Skincare Reviews

I've recently discovered the website frugalshopper.ca and their freebies section. This led me to signing up for a few of the tried and true legitimate-looking offers...I ordered samples from Cetaphil, Mario Badescu, and SunSilk.
and my Mario Badescu came Wednesday night! As promised (and raved about) they are in nice containers...come with a little customized regimen booklet and everything. Apparently Oprah likes this line. Paula Begoun avidly does not in her Cosmetics Counter book (although I do have a slightly dated edition...she could have changed. I can't wait until her new edition comes out!).



They sent me their Strawberry Face Scrub, Collagen Moisturizer SPF 15, Flower & Tonic Mask, Drying Cream (blemish treatment), Special Cucumber Lotion (toner), and Enzyme Cleansing Gel.

I've been using the cleanser and toner in the morning and the cleanser, toner, moisturizer and drying cream at night as they recommended. The cleanser to me is nothing special. I really like the one from Biore I've been using (a sample also LOL)...it foams and I can use one blob versus two of the MB stuff. My skin's really improved since I started using the Biore one, although it hasn't gone downhill from the switch to test out these samples.

(I would like to take a minute to note here that although lots of people including myself will take/order/ask for samples simply because they are free and free stuff is nice, companies should not discontinue giving them out. For example: I am so glad that I was given that Biore sample. It was quite generous and gives me a good chance to try out the product and see if I like it. It's not just about how good the products are, it's what works for you. I wouldn't buy the cleanser from MB but I'm also glad I can try it...people who take samples do end up buying products and it's a great marketing strategy!)

The toner I can smell contains alcohol which dries your skin. It's an unnecessary step to me in my skincare regimen and it doesn't seem to do a lot. I do like the tingle on my skin but that's about it.

And the Drying Cream...maybe I haven't used it enough, or I'm not putting enough on. Doesn't do much for me. The moisturizer also seemed quite ho-hum.

However. This morning I used the Strawberry Face Scrub. It's actually similar to another Biore sample I received at the drugstore when I got the cleanser one. Pearlized looking with little bits in it. With Biore, it's green, smells pungently soapy and has little beads in it. Of what I don't know. The Mario stuff is pink, smells lovely, and has strawberry seeds. They both feel the same on my skin: nice and lathery and smooth, but they don't really seem to have enough little things in them to actually exfoliate properly. After a little bit I do notice things almost like grains of salt in the Biore scrub and I know it's got more exfoliation power than I thought at first. But with the MB I notice none of that. But hang on, this isn't a rant! It's a rave! True, it didn't seem to exfoliate much. I think they might be better off taking the seeds out and marketing it as a cleanser. BUT then I rinsed it off, patted my skin dry and used the Collagen Moisturizer on top. My skin smelled so good and felt so moist and soft and smooth! It must have done something! I can't smell it anymore but here at the end of the day my skin still feels like that. I know according to Paula B. that the cream actually doesn't have anything to warrant an SPF in it. That's okay. But it's good to know because then you know to use another sunscreen.

I haven't tried the mask yet. I doubt I'll get much of a thrill off of that. I don't like the smell that much and masks don't really seem to do all that much for me. They probably do but I don't notice. My favourite mask actually is some yogurt with olive oil and honey in it. To make my point, I doubt I'd buy the cleanser, toner, blemish treatment, or mask. But I'm seriously considering the Strawberry Face Scrub and the Collagen Moisturizer. Thumbs up on those!