Try Mario Badescu Products for Free!

After perusing thru some old posts at xsparkage's blog, I found the killer offer to receive FREE SAMPLES of Mario Badescu products...NO PURCHASE NECESSARY!  Best thing about it, it is quick and simple. 

Just go over to the registration or consultation page on MarioBadescu.com and fill out your information and questionaire.  Make SURE you fill out the consultation questionaire for your specified list of products suggested.  You will see the types of products they reccommend for your skin issues and will have the opportunity to purchase them quickly and easily from one page. 

Not ready to commit?  Afraid yet another treatment won't work for you?  WAIT!  You will receive an email into your inbox within a couple of days of filling out the registration and questionaire.  The email will give you a link to receive your complementary package of samples that are compiled directly from the list of your suggested products!  Mine are on their way to me now!

Where as I KNOW we all like free stuff and LOVE to try before we buy, I am going to purchase a few of the items that were suggested to me.  I am really having a hard time with break outs, it is just down right embarrassing.  My Proactiv is working well, but my acne is tougher than it can fight I do believe.  (I am still waiting on my Severe Acne kit from them, so I have not given up completely on Proactiv yet!)  However, rather than using some of their spot treatments and such, I am going to get the Mario Badescu Drying Cream, Drying Lotion, Buffering Lotion and Drying Mask.  Probably to start, the best way for me to go is going to be the Acne Repair Kit which includes the Drying Lotion, Buffering Lotion, and Drying Cream for only $49 which also includes a Mario Badescu tote!  And, if my Proactiv ends up no longer doing the trick, I will most likely discontinue its use and try the acne washes on this site.

I know what you are thinking...the products are SO expensive and the packages are super high priced!  Well, this is how I look at it...No, I don't have tons of money and I am surely not made of money.  However, this, to me, is a small price to pay (especially in comparisson to a dermatologist and prescriptions) for confidence.  If you have never had acne (even the smallest little attack), you won't know what I am talking about.  There is something about a clear face that makes me hold my head higher, have more eye contact when talking to people and my overall confidence level is through the roof when my skin is clear! 

Not to mention, generally, the higher priced items last a great deal longer because you don't have to use as much as often.  Three of my 5 bottles of Proactiv generally last 2 months and the other two bottles last upwards of 3 months!  That is $70 for 2-3 months generally.  Well, I know I have spend at least that in one month of rooting through drugstore products that claim to work miracles!  Yes, you pay a little more for these products, but in the end...the results speak volumes!

So, I figured since I have heard such rave reviews about this line (not only from xsparkage), I would just give it a whirl!  I will be doing full reviews on each product that I receive after a good bit of time of using them, that is.  If you are interested in this line, go register on their site and fill out that questionaire for your free trial run of 5 products!  If nothing else, you will have a better knowledge of the brand!

Let me know what you guys think about this line of products!  Do you currently use Mario Badescu Products?  Are you in the market to buy some?  Are you going to participate in the Free Sample Offer?  Let me know you thoughts and opinions in the comments below and I will let you all know how this endeavour turns out for me in a future post!

-Laura-

Has Anyone Tried Murad?

I see that since I posted about my beloved ProactivProactiv, there have been ads about how Murad is better.  I was just wondering if anyone has tried the Murad system that is similar to the Proactiv system.  If you have tried Murad, what did you think?  Would you mind writing a mini review below for other readers? 

I started to order Murad rather than Proactiv.  I went to their site and saw that their 3-Piece Acne Complex System was also $29.99 a month.  However, for that price with Proactiv, I got 2 additional products to the basic cleaner, toner, and lotion.  The products were the oil control lotion and the oil free moisutre.  I wanted these products because my skin tends to be dryer in the winter and more oily in the summer.  (Like most of you with combination skin.)  I have not tried these products, but I feel they should work.  I plan to review them once I see how they are going to work for me.  I feel I did get more for my money with Proactiv though.

Since my opinion is my own and goes along with my skin and what works for me, I thought if anyone had any alternatives to Proactiv that have worked for them, we could use this as sort of a share time to inform others of what options are out there!  I only wish Proactiv would come out with an acne cleanser that would also help with wrinkles and complexion brightening.  They do have a brightening lotion, but it is a bit pricey to add to the $30 a month!  Murad has an Anti-Aging Acne System, BUT (and this is a HUGE but) it does not come in a system and each piece will set you back $30-$50 EACH!  I know for a FACT I can't afford that!  So, for me, I would LOVE Proactiv to come out with a line made for aging skin that could be ordered like their current sets.

