Since it will do no good to dwell on the shame and remorse of neglecting my blog for so long, the old spilt milk and what not, I shall dive headlong into a review.
We come back to to good old Vicco.
I am familiar, and very happy, with 3 products from the Vicco stables: Vicco tooth paste which is excellent in dental maintenance but a little expensive (I use Dabur Red), Vicco tooth powder that my MIL swears by, and is considered wholly responsible for the intact set of gleaming teeth that my grandfather was the proud owner of till he died at 80, and the mysteriously labelled Vicco turmeric cream with foam base - an excellent face wash, read my review
here.
For the past week, I have been using Vicco turmeric cream, and I cannot figure out what took me so long to try out this old familiar on the store shelves.
There are two variants of this cream: Vicco turmeric cream, and Vicco turmeric WSO cream. On a whim I picked up the latter, although I had no idea what WSO meant. I found out later on the interwebz that WSo simply means "without sandal oil". Huh?
(Dear Vicco. What's with unexplained acronyms on your product label? Are you trying NOT to sell your product? On that note, please remove the scary man picture from your foam base product. And tell us on the box what that product is for.)
Vicco face cream is an old fashioned "vanishing cream" - opaque with a pearly sheen, disappearing into the skin quickly, leaving behind a smooth, light weight, non-greasy feel. The cream claims therapeutic value, and i am inclined to believe this because in the past week, my complexion is starting to even out, and small spots and discolourations are fading away.
Vicco turmeric cream may be "nahi cosmetic", but the product does have cosmetic value. Being non-greasy and light weight, you could very well wear it by itself before stepping out. The cream instantly brightens appearance, and being opaque, it should have some sun protection ability though it doesn't say so on the box.
As a bonus, the smooth matte finish this leaves behind means that you could very well use it as a primer over which to build layers of make-up, if you were so inclined. For the uninitiated, primers are creams designed to leave a smooth surface on the skin, over which other make-up stuff like foundation spreads and sits better. Vicco makes a great primer at less than 15% of the cost (L'oreal Base Magique primer = Rs 800+, a tube of Vicco = Rs.50), and a fraction, if at all, of the chemical load. (Disclaimer: primers are usually made of silicone which is supposed to be inert on the skin, but whatever).
For instance, for a no make-up look, moisturize, apply vicco (WSO if you are like me), dust some pressed powder on the oily zones and step out. For a dewy finish / warm lights and photo op, throw on a highlighter. Or a blush and a highlighter. or go all the way with concealer/foundation and the works.
Full disclosure: I have oily / combination skin that usually doesn't need heavy moisturizing, but if you have dry skin, you may need to moisturize before you use this product. Vicco isn't drying, but as a non-greasy cream, I wouldn't expect it to do much for dryness.
I am now also testing the original "with sandal oil" version (what would the acronym for that be, geniuses at Vicco?), and although this cream clearly has an oil base, it vanishes into the skin too, leaving no grease behind. I am impressed. Will know soon if it breaks me out.
All in all, this is a great product that offers great value. Low priced, time-tested, seemingly therapeutic, and a great skin-friendly cosmetic that works as a primer and ought to work as a light-to-moderate sun block.
