Mario Badescu Review: Enzyme Cleansing Gel, Glycolic Acid Toner & Drying Cream

i’ve been meaning to talk about my love for MARIO BADESCU skincare for a while now, but i wanted to take a bit more time to see just how far these products would take me. so far i have been loving absolutely every single product i’ve tried from the line (there are admittedly only three thus far) and i believe it is time i shared them with you.

the brand IS available locally (i’ve seen them in rustan’s department store) but i purchased all of mine from LUXOLA. i can’t really speak about in-store vs online price comparisons, but since i got each product on sale for at least 30% off + free shipping straight to my doorstep, i do believe i got the better deal in the end.

on to the specifics:

though i use this a lot more often now, i bought the MARIO BADESCU ENZYME CLEANSING GEL specifically to use on days when i apply my alpha-h liquid gold treatment. i’ve read that non-foaming, gel cleaners work best on such occasions (something about the chemicals in foaming cleansers clashes with the liquid gold, apparently) and i figured this would be a good choice since i’ve read plenty of great reviews about it.

this cleanser is truly lovely. if you are used to face washes that lather, then this will take a bit of getting used to, but i promise it is worth it. it feels really gentle on the skin but also quite deep-cleansing, and the after-feel is simply incomparable. my face literally feels like a baby’s skin: super soft, smooth and clean-looking without feeling dry. the only major downside to it is the overpowering scent. i’ve been using the enzyme cleanser for over six months now and i still sometimes feel overwhelmed by the smell of it…which isn’t pungent exactly, but very intense. like a spa explosion on your face. lol.

the most recent addition to my whole skincare system is the MARIO BADESCU GLYCOLIC ACID TONER, which i purchased to supplement my alpha-h liquid gold (can you tell it’s my favorite thing to mention?). since i’ve brought my liquid gold usage down to just once a week, i wanted a maintaining product i can use in between treatments to sustain the kind of skin renewal that my skin has truly grown to love.

just like the liquid gold, this glycolic acid toner also leaves a tingling feeling on the skin during and after application. it is less intense though and at times almost unnoticeable, but if you have very sensitive skin it may prove to be more difficult to deal with. i find myself always wanting to reach for this toner as i love how it cleanses, tones, and helps fade acne scars and discolorations in a major way. the best part? it doesn’t feel drying at all! i almost always follow it up with a moisturizer, but i still feel comfortable leaving it out sometimes. this is a great pick-me-up toner for when your skin is looking sad and dull, as it really makes the skin glow. highly, highly recommended.

the MARIO BADESCU DRYING CREAM was the first product i ever tried from the brand. i initially wanted to get their cult-favorite silver powder, but something about the drying cream really appealed to me. i think it was because it’s marketed to serve as a concealer as well, although it’s not a purpose i have come to appreciate as i don’t find the product to be particularly effective in covering up, well…anything. i’d still much rather use my regular concealer for hiding imperfections.

the first thing you will notice with the drying cream — besides the somewhat off-putting appearance — is its overly pungent smell. it contains sulfur, which is a proven effective treatment for acne, but also happens to stink like nobody’s business. definitely keep that in mind.

that said, i do still really like this product. it is described to be an excellent option for drying under-the-skin bumps and spots, but i don’t often use it for that as i haven’t had much luck with it (i use a different spot corrector which i find to be a lot more effective!). the thing that i absolutely LOVE using this cream for is healing erupted blemishes and to make sure they don’t get infected or spread around the area. i just dab on some of this on those “open wounds” and within a few hours they are almost completely closed up and ready to get back to normal. i also notice that this helps lessen the probability of dark acne scars, of which i am very prone. plus look at all that product! this will last anyone a very long time.

while these are the only products i’ve tried from mario badescu i can already say the brand is my favorite in skincare, and i am certainly eyeing more of their other stuff. in case you would like to purchase mario badescu on luxola.com (or any of the hundreds of beauty treats they offer), you can use the code LXBLOG at check-out for 15% off your purchase! they ship all over asia and shipping to anywhere in the philippines is now FREE! 🙂