My Review of Mario Badescu Acne Skin Care Products

As much as perfectly filtered social media posts would like us to believe that it's abnormal to have imperfect skin, the truth is that most of us suffer with break outs or some form of skin problem at one stage or another in our lives. Many of these flawless images are often the result of fantastic lighting, flattering angles and of course generous filters.

Having acne prone skin is not something you should feel ashamed of and treating it should not be a torturous task. Trust me when I say I have been there too, the burning witch hazel or vapor rub remedies that assault your nasal passages and leave your eyes streaming or the GP prescribed creams that completely dry out your skin and leave it flakey and painful.

It's not fun and it can be very disheartening to go through so many products, remedies and ''cures'' to find that nothing seems to work the way it's advertised to, especially when the majority of these ''miracle products'' come with a fairly expensive price tag attached. To top it all off many of the companies that claim to provide acne solutions are unfortunately testing their products on animals rendering them useless to those of us who make a conscious decision to shop cruelty free.

With all of that in mind I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the box of Mario Badescu's skincare products that I recently received which are designed to help clear acne and acne prone skin which leads us to the core of this article.

If by small chance you have not heard of Mario Badescu before, they are a very affordable, completely cruelty free company that believe in producing ''simple, gentle and effective'' skincare products to suit each and every stage of your skins journey through life. This, combined with their outstanding reputation is what initially drew me in to want to try out their products.

To start off our list we have the Glycolic Foaming Cleanser. This is a supplement cleaner aimed towards all skin types as well as acne prone skin and it is great for gently but effectively removing makeup and dirt while brightening the skin, evening the texture and fading acne marks.

It has a lovely light scent that is almost floral and only a small amount is required for a full face application due to how well the product foams up. I was surprised but happy to find that noticeable results can be seen within the first few uses and using this cleanser just 2-3 times a week leaves my skin feeling so much cleaner.

I have been using the Acne Facial Cleanser twice daily as it targets troubled skin and does a great job of deeply cleansing the skin and leaving it feeling refreshed and calmed. Though it is formulated to be used even during breakouts, it does not cause any discomfort or pain whatsoever instead it feels calming and my skin always appears less aggravated after using it. If I'm honest it is the first cleanser I have used that makes an almost immediate difference with my problematic complexion.

As a lover of face masks I could not wait to try the Cucumber Tonic Mask. Though admittedly at first I was a little concerned with how watery the consistency of this mask is as it had me worried that it would take a lot of product to make it stay on or that it wouldn't dry completely. However I'm pleased to say that I needn't have worried at all.

Only using a very thin layer of the cucumber based mask leaves the skin feeling calmed, tightened and refreshed and amazingly pores appear noticeably smaller after the first use. It successfully reduced any inflammation and redness I had prior to using it which is a miracle in itself. I also really love that it's in a store-able tub and the consistency actually makes it really easy to use with application brushes to ensure you get an even coverage.

When it comes to toners, I have always thought of them as being an unnecessary addition to a what is already for me, a fairly lengthy skincare routine. Out of the many toners that I have tried over the years, from all different companies I have never found them to actually do anything that warrants a regular purchase. Well, those were my thoughts until now anyway.

After trying Mario Badescu's Special Cucumber Lotion I am completely in love with the results. Though the strong scent can take a little bit of getting used (due to the alcohol content) to the product itself helps to prevent bacteria from clogging pores and therefore gives an overall cleaner complexion. Not only this but in my experience it leaves the skin feeling more taut and allows mousturisers and makeup to set more evenly.

With it being winter, and a very cold one at that, it was time for me to find a deeply moisturising cream that wouldn't clog my pores and cause my skin to break out like so many other moisturisers often do. With the Oil Free Moisturiser from Mario Badescu you get the best of everything. It's a long lasting cream that absorbs quickly (perfect for those days where you're in a rush) feels lightweight and leaves a healthy glow on your skin. It's a great base for makeup and doesn't case any flakiness whatsoever.

If you've got an important event coming up and a huge whitehead inconveniently appears the day before what do you do? Your initial reaction may be to pop it or smother it in toothpaste but neither of those options is kind to your skin. There's a reason this product is award winning, the Drying Lotion truly is a little miracle.

Out of all the products I was most wary of how this one would work but unlike many whitehead fighting treatments, it doesn't sting or burn the skin nor is it a nightmare to apply. Simply use a cotton swab to gently dab the lotion onto your whitehead and leave it alone until morning where you'll be greeted by a very minimised whitehead or in my case no whitehead at all. The only thing I would add is that as this is a drying lotion it can dry your skin out quite a bit so always remember to moisturise when using this product.

Cystic acne is something I struggle most with and in many ways it's more frustrating than dealing with whiteheads, blackheads or any other skin problem. You can't pop them, you can't really cover them and they are of course unbelievably painful. Finding a treatment that works for cystic acne is more difficult than you might imagine as for some reason there aren't that many products available on the market that target this problem but thankfully Mario Badescu came through in this department also.

The Buffering Lotion is a very mild and simple product that helps to shrink under the surface bumps and encourages clearer looking skin. Again it is something that is done at night so there's no need to fit it into your daily schedule like a lot of ''use 4 times daily'' treatments.

After using all of these products in conjunction with each other I have found that not only has my acne and redness almost completely cleared up but my overall skin texture feels so much smoother and healthier than it did before. I would fully recommend making the purchase of all of these items if you regularly struggle with breakouts (or even if you don't and just want to prevent bacteria build up on your skin) as they work incredibly well and products themselves are so long lasting. A little really does go a long way!

I hope that this article has been able to provide you with some insight into how these products might work for you and your skin. As always feel free to leave your thoughts, opinions, experiences and questions if you have any, in the comments section below and remember to check out my other skincare articles if you haven't already.

Disclaimer: These products were very kindly sent to me for free by the Mario Badescu team however I was not paid for this article and all thoughts and opinions are my own.