This Antipodes' moisturiser has a bunch of good things in it. I absolutely love the manuka honey, an antibacterial that will help to keep the skin clean and clear. The Vinanza Grape is an antibacterial too, and also helps with moisture retention, smoothing and firming the skin.

I have never used a moisturiser in cream form before. I would usually reach for the lotions, which are said to be much friendlier to blemish-prone skin. So I did have concerns that this day cream would be far too rich for my skin, even through it is on the drier side. However, I have not found this moisturiser to be heavy at all. Less really is more when it comes to this product. Once applied it leaves the skin feeling hydrated and looking smooth with a lovely matte finish, something I was quite happy about as my previous moisturiser left me looking super shiny. I have also noticed that this day cream makes for an excellent base before makeup application. I was concerned that because the product is heavily made-up of natural oils, my base makeup would break up over the course of the day. But everything goes on a lot smoother and hardly moves all day even when I haven't set with powder.




Another thing I have to mention is: don't be fooled by the 'vanilla pod' part of the name. This day cream does not smell like vanilla - candles, essence, bean or otherwise. I personally would love if it did have that scent but I do also love the mild vanilla cross mandarin essence it leaves on the skin. The moisturiser itself is off-white in colour as you can see in the image above - I'm so sorry that I already started to use it before photographing but I was desperate! I certainly wouldn't say that it is thick in texture; it just simply feels luxurious on the skin.

For me, there are only a couple downfalls to this product. The first is that the product comes in a jar. Although I keep my hands as clean as possible when handling skincare products, I just can't stand to think how much bacteria I may be putting back into the jar with my fingers. There are a few ways to prevent contamination though, such as never double dipping and using a clean icy pole stick to scoop the cream out of the jar. The second negative is that there is no SPF. This is fine - though still not ideal - for the Winter months. However, if you plan on using this day cream in the Summer, you will need another source of sun protection.

Overall, I am in love with the Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream as much as I am with the Grace Cleanser. I don't find it to be too rich for my skin at all, and it hasn't contributed to any breakouts, which is amazing. You can pick up the Antipodes range at your local Priceline, and I do believe that David Jones stocks it as well.