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Alright, so I was going to start this post by lauding the praises of my skincare Trifecta of Terrificness, until I realized that actually, I want to tell you about four awesome skincare products, not three, and I couldn't think of a catchy name for that. My Quad of Excellence, perhaps? Nope, doesn't have quite the same ring to it.
Anyway, here's the thing: I only ever use four products on my skin, and of those four products, I only use two every day. And provided I use these four things on a fairly regular basis, I can keep my skin pretty happy, and when my skin's happy, I'm happy, and when I'm happy, no-one gets their head bitten off, and so that's pretty much good for the entire world. I wouldn't want to cause World War Three because I was cranky about a zit.
So here we go, then: it's introduction time. Have you met Mario Badescu, BeautyHacks readers? Because you really need to. I know what you're thinking---the website's a little ropey-looking, huh?---but trust me when I tell you that this man will change your life. (Well, ahem, this man's products will change your life. Never pressed the flesh with the actual man, but I'm sure he's a very nice chap.)
I was first introduced to Mario Badescu when I asked a co-worker with porcelain skin what she used on her face to look that good. She sent me to the Mario Badescu website---some products are also available in Nordstrom, apparently, and on Nordstrom.com---and told me to fill in the online survey about my skin type. I filled in the survey, and a week later, a bag of Mario Badescu samples came in the mail: they'd been chosen especially for me and they were utterly and entirely free. I used them for a week, fell in love with four (and was sort of "meh" on a few others), then promptly went back to the Mario Badescu website to order the fab four in full-size. Yep, they were that good.
So without further ado, I hereby present the Four Skincare Products I Urge You To Try With The Hope That You Love Them As Much As I Do. You don't have to buy or try all four, obviously---they definitely don't have to be used in conjunction, and only one of the four may actually work for you---but I'm putting them all out there so that you know what's what. Also, please note that all of these products last FOREVER.
1. Enzyme Cleansing Gel, $12: This is a gentle cleanser for everyday use, and I've found that it removes makeup, foams up nicely, leaves my face feeling soft and not at all dry, and even smells fairly pleasant. I can't imagine using anything else on my face---and in fact, I have used other things on my face when I've run out of Enzyme Cleansing Gel, and my face has reacted by letting me know EXACTLY HOW IT FEELS about that bait and switch. Which is to say: not happy.
2. Seaweed Night Cream, $20: I also use this night cream every day---well, every night, obviously, right after I've washed my face. It's light and not at all greasy or heavy, and I wake up with a face that looks and feels really moisturized and glowy. My boyfriend said it smelled horrible once, so I mixed things up and decided to try Mario Badescu's Bee Pollen Night Cream instead. And man, that was a bad idea: not the same results at all! Trust me, for dewy skin, the seaweed cream is definitely the way to go.
3. Glycolic Foaming Cleanser, $15: Once a week, I wash my face with this instead of the Enzyme Cleansing Gel. It's kind of like having a mini facial! Or maybe a mini-dose of microdermabrasion. Either way, it really seems to brighten my skin. Beware: you only need a teeny-tiny dot! As such, this bottle will likely last you into 2012.
4. Drying Lotion, $17: This stuff is my secret weapon. Look up the word "miracle" in the dictionary and you'll see a bottle of this: honestly, it's a little scary how well it works. If you get the occasional zit---and who doesn't? Actually, don't tell me if you don't, because I don't want to know---just dab a little of this on the offending spot, go to bed (uh, trust me, you
