Hiking 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!

Originally published as Skin Care Tips for Hiking Trips from the Mario Badescu Skin Care Blog.

 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?

Originally published as What’s In Your Skin Care? Oatmeal from the Mario Badescu Skin Care Blog.

Are 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? 

Originally published as Summer Skin from the Mario Badescu Skin Care Blog.

Have you tried our AHA Botanical Body Soap? Here’s your chance! Simply comment on our blog (below) to enter to win this contest. The prize is a 16 oz. bottle of this body wash! It contains Papaya and Grapefruit Extracts as well as soothing Oatmeal and Ginseng Extract.
Contest is open to residents of the US and Canada and will run from May 17-19. Winner will be announced Monday on our Facebook page and will be contacted via private email address.

Originally published as Fan Friday Giveaway: AHA Botanical Body Soap from the Mario Badescu Skin Care Blog.

We were at The Makeup Show NYC last week and caught up with Lauren Servideo,
Public Relations and Media intern for Armour Beauty.
Let’s see what she was picking up at the show!

Name
Lauren Servideo

Occupation
By day, I am a medical research publishing assistant and by night, I am the PR and Media intern for Armour Beauty

Age
21

Are you shopping for yourself or for your kit?
I try and expand my kit when I can (today, however, is not that day).

Tell us about what you’ve picked up:

• Keratoplast Cream Soap and Aloe Vera Toner to start my daily routine off the right way.

• Rose Hips Nourishing Oil and Vitamin C Serum to repair my dry and dull skin from my first brutal NYC winter.
• The Moisture Magnet SPF 15 and Protein Night Cream help to lock these serums in; they’ve been really effective so far. My half Irish/half Italian complexion is finally getting the radiance that it has always deserved! It’s my first time using those products and they’re quickly becoming “holy grail” items.

• Summer Shine Body Lotion to make me feel like a million bucks. The scent is very subtle but sometimes, when I am stuck in my cubicle on a really beautiful summer day, I smell it and for a brief moment, I feel like I am basking in the sunshine (yep–it’s that good).

Thanks Lauren!

Here’s her haul:

Originally published as Shopping With The Pros At The Makeup Show NYC: Lauren Servideo from the Mario Badescu Skin Care Blog.

Originally published as Not-So-Wordless Wednesday: Beauty Quote from the Mario Badescu Skin Care Blog.

Your baby has finally arrived. In the midst of caring for your little bundle of joy, it’s important not to neglect your post-pregnancy skin.

Pregnancy affects everyone’s skin differently; some experience redness while others get acne breakouts or hyperpigmentation (i.e., melasma or ‘pregnancy mask’). Some may even have broken capillaries from giving birth as intense pushing can burst blood vessels. After pregnancy, your hormones are going haywire (which, by the way, explains common night sweats and post-partum depression) and this can wreak havoc on the skin.

Redness

Pregnancy-induced redness can be managed with skin care products that contain soothing ingredients such as Chamomile, Azulene and Seaweed; these have anti-inflammatory properties.

Acne

Breakouts are no fun. Ever. When they are provoked by post-pregnancy hormones, you just have to roll with it, knowing that they will probably subside in a matter of a few short months. In the interim, use skin care products that are specifically formulated to combat acne, namely topical products that contain Salicylic Acid, since they don’t typically cause irritation (if you are nursing, consult with your physician first to be on the safe side).

If you have blackheads, mechanical exfoliation is the key method to help banish them. Exfoliating helps slough away dead skin cells and unclog pores, which cause the breakouts in the first place. Face scrubs are examples of mechanical exfoliants. On the other hand, chemical exfoliants include Salicylic Acid, which are ideal for any type of breakout, including whiteheads and cystic acne (hard, painful bumps that are under the surface of the skin).

Hyperpigmentation

If you’ve got pesky post-partum brown spots, unfortunately there is no miracle-in-a-jar to make them disappear completely, but there are ways to help lighten them, such as:

• Wearing sunscreen on a daily basis, rain or shine, winter or summer. Pregnancy causes melanocytes (the cells that are responsible for pigment in the skin) to be active and sun exposure can stimulate them even more.
• Exfoliating to help break down darkened skin cells.
• Using skin care products that contain Vitamin C as it has lightening properties that will help fade pigment with continued use. Kojic Acid is also used to whiten melasma after pregnancy.

