Beautiful, Badescu Skin

"Putting your best face forward."

May 23, 2013
by Kimberly Yang
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What – You Don’t Carry Eye Cream In Your Car?

eye creamWith great power comes great responsibility, said one wise uncle to one spider-y superhero; and with college comes great baggage, said everyone, ever. Baggage that includes at least 10 pounds of textbooks, lugging a laptop back and forth, and yes – those dark circles and dreaded under-eye bags too.

With over 12 hour days running around campus schlepping all this baggage, it only made sense for me to carry an eye cream (or two) in my car. Between classes I’d run to my car to unload, switch out books, and layer up as the night grew cooler – all the while reviving my complexion with a spritz of rosewater and dab of the eye cream du jour. Let me tell you: college student or not, a mini skincare and beauty kit does wonders for the body and soul. Let me be a testament to that.

In said mini MB kit I have the usual suspects: the mini Rosewater Facial Spray, lip balm (I’m usually a jar kind of girl, but when on the go, sticks are the way to go!), Cuticle Cream, a hair smoothing serum, and any hand cream favorite of the moment. What my girlfriends find strange – only at first, might I add), was that I stowed away not one, but two jars of eye cream: the Ceramide Eye Gel and Hyaluronic Eye Cream.

I never leave home unprepared.

Here’s the logic: long days of squinting at chalkboards from the back of a lecture hall takes a toll on the eyes. They feel dry, they feel tired, they feel exhausted. I can physically feel the puffiness puff, and the darkness get darker – and it’s not a pleasant feeling at all. Thus, to prevent my presence from becoming an eyesore (ha!), I keep on hand some contacts-friendly eye drops and the Ceramide Eye Gel to help soothe, rehydrate and de-puff the undereyes. (This works especially well in the fall/winter months; the cold weather acts as a refrigerator really, keeping my eye cream cold for an extra kick of cool when it’s time to reapply.)

When’s it’s particularly dry or windy out, my eyes need a bit of help in the moisture department – and that’s where the Hyaluronic Eye Cream comes into play. It’s lightweight enough where I’m not worried about it feeling greasy even minutes after application, and should I be wearing makeup that day, there’s no fear of it smudging or ruining my morning’s hard work. It takes only moments to absorb into the skin, wherein both my undereyes and I can let out a sigh of relief.

Tell us – do you keep eye cream on hand at all times? In your car, your handbag, your office drawer?

We want to know!

.   .   .

(image via)

 

May 22, 2013
by Kimberly Yang
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Wordless Wednesday: Shades of Mario Green

wednesday

 Spring’s in the air and we can’t help but want everything fresh, pretty and bright. And with emerald as Pantone’s Color of the Year, it only makes sense to celebrate the sunshine and cherry blossoms with all the shades of green.

We’re talking MB green, rich emeralds, chartreuse and delicious mints: what’s your green?

.   .   .

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May 21, 2013
by Lee Ann
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Skin Care Tips for Hiking Trips

hikingHiking may be beneficial for the body, but not so much for the skin. The great outdoors can wreak havoc on your skin through sun exposure, bug bites, dehydration, etc. How can you preserve your beautiful skin during wilderness adventures?

 Exposure to Harsh Solar Rays

It is imperative to wear sunscreen on a daily basis during every season of the year. Let’s face it: sun exposure is inevitable when you’re hiking. It is especially harsher when you’re at a higher altitude (i.e., hiking on a mountain), which offers all the more reason to wear a broad spectrum sunscreen with at least a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15. Don’t apply sun care products only on your face—also pay attention to other areas of your body you may not normally think of such as underneath the neck, behind the ears, back of the legs, etc. It would also be wise to wear a hat or visor for additional protection for your face.

Protection Against Pesky Bugs

As enjoyable as hiking can be, there is always a trade off: bugs. Granted, this may not be an issue if you’re hiking in the middle of winter, but if you’re embarking on a rigorous walking adventure on a humid July afternoon, the presence of bugs is highly likely. This may seem like common sense, but spray your skin with an insect repellent over your sunscreen. If you end up getting bitten, soothe the bites and alleviate the itch with a topical solution that contains calamine.

To keep pesky critters at bay, avoid wearing perfumes, colognes and body sprays—especially fruity scents since they attract bugs even more. One of my favorite fragrances is an intoxicating concoction; each morning it is second nature (no pun intended) for me to mist it all over my body. However, if I am engaging in an outdoor activity that day, I regret using that particular fragrance once the pests start swarming around me.

Dull, Dehydrated Skin

During your hike, make sure you stay hydrated by drinking lots of water or sports drinks to replace electrolytes. Avoid snacking on salty foods as doing so can deplete water from your body, thereby causing your skin to look dehydrated. Instead, eat healthful, water-containing snacks such as apples, bananas, berries or carrots. After your adventure, do a DIY facial to give your skin a little post-hike pick-me-up.

If you don’t have time for a full fledged facial, the least you can do for your skin is to exfoliate it after you wash your face. Exfoliation will slough away dead surface cells to reveal a fresher, more radiant looking complexion. After exfoliating, apply a toner, serum, hydrating face cream and eye cream that are formulated for your skin type. In order to determine if a skin care product is ‘hydrating,’ look for certain ingredients on the label that have hydrating properties such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin and honey.

Hiking-Induced Redness

When exposed to the sun for long periods of time—especially during a hiking trip—a sunburn or redness can occur. If this happens during your outdoor excursion (in spite of sunscreen), apply aloe vera gel on the affected areas to soothe the burn. If you are just plain red sans the burn, look for a skin care product that contains calming, anti-inflammatory ingredients such as seaweed or chamomile.

With these skin care tips, there is no need to shy away from your favorite outdoor hobbies. Have fun hiking and stay beautiful!

May 20, 2013
by Jill
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What’s In Your Skin Care? Oatmeal

oatmeal for skin Some skin care ingredients are simply timeless…

Travel thousands of years into the past and you’ll find that oatmeal has been used since the very beginning to heal and soothe the skin. In fact, ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks all used oats to cleanse, moisturize and protect the skin.

Mario Badescu continued this age-old tradition by including soothing oatmeal in a number of skin care products, including:

Kera Moisturizer The perfect choice of moisturizer for very dry, sensitive skin.

Enzyme Revitalizing Mask Dry, dull and mature skin will benefit from this ultra-moisturizing mask. With Alpha- Hydroxy Acids for exfoliation, oatmeal is used in conjunction with Vitamin E to help calm the skin.

Super Collagen Mask This mask also contains Azulene and Chamomile (other natural soothing ingredients) in addition to Collagen for anti-aging.

Protein After Shave Lotion It’s important to calm the skin after shaving. Oatmeal ranks high on the list of ingredients for this after-shave moisturizer.

What’s in your skin care?

May 18, 2013
by Jill
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Summer Skin

summer skinAre you ready for summer? Next weekend is Memorial Day here in the States…

We’re excited for the unofficial kick-off to summer and yet our skin might not be totally prepared. It’s time to get summer skin with these warm weather favorites:

Raspberry Body Scrub
Get your whole body smooth with this natural scrub!

Papaya Body Lotion
Apply this lotion liberally all over the body after cleansing and exfoliating. It has Papaya Extract and Shea Butter to get you feeling and smelling lovely.

Facial Spray with Aloe Herbs and Rosewater
When it gets hot and humid out, you’ll want to freshen up without any fuss. This Facial Spray is just the ticket.

Elbow & Heel Smoothing Cream
Nothing screams winter! like rough elbows and heels. Help get rid of dry, dead skin on your heels and elbows with this smoothing cream with Salicylic Acid.

Are you ready for summer skin?