The last couple of months I’ve been having some more break-outs than usual.. And I’m not too sure why. It’s not the products I’m using as I have eliminated the new ones in the affected area which did not help at all, so I had to go on a hunt for some new, stronger remedies that might tackle this and make my skin even again. I got recommended one product in particular & after doing some online research I found out it has been getting raving reviews for a long time now. So I was intrigued! Luckily it was quite easy to find Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion as Beautybay stocks it. No-brainer ordering there, as they don’t charge any shipping and have a great customer service whenever anything goes wrong with your order. I ordered with premier service to get it shipped sooner & it took about a week to arrive.

Mario Badescu is an American skin care company that also has spa services in the US & is well known for their acne treatments. The Drying Lotion I got is one of those treatments and is really stands out because of its formula. The treatment consists of two layers: a pink one and a clear yellowish one. The pink product layer lays on the bottom and consists of calamine, while the yellowish layer contains salicylic acid. It’s important not to shake the product as you really need to keep these two layers separate - that just is how it works. 

The ingredients: Isopropyl Alcohol, Deionized Water (Aqua), Calamine, Camphor, Colloidal Sulfur, Salicylic Acid,Glycerine, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide and Talc. 

You’ll need a cotton swab to apply this nifty product. I’m using one by MAC in the picture, but that’s just because I ran out of regular ones. I normally just buy the cheapest our supermarket has to offer. So basically you just need to dip the cotton swab into the bottle and pierce the pink layer in the bottom. Pull it out and try not to touch the sides of the bottle (which clearly I am not very good at).

Then, you’ll find this smelly pink layer of product all over one end of the cotton swab. It smells quite strong and very chemical, but I guess that’s what is needed to get rid of ugly pimples you’d rather want gone in the morning. 

Apply one dot of product to each whitehead/pimple you want treated overnight. It’ll sting a bit at first, but no worries as that sensation is just temporary. I usually apply this half an hour before going to bed as I want it to be thoroughly dry before hitting the pillow. 

This does dramatically change the sight of some pimples overnight, but needs three to four nights of consistent treatment to really take down a pimple. Some spots have reacted really well to this, and a couple of others haven’t. Overall though, this is the most effective acne/pimple treatment I have found up until now and I find it well worth the €19 I paid for it. It is a bit smelly and does not look pretty at all, but I don’t have any other complaints. Some acne remedies can be quite drying, but I haven’t really noticed any areas to get overly dry. I do however have quite oily skin, so if you’ve got a dry skin type as it is I would use this in moderation. Pro tip: this can also be used to relieve the itch and take down the swelling of mosquito bites!

So yes Mario, you have me convinced! I can’t wait for my trip to the US, so I can purchase some more of your products with some help in one of your counters. And why don’t you cross the ocean and install some spa’s here as well? Yes please?