Review of some Mario Badescu products
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enjoys freebies · Fri Jun 03, 2005 7:53 am Quote

Well, after two months, my samples from M. Badescu came in after having filled out the online survey and everything! Everything was packaged really well and I was surprised at the variety of products they actually supplied me with. This is just a tentative review, though, because some things I haven't tried out yet!

The only problem with the survey is that I tried to balance out my responses so that the "dehydrated" and "rather oily" aspects would shine through (no pun intended!). But, alas, most of the products I got were geared specifically towards oily skin. The only moisturizer I was given (aside from my eyes) was the Collagen spf 15 cream, which I can't see myself using with such a low spf. So I gather after trying several of the samples that even though my skin doesn't get shiny or oily until the afternoon, the company is determined to strip my face of all moisture very early on in the morning which I guess they don't realize will make the situation worse. But I jump ahead...

My first impressions after examining the products were mostly of disappointment. The products seem very, very artificial to me. Maybe EDS and other places have spoiled me, but I happily enjoy the fact that most of the samples I receive from EDS are very safe for me to try. I've hardly ever reacted to a product (eyes excluded!) and I can really just judge a product based on the effect it achieves.

Mario Badescu products not only smell really uber-perfumey and artificial, but are colored to almost toxic-looking proportions. Masks and creams aside, every toner looks like a different day-glow shade of the rainbow and I wonder exactly how much coloring they throw into those things!! Now onto the review!!

-Enzyme Cleansing Gel- This is a non-foaming creamy gel cleanser that has a very sweetly-herbal-perfumey smell to it. The texture feels uncannily similar to that Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser but doesn't leave residue like the Cetaphil gel does. The downside to the Enzyme cleanser is that it is quite stripping. I lovelovelove the Anna-Lisa Cleansing Wash for normal/oily skin because despite the issues that it targets, it isn't stripping at all. The Enzyme cleanser isn't *just* for oily/combo skin, from what I gather, but I'd imagine it would be rather harsh for someone with normal skin. Aside from that, it rinses off very well and leaves the skin quite soft. It also seems to absorb into the skin as you wash with it, because after 30 seconds of using it, I start feeling friction due to the lack of cleanser, even if I start with a good amount, which I really don't like! But it's by far nothing remarkable. The sample they gave me will last at least a week and a half or so. I plan on trying the Yonka next!

-Kiwi Exfoliator- This product smells like it was extracted straight from a Lip Smackers tropical fruit lip gloss. It's neon pearlescent green with a light smattering of kiwi seeds dispersed throughout and smells more like a tropical candy than kiwi. I was dubious about using this since Microfoliant for me is a HG product, but I figured I'd try it for the sake of posterity!! It feels really nice and creamy. And yes, this is an exfoliator! I'm assuming the freaking large kiwi seeds are supposed to be the exfoliating agents, but they are so few and far between that scooping enough out to use on your whole face will maybe get 5 seeds in there. I see more opossums while driving down a 2 mile road in Texas than I do kiwi seeds in the exfoliator! The plus side is that it did leave my skin feeling soft and oddly moisturized, but the exfoliating capability of this cream is a joke.

-Special Cucumber Lotion- This toner is the color of Lemon-Lime Gatorade and again smells really odd (I don't get much cucumber out of it...). Not unpleasant at all for most, I'd imagine, but I didn't like it (too fake and, bittersweet?) Applying it left my skin very soft, but after about 20 minutes, my skin that normally doesn't react to anything immediately started getting tiny bumps in a several places like precursor pimples. I finally said "screw it," and picked up my Cetaphil Antibacterial Cleansing Bar, cleaned, and purged with Microfoliant. The "Recovery" in the Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel took on new meaning!! My face calmed down, but the same thing happened using the products the next day. Now I'm just trying the cleanser on it's own with my normal routine, and I still stand by my review for it.

