So, first off, I used these products for a total of two weeks in replacement of my usual skin care routine! In the Mario Badescu sample packs you get everything you need for a new regime including cleanser, toner, exfoliator, day cream, night cream, treatment creams, eye creams and masks. (All the sample packs vary as they are suited to your skin so they only send you what you need and will work!)
My fellow beauty blogger and friend Pammy at "Pammy Blogs Beauty" also received some of these samples at the same time as I did and we decided to link our posts together in order for everyone to see a review of their skin type! :) My skin is oily, acne-prone and not sensitive, while Pammy's skin is normal to dry with some dry patches and rare breakouts. If that sounds more like your skin type, check out her review at "Pammy Blogs Beauty"!
So here is the rundown of what they sent me for my oily, acne-prone skin:
Cleanser: Botanical Facial Gel
Toner: Special Cleansing Lotion "C"
Exfoliant: Almond & Honey Face Scrub
Day Lotion: Aloe Moisturizer SPF 15
Treatment: Drying Cream
Mask: Healing & Soothing Mask
Eye Cream: Ceramide Eye Gel
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| Cleanser |
- I tested this for about a week, which was how long the sample lasted
- It is gentle, smells nice and is non-foaming
- Strange consistency to get used to but once you do, its a nice cleanser
- Doesn't remove makeup as well as I would like, I had to remove my makeup first then it was great!
- I needed to use a larger amount of the cleanser than I would with a foaming one
- Does not leave your skin feeling tight nor like it hasn't been thoroughly cleaned, great balance!
Verdict:
I like it. Its a good cleanser for oily/combo skin as long as you do not wear a lot of makeup! I would like this a lot for morning cleansing as it is really refreshing and doesn't leave your skin feeling tight but also doesn't leave it feeling greasy at all! I'm not sure if I will purchase the full size. I did like it a lot but prefer an all around makeup removing cleanser I can use both day and night!
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| Toner |
- Acne fighting toner
- Contains sulphur to fight breakouts
- Is Alcohol based (drying for some, including me!)
- Intense, would be good for very bad acne or chest/back breakouts
- Dried out my skin quite a bit
- Did help dry up breakouts
Verdict:
This wasn't my favourite. I don't like to use anything with alcohol on my face as I've read a lot about it being a free-radical for your skin and can accelerate aging. I've also read that over drying your skin can lead to increased sebum (oil) production causing even more breakouts. In those cases, I will not be repurchasing this particular toner but am very interested in purchasing another one of their alcohol free toners (which they have a good variety of) and trying it out! :)
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| Day Lotion |
Aloe Moisturizer SPF 15
- Light, fresh feel
- great, light consistancy
- SPF 15
- Oil-free
- Hydrating, soothing
- Light, almost no scent
Verdict:
This is a really nice, light SPF 15 lotion. Its hard to find a sunscreen for oily skin that won't clog the pores or make you feel excessively greasy! This works well on my oily skin, as long as I use a pea-sized amount. It is also good if you finish it with a mattifying primer or powder to keep you shine free through out the day. This would be a fantastic option for normal/combination skins as it provides a light moisture and an SPF. I definitely like this for everyday light hydration with a dose of SPF! I will buy this in the full size (provided I can find it in my city! haha)
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| Acne Treatment |
- Sulphur based drying lotion for cystic/deep rooted acne breakouts
- Not excessively drying to surrounding skin (has an Aloe base)
- Much more gentle than Benzoyl Peroxide
- No bad "sulphur" smell, very light scent
- Provides minor coverage of redness
- Only need a TINY amount
- Spot treatment for Acne
Verdict:
One of my favourite products that I received! I don't often suffer with deep breakouts (mine are mostly small, surface whiteheads) but this cream helped everything! You only need the tiniest amount applied only to the breakout. I used a q-tip in order to keep the cream bacteria free (only used the q-tip once) and applied it precisely to my breakouts. One really different aspect to this cream is that you can use it on open breakouts ("popped" ones) to speed the healing time! You can also use this day or night, during the day I take a small amount and blend it over the area and at night I concentrate a dab directly on the blemish! Highly recommend this for anyone with Acne-prone skin and will DEFINITELY be purchasing the full size of this!