Basic and Proper Daily Skin Care Regimen

Now that you know what type of products you need to help eradicate a post-prego skin issue, the other half of the battle is when to use them. The following is a basic and proper skin care regimen, respectively:

• Cleanse—twice a day.
• Tone (with a toner or astringent). Most people ignore this step, but it is important because a toner helps remove impurities and restores a pH balance in the skin.
• Exfoliate—no more than three times a week.
• Serum application. Serums are concentrated liquids or gels that penetrate deep into the skin to perform a specific function. For instance, a serum that contains Vitamin C would be ideal to use if you were dealing with hyperpigmentation or if you’re in search of an anti-aging serum.
• Moisturize—with a moisturizer suitable for your skin type. Your moisturizer for the day should contain sunscreen and the one for night does not need to be formulated with a sunscreen (for obvious reasons).

Motherhood doesn’t have to take its toll on your skin. While you celebrate the birth of your new child, embrace the right skin care products and skin routine!

Originally published as Post Pregnancy Skin Care from the Mario Badescu Skin Care Blog.

Spring is here and summer seems to be coming faster than usual, doesn’t it?

For some, warm weather is a fun excuse to break out skimpy summer clothes. For others—those suffering from body acne—summertime is about finding creative ways to cover up.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Body Acne (often deemed Bacne) is an entirely treatable condition. Personally, I find it easier to treat body acne because the body’s skin can handle more aggressive care than the face. (This is mainly true for women; men’s skin tends to be tough all over.)

I shower every day with the A.H.A. Botanical Body Soap. It is the only body wash I’ve used that has provided consistent, reliable relief from body acne. It works by exfoliating away dead skin cells that can clog pores.

Here’s what’s in it:

• Papaya and Grapefruit Extracts for exfoliation.
• Oat Protein to soothe and calm.
• Ginseng Extract to rejuvenate the skin.

These days, I can honestly say that I never have to think twice about what I’m wearing—at least not when it comes to how clear my skin is. In fact, I just ordered a backless dress for an upcoming trip to Miami and I’m not worried at all about whether or not I’ll be able to wear it!

Originally published as Product Spotlight: A.H.A. Botanical Body Soap from the Mario Badescu Skin Care Blog.

Dehydration is skin’s enemy. Bottoms up on the water!

Oh, what did you do to your face? A night out can seriously wreak havoc on otherwise beautiful skin, but no worries—we’re going to make sure you look amazing for the rest of the day. Late-night activities like drinking and (gasp) smoking can dehydrate, inflame and irritate your skin, while sleeping in last night’s makeup is an invitation to acne. Check out these 7 tips and look fantastic at brunch!

The Night Before:

• You’ve heard it before (and for good reason):  Drink a glass of water between each alcoholic beverage.
• Drink another glass of water before bed.
• We know you don’t want to, but try to wash your face before you fall asleep. Since alcohol can seriously parch your skin, slather your now-clean face with a night cream and eye cream. And don’t forget your lips—they’ll need a little extra moisture too!

In the A.M.:

•  We would never ask anyone to give up their coffee, but caffeine will dehydrate your skin further. At the very least, chase your morning coffee with a big glass of H2O.
• Did you neglect to wash your face last night? Now’s the time to fix the damage. Wash your face and then use whatever gentle method of exfoliation you prefer (whether it is a scrub, a cleanser with Alpha-Hydroxy Acids or a mask with AHAs).
• You might need to put something cold on your eyes to reduce puffiness. You could use the old standby (cold tea bags) or try our trick: keep your eye cream in the fridge. This works especially well with eye gels like our Ceramide Eye Gel.
• Get some color in your cheeks by boosting circulation with a little mild exercise or a shower.

Oh, and get something healthy to eat (bananas are a particularly good choice). With a little concealer, you’re all set to go!

Originally published as Late Night? One Too Many? Time To Fix Your Skin! from the Mario Badescu Skin Care Blog.

It’s Friday! Time for our Fan Friday Giveaway! This week: Glycolic Foaming Cleanser. If you’d like the chance to win this bottle, comment on the blog below!

Contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and will run from May 17-19, 2013. Winner will be announced Monday, May 20, 2013.

Originally published as Fan Friday Giveaway: Glycolic Foaming Cleanser from the Mario Badescu Skin Care Blog.