Sunday, June 5, 2011

Biore (My haven)

11:46 AM  Unknown  1 comment

So, I was thinking about things that I have not talked about before (which happens to be a lot actually), and I was looking around my room and saw all my Biore products. I thought to myself, "well I do use a lot of Biore's stuff, so why not mention it in a blog post?" So that's what I'm going to do here.

Many of you are probably familiar with Biore's pore strips. You know those strips you put on your nose, forehead, or chin that pull up blackheads from your pores. Yeah, the ones many people THINK are painful, and resemble a bandage for a broken nose. Well though you may be familiar with this product, Biore offers a whole line of other products as well. To name a few: Steam Activated Cleanser, Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser, Pore Unclogging Scrub, and of course the Deep Cleansing Pore Strips, along with many more products. 

All of Biore's products work quite well, and I highly recommend trying them for yourself. My favorites happen to be the pore strips, the Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser, and the Pore Unclogging Scrub. Using each product separately gives great results, but combining them in a regimen makes for a pretty much flawless complexion (at least for me). Each product targets certain skin factors, and delivers a punch to deal with acne quite well.

For the products I use:

To give the box description: "Biore deep cleansing pore strips are a weekly pore refining treatment for the nose area [or other areas upon which you type you purchase] that instantly removes pore-clogging dirt, oil and blackheads. Tests show that in just one use, Biore deep cleansing pore strips are twice as effective as the leading pore cleanser at getting rid of build-up  and blackheads for clearer pores. In fact, when used regularly, Biore deep cleansing pore strips actually diminish the appearance of your pores."

My assessment: I'd say I can attest to the above statement. They work amazingly to remove dirt, oil, and blackheads, and better than most topical cleansers/astringents. I find this to be my Holy Grail product for removing blackheads. Simply a life saver. Ok, I'm going to do something that I wouldn't normally do on any other product, but I'm going to show you two more pictures of this product: the when using, and the after using (the strip itself). 

During:
Note: This picture is not my personal picture, and was taken from canadianfreestuff.com (as to site the source)

After:
Note: As stated earlier, this is also not my personal picture, and was found on google search from a blog source.

 
Pretty gross looking I know, but look at how many blackheads came off on the strip. That's how many blackheads that were removed from your skin. Amazing right? While you thought your cleanser was doing a good job of combating your blackheads, and while it may be, it simply can not hold a candle to these strips. If you don't believe me, then try them for yourself!

Bottle description: front: "cools and clears. Clinically proven to remove over 99% of dirt and oil." back: "Give blemishes the cold shoulder. Oil-free formula with soothing lavender, purifying eucalyptus and salicylic acid penetrates pores, clearing the way for noticeably smoother skin."

My assessment: I love this cleanser! It removes dirt and oil really well, and it leaves skin soft and smooth. But as the name suggest (ice), it gives the face a cooling effect when you wash. It's almost nasal clearing. The eucalyptus scent is very powering, and it will awaken your senses. It gives the skin a slight tingling feeling, but I must say for me this is an added bonus. I love the way my skin feels after using this, and even more so...the way it looks! After using this product, I can honestly say that my acne has been more controllable than when using other acne washes. I highly recommend this wash for anyone looking for a good and affordable face wash.
The website description (since I currently don't have this product at home): "The acne-fighting scrub that purges pores of blemish-causing dirt, oil, and blackheads." "Give pores a breath of fresh air.
Our gentle but super effective scrub uses perfectly spherical beads — not jagged edges, like some competitors' scrub ingredients — to detoxify skin. The scrub penetrates deep down where breakouts start to help prevent future ones. Show the door to pore cloggers and get ready for beautiful, clear, smooth skin."