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| Eye Cream |
- Gel consistency
- Cooling, firming, soothing
- Hydrates very well
- Refreshes the whole eye area
- Reduces puffiness
- Only need the TINIEST amount
Verdict:
This could be my absolute favourite product I received! I am always looking for a great eye cream/gel because I struggle with both oily lids as well as occasional eczema on my eyelids. Both are very hard to work with trust me! haha I also find a lot of products irritate my eyes and make my eczema worse so its hard for me to find a good eye cream. This one is fantastic! It hydrates so much better than I expected from a gel! You only need the tiniest, tiniest amount I can't stress that enough! A little goes a really long way and my eyes still felt moist and hydrated at the end of the day and in the morning from overnight use! Amazing eye gel, will definitely be purchasing the full size of this! :)
Almond & Honey Non-Abrasive Scrub
- Cooling, firming, soothing
- Hydrates very well
- Refreshes the whole eye area
- Reduces puffiness
- Only need the TINIEST amount
Verdict:
This could be my absolute favourite product I received! I am always looking for a great eye cream/gel because I struggle with both oily lids as well as occasional eczema on my eyelids. Both are very hard to work with trust me! haha I also find a lot of products irritate my eyes and make my eczema worse so its hard for me to find a good eye cream. This one is fantastic! It hydrates so much better than I expected from a gel! You only need the tiniest, tiniest amount I can't stress that enough! A little goes a really long way and my eyes still felt moist and hydrated at the end of the day and in the morning from overnight use! Amazing eye gel, will definitely be purchasing the full size of this! :)
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| Exfoliant |
- Fairly gentle, facial scrub
- Amazing honey/almond scent
- Creamy & moisturizing
- Not very exfoliating/ minimal grains
- Not great for oily skin
Verdict:
First off, I am not a huge fan of scrubs. I find they exacerbate acne, especially raised white heads because they cause irritation. That being said, I did try this one out. It is really gentle but that is because of the very minimal amount of granules that cause the exfoliation. In that case I don't know how well it exfoliates. This may be a very good option for people who need minimal exfoliation but with oily skin, exfoliation is very essential to keep pores clean. This would also be a good option for dry skins as it provides hydration! This left my skin feeling a bit greasy and like I wanted to wash it again. I will not purchase the full size of this.
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| Mask |
- Clay based mask
- Healing, soothing, calming
- Helps with reddened skin
- Helps heal acne
- Contains anti-inflamitory ingredients
- Doesn't harden
Verdict:
Love, love, love! This is an amazing alternative to a clay/drying mask that is usually the only type of mask that people with oily/acne prone skin can use! This doesn't dry on the skin but still seems to soak up any unwanted debris and excess oil. It seriously calms redness and leaves your skin feeling fresh and revitalized without any excess oil or greasy feeling! I have found this really helps, with regular use, to speed the healing of acne and acne scarring! If you have acne (and even if you don't) this is such a fantastic and different mask that I highly recommend! I will be purchasing the full size!
MAN! This was a long review! I'm sorry about the length but hope I helped anyone with their decision to try Mario Badescu or to find anything that will help with their oily/acne prone skin! Don't forget about Pammy's review for normal to dry skin at "Pammy Blogs Beauty"!
I have since purchased a few additional Mario Badescu products, the famous Drying Lotion (bi-phase, glass bottle with pink at the bottom, I'm sure you've seen ads in magazines for it!) and the Herbal Hydrating Serum (because of Pammy's rave reviews! haha) I will have reviews on these in the near future so keep an eye out! :) Thanks for reading guys!
6 comments:
great mini reviews on all the items you were sent. I have samples from them too, I should get around to trying them out. I really want to try the whitening mask, but it's not included in the sample kits.
Awesome review Shaylee! I enjoyed reading! That eye gel looks amazing! I like the feel of an eye gel for daytime use. :) I am off to create the link to this review right now!
Great review. After I saw your last post about the questionnaire and samples, I went to their site and got some too. Can't wait til they come so I can try them all out.
xx
Alicia
Thanks so much for the info! I am waiting for mine to arrive any day now!! :]
Do you know if this free sample offer is only for the US? I just filled out their form and while they showed me the recommended products, there's also a bill of 134$ for them...anything else I should be doing? :)
@Bianca - Nope, I'm from Canada and I got mine! :) It doesn't ever say that they are going to send you samples, as long as you fill out the form and get to the page where it gives you the recommendations they will send them to you! :)
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