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: Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion

I've been using Cetaphil for about a year now and can safely say that it is one of the best moisturisers I have ever used out of both high end and drugstore. It's perfect for my skin type - acne prone combination skin. I am very oily on my T-zone and can be quite dry on my cheeks and very dry under my eyes in the winter. I get acne just about everywhere - small whiteheads on my forehead and cystic acne on my cheeks and jawline. I hardly ever get acne where I am oily (strange no?) so I can only assume the cause of it is irritation from products and dryness on my cheeks - it makes me pick flakes, scratch and generally touch my face a lot more.

The reason I have photos of two bottles of the same product, is because though the labels say the same thing, the product in the bottles are different.



The one on the left was sent to me by a kind friend in the US. It's the Cetaphil packaging most people know. The second one is what I bought in Hong Kong.



The one from the States has a thinner consistency and tends to serve better as a day lotion. The other is slightly thicker so I tend to use it at night unless I have the time to wait for it to sink in properly before applying my makeup.

The difference in packaging isn't too much of an issue to me - The US Cetaphil is 250ml, the other is 200ml. I once bought a Cetaphil daily facial wash (which I absolutely loved, but never repurchased because of the price of the stuff here - 8 quid a bottle from Amazon when it's a couple dollars in the US) which has the same packaging as the bottle I bought in Hong Kong. Not sure if that's relevant at all, just thought I'd throw it in there.

What the bottles say:

"Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion: Clinically proven to bind water to the skin and prevent moisture loss. Quick absorbtion and long-lasting hydration of the (outer-most layer of the) skin. Helps maintain the skin's natural protective barrier.
Provides immediate soothing and softening. Fragrance free and lanolin free formulation, appropriate for sensitive or dry skin.
Specifically formulated to hydrate sensitive or dry skin. Recommended to re-hydrate damaged skin associated with common skin conditions and following dermtological treatments."

"Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion was formulated specifically for chronic dry, sensitive skin.
* Contains a superior system of extra-strength emollients and humectants, clinically proven to bind water to the skin and prevent moisture loss.
* Provides long-lasting relief to even severe dry skin.
* Non-irritating. Non-sensitizing. Contains no fragrances, parabens or lanolin. Non-comedogenic."

It sounds attractive. Something that's going to combat my dry spots while taking care not to tick off my acne or interfere with the smell of my perfume (which some acne moisturisers can do - they stink!). Having used this for as long as I have, it has never caused me to break out and has proven time and time again to actually help in the event of a break out. It makes my skin more supple so it's easier to smooth my foundation and concealer over my blemishes without it looking cakey or flakey, thus discouraging me to pick. I've used it on sunburn and it is absolutely fantastic for that as well. Stick it in the fridge then slather it over your burnt bits!

The US Cetaphil takes about 5 minutes to sink into the skin properly. The EU/Asia one takes slightly longer. I would say about 10 minutes. If you have the time to spare in your daily routine, I recommend the UK/Asia one.

If, like me, you've had problems with your skin for a long time and had no luck with the 1008 regimens you've tried, please consider giving this a go. I truly believe that stripping back your skincare routine to bare essentials works especially if you have problem skin. I used to believe that slapping acne treatment all over my face worked - and if it wasn't stinging and painful, it wasn't working. Now I believe that the more gentle the product, the better it is for your skin.

I use a combination of gentle skin products and only use toners that are alcohol free. The one I love at the moment is Lush's Tea Tree Water. If you have oily skin, it's important to remember that stripping your skin of natural oils with harsh cleansers and alcohol based toners will only kick your skin into panic mode and cause it to overproduce oil. So you end up with oilier skin using products designed to strip the oils! I believe I've talked about this before.

I highly rate this product and would recommend it to people with problem and normal skin alike.

(Brief) Guide to Shopping in Hong Kong

So I've been promising I'd do this for a while now. Not only would it be great for people to find out that there's more to Hong Kong than what the tourists know about, but it would be perfect as a reference for me when I go back.