My assessment: Though I don't have this product currently since I ran out and am using another scrub meanwhile, it's hard to give a completely accurate description. I'll do my best to recall as it wasn't that long ago since using it. When using this scrub, I noticed my skin to be more radiant, smooth, and soft. This scrub exfoliates the face removing dirt, oil, any makeup left behind, and dead skin cells that can clog the pores. I found this scrub to be less abrasive than many other scrubs, as it contains a bit of a cream cleanser. So I would say that this scrub may work well for those with sensitive skin, or those who prefer a gentler exfoliation. I wish I could tell you more about the scent and texture of this scrub, but like I said it's been almost a month or more since I last used it and haven't gone back to the store to replace it just yet. I'll try to get onto that so I can give a better assessment later. Perhaps we could look forward to an update then :). 

Those are the three products from Biore that I live for. However, I'm quite interested in testing out some more of the products from their line, and giving reviews. I'm really wanting to try out the Steam Activated Cleanser, Triple Action Astringent, and the Even Smoother Microderm Exfoliator. If I ever pick up those products, I will make sure to do a review on them for you guys. 

Well that's it for my Biore products discussion. If you have any questions about the products I use, or want to make any statements/suggestions about which ones you use (Biore or not), feel free to leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you guys think. 

And also for your use, here are the links to the full line of Biore products:
Thanks again and have another wonderful day!
~Angel



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Thursday, June 2, 2011

Mario Badescu Products Part 2

12:20 PM  Unknown  2 comments

Okay, as many of you know from my last post, I had been trying some Mario Badescu products out. I purchased the whitening mask, the silver powder, and the drying lotion. Verdict: I love them all! All well worth the purchase. However, what I may or may not have mentioned before (foggy memory), they also let you choose three samples to go along with your purchase. So, I chose the aloe vera toner, almond and honey face scrub, acne facial cleanser, azulene calming mask, after shave moisturizer (for my boyfriend), and the bee pollen night cream. I liked all of these samples as well, and I will probably be purchasing a few in the future. While I liked all of these products, there were some that I liked more than others. I will go more in depth of how I felt about these products below.

We'll start off with the Whitening Mask. This was my first purchase from Mario Badescu, and I must say I'm a big fan. It's used to reduce the appearance of acne scars and discolorations on the skin. After using this for a few months, I have noticed seeing a lightening of the acne scars on my cheeks and chin. I was amazed! I had used so many different products to clear up my scars, and this one has done so much to lighten them. This is definitely a product that anyone with acne scars should try out. I love it!

Second off is the Silver Powder. This I purchased along with the Drying Lotion (which I will mention later more in depth). I must say this is an odd product, but well worth the purchase. This is a powder in which you dampen a cotton ball, and apply as a "paste" to the face. It's said to clear up blackheads and eliminate oil, while shrinking pores. While using this product, I did notice my oily complexion clearing up and blackheads diminishing. However, I will say that not all my blackheads cleared up. But don't let that stop you from purchasing this product. I happen to have extremely oily skin around my T-zone, and it's very hard to keep it free from blackheads. While this product didn't get all my blackheads (which I expected it wouldn't), it did make a significant difference in the appearance of my skin and clearing it up. The only thing I can say I really didn't like about this powder was the fall out. Yes, fall out. Since it is a powder in which you apply with a damp cotton ball, while you allow it to dry you will see powder falling off your face. This is normal as it dries, but I did find it hard to eat while having the mask on. I recommend not snacking while using this product to keep it from getting in your food, and you ingesting it. Other than that, this product works quite well.

Thirdly is the Drying Lotion. I had high expectations for this product. It was hyped to clear up whiteheads and pimples overnight. While it did clear up whiteheads relatively fast, I was a little set back that it didn't clear up all my pimples right away. But to my surprise I found out why: This product is designed to dry up the sebum that builds up in clogged pores that causes whiteheads to appear on the skin, not deep set pimples like what I have where the sebum is still under the surface. While this did disappoint me some due to the fact that I have more cystic acne than whiteheads, it did clear up my occasional whiteheads satisfactorily. So my overall verdict for this product is that if you have cystic acne like I do, I would recommend the drying cream instead of the lotion, and if you have whiteheads I'd say go for this drying lotion. This product does work for what it says it's for. I just got too caught up in it, and thought it'd work on cystic acne. So don't be set back on this product either.

