Mario Badescu Skin Care Acne Control Kit Review and Giveaway!

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This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Mario Badescu, We look forward to working with you again! The winner has been notified and upon confirmation his/her follower name will be posted both here and on our homepage. Remember: There are still some great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page!


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Ascending Butterfly Holiday Buying Guide Editor's Pick sponsored by:

I have struggled with Acne Prone Skin since I was a teenager, and at this point it certainly feels like I've tried everything. I was sure when I was old enough to wear as much makeup as I wanted, that it would be the cure for everything . And I quickly learned that it's not even the 'band-aid'.

The wrong makeup can make acne prone skin flare-ups even WORSE! I sure did learn the hard way that there is no 'magic concealer'! I've learned that Concealer + Favorite Foundation over big, angry, pimple just gets you an even skin tone on top of a big, red, angry pimple!

The only way to treat the problem is to truly care for your skin. And this holds true for anywhere you experience flare ups, whether it's your face, back, neck, or chest you need to care for your skin and you need to be consistent in caring for your skin.

The first step as far as I am concerned, will always be the same, and it's the same for everyone, go to your dermatologist! Be open and honest about your eating habits, and make sure to have your skin checked on a regular basis, particularly for skin cancer. I lost someone very near and dear to me because of skin cancer, and I will continually shout out from the rooftops if I have to the importance of skin exams!

I am not a skin care expert or an MD, I can only share what works for me. The right suite of products, used on a consistent basis in conjunction with getting my 8 + 8 (Eight glasses of water daily and 8 hours of sleep) have helped to show dramatic results in my battle against Acne Prone Skin.

Years ago a colleague recommended I try Mario Badescu, that was all she used to use, and I will say she had lovely skin, very radiant, with a healthy, natural glow to it. The kind of glow that many people end up asking 'are you dating someone special?' or else 'are you pregnant? Your skin is just glowing!'. I didn't take her advice then, and now I am kicking myself for not doing so. Many of Hollywood's pretty 'fresh faces' attribute their healthy skin to Mario Badescu. One of my favorite Hollywood 'faces', Ashley Judd, is a user of Mario's line and I absolutely love her skin!

I have had 30 days to try out Mario Badescu's 'Acne Control Kit' and I have to admit it has worked wonders for my skin! I now understand the almost cult like following! (And I'm sure there is a certain someone reading this and clucking a gleeful 'I told you so!' under her breath)

The kit contains:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 6oz. Acne Facial Cleanser

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 8oz. Special Cucumber Lotion

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 2oz. Drying Mask

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - .5 oz. Drying Cream

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 1 oz. Drying Lotion

These are the basics to clarify and treat problematic skin, it has everything you need for daily care to keep skin clean, clear and keep your acne eruptions under control.

This kit contains the NEW Acne Facial Cleanser formulated with Salicylic Acid. A deep-cleansing, disinfecting astringent. Mario Badescu's famous acne treatments for pimples and a clarifying, oil-absorbing, pore-tightening mask. (Please note, I highly suggest you use a daily sunscreen with a minimum SPF 15 coverage. This is a MUST daily, but it's particularly important you do this when you are using products to treat your acne! Suggested Badescu product: Oil Free Moisturizer (SPF-17) This has the SPF factor and note it is OIL FREE!)

Now I am nothing if not detail oriented, and there is some other cool stuff that needs to be mentioned. The kit comes in a re-usable tote that is very sturdy and in addition to the tote my beauty frugalistas out there are going to love that it also includes a compact mirror and bath sponge, a $25.00 value! The Mario Badescu 'Acne Control Kit' is an editor's pick for our holiday buying guide, for the results you can expect from the products, the wonderful presentation/packaging, (it is gift-giving ready), and of course the beauty 'extras' are a welcome bonus.

PROS:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -This does NOT over-dry my skin - in the past I have used products for the treatment of acne that have stripped my skin of it's natural oils and left it extremely dry, which would force me to over-compensate with night moisturizers to give my skin back it's hydration. The 'Acne Control Kit' has taken me off this skin-care 'hamster wheel'

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - There's no better way to describe this, but there is a 'clean' feeling with this kit that no other product has been as effective in providing.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Standout: The Cucumber Lotion, it's very soothing, and does not strip my skin. I've always been an astringent fan (my great-grandmother passed down the love of astringents on to me) and this one really hits the mark.

CONS:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Your friends will try to steal it! (And the best way around this is to get your BFF a kit of his/her own!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please don't be offended if your friends, family, co-workers or your better half, asks 'what's different'? or if you're pregnant! I know it's hard to consider glowing, radiant, healthy skin a con, but single gals hate being asked if they are pregnant!

For all of you that have stuck with me this far, I am glad to know you are as serious about skin care as I am! While our daily words of inspiration are 'motivators for your insides', we love to help you find ways to make the outside just as beautiful as the inside too!

Can't wait to find out if you won? Mario Badescu is offering Free Shipping + Free Gift with Purchase for any orders over $50 for domestic ground shipping service. Promo code is: SHIPGIFT (valid thru 12/21/09, 12 am EST Not valid for e-cards or gift certificate only purchases)

For other NY Based Butterflies: (I highly recommend consulting with a specialist there to have your skin profiled and matched for the best products for your skin!)

Mario Badescu Skin Care Salon
320 East 52nd street New York, NY 10022
(800) BADESCU -calling for an appointment is NEVER a bad idea!

WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly wants to help you get off the 'acne prone skin care hamster wheel', and thanks to our friends at Mario Badescu we can! One lucky 'Ascending Butterfly' will have the chance to win a Mario Badescu 'Acne Control Kit' of their own. (This is a $77 retail value!) As always, our giveaways are very much open to both men and women!

How to Win: (1) You must be a follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differ from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2) Name one other Mario Badescu product you'd like to try that was not included in the review! (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning! This giveaway is open to USA residents who are 18 years of age or older.

Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this or I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Tuesday, December 15, 2009 until Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 11:59 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

EXTRA CREDIT:

* Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment

* Grab our Button and put it on your Blog. Leave the URL where we can see it in a comment (if you already have our button, just let us know, you will still get extra credit!)

* Follow me @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter (this is ascendingbutterfly’s editor) and give me your twitter ID in a comment

* Tweet this: I just entered @Tracy_Iglesias #ascendingbutterfly @MarioBadescu Acne Control Kit #Giveaway (ARV $77) Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - http://tinyurl.com/yejkxsx

(Leave a comment with the tweet’s url so you can get a valid entry (click on the time your tweet was sent to get the direct URL and then copy and paste it here). You can Tweet ONCE A DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

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Mario Badescu provided me with a kit to review/evaluate and are sponsoring the giveaway and will award a kit to one winner. This is NOT a paid endorsement, I was only provided product to evaluate. All opinions are expressly my own! I remind all readers to consult with a Dermatologist and your MD before trying any new skin care regimen, and I also advise readers to use sunscreen daily to prevent skin cancer.