Mario Badescu: Baring All (Before Pics)

I'm starting my Mario Badescu skincare regime today! I'm really excited about this. I've had this feeling before about other products. I felt it at the start of my Lush skincare regime and while it worked for a year and a half and still is to some extent, I think I need to try something new. Something with chemicals...mmm...chemicals.

Before:



(Fully aware that I look deeply unimpressed about posting ugly pictures of myself on the internet - all about honesty though right?)

Lots of scarring, one or two active spots which are drying up but are most certainly still there. Time of the month is coming up so I'll no doubt have a monster of a breakout around my jawline and on my cheeks. I also have lots of small white bumps under the surface of my skin, mostly around my T-Zone.

What am I aiming for?

I'm not unreasonable nor am I unrealisitc. I don't expect miracles or airbrushed looking skin in 2 weeks. Ideally, I'd like to have my acne under control to the point where I'm only experiencing small hormonal breakouts. I'd like my scarring to fade and for my skin texture to improve so that covering the scarring I do have is much easier. More than anything, I'd like consistent skin so I'm not jumping from a heavy foundation to a tinted moisturizer every couple weeks.

Haul: Mario Badescu Skincare

Quite a few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to win a £25 voucher for beautybay.com. I'd been eyeing up the RMK Cleansing Oil and some RMK palettes and had intended to save up a bit of dolla and get the lot in one go. Failing miserably, I settled on my original intention - Mario Badescu skincare.



I placed my order late Thursday night and to my surprise, found a well packaged box on my bed when I woke up this morning! I was expecting it to arrive Monday or Tuesday! Service - top notch peeps. I was informed of the process the whole time. I instantly received an order confirmation email and a despatch email the following day.

I purchased the Acne Repair Kit at £33.95 - which includes their infamous Drying Lotion, Drying Cream and Buffering Lotion, Acne Facial Cleanser at £12.50, Oil Free Moisturizer SPF 15 at £18.75 and the Whitening Mask at £20.50. The £25 off really helped!

Over the next few weeks, I'll be using these products religiously and documenting my progress weekly. I'll start this on Monday morning and will post "Before" photos.

Breakdown of each product (from beautybay.com):

Please click the thumbnail to see ingredients.

Acne Facial Cleanser:



"Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser (177ml) will prevent and heal existing acne with this exfoliating and deep cleansing wash.

• Formulated with acne-fighting Salicylic Acid.
• Contains Aloe Vera and Chamomile, natural ingredients that calm and soothe acne inflamed skin.
• For best results follow with our Special Cucumber Lotion or recommended astringent.
• Suitable for combination and oily skins.

Acne Repair Kit:

"Mario Badescu Acne Repair Kit contains everything you need to keep oily and acne prone skin looking clean, clear and healthy.

• Kit Contains:
• Our world famous Drying Lotion (1oz.) clears up whiteheads overnight.
• Drying Cream (0.5 oz.) which is an effective treatment to dry up small under-surface blemishes.
• Buffering Lotion (1 oz.) helps to fight acne before it starts.
• Suitable for all skin types."

Drying Lotion Ingredients: Isopropryl Alcohol, Aqua, Calamine, Camphor, Calloidal Sulfur, Salicylic Acid, Glycerin, Talc, Zinc Oxide, (CI77947), Titanium Dioxide, (CI77891).

Buffering Lotion Ingredients: Aqua, Isopropryl Alcohol, Sodium Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Hydrolyzed Serum Protein, Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein, Pyridoxine, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Propylene Glycol, Allantoin, Biotin.

Drying Cream Ingredients: Aqua, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Beeswax (Cera Alba), Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Colloidal Sulfur, Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum), Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Ichthammol, Polysorbate-80, Polyglycerylmethacrylate, Propylene Glycol, Zinc Oxide (Ci77947), Titanium Dioxide (Ci77891).

Whitening Mask:



"Mario Badescu Whitening Mask (60ml) is a hydrating mask that will help brighten uneven skin tones and gently reduce the look of old acne scars and discolorations from the sun.

• Skin lightening, natural ingredients like Kojic Acid, Licorice and Mulberry make this mask gentle for all skin types.
• Contains no Alpha Hydroxy Acids making it safe for acne erupted skin.
• Suitable for all skin types."

Oil Free Moisturizer SPF 15:

"Mario Badescu Oil Free Moisturizer SPF15 is a simple, fragrance free, lightweight daily moisture for oily and problem skin.

• Non-clogging and ultra absorbent.
• It also has the added benefits of daily sun protection to keep scarring and discoloration to a minimum.
• Suitable for oily, combination and sensitive skin types."

