Mario Bedescu skin care is a pretty well known skin care line, most famously for their drying lotion, which is often featured in magazines. Mario Badescu has a plethora of products targeted at acne prone skin, and also caters to sensitive, combination, and normal skin. If you visit their website at www.mariobadescu.com and take their skincare evaluation, they will send a follow up e-mail offering free samples based on your individual skincare needs, which I excitedly accepted. They sent me the following:
Enzyme Cleansing Gel
Cucumber Cleansing Lotion
Drying Cream
Ceramide Herbal Eye Cream
Oil Free Moisturizer SPF 30
Flower & Tonic Mask
A picture of my cute little samples:
1.) Enzyme Cleansing Gel: This gel is very smooth and has a pearly green appearance and pleasant smell. However, after cleansing, my skin was tight, irritated and red on my cheeks, and down right hurt. I used this twice a day for the duration of the sample, which lasted about 5 days. It did do a good job removing make-up and oil, but it also felt like I washed off a whole layer of skin too. This is my least favorite product and is much too harsh for my skin. Rating: 2/5
Full size is 8 oz. for $12.00
2.) Cucumber Cleansing Lotion: This green “lotion” (it was a liquid) also smells very pleasant. It made my skin feel fresh and removed any impurities the cleanser missed. I also noticed that after application, my pores looked smaller. The only other product I’ve tried that I could compare this to is the Clinique Clarifying Lotion from the 3 step skincare system, and I actually prefer it over Clinique. It has a much more pleasant smell and makes a difference in pore size. Rating: 5/5
Full size is 8 oz. for $15.00
3.) Drying Cream: First off, this pasty stuffy has a horrible smell. I left it on pimples over night and didn’t notice any visible difference in size. It supposedly “camouflages” pimples when rubbed into the skin, but in reality leaves a chalky white spot over the pimple. However, I will use this when I travel because of the small size and the fact that it doesn’t make my face tight like my benzoyl peroxide acne cream. Rating: 3/5
Full size is .5 oz for $14.00
4.) Ceramide Herbal Eye Cream: This cream is ultra moisturizing, almost too much so because if not used very sparingly, it made my eyelids feel sticky and greasy. Worked very nicely on my under eye area though, as that area is often dry and flaky on me. I have dark circles and while this product is not meant to brighten them, it is essential that I use an eye cream specifically for them, so I would not repurchase. Rating: 4/5
Full size is 0.5 oz. for $18.00
5.) Oil Free Moisturizer SPF 30: This is a very moisturizing lotion but it leaves skin looking shiny/greasy. It smells exactly like sunscreen. When applied before make-up, even when left to soak in for 20 minutes, it made the application tedious, as skin is greasy and difficult to work with, not smooth. I highly prefer my Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel to this, but I will use it as sunscreen when by the pool. Rating: 2/5
Full size is 2 oz. for $26.00 (way pricey!)
6.) Flower & Tonic Masque: This is my favorite product. It is a masque meant to be left on for 15-20 minutes 2-3 times per week. It reminds me a lot of the Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask. It leaves skin feeling refreshed, soothed, and the texture of skin is improved. Redness and irritation (mostly from the enzyme cleansing gel!) is diminished. A great product that delivers, would definitely purchase this. Rating: 5/5
Overall, it seemed very hit or miss with these products. Some I loved and some I didn’t care for. The two I loved are excellent products and I’m glad I had the opportunity to try them. Anyone can get free samples just by filling out the skin evaluation at mariobadescu.com and replying to the e-mail they will send.
Thanks so much for reading! Are you going to try the Mario Badescu skin care line? If not, what skin care products do you want to try out?
