The Holy Grail of Skin Care - Mario Badescu

Well, at least in my humble opinion.

I was introduced to Mario Badescu by my mother.  She filled out an online questionnaire and was sent free samples of a personalized skincare regime.  I thought this was a great idea so I jumped at the opportunity and completed my own questionnaire.

The History

Romanian-born Mario Badescu founded this skin care line in 1967 and used his knowledge of old-world skin care techniques for a new audience.  Today, the Mario Badescu line incorporates natural ingredients with advanced technology.

Mario Badescu skin care now makes over 200 products and is used by everyone, from the average person, to Cher and Martha Stewart

Some common natural ingredients used:

Aloe Vera  - Hydrates and Soothes 

Alpha Hydroxy Acid -  Exfoliant 

Antioxidant - Anti-Aging

Avocado Oil  - Moisturize and Hydrate

Ceramide  - Increase Softness, Preserve Moisture, Protect Skin 

Chamomile  - Anti-Inflammatory 

Collagen  - Improve Tone and Elasticity 

Cucumber  - Anti-Inflammatory  

Glycolic Acid  - Exfoliant 

How Can you try this out?

1. Visit this website : HERE

2. Fill in the questionnaire 

3. Wait for a few days.  Monitor your email, they will send you an invite to request samples.

What Did I get?

- Collagen Moisturizer (SPF15)

- Drying Cream 

- Cucumber Cleansing lotion 

- Kiwi Face Scrub

- Hyaluronic Eye Cream

- Enzyme Cleansing Gel

Flower & Tonic Mask

Comparison so you can see about how big the samples are.

Lets take a closer look.

These two bad boys are the Enzyme Cleansing Gel (left) and the Cucumber Cleansing lotion (right).  And let me tell you these are the two products  I never realized I was missing from my skin care routine, until I had them.

- The Cleansing Gel thoroughly removes the day's makeup and oil without drying the skin.  Made with Papaya extracts and Alpha Hydroxy acids that help break down dulling build-up, leaving skin fresh and healthy.  Full Size: $12 for 8oz or $20 for 16oz

- The Cucumber Cleansing Lotion is actually an astringent (toner) that contains 4% alcohol to disinfect and  remove pore clogging residue. Full Size: $15 for 8oz, $26 for 16oz, $45 for 32oz

This is a swatch of the gel.  And yes I'm aware that it looks like snot and quite frankly doesn't smell that good either.  But it WORKS and that's the only important thing right? 

Here we have the Collagen Moisturizer the Drying Cream  and the Hyaluronic Eye Cream.  Oh what fun I have with these

- The Moisturizer is a very light daily moisturizer that provides moderate sun protection.  This is really nice and you don't need a lot of it.  Full Size $22 for 2oz

- The Drying Cream is a semi-miracle worker in my opinion.  It is intended to dry up small, under surface blemishes that appear as raised bumps in oily areas of skin.  In other words: Shrink your pimples! I'm not usually the type who gets pimples but this week I had the fortune of growing a large one on my chin.  I have been using this for 3 days and its almost gone.  Full Size: $14 for 1oz

- The Eye Cream, I must confess, is the only product I am not very fond of.  It is very heavy and I feel as if I notice it all day.  The Hyaluronic acid helps lock in the skins natural moisture without using heavy or greasy oils.  This cream is suitable for all skin types.  Full Size: $18 for 1/2 oz

L to R: Moisturizer, Drying cream, Eye Cream

As you can see the Drying Cream has a touch of concealer in it.  Perfect for when you are trying to shrink a pimple.

Now on to the fun stuff.  The Kiwi Face Scrub and the Flower and Tonic Mask are meant to be used a few times a week and make you feel like a million bucks.

- The Kiwi Face Scrub is a lot of fun and meant to be used after the Cleansing Gel a few times a week.  It also has real kiwi seeds and seaweed in it for gentle exfoliation.  Full Size: $15 for 4oz

- The Flower & Tonic Mask is a purifying and calming mask for congested bumpy or slightly oily skin types.  It absorbs dirt an oil from pores while calming minor redness and irritation.  Full Size: $18 for 2oz

Here are some pictures of me with the mask on:

If your wondering why I look slightly Zomieish its because this stuff really hardens on your face and you can't move!  Fun.

Kiwi Face Scrub (L) and Flower & Tonic Mask (R)

Now if you are thinking that this is a lot of stuff then you are right.  I am the type of person who normally uses the St. Ives apricot exfoliating scrub and Aveeno Moisturizer.  Simple.  So I was a little lost when all this came for me so I was very pleased to see this:

A personalized guide on how to use this stuff and when.  Also:

If you really want to get into it, the directions you apply the products.

The Pro`s

- Personalized guide of how to apply everything.

- You don`t need very much product so the samples last you a long time.

- The prices for full size are VERY reasonable.

- The experience.  Everyone loves getting this in the mail. 

- Samples are FREE, how can you go wrong?

The Con's

- Watch the lids when you are opening the samples.  The product sticks to end and ends up all over your fingers.

Final Thoughts:

I am definitely a convert, I'm in love.  I have been using these samples for a week and my skin feels amazing.  Its is so soft, and the redness has been reduced.  The biggest wow-factor for me was how small my pores are now.  You can hardly see them on my nose when before I was having a problem.  I am going to say it was the Cucumber Cleansing lotion because when you use it on a clean face, its amazing how much more dirt it can remove.  Crazy. 

I definitely need the full sizes of the Cleansing Lotion, Cleansing Gel, and maybe the face mask (its so much fun).  Maybe I will treat myself in September when I go back to school (Can't justify spending the money now)

So head on over to their website and fill out your beauty questionnaire.  Just remember to wait a few days for them to send you an email, and be patient.  I think my samples took almost 6 weeks to receive.

Enjoy!

Sarah