So wish me luck! I've heard such fantastic things about Mario Badescu products and can't wait to see whether they'll help me as much as they've helped others.

Have you tried anything from Mario Badescu? How did you find their products?

Review: Lush Skincare

Last night, John ordered a bunch of Mario Badescu products from beautybay.com for me so I'll be finishing off my Lush skincare soon. I've been using these products for about a year and a half now and I've been really pleased with how well they've worked for me, but think it's time for a change! My skin seems to have gotten used to the products so fingers crossed, Mario will pull through.





First up is my cleanser. I use Fresh Farmacy both morning and night and find it does an excellent job of calming any redness in my skin and drying up breakouts. If you have mild to moderate acne or rosacea, I'd say give this product a try and see how it goes. It's inexpensive and Lush are excellent for giving samples. It doesn't smell amazing, but isn't unpleasant. It can leave the skin feeling tight but a dab of moisturizer fixes that problem easily. If you like a squeaky clean feel when you wash your face, Fresh Farmacy will do that. Another Lush cleanser I can recommend for oily skin is CoalFace. My boyfriend uses it daily and it has helped his skin immensely. Another inexpensive item we both use is the Body Shop's Facial Buffer to gently exfoliate each day which means I don't need to use a separate exfoliator!



Tea Tree Water is essentially a toner. It's very gentle, it doesn't sting when you apply it like many alcohol based toners can be and it cleans any cleanser or makeup residue from your face. Again, I use this morning and night and it's great for picking up any makeup your makeup remover and/or cleanser may have missed. You'd be surprised!



Grease Lightning is a blemish treatment but I use it as if it were a serum - especially when I'm breaking out. It does a wonderful job of gently calming and healing any spots you might have. I had a monster coming up just under my nose (ouch) on Tuesday. Today, it's gone. There's the slightest bump when I run my finger over it but it's no longer painful or red.

I use my Shu Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/o to remove my makeup and Cetaphil moisturizer and find they work well in harmony with each of the Lush products. It's a great routine and it has worked for me but like I said; time for a change! I've tried other products in between and found some winners (Shu oil!) but I've never changed my entire routine like this.

I'll be keeping a diary and photographing my progress with the Mario Badescu products. To some, they're quite an investment (myself included) so it's always nice to see how well they work (or not) before purchasing.

Are there any products you use that you wouldn't change for the world? I thought Fresh Farmacy was mine, but it turns out...it's my Shu oil!

Photo credits: Lush.co.uk

Review: Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Daily Scrub

I'm perfectly happy with my skincare at the moment. I use Shu Uemura cleansing oil daily to remove makeup and cleanse my skin, St Ives Apricot Scrub three times a week, Cetaphil moisturiser daily and Lush Fresh Farmacy, Tea Tree Water and Grease Lightning when I have a breakout. It all works fine. BUT...

Because I LOVE the scent of pink grapefruit and I'd run out of my apricot scrub, I decided to pick this up whilst doing my weekly shop. It cost £3 from ASDA. Error.



What Neutrogena says:

"Helps eliminate spots and blemishes with a fresh clean feel. An uplifting daily facial scrub for clear, fresh and healthy looking skin everyday. With powerful MicroClear technology and exfoliating micro-beads the formula unclogs pores to clean deeply and help eliminate spots & blemishes. The refreshing scrub gently purifies the skin without over drying, while a wave of pink grapefruit uplifts the senses with a burst of invigorating freshness."

What I think:

I really don't think this does much - if anything it broke me out! I'm not sure if that's because I altered my regime or if this product just sucks but I'm going to blame it on the product because...I can.

The micro beads - if you can call them that - are certainly not powerful nor do they actually exist or do anything to exfoliate. It didn't foam up at all either. It turned into a sticky white gel which I feel is part of the reason why you can't feel the micro beads. It does smell gorgeous at first but after I massaged it into my skin for a couple minutes, all I could smell was a faint chemically scent. Not good. After rinsing my face with warm water, I patted it dry and noticed that my skin just didn't feel clean. I put it down to being used to the tight squeaky clean feeling I got from using Fresh Farmacy and moisturised as usual. As if the traumatic experience of washing my face with this stuff wasn't enough...I broke out in painful cystic acne all around my chin and jawline a day after using it. Probably not good for a product that claims to combat acne to actually cause acne...but you know...that's just my opinion.

Fortunately, my boyfriend didn't break out so is willing to use it up (I did sneakily use a bit *cough* a lot to clean my sink the other day) but neither of us will be repurchasing this product. Sort it out Neutrogena!