I hope that anyone that has tried Murad will let us know what you think!  I didn't give in to the advertisements and went with something that I knows will work for me!  Sorry guys, I would have loved to review it for you all!  That's why I am looking for a little help!  Even if it is word of mouth from a friend!  Lets give everyone an alternative to Proactiv!  I feel that there are numerous options out there, you just have to find one that will work for your skin! 

I Just Can't Live Without It...Seriously

At the beginning of December, I got extremely stressed out what with all the festivities and all the things that had to be done for Christmas.  I don't see how some people can be totally carefree at holiday time!  Stress generally shows on me in more ways than one...acne being the MAJOR sign.  This is what happened in December. 

In our mall, they set up an automated kiosk.  I saw it when I was out shopping a few weeks prior to my skin "come-apart".  I was SO sick of my skin looking horrible, which in turn ALWAYS makes your makeup look horrible, that I took the last $40 I had in my pocket that week and hit that little kiosk in the mall.  I just got the basic, 30-day kit which set me back $30.  (Hey, at least I still had some money for gas!  LOL!)  It was a small price to pay compared to the multiple drugstore products I had been trying at $6-$10 each bottle! 

As you probably guessed, by the post title, it worked like a charm with a few tiny exceptions.  I really wish I would have taken before and after pics!  My skin was by no means perfect, but it looked a hell of a lot better than it had, which was great!  Just in time for Christmas time filming and photos!  For the entire month of December, my skin was not a worry for me.  My makeup was always flawless looking, no dryness or chapping to worry with even with the cold temps, and most of all, my confidence level was through the roof!

Now, all that has gone downhill.  After the financial hit my bank account took from Christmas, I have not had the money to just order the Proactiv Kit Online and set up auto-delivery for it.  So, I have been without my top beauty product for about 10 days now and it REALLY shows.  The first day after using one of the products I had shoved asside to make room for Proactiv, I noticed a DISTINCT difference!  Today is worst than all the previous days combined.  One entire side of my face is completely broken out from nose to ear, eye to chin.  The product that I started using when the Proactiv ran out was one, that I forgot, dried out my skin, which was why I had originally discontinued its use!  You guessed right again, my ENTIRE face is dry as a bone no matter how much or how great of a moisturizer I use!  Which, right again, makes my makeup cake up and flake off.  I honestly can't believe how bad this is now!  It all causes me to have a hard time looking people in the eye at work and with such a face to face job, I can't escape face time with people!  I am 28 years old and I have worse acne now than I did when I was a teen! 

At first, my mother said it was because I was wearing makeup again, but after hearing the steps I take to remove and the fact that I let my face rest on the weekends she changed her tune.  We are in agreement that it is in fact stress related, well, and the fact that I DON'T drink enough water!  (Terrible, I know!)  The fact that my skin IS so bad, stresses me out even more and kicks my confidence in the gut! 

So, tomorrow, I am biting the bullet and ordering the Proactiv Plus Deluxe System and putting it on auto-delivery so I don't have to deal with this anymore!  I used Proactiv in college and had great results the more and more I used it.  Then, I wasn't methodical about when and how often I used it either.  I just used it here and there and still got killer results.  I just know when I am using it month after month, I will be able to get my skin back in great shape and just have to worry about what the hell I am going to do about these wrinkles!  To me, that is a welcomed issue to deal with!

This time, no matter how embarrassed I am, I am going to take before and after photos.  Some with makeup and some without, so you can see just what I have been talking about.  I will also do a monthly review on my results including photos.  I will work to do these reviews/updates on the same day every month to acurately track progress.  I would have to say that I reccommend this product for anyone that has been battling acne like I have my entire life.  Even if it is something new for you.  Proactiv is not a fad, it really does work for most people that use it.  They do have different sized kits and some that cost less.  I figure I am doing this as something great for myself and my confidence so I am going to splurge and work the $30-$35 in per month and not complain!  Next pay check, I will be getting the Proactiv Makeup Set that includes the foundation, loose powder, and concealer!

Have any of you guys used Proactiv or have you/are you battling with these same issues?  Tell us your story below and what you have done to deal with it!

Oooo, I may have to give a Proativ 30-Day set as a comment contest/giveaway prize!!!  COMMENT to get your name in the hat for quarterly drawings for great prizes!!