Review: Vichy - Idealia Skin Sleep Recovery Night Gel-balm :)

Hello! In April ( I know, a long time ago!!) I was invited to Vichy event where they presented their new product and I was also very lucky and got something to test and try out - their new night cream Idealia Skin Sleep Recovery night gel-balm! I didn't start testing right away, but when I did I have been using this cream for almost two months and I was preparing this post for another two months, haha! Really time flies, I thought I will manage to post this up sooner. But oh well, it seems to me it's never too late to review a great skincare item, especially in such transition times from summer to fall, when we tend to switch up skincare products.

About the product - Idealia Skin Sleep is Vichy's first night cream that recreates the look of a good night's sleep, even when your nights are cut short. Skin feels smoother, your complexion looks more radiant and signs of fatigue appear reduced. The sleep quality, number of hours and regularity of bed time can all influence your skin quality the next day. During the night the skin is working it's hardest to regenerate and repair with key skin regenaration cycles taking place ( skin renewal,  cellular differentiation,  microcirculation and helping recover berrier function). These regeneration cycles peak at night so it's no surprise we can wake up with a tired looking, grey complexion when our sleep is disrupted or cut short. The product is suitable for all skin types and is paraben - free. Also suitable for sensitive skin, hypoallergenic and contains Vichy Thermal Spa Water.

What this product promises - Idealia Skin Sleep, enriched with a complex of Glycyrrhizic Acid,  Hyaluronic Acid, Caffeine and LHA,  is designed to recreate the look of a good night's sleep. Signs of fatigue apper reduced and skin looks rested, complexion looks radiant and fresh, skin feels smoother supple and hydrated, skin tone looks more even and bright.

Packaging, price - Packaging of this cream is simply beautiful! It comes in a darker pink shade with a silvery closing cap, that has a mirror on top. It's a bit heavier and feels a bit more luxurious in your hands, as it's made from glass, only the cap is plastic, so be careful not to break it. Once open the product is good for another 12 months. The lovely shaped glass jar contains 50 ml of product for about 28,50 euros or some more, depends where you buy it, the price I am checking out is from this Slovenian online pharmacy shop Lekarnar.com :) The only downside of a pot packaging is that you can transfer bacteria from your hands into the rest of the cream so make sure you use it with clean hands.

How to use - The recommended application described at Vichy - take a small amount of product between your both palms and fingers and apply with smooth, slow motion using the whole surface of your hands. Smooth from the side of the nose to the outside of your face, smooth across the forehead, circular motion on your temples. Finish with a gliding motion that starts from the temples, move over the ears and the neck,  and than down and across the collarbones. Make sure to apply light pressure with the palm of the hands, to help relax tension. Personally I don't use it like this, I just take  a small amount , rub it between my fingers and than apply like I would be massaging my face, from the middle of my forehead spread it evenly to both sides and down the temples, than from the sides of my nose across my cheeks to both sides and than from about the middle of the neck up to my jawline. But anyway, you can apply it however it best suits you!

Ingredients - The cream contains Vitamin B3 and regenerating oils (from apricot kernel) which help with berrier function and make your skin more resistant to environmental effects. It includes exfoliating LHA, which helps your skin be smoother. glycyrrhizic and hyaluronic acids, that help with cellular repair and make your skin more even and supple. And also contains caffeine, that helps with microcerculacion and therefore helps you look less tired.

Texture, colour, scent, application - The texture is a light, balmy, a bit gellish but very pleasant to use and not at all as any other face creams I ever had. The name of the product is actually already suggesting at the texture, it's more a balm than a cream, and thanks to the texture it makes this a very light product but also very rich! You can feel it gliding on your face and fingers and at first I felt it was too heavy for me as I wasn't really used to such texture, but once it settles in and sinks into the skin it feels good, calming, gentle, lightly scented and nourishing. Just like a balm after a long day of stress, pollution and makeup. It has a slight stickiness to it and I must admit I didn't like that at all, but I got used to it and you don't feel it anymore after the product settles in. Also important to know, is that you don't need to apply big amounts of the product, just take that few extra seconds to spread a fat drop all over your face, as if you do apply it too thick it really doesn't feel well, it feels sticky even after it's absorbed, so take small amounts and if you need more add more later. The product doesn't need to be applied every night to show the effects, but can also be used only occasionaly, for when you know you have a big day the next day and you really want to look your best. The colour of the product is slightly pink, like a milky pink, but goes completely transparent when applied. It has a slight scent, nothing overpowering, but gentle fresh scent, a bit flowery. It's one of my favourite scents among  face creams products.

Effect - This cream may perform best on mature and normal to dry skin type, but as I am a quarter of a century old youg woman with a more oily to mixed skin type, it's quite possible I didn't notice as much of a difference as other users of this cream. This cream promises to bring results from day one, from the very first use and I admit I was very sceptical about this as I never believed a product can do miracles overnight. On me, I have noticed that my skin was a lot more nourished, plumper and that my scratched wounds on my jaw and neckline (from freshly scratched ex-acne) were healing a lot faster! They didn't look so red and so dry and didn't feel tightening around the scratched areas - which I really loved! It actually did help me heal my bad habit faster! On the rest of my face, especially the cheeks I have noticed a more even tone, smaller looking pores and also the cheeks looked more plump and fresh, not like I just woke up and need to take care of my face to make it look presentable but more like I just came out of a spa treatment. Skin felt very soft and as I have applied it also under my eyes, a tiny bit, I have noticed I didn't look so blue and purple as before. However, during summer months I have noticed it didn't suit me that well, as it was simply too hot and I was waking with a greasy face so I decided to wait until colder months to use it again and it was good decision, as now I wake up with nourished, plump skin without the greasy feel to it. I will continue to use this product as an occasional treatment and for pampering more than for regular night time use.

To sum it up - Vichy Idealia Skin Sleep Recovery Night Gel-balm may be best for those of you with dry, normal and combination skin  type who have busy and hectic days and not much time to take care of the skin and are looking for a miracle worker to look well rested in the morning. Foundation simply can not hide everything.... It's a real treat whether you use it regularly or just occasionaly, it does actually help my skin look better! When I first tested it I was using it regularly and I must say it showed, after almost two months use my skin really looked better, and I'm not even over half of the pinky jar! Lately I have been using this only occasionaly, when I felt my skin needed a bit of a boost. I am really happy I got the chance to try this out as I would otherwise simply dismiss it as something that wouldn't suit my skin type at all.

Hope this review was helpful to you!

Thanks for reading!

Love, UniqaPoly

*PR product