Shopping amongst the locals can be hazardous. Queues mean nothing, pushing and shoving is the norm. Not only have I gotten used to this, I quite enjoy it! I enjoy butting someone out the way to get to that last tube of mascara on the shelf and rudely pointing out that there's a queue for a reason! Sounds harsh, but if you ever visit - trust me you'll understand!

Hong Kong is a haven for cheap clothing and accessories; often quirky and downright strange. It's also an incredible place for makeup and skincare. Beauty is a huge business in Hong Kong and there are an insane amount of businesses cashing in on it. As a result, there is plenty of competition - and lower prices. Yay for us right?

I apologise for the waffling in advance. I'm pretty much going to write this as if I were advising a friend! Also, I didn't take any of my own photos while I was there so all these came from Google Images! Thanks Google!



Before I properly start, at this moment in time, the exchange rate is:

1.00 GBP = 11.9788 HKD
1.00 USD = 7.76750 HKD

This might be useful as a reference.





I'll go ahead and start in Causeway Bay. There's the very well known Jardine's Bazaar - which when I was growing up was where EVERYONE bought their clothes (so we all ended up wearing the same things!) - now, I can't seem to find much there. It's great for accessories and occasionally you can strike up a deal and save a little bit of money but it's become more and more expensive since tourists have found out about it. Here, you can buy clothes - lots of jeans, tops and occasionally some vintage items. Lots of accessories - hair clips, hairbands, rings, bangles - everything. Right next to Jardine's Bazaar is a large pharmacy chain called Watson's. There are several makeup counters here and they sell everything from Maybelline and L'Oreal to Majolica Majorca and smaller Asian brands. Occasionally, mainstream drugstore brands like Maybelline will have Asian diffusion lines but as a general rule: they're sub par. I find prices here don't differ much and are occasionally more expensive. This is another great place to buy skincare products. For the sake of it - because MUFE isn't widely available in the UK - there's a MUFE standalone store in Worldwide Plaza - along with plenty of other makeup/skincare and clothing brands. Not far from here there are a series of underground shopping malls much like Island Beverly, but cheaper. Amongst the clothes shops you'll find small nail salons and salons and even tattoo and piercing stalls (yes, they're safe - but if you want some really good work done go to Ricky and Pinky's in Wanchai). There's also a department store called Sogo which sells a lot of Asian brands but also a lot of international ones. The gem I found there was a Mary Quant cosmetics stall! I haven't even seen Mary Quant in my area of London!





Next, Wanchai. There are a ton of cheap shoe shops here (and one of the main bar/club scenes). While these shoes probably won't last as long - getting even one wear out of a pair of shoes that cost you 20 bucks is good going. Saying that, I have a pair of heels I bought for $30 that I wore near enough every day for 6 months and I still wear them now. They didn't even need re-heeling! All over Hong Kong there are two clothing chains - In & Out and Maple - both sell unbranded clothing and accessories. The quality isn't amazing but you don't pay for it. A top will be around $40, a dress around $80, handbags ranging from $30 to $200+ depending on whether they're real leather or not. These stores are great for picking up on trend items on the cheap! Plus, you feel really good about yourself because they only sell one-size-fits-all items.







In Central, you'll find all the designer stores (and a new Harvey Nicks) - Hong Kong has the highest concentration of designer stores in the world so coming across them will not be an issue. If it's designer bags you're after, my advice would be to head down to the series of "Station" stores dotted around the island. There is one in Central at the bottom of Lan Kwai Fong - a bar/club area (I believe it's Milan Station) - these stores sell second hand designer accessories. When I say second hand, I mean barely used. Women in Hong Kong have such a high turnover of bags, they would think nothing of using a brand new Birkin once or twice, then selling it on for half the price. Also in Central is IFC mall - there's a series of "high street" shops and higher end stores here - there's a Zara, Nine West, French Connection etc. Inside IFC mall there's Lane Crawford - a department store - where there are more designer goods and makeup brands. All the big ones - Chanel, Dior, Lancome, Smashbox etc. I'm sure there's a MAC in there too - though MAC standalone stores have popped up all over the place and they're hard to miss now. There are also "The Lanes" in Central which aren't worth it. The items are boring and priced for tourists. There's also a huge H&M but again - prices don't differ much. Another department store is Wing On where you'll find Anna Sui and the other big names.



