VICHY Aqualia Thermal Light Moisturiser

So I've been on the lookout for a decent moisturiser for absolutely ages now. I popped into my local pharmacy awhile back to browse through the large skincare range they stock, however I did have Effaclar Mat in mind by La Roche Posay. I suffer from combination skin, which means it can become oily quite quickly. I also have dehydrated skin so it can be a nightmare to find a moisturiser that will keep me both shine-free and hydrated. Effaclar Mat was something I had been meaning to try out for ages and to be honest, I'm kind of sorry I didn't get it now! After talking to the girl behind the counter for some time explaining my skintype, she somehow managed to persuade me into buying this moisturiser by VICHY instead.

I give you 'Aqualia Thermal Light'. Claiming to provide 48 Hour moisture for dehydrated/sensitive skin types. If you're not familiar with the Aqualia Thermal range from VICHY, they pride themselves on using only the purest antioxidant spa water in their products, making it perfect for sensitive skin. They also claim to be Paraben free! Now this all sounds great to me but was this product all it was hyped up to be? Simplest answer.. No.

As soon as I put this product onto my face it gave me a slight stinging sensation. Not anything that was overly uncomfortable, but as a product that was made for sensitive skin, surely it shouldn't sting my face! I also noticed my skin looked a tiny bit on the red side after applying this.. again, probably something to do with the stinging. 

So I carried on massaging the cream into my face and neck and left it to sink in. I didn't use a very large amount, maybe a bit bigger than a pea size but enough to cover my whole face. I noticed after 10 minutes the cream had sunk in completely but my face looked so greasy and shiny. Straight away I was not impressed. Who wants to go around with an oily looking face when you already suffer from combination skin?

None the less, I left the cream on my skin to sink in some more, applied my make-up and hoped for the best. 

By the end of the day I had noticed how quickly my face became oily even though I had touched up with powder throughout the day. My make up was just coming off in patches, especially around my T-zone and on my chin (not a good look). I continued to use this moisturiser for 2 weeks, determined the shiny face was just my skin adjusting to this new cream and that it would go away leaving me with a beautiful, radiant glow. Sadly, this was not the case. No matter what way I applied it or the amount I applied, nothing seemed to work and my face just felt forever greasy. There was also no change in my skins appearance and it still felt very dehydrated.

All in all, my verdict on the Aqualia Thermal Light cream from VICHY is very poor indeed. Perhaps this moisturiser would suit someone with extremely dry skin instead, but steer well away if you're combination/oily and don't want to end up looking like a sweaty mess!

For a list of ingredients, click here.