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Welcome to Skincarma.

These are the musings of Carmine Montalto, NYC-based writer, skincare junkie and brand guru. The former copywriter at Kiehl’s, Carmine has more than 25 years of experience in beauty. Through the Skincarma Blog, he puts all of his product wisdom to work demystifying the ever-evolving world of skin care. 

You can change your skin’s destiny.™

PRODUCT REVIEW: MARIO BADESCU FACIAL SPRAY WITH ALOE, HERBS AND ROSEWATER – BEST FACE MIST, BEST HYDRATING TONER FOR DRY, DEHYDRATED SKIN

PRODUCT REVIEW: MARIO BADESCU FACIAL SPRAY WITH ALOE, HERBS AND ROSEWATER – BEST FACE MIST, BEST HYDRATING TONER FOR DRY, DEHYDRATED SKIN

MARIO BADESCU | FACIAL SPRAY WITH ALOE, HERBS AND ROSEWATER 

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This review was originally part of my blog article titled, Favorite Face Mists for Keeping Skin Hydrated in the Cold. You can catch the full piece here.

Over the last two weeks, I’ve been exploring cold weather skincare. There’s nothing worse than dry, dehydrated skin in the winter. I used to struggle with coming out of the winter season looking a year older — and often joked that I’d aged the entire year in just those three chilly months.

Until I learned how to take better care of my skin from season to season. In the winter, skin needs richer, more moisturizing and hydrating treatments — that is, it needs you to help it replace its lost oil and water.

If you haven’t yet had the chance to explore my collection of ten of the best face creams for dry skin and all skin in the dry, cold air, I invite you to check them out here.

Two weeks ago, I kicked off my winter series with the first five of these richer face creams in a blog article titled, Winter Moisturizers Part I – Some of the Best Face Creams for Dry Skin and All Skin Types in Cold Weather. Then last week, I rounded out the top ten in Winter Moisturizers Part 2 — available here.

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I like to separate the concepts of moisture and hydration by focusing moisture more on the oil content of the skin and hydration on the water content. Dry skin lacks oil. Dehydrated skin lacks water. Perhaps it’s not as clear cut as that, but it helps me to seek out the right treatments for my seasonal skin concerns.

So, I focused on moisture and moisturizers the last two weeks, now I want to offer up some thoughts on how to keep your skin hydrated. Of course, that starts from within — drinking lots and lots of water.

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I have (let me see, I’m scanning the apartment and counting in my head!) six 50.7 fl oz / 1.5L bottles of Essentia ionized alkaline pH water strategically placed in three rooms. I literally have water within reach wherever I am in my 1,000 sq. foot Brooklyn apartment!

Call me crazy, but don’t call me dehydrated!

So while hydration starts from within, it’s important to keep the skin surface hydrated throughout the day. And I have multiple hydrating face mists around the apartment, too! When I walk by one, I often stop and spritz. Hydration is everything in the cold!

But how do you know if your skin is dehydrated? And what’s the difference between dry and dehydrated skin? Simply dry is a skin type and dehydrated is a skin concern or condition.


What’s the difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin?

For the answer to that vexing questing, as I most often do, I turned to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team for insights. There’s a super piece on the Paula’s Choice site titled, What is Dehydrated Skin & How to Choose the Best Products. Here is an excerpt:

Dehydrated skin often looks and feels like dry skin all over your face, but there's a major difference between the two: dehydrated skin is usually a temporary concern (with various surprising causes) and dry skin typically doesn't change over time. If you have dehydrated skin, your skin may also produce a normal or even excessive amount of oil on its surface.

"Dehydrated skin" is something we’re asked about frequently. It seems there’s a lot of confusion about what this skin concern is about. A major part of the confusion is that the term "dehydrated skin" is often used interchangeably with "dry skin" or "combination skin" but they are not the same! Dehydrated skin can occur in all skin types and is not exclusive to those with dry skin or combination skin.

The Difference Between Dry Skin and Dehydrated Skin

Having classically dry skin is easy to recognize. Dry skin frequently feels tight and dry, with no oil anywhere to be seen. This situation rarely fluctuates; skin feels dry all year long. The dryness might get worse depending on the climate, season, or activity, but regardless of those things, without great skin care products, the uncomfortable dry, tight feeling will persist.

As mentioned above, dehydrated skin can look and feel similar, but there’s a major difference: Dehydrated skin tends to come and go, it does not persist.


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Mario Badescu | Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater

An article about face mists wouldn’t be complete without Mario Badescu. The brand’s Facial Sprays are iconic! I’m pretty sure Mario Badescu was among the very first skincare brands to introduce a face mist — and I believe the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater was the first one I ever experienced.