Now for the samples:

Aloe Vera Toner: I got this toner as a sample, because my skin gets irritated very easily and this was said to calm the skin while nourishing it with aloe vera. I must say I like using this toner when my skin is inflamed and irritated for its soothing ability. It's a little thicker than your average toner, which is nice for applying on inflamed or cracked skin. It soothes and comforts the skin, and even has a nice fresh scent. I really like this toner; not for my everyday toner, but for when my skin is giving me serious problems. Great toner :)

Acne Facial Cleanser: I wanted to just try this product out before purchasing it, because I've had a lot of cleansers dry my skin out pretty bad. I must say this one did not dry out my skin, and left my face feeling soft and cleared of acne. I will be purchasing some of this. Though it doesn't foam like most other cleansers I use (had to get used to that), it cleaned my skin way better than the others. It goes on in a gel like consistency, and a little goes a long way. You massage this into wet skin, and simple rinse off. You'll be amazed at how clean and soft your skin will feel after using this cleanser. Then after a few days of using, you'll notice a dramatic difference in how well your skin has cleared up from acne (or at least I did). I highly recommend trying this acne cleanser.

 Bee Pollen Night Cream: Interesting sample choice for me. I don't typically use night creams on my skin, because I don't like applying products on my skin at night in fear that it will break me out by the morning. This product did not do that. It's a light cream that saturates the skin and keeps it hydrated, but it does not leave the skin greasy. I can't even explain to you the consistency of this night cream. It's almost like a silky texture. It goes on nicely, sets evenly without being oily, and it smells AMAZING. If you're not a fan of floral scents then I'd say this is not for you, but I loved the way it smelt; so fresh! I also enjoyed how my skin felt after waking up in the morning: soft, supple, and hydrated. It helped with dry spots, and uneven texture on my face. I would recommend this nigh cream for those wanting to try something different.

Azulene Calming Mask: I'm a huge mask person, and this one went right along with my top 5. It's a clean mask that does not harden, and leaves your skin soft and refreshed. It's said to calm the skin from irritation, and reduce redness. It did just that! When my skin was broken out badly and dried out from acne products, it calmed my skin and reduced bumpiness and redness that had been left behind from stress breakouts and products. Great mask for all skin types, but highly recommend for those with sensitive skin or rosacea.

The last sample that I actually tried for myself was the Almond and Honey Face Scrub. This scrub is different from my usual apricot scrub in that it's nonabrasive. I like this scrub every now and then, but I'm more used to an abrasive scrub. If you have sensitive skin, and are looking for an exfoliant for your face then I'd recommend this for you. Not that I don't like this product, I just prefer a more abrasive exfoliant for my skin. The texture is just a tad bit gritty (enough to exfoliate the skin, and remove dead skin cells), and the scent is very almondy and yummy. The scent alone is a seller for this scrub. AMAZING! I would say give this product a shot, but if you're like me and like a more abrasive scrub, then maybe try something a little different. Nice scrub every now and then though.

What I can say about the After Shave Moisturizer: It smells really nicely, and the texture is very smooth. Sorry that's about all I can say since I purchased this from my boyfriend, and he's yet to tell me how it works (not that I'll get more than an "it's all right," out of him anyways lol).


Well I think that's all for the assessment of these products. I simply love Mario Badescu products, and they definitely have a loyal customer in me. If you're interested in trying any of the products that I listed in my blog or any other products that they offer, you can go to www.mariobadescu.com and purchase anything from there. They will also give you a free skin consultation on the site, all you have to do is click on the consulting tab on the top of the page.

I hope you all enjoyed this post, and found all the information helpful and informative. Let me know what you think in the comments below, and as always have a great day!

(Also let me know what you thought of the products if you purchase any!)

~Angel
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