Today I’m slathered head-to-toe in Vichy. OK, more like face-to-décolletage, plus hands.
This comes on the heels of my stint at Vichy University: a two-day retreat on B.C.’s beautiful Galiano Island where a small group of journalists and influencers had the exclusive chance to learn about the innovations behind and latest releases from the 80-something-year-old skin-care brand, plus get schooled on online beauty trends, dermatological techniques and more. After an eventful ferry ride from Vancouver (seals and whales spotted!) and stroll to the resort (the island is that intimate), our group settled into a bright meeting room at the gorgeous Galiano Inn & Spa to hear L’Oréal Group trainer extraordinaire Danielle Dreger wax poetic on such product updates and 2017 releases as Idéalia Night Peeling (read our review here) and a launching-in-June new product category focused on the brand’s mineralizing thermal water (so top secret, we can’t divulge any details whatsoever).
A brief break allowed us to peruse our goodie bags (glee), check out our rooms (luxurious, with sweeping sea views), search the massive Kunamokst mural mosaic in the hotel lobby for individual works by Robert Bateman and 189 additional artists (together they create a single, stunning piece of wall art that must be seen to be believed) and explore the grounds for photo opps (not hard). We reconvened for a fascinating afternoon session with Google’s Jordana Greenberg, who filled us in on, among other factoids, what people are searching the Internet for these days when it comes to skin care (bath bombs—who knew?). Post dinner, which was delicious (salmon followed by a lava cake that oozed without issue), we were all ready for a good night’s sleep. The following day included a look under our skin with Toronto dermatologist Sonya Abdulla, a soothing hatha yoga class and, for those who wished, a therapeutic float before boarding the last ferry back.
Friends were made, information was gained and I returned home not just with enough Vichy know-how to ensure the continued health of my skin, but a newfound appreciation for this truly visionary brand. —Noa Nichol
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