My name is Andeea and I am a Skin Care Specialist and Make-up Artist at Mario Badescu Skin Care. My skin has always experienced a combination of problems. Growing up in Minnesota the weather was hot and humid in the summer and really dry and cold in the winter months. I had always thought my skin was oilier than it really was therefore I was always unintentionally using the wrong products on my skin. It was not until I went to school for make-up artistry that I realized how important skin care really was, up until then I can’t even remember what I used, but I know it wasn’t right.

Before you worry about how your make up looks you should be thinking about your skin care first. The face is like a canvas and the makeup is like the paint. If your canvas is bumpy or ripped you can’t paint on it and if you do, the end result won’t be so great. So you get the point that the goal is to create a smooth complexion so your makeup wears nicely. Now not everyone needs or even wears makeup, but I know everyone wants good skin which is why I have become just as interested in skincare as I am in all the makeup products I had come to love. Working at a number of makeup counters and dabbling in just about every product line department stores carry, I began to get to know my skin better. Even more so from helping others. Since I tend to get excited really easily with most products you can imagine what happened when I started to sample Mario Badescu products.

I had just started a new job at Nordstrom in 2007 and they carried a lot more product lines than the other places I had worked. So needless to say after working in makeup for 4 years, I finally ran into Mario Badescu Skin Care. To be honest I really wasn’t that intrigued by it at first because the packaging never really caught my eye. It was located at the end of my aisle toward the back of the cosmetics area. That is the only reason I knew it was there. Who knows how long it would have taken me to examine it more closely. As the customers started asking me for help with Mario Badescu line I started to get curious as to why everyone wanted this stuff and had so many questions about it. I started reading the brochure and soon enough with the help of a few co-workers and some samples I fell IN LOVE! I was getting free products from the counter I managed but would rather pay for the Mario Badescu products. I loved the line so much and it was really truly making a difference in how my skin looked. I was finally starting to get that natural glow that we all crave.

To make a long story short, my mother convinced me to move to New York City. The first place I applied was Mario Badescu Skin Care. Knowing about what you are selling and loving it really makes you the best salesperson and happiest employee. I love hearing about the difference our products have made in the skin of all of the clients I assist. It really makes me feel good to know that I am sending someone home with what they need to get the results they want.

Sometimes when we feel our skin is at its worst, we pile on the make-up and products hoping it’ll help. That is not the best thing to do. The secret is to find that perfect balance of products to use while keeping it minimal and most importantly, (and unfortunately) you can only address one skincare problem at a time. I always suggest that you focus first on blemishes and clearing up the skin, evening out skin tone secondly, then preventing/repairing aging skin thirdly (and wearing sunscreen daily in your moisturizer which you can start doing right now no matter what your skin condition is like). When you focus on one thing at a time you will get the best results. Some products cover several bases but you have to speak to one of us to get the right regimen if you have multiple issues going on.

I always thought my skin was really oily just because I got a few pimples and then panicked thinking I had acne when I did not. I’m just always on the edge of my seat getting too excited over nothing, leaving me to jump to wrong conclusions. I always ran to oil free everything and assumed it would take care of the problems. I tried a lot of things but no matter what, pimples would always find their way to the surface. Now I know that’s because they always will! Skin reacts to a million different things from person to person. Stress, food we eat, food we don’t eat, lack of sleep, hormones, among many other things, and we are not perfect. Unfortunately skin can’t be either but we can do our best to try and keep it in the best shape possible. I know this is from trial and error and now that my skin is clear I know I am using the correct products and have been for 2 and a half years now. But what do you know? I can still get a random blemish every now and then. Why? Because I am human and it’s okay. I have MB to save me. My skin was not as oily as I thought it was I am more a combination skin type (dry in the cheeks and oily in the t-zone area). This is a tricky skin to maintain and the most common skin type. After trying a few different combinations of products my regimen is as follows:

Morning:

• Enzyme Cleansing Gel is one of the first things I ever sampled from MB, absolutely can not live without it.

• Special Cucumber Lotion: As I said on the You Tube video I was not just saying I love this product…… I really love this product and I can’t live without it. It controls my oily t-zone without over drying my cheeks and its astringent ingredients keep breakouts away.

• Cellufirm Drops: I love these because they are light and easily absorbed. It doesn’t feel like I am layering a bunch of stuff on my face before I apply makeup and they can also be used under the eye cream.

• Ceramide Eye Gel: Keep in mind you should always use a light hand with your eye cream in the day if you are applying concealer. I keep this in the fridge because it works great on puffy eyes when you keep it cold.

• Collagen Moisturizer SPF 15: This is lightweight. It’s not oil free but I need that extra hydration because I get dry in the cheeks. This feels so light and absorbs right away. I hate moisturizer that feels like its still on your face after 5 minutes. I like it to soak in and start working without sitting on top of my skin like some sunscreen moisturizers do.

Evening:

• Eye Makeup Remover Cream is perfect for removing all my makeup. I also wear contact lenses and it never bothers them.

• Enzyme Cleansing Gel

• Special Cucumber Lotion

• Ceramide Eye Gel and Cellufirm Drops

• Vitamin C Serum every other night. This is absolutely everything you want your serum to do all in one bottle. Great skin brighter!

• Hydro Moisturizer with Vitamin C (Spring, Winter, Fall) is lightweight but not oil free. Even though I am combo-oily I have found a good balance of products so I don’t breakout but I give my skin the hydration it needs. If I need more, it’s Herbal Hydrating Serum to the rescue.

Some of my favorite products to have in my make-up kit are:

• Aloe Vera Toner is great to gently remove any excess dirt on the skin’s surface before moisturizing. It is alcohol free so will not over dry.

• Control Moisturizer for Oily Skin is absolutely hands down my favorite moisturizer for a number of reasons. It is quickly absorbed into the skin, it tones down any redness, oil free, won’t clog, and perfect for combo skin types. I know the name sometimes throws customers off. This is also my Summer moisturizer for when I am oilier than normal.

• Herbal Hydrating Serum is ideal for prepping the skin before a makeup application whether your skin dry or oily. This serum is oil free so it’s great for anyone and the bases are covered.

• Special Healing Powder is amazing because of the yellow tint it has. It tones down redness and it’s great to apply to a cystic bump in the day so you can let the blemish heal instead of piling on the concealer. This powder really helps absorb excess oils as well so it’s great for bridal pictures and great for that groom who refuses makeup for pictures.

• Facial Spray with Aloe Herbs and Rose Water hydrates and leaves skin with a dewy finish as it refreshes your makeup. I spray it in my hair as well.

• Eye Makeup Remover Cream quickly erases any make-up mistakes and can double as a lip moisturizer in a pinch.

. . .

All of the above products were used to prep Miss Madison’s, and Miss Kristen’s skin in the pics below. The prep of the skin for the 1950’s period make-up was very important because I used a thicker base and the skin needs the perfect balance of moisture to set this type makeup and have it wear as long as possible without getting cakey.