Tag: mario badescu

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion

thealtruisticface

Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion wasn’t a silver bullet for me, but it sure was fun to play around with for a spot treatment.

Ulta gives you the option to choose between a plastic bottle or a glass bottle. Seems to be the same product as far as the effect goes. There’s a clear liquid is on top, and some pink sediment (calamine? I think?) at the bottom. If this gets shipped to you, get ready for it to look pretty crazy on receipt, since it will undoubtedly get shaken up in transit. You’ll need to let it sit so that pink sediment gets back to the bottom.

Once it’s settled, grab a q-tip or two and push it all the way toward the bottom to pink up that settlement, pull it out, and apply very carefully to the spot you’re trying to treat. Since you’re essentially slapping pink clay on spots of your face, this is probably best to use at night, unless you… are… a very brave person who is okay with exiting their house with their spot treatment on full display! In theory, you should be able to wake up, gently wash off the remaining dried lotion with water, and see that the spot is reduced. I did appreciate the longevity of the lotion, I didn’t have trouble with the treatment cracking/smudging/falling away from the problem area, even overnight.

Oh yeah, probably the other most noteworthy thing other than the pink hue of the dried lotion — this has sulfur in it. Yes, the “rotten eggs” smell. It’s not overwhelming, per se, but… well, sulfur is still pretty strong no matter what!

I was a fan of this for roughly a week at the height of my cystic acne. Active break outs were visibly decreased by the next morning — I was stoked. I thought it was the sulfur and salicylic acid combo that were making all the difference. In reality, the “quick fix” ingredient was actually isopropyl alcohol. It dries out the spot (hence “drying lotion”), which I think in extreme moderation is okay. It serves it’s purpose to dry out the inflammed area.

But there came a point where I think I was using this too often, not carefully enough, and the alcohol started leaking onto my healthy skin where there were no breakouts. That would dry out the rest of the skin, and cause even more breakouts. What a mess.

For me personally, this product is too much of a pain to even consider using. It’s a little messy and cumbersome to get the product out of the bottle. In the same breath, I’d say it’s also kind of fun, somehow… ? The whole “I’m putting sulfur on a Q-Tip” is such a novel notion to me! I also think they raised the price on this product since I used it, which is a shame — it looks to be $17 now, I swore it was around $11 at Ulta before. I think this product does the trick if you’re only going to use it once in awhile on one spot. But this isn’t something I’d be keeping around in my medicine cabinet to reach for immediately.

If you’re looking for this effective short-term product, click here: https://amzn.to/2B1Dccw 

Perceived efficacy: 4/5 short-term, 1/5 long term

Longevity: 5/5

How much I actually like this product: 2/5

Recommended for sensitive skin: Maybe

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Mario Badescu Facial Spray – Aloe, Cucumber, Green Tea

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Mario Badescu Cucumber

I loved the rosewater version of this facial spray. Not that I particularly feel that it’s doing anything, but I love the smell of it, and I love how refreshing it feels. On the off chance it was doing something good for me, I wanted to check out the other offshoots of Mario Badescu’s facial spray.

This aloe, cucumber and green tea one was sort of risky for me to try out, since I am sensitive to green tea products. Not only is the sting of the green tea a little too much for me to take, but it subsequently irritates my skin and breaks me out.

Happy to say this product did not break me out, and it’s still good for the quick skin “refresh” after hopping out of the shower or after washing makeup off my face. But the smell just wasn’t nearly as present as the rosewater (well duh, I guess it’s hard to compete with rosewater). The green tea notes are the most present for the first few seconds, before disappearing.

On the days that I used this, I do honestly feel that my skin was a little drier than it would be if I had used the rosewater, despite layering other moisturizers over it. Again, I would attribute this to the drying characteristics of green tea, and my known irritation to it. But, I wonder if it would be good for people with very oily skin!

So this won’t be a re-buy of mine, but it is a good $5 purchase for someone with a different skin type than me. ~A

This product didn’t work out for my skin, but if you’re more tolerant to Green Tea, check it out here: https://amzn.to/2Fea4l8

Perceived efficacy: 4/5

Longevity: n/a (I stand by my “fancy water” clause!)

How much I actually like this product: 2/5

Mario Badescu Facial Spray – Aloe, Herbs, Rosewater

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Mario Badescu Facial Spray Rose

I looove this stuff. I’m not sure why. It’s another case of “is it doing anything?”. I don’t know if it is, but it sure makes my face feel better.

I spritz this stuff on after I get out of the shower, or after I wash off my makeup — so, I use it both morning and night. It smells GREAT — like roses, of course, as the label would imply. This isn’t something that I would use in place of a moisturizer, although the aloe certainly does provide some moisturizing aspect, but it does give the skin a little boost prior to putting the next layer on.

The website says something about “dewy radiance” and “boosts … glow”. I mean, of course, you basically just spritzed yourself with water, so of course you’re going to have a glow for a minute or two. But once it absorbs, it doesn’t quite stick around. Sure does feel pretty soothing, though.

I can’t really tell if there’s been any long-term benefit from using it, and unfortunately that rose water smell kind of, wears off after a few minutes. But for a quick boost and the “first layer” after washing your face, this is great, especially at the price point of $5. And since the ingredient list is pretty minimalistic, it has no adverse effect on my skin — no breakouts! I just picked up the cucumber and green tea spray the other day at Ulta, so I’ll see how that one stacks up compared to this.  ~A

Grab this refreshing pick-me-up here: https://amzn.to/2RhFxtV

Perceived efficacy: 4/5

Longevity: n/a (I don’t know if longevity is what this product is going for, really… I mean, it’s basically fancy water)

How much I actually like this product: 4.8/5 (if only that wonderful smell just lasted a liiiiittle longer!)

Recommended for sensitive skin: Yes