Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion

Mario Badescu Buffering LotionMario Badescu Buffering Lotion, $19

I broke my No Buy again. Just days before the weekend-long event that caused me to miss a few posts, I had a cystic blemish begin to form (thanks, cycle). This was perhaps the most painful one I’d ever experienced and I decided I could.not.take.it.

But What to Do?

Fortunately, my wax specialist happened to mention recent success with Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion for this purpose. She suffers cystic blemishes too and reported that this stuff is nigh-miraculous. Recalling this conversation, I consulted the internet – her experience isn’t unique. The next day, I stopped in Ulta and grabbed a bottle of it and used some of my reward points to soften the blow of the infraction.

Application

After washing my face that evening, I gave the bottle a violent shake as directed. Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion is a lotion in the sense that Cliniques toners are lotion – it is a thin, watery substance (like a toner) with a strong isopropyl alcohol smell that is remarkably difficult to control. I carefully dispensed two drops onto the tip of my ringfinger then quickly patted it over the offending area.

Color Me Amazed when…

Within TWO hours, the discomfort and swelling had noticeably diminished. It wasn’t gone, but my chin didn’t ache when I smiled or laughed.

I reapplied before bed and found it to be hardly visible in the morning, and not remotely uncomfortable. For three days, I continued to apply before bed and it went away without the typical 7+ day nightmare and escalation it goes through. I was able to stop another, earlier in its formation, in its tracks too.

The Bottom Line

I haven’t been this thrilled and excited about a product in a long time. I cannot believe that more people are not talking about this product to treat cystic blemishes. This stuff is wizardry.

Okay, it isn’t. Ultimately, it is the zinc oxide in this product that does the dirty work; in theory a zinc oxide cream might work too if you find one free of ingredients that could exacerbate the issue. For now, I’m not willing to experiment much with these because I’m just too happy to have found a solution that will prevent me from suffering for a week or more.

Run, don’t walk!