-Ceramide Eye Gel- This is the only thing I'll probably purchase! This is a clear green gel that could easily pass in appearance for any ole aloe vera gel. It has AHA in it for fine lines, etc., and is, according to the literature, supposed to be very light and easily absorbed. I had read horrible reviews about it on MUA saying that it didn't do anything, never absorbed, etc. The only reason I even tried it was because this one woman had written that it had made her millia disappear, and I had two small ones that I didn't want to wait for baby shampoo to clear up (it takes a WHILE!). Also, I remember Mabsy writing about how AHA is great for milia.
Most gels in the past have emphasized fine lines around my eyes that normally are barely even visible. So I try to stick with gel-creams, because most creams give me millia. The Ceramide gel has no discernable smell (again, it could easily be mistaken for aloe vera) and, even though it's light in texture, it doesn't readily absorb into the eye at *all*. In fact, I guess I can at least rest assured that it's moisturizing because after two hours, it's still a little gooey. By morning it's absorbed, though.
This thing made my millia go away in three or four days!!! It's freaking amazing! And it really did help minimize dehydration lines that the Murad Essential-C was starting to bring out. I'm willing to deal with the texture for the millia squashing capabilities. And at only $18, it's definitely worth purchasing for the arsenal. I can only use it at nights, though, due to the stickiness of it. I'll still be using the Babor Sensational Eyes or Orlane Cooling Eye Balm at night, and the Orlane or Murad during the day, but the Ceramide Gel is the first truly hydrating gel I've come across that I'll gladly use when I feel it's needed. Again, it's not as hydrating as a cream, but even the Cellcosmet Eye Gel had made my eyes look laden with fine lines and had given me millia. Like some of the negative reviewers on MUA had brought up, they were probably just too young to notice any difference at all, really. I *think* it might actually de-puff eyes, too, but I haven't had a chance to really test that out yet!

-Drying Mask- Good Jibus!! This is the nastiest, most foul-smelling stuff I have ever experienced!! I've worked around dead things in labs that had less offensive odors than this crap! The best way I can describe it is this: Imagine smoking a cigarette and placing in in an ashtray for a few days where it can get moist and horribly stale. Then extract that smell and amplify it by 1000. Afterwards, add more sulfur to it so that you get that combined with overwhelmingly stale cigarette. I opened the jar and my stomach turned. I tried opening it a few times just out of fascination, and it never got any better, it's just sooooo strong!! It's seriously a "whoa there big cheetah" response! It's something I'd use if someone did something horrible to me to smear on the back of their shirt or a notebook just to get back at them (a girl can dream! Very Happy

) It's just foul. Very, very foul. Needless to say, the product never made it onto my face. If I ever have a bad breakout, I'd only use it if a) I'm completely desperate and out of masks or treatments, b) my Dr. H's cleansing clay mask or other products fail me, or c) I become catatonic schizophrenic and don't have a say in the matter. Eww... just... eww.

-Drying Cream- Didn't get a chance to try this because I haven't needed pimple preventative help yet! But I'll try it if I need it to compare it to my Kiehls spot treatment. (I've never tried the Yonka Juvenil, even though I'd like to some day!)

-Drying Potion- They didn't send it to me because it comes in a glass bottle, but it's easy enough to find at your local Nordstroms and whatnot. I haven't heard too many great reviews of it, though. At least, not from those I trust!

-Collagen spf 15 moisturizer- has no scent, but I'll update this when I get around to trying it!

I think that covers everything I got. Hopefully this helps some a little (Mabsy, I *don't* think you were missing out much by not getting your hands on this stuff!)

I do want to try the Enzyme Mask, because I've heard it's fabulous, as well as the facial spritz. I may dabble and experiment with more products if I ever make it through my list of pre-existing stuff to try, but so far, I'm not a fan of this line of skincare. Namely for the artificial feel of everything I've tried so far!

*edited for spelling!*

Fri Jun 03, 2005 7:05 pm Quote

Thanks for the great review Rusalka! I initially didn't like the enzyme cleansing gel but it grew on me the next time I tried it. It still scares me that it looks like a pearly green gel - very far from natural I think. You made melook up MUA reviews and now I really want to try the enzyme mask as well! And I'm still after trying the seaweed cream - gets great reviews also. The eye gel sounds good based on the results you got with it but I'm not too keen on the idea of stickyness and it still not being absorbed after two hours....

enjoys freebies · Sat Jun 04, 2005 11:06 am Quote

Just to add my 2 cents....I also got my free samples from them. I wasn't overly impressed. I liked the seaweed cleansing cream and the rose hip mask. The mask is nice because it is a light texture and smells good. You only have to leave it on for 5 minutes so if you are pressed for time it's nice. Not sure if I would spend my money on a full size, though.

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