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It was back in my days at Kiehl’s and we, of course, had a competitive product budget. (That was one of the best parts of the job!) I remember having the Mario Badescu Facial Sprays around the office.

Like Kiehl’s, Mario Badescu has that classic, institutional New York City feel to it, even though it started out as a high-end medi-spa in Midtown Manhattan, whereas Kiehl’s began as a Downtown pharmacy. It felt like a sister brand to me, with formulas popularized in the 60s and 70s.

The brand was established by its namesake founder, Mario Badescu who endeavored to introduce European-style facials to the Manhattan elite. Badescu opened his famous salon in 1967 in his two-room Manhattan apartment. He built up a cult following that continues to this day.

I don’t know when exactly Badescu introduced his first facial spray, the cult favorite the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater. Today there are four of them, including original Rosewater, Cucumber and Green Tea, Sage and Orange Blossom and Chamomile and Lavender.

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Like those Kiehl’s product icons that came out of the the 60s, the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater is not exactly a modern formula. There is some fragrance in it, though it’s not overpowering. And, funny enough, there’s even a bit of red and blue die, reminiscent of Kiehl’s iconic Kiehl’s Blue Astringent Herbal Lotion, which gets its electric hue from artificial blue die.

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But, unlike Mario Badescu’s super-hydrating Facial Spray, Kiehl’s Blue Astringent is so loaded with denatured alcohol, I’d classify it as a drying toner — if there were any such thing!

But icons they are. Skin care classics of a different era. You can’t take that away from them. And I can’t help but love the Mario Badescu’s Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater! It’s super refreshing, with a blend of Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Rosa Canina (Rosewater) Extract and Thyme Leaf Extract. Again, not perfect by any means — an oldie, but goodie!

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater for $12 here.



WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF

WINTER MOISTURIZERS PART 2

ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE


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The Ingredient List of the the Sunday Riley Pink Drink Firming Resurfacing Essence:

Water/Eau/Aqua solv, Yeast Ferment (Pink Yeast) Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate so|h, Honey Extract h, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-11, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside (Egcg) aox|so, Ceramide AP sii, Ceramide EOP sii, Ceramide NP sii, Cucumis Melo (Melon) Fruit Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Seed Extract, Sea Water h|solv, Phospholipids sii|emo, Sphingolipids emo, Laminaria Digitata (Sea Kelp) Extract, Zymomonas Ferment Extract h, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract h, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Phytosphingosine sii|cci|aacne|amic, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract emo, Triethyl Citrate perf, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract aox|so, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil perf, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Extract perf|vc, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Peel Extract perf, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower/Leaf Extract h|perf|so, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract aox|so, Rosa Damascena Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Polyglycerin-6 h, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Saccharide Isomerate h, Cholesterol sii|emo 0 0, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate emu, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Betaine h, Polysorbate 20 emu|surf 0 0, Dimethyl Isosorbide solv|vc, Phenoxyethanol pres, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Carbomer vc 0 1, Hydroxyacetophenone aox, Xanthan Gum vc|emu|surf, 1,2-Hexanediol solv, Maltodextrin
Hover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.

The Ingredient List of the Mario BadescuFacial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater:

Water, Propylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Rosa Canina Extract, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Leaf Extract, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Chloride, Citronellol, Geraniol, CI 17200 (Red 33), CI 42090 (Blue 1).

The Ingredient List of the Sioris Time Is Running Out Facial Oil Mist:

The Ingredient List of the Laneige Cream Skin Mist:

Hover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.

The Ingredient List of the Skinfix Barrier+ Nutrient Water Misting Tonic:


The Ingredient List of the Derma E Hydrating Mist:


PRODUCT REVIEW: SKINFIX BARRIER+ NUTRIENT WATER MISTING TONIC – BEST FACE MIST, BEST HYDRATING TONER FOR DRY, DEHYDRATED SKIN

PRODUCT REVIEW: SKINFIX BARRIER+ NUTRIENT WATER MISTING TONIC – BEST FACE MIST, BEST HYDRATING TONER FOR DRY, DEHYDRATED SKIN

PRODUCT REVIEW: PAULA’S CHOICE HYALURONIC ACID BOOSTER - BEST HYALURONIC ACID SERUM, BEST HYDRATING SERUM

PRODUCT REVIEW: PAULA’S CHOICE HYALURONIC ACID BOOSTER - BEST HYALURONIC ACID SERUM, BEST HYDRATING SERUM