Side note: MAC and designer makeup is not much cheaper in Hong Kong than it is in the UK. I think it's about a quid cheaper to buy a pan shadow (MAC). I would also do the maths and compare prices. If it's something you can get at home for not too much more money - don't waste your luggage space! As a general rule - I don't buy anything in Hong Kong (or anywhere) that I could get at home UNLESS it was much, much cheaper.



In Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon side) there's a huge mall called Harbour City. Again, there's a Lane Crawford - but there's also a shop called Faces which sells cosmetics and skincare. Most brands are high end - I love the Shiseido girls there. So friendly and very good at what they do.



Moving on, Jordan has a night market on Temple Street. Whilst it's very (very) touristy - you can get some good deals on things like handbags, jewellery and clothes. Great place for picking up gifts.







Mong Kok Ladies Market is similar but runs throughout the day and prices fall slightly and you're much more likely to get away with being a bit cheeky and asking for a discount. If you learn a little bit of Cantonese and have the gift of the gab, you can end up walking away with some right bargains - Little lesson in haggling in Hong Kong - initially, HALVE the amount they're asking for and don't budge until they do. Bring it up by $10 or so and stay there. This is about how much the item would be if sold to a local. If this fails, start walking away - THEY WILL CHASE AFTER YOU and bring the price down. Trust me. By the way - don't bother walking on the pavements/sidewalks. We all walk in the middle of the road - it's not an issue.



Also in Mong Kok are a series of small independent malls full of tiny independent stores. One that stands out in my head is Argyle Centre because Jackie took me there. Full of designer seconds for about $200-300, novelty tees, quirky Japanese goods and the occasional makeup store. Not many people will speak fluent English but most will speak enough to help you if you need anything. There used to be a Sephora but it was closed down before I could get to it (boo!) - so instead, head to one of the many Sasa, Angel Cosmetics or Bonjour stores. They're not just in Mong Kok but all over Kowloon and HK Island. All three carry a wide range of brands - low end to high. What I love these stores for are sample/travel sized items. Great if you just want to try a product out without having to splash out and buy the full size. They also carry a lot of miniature perfumes which range from 10 bucks to around 40 - so cute and like I said in a previous post, so handy to chuck in your handbag. Many Asian brands are sold here and in my opinion - are the best cosmetics you can find in that price range. Korean and Japanese brands in particular are highly rated in my books. You can also find a range of wallet friendly brushes which considering the prices ($5-20) are incredibly high quality.





One other place that I'll (reluctantly) mention is Stanley Market on the south side of the island. Very, very touristy but if you drop in a sneaky "I grew up here" or "Can I come back and exchange this if it doesn't fit?" - so they think you're a local, again - they'll often give you an instant discount. This place is great for gifts and other touristy knick knacks. Also really good for lunch along the waterfront.

I also found a little diamond of a shop tucked away in Causeway Bay called Elegant Beauty. According to the website, there are 4 stores in Hong Kong and Kowloon. They sell high end and spa quality skincare and you can quite often manage to nab a discount as their customers are usually beauty therapists. Brands include Dermalogica, Jurlique, Elemis and Mario Badescu. Well worth checking out.

Sorry for the huge long post! There's so much more to say but there's only so much my brain can handle in one sitting! If anyone is planning on visiting Hong Kong and would like any more information (about anything - transport, hotels etc) - please get in touch! I'd be happy to help! I'm really proud of where I'm from so I'm always eager to talk about it.

(PS: Shops in Hong Kong tend to stay open until around 11pm - drunk shopping IS fun.)