sparklyvodka: Image Skincare Vital C Travel Kit

Image Skincare Vital C Travel Kit* - £28

Travel kits are a great way of testing out new products before committing to a purchase. They're also really convenient for taking on holiday as you don't have to worry about decanting anything or being forced to throw away restricted items at the airport. I'm always eager to try new skincare products that are infused with vitamin C so I was really excited when Image Skincare kindly sent me one of their Vital C Travel Kits. After trying & loving their fantastic sheet masks I was keen to see how the rest of their products measure up. They're an American skincare brand so their products aren't very well known over here but I've heard loads of good things about this range in particular. In this set you get four products from their Vital C range & one product from the Prevention+ collection as well as an adorable silk eye mask designed by DANNIJO. This luxurious mask feels so soft & comfortable to wear. It blocks out the light really well & will ensure that your beauty sleep remains completely uninterrupted. Unfortunately I don't think that the eye mask or the pretty pink packaging are available in the UK but all of the skincare products in the Vital C Travel Kit can be purchased from Image Skincare.

The Vital C range is Image Skincare's original & best selling collection. It promises to rehydrate, repair & renew your skin. The products would be ideal for those with dry, dehydrated, redness-prone, sensitive or aging skin types. Vitamin C is especially good for brightening up a dull complexion so it's always an ingredient I look for when buying new products. Apart from the Hydrating Repair Crème, all of the Vital C products have a strong orange fragrance so if you don't like citrus scents, this might not be the best range for you. I managed to get one week of use from this kit so I definitely got a good feel for the products & noticed some visible results within that time. There were a few items that I completely fell in love with & some that I would probably avoid in future but I'm glad I tried this tester kit as it has given me a better insight into Image Skincare as a brand overall. After using some more of their products, it's easy to see why they're so well loved across the pond.

Image Skincare Vital C Hydrating Facial Cleanser
This creamy, hydrating cleanser feels so refreshing to use. The pale yellow cream turns clear as you massage it onto the skin. Image Skincare suggest massaging your face for one minute before rinsing it off. You can just use your hands for this but I found that it works brilliantly with my Foreo Luna Mini 2. It turns slightly milky & emulsifies when combined with water. This removes impurities whilst infusing skin with high levels of vitamin C to brighten as it cleanses. The cleanser has also been enhanced with retinyl palmitate to boost radiance & brighten sun-damaged skin. It left my skin feeling really fresh & balanced afterwards so it was well prepped for the rest of my skincare routine.

Image Skincare Vital C Hydrating Anti-Aging Serum
The next step is to apply the Hydrating Anti-Aging Serum. This is one of Image Skincare's best selling products & it is also my favourite item from the travel kit. Similar to the cleanser, this serum also has a creamy texture. It's really hydrating & adds instant radiance to a dull complexion. The serum helps to support collagen production which plumps up the skin & softens the appearance of wrinkles. It also protects against oxidative stress & environmental damage. This wonder serum greatly reduces redness & immediately makes my skin tone look more even. When I first tried the Hydrating Anti-Aging Serum I was shocked by how quickly it had transformed the appearance of my skin. I would definitely purchase the full size version of this serum as the results are truly amazing!

Image Skincare Vital C Hydrating Repair Crème
I really enjoyed using the Hydrating Repair Crème. This rich, emollient moisturiser would be great for dry skin that is prone to redness & sensitivity. It intensely hydrates & provides long lasting moisture to the skin without making it look greasy. This cream features hyaluronic acid & ceramides which help to prevent the evaporation of moisture by forming a healthy barrier on the skin. The antioxidant formula protects against free radicals and it combats the visible effects of stress, fatigue & other environmental factors. It feels deeply nourishing & leaves my skin feeling exceptionally soft. This moisturiser would be the perfect way to revitalise & repair your skin overnight.

Image Skincare Vital C Hydrating Enzyme Masque
Another product that I would repurchase is the Hydrating Enzyme Mask. This product strongly reminds me of the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel. Some chemical exfoliants can be too powerful for those with sensitive skin so fruit enzymes are a much gentler way to resurface the texture of your skin. This mask uses papaya & pineapple fruit extracts to gently dissolve dead skin cells. The fruity ingredients give it a gorgeous scent so it's a real pleasure to use! The creamy mask format keeps the skin feeling hydrated & it also features hyaluronic acid to further plump up the skin. It infuses skin with protective antioxidants & vitamins to reveal a healthy looking glow. I managed to get three applications from this little tube which is how often they recommend using it per week. You simply apply a thin coat to freshly cleansed skin & leave it on for 30 minutes before washing it off with cool water. I'm accustomed to using really strong acids so I was surprised when it made my skin tingle. This sensation only lasted for about five minutes but it must be pretty potent! It's a fab mask to use whilst soaking in the bath or chilling out with a good book. It left my skin feeling super soft, smooth & hydrated. My pores looked really refined too. I'd highly recommend this mask as it manages to exfoliate the skin without irritation or compromising moisture.

Image Skincare Prevention+ Daily Hydrating Moisturiser SPF 30
When using vitamin C products, it's really important to wear sun protection so I understand why they added this product to the kit. It's just a shame that this moisturiser was such a let down. I don't mind moisturisers with added SPF but they're not my favourite thing either. I'm a fan of the Alpha-H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF 50+ but it's still much better to wear a regular day cream & a separate sunscreen. This particular product is proof of that. The moisturiser feels really rich so it'd be great for dry skin & it doesn't pill when applied over the serum. However on anyone else it soon deteriorates into a greasy mess. The sun protection comes from zinc oxide so it's a mineral sunscreen. These sit on the surface of the skin creating a physical barrier against UVA & UVB rays. The main downside of physical sunscreens is that they leave a white cast on the skin. They're also thicker & greasier than chemical sun protection products. For me personally, combining this kind of sunscreen with such a rich moisturiser is a recipe for disaster. Worst of all, it never fully dries down. When I wore this it made my skin feel slightly tacky all day & touching my face felt rather unpleasant. I couldn't wait to wash it off at night! Overall I loved the Vital C range but this Prevention+ moisturiser definitely did not work for me.