it doesn't feel sticky like many sun-protection products can.
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| The BB cream on without any under-eye concealer around my eye area. |
I received the lightest of the two shades which is the smallest bit darker than my neck/chest area, but not enough that I would have to bronze up to even it out. It's a light neutral/apricot shade that gives a lovely natural warmth & radiance to the skin.
You can see in the image above that the skin looks healthy, bright and even after applying the cream. I try not to be too sparing when smoothing it on in order to get the maximum possible SPF25 sun-protection out of it. It offers a light coverage, with my freckles still peeking through, but evens out the skin-tone and covers most redness.
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With a light, brightening concealer applied around the eye area.  |
If I had to pick one flaw it would be that the formula can kind of bunch up on its self & needs careful pressing into the skin to get a nice even blend which might be a hassle if you are in a hurry. It almost seems like the pigment separates a bit from the formula. This isn't the first BB cream I've encountered with this issue and it may be my own particular skin type & texture that causes it to happen.... You can hopefully see what I mean by looking at the picture below on my chin. It's easily remedied by pressing the product in place, melting it into the skin, but definitely don't over-work the product.
I have found that I can't apply it over an already moisturised surface, when you apply it over other skin-care products, it seems to 'exfoliate' the lower layer of product off. It 'doesn't play well with others' so to say!
Anyhow, with that minor gripe out of the way, back to my fondness for the product. It's very comfortable on the skin and wears extremely well, even without setting with powder. I do not need any prior hydration before applying it and even though it illuminates and brightens the skin immediately, my skin doesn't get any shinier throughout the day which I find unusual (and very welcome) with products that give a 'glow'.
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| After 5 hours wear!! |
In regards to ingredients, it definitely keeps in line with Vichy never overloading their products with unnecessary 'fillers'.
The Top 3 ingredients;
1. Water
2. Isononyl Isononanoate; A very skin-safe skin-conditioning agent.
3. Glycerin; Hydrating humectant
The next 2 ingredients in the list are highly effective sun-protection ingredients, and following those is Dimethicone, a silicone based polymer that smooths the skin and Diisopropyl Sebacate which is also a conditioning agent.
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| Full list of ingredients. |
In summary, it is a lovely skin-perfecting BB cream that is ideal ('Idéalia' :P) for lighter skin-tones which absolutely require the higher skin-protection factors. I have been wearing it in place of my usual foundations most days over the past couple of weeks and have been getting loads of compliments on my skin since... yes please!!
It's available from all the usual Vichy stockists & retails for RRP €23.50 for the 40ml tube.
Now all we need is a bit of sun to pair up with this baby >_<
That's it for now,
Shiv.
