Behind The Brand: Mario Badescu

This iconic American skincare brand was founded by Romanian-born Mario Badescu, a skincare specialist who dreamed big. With a background in chemistry and cosmetology, Mario left Romania, traveled to America and opened his famous New York salon in 1967. Mario Badescu's salon was located at 320 East 52nd street and still exists today. It is a 36 treatment room facility that preforms up to 200 facials per day!

After opening his salon in the sixties, Mario Badescu soon became New York's most sought-after Esthetician, gaining popularity for his classic European-style facials. Mario then began creating his own botanically-based skincare line, focused on the philosophy that skincare products should be gentle, simple and effective. Like his famous facials, the Mario Badescu skincare line became a huge success and, for the rest of his life, Mario continued to conduct research in his laboratory and test his innovative products in his salon. Lucky for us, the results of his never-ending hard work are still available to purchase today.

To find out more about Mario Badescu's history, its celebrity fans, and its bestselling products, visit BeautyNewsDaily.

Long Haul Flight Skincare Routine

I recently flew to NYC and, stupidly, did absolutely nothing to treat my skin during the flight. A shocking confession from a beauty blogger, I know. Nothing was applied to my skin skin before, during or after my flight and I suffered majorly as a result. From the moment I stepped off the plane, my skin was dull, dry and flaky for an entire week. It took nightly applications of the Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask, as well as an Elizabeth Arden Signature facial and Dermalogica facial to get my skin back to normal.

So, as you would expect, everything changed when it came to flying home. This time I stepped on-board prepared, and, thanks to a solid skincare routine and arsenal of amazing skincare products, I was able to keep my skin in perfect condition.

Before I had even arrived at the airport, I consumed a liter of water and drank another during my flight. Once the plane took off, I got to work applying my skin saviours...

Understanding...Beauty Sleep

The term beauty sleep may sound like it jumped straight out of a Disney movie, however you might be surprised to hear that it actually holds a lot of truth. A good night's sleep is essential for maintaining a healthy, beautiful appearance.

So how can sleeping affect our appearance? Well, without scaring you too much, lack of sleep can cause the following:

- Dark circles
- Wrinkles
- Inflammation
- Dry skin
- Acne
- Bloodshot eyes
- Sagging skin
- Unhealthy skin

To get scientific, our growth-hormone levels are at their peak during the delta sleep cycle, helping to repair damaged cells and tissues - including skin. Some of the damage that leads to premature ageing is repaired during this stage of sleep. So, when you lose sleep, your body misses out on this period of repair, resulting in untreated skin damage. In addition, you miss out on the antioxidant repair of the skin that occurs during this sleep cycle.

Also, when you don’t get enough sleep, your body releases more cortisol (stress hormone). Too much cortisol can break down skin collagen (the protein that keeps skin elastic, firm and smooth).

If that wasn't bad enough, lack of sleep can also cause weight gain. Sleep deprivation stimulates appetite because it decreases the level of leptin (the hormone that makes you feel full) while increasing the level of ghrelin (the hormone that makes you feel hungry). Another reason sleep deprivation increases weight gain is simply due to the fact that it makes you tired and less active, so you burn fewer calories.

Aside from effecting your looks, lack of sleep can increase your risk of developing diabetes, effect your immunity and fertility, cause depression and anxiety, and kill your sex drive. So getting your beauty sleep really is necessary for all-round good health and beauty.

Experts advise getting between 7.5 - 9 hours of sleep per night, however the exact amount of sleep needed per night is dependant on the individual.

Now, if you struggle getting a good night's sleep, here are a few things that might help:

1. Try and keep to the same sleeping schedule every night
2. Avoid eating big meals late at night
3. Avoid drinking alcohol late at night
4. Get regular exercise
5. Try and wind down before bed - take a warm bath, read a good book etc.

If you find that a good night's sleep is not providing enough beauty benefits, you may want to give your beauty sleep a boost. There are some great skincare products designed to work wonders whilst you snooze...

Recommendations

1. Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask (£22.00 Debenhams / $24.00 Macy's)
2. Antipodes Joyous Protein-Rich Night-Replenishing Serum (£36.99 feelunique.com / $49.00 hipapotheca.com)
3. Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye 15ml (£24.50 Selfridges / $36.00 Kiehl's)
4. Mario Badescu Protein Night Cream 30ml (£18.95 beautybay.com / $20.00 Nordstrom)

The Tuesday Tip: Skin Saving Strawberries

Some gals think the only products that can properly combat acne are those containing hard-to-pronounce synthetic ingredients, however this is not the case. In fact, one of the key ingredients used in acne-fighting products is salicylic acid and this can be derived naturally from a variety of different sources, one of which being strawberries!

So if you have unwanted acne and want to treat it as naturally as possible, give this little DIY mask a try...

• Place a hand full of strawberries into a bowl with an equal amount of natural yoghurt
• Mash the ingredients together until you achieve a smooth consistency
• Spread the mask evenly over your entire face and neck
•  Leave the mask on for 15 minutes and then rinse well

If you're not one for getting your hands dirty, I would recommend using the Mario Badescu Strawberry Tonic Mask (£17.95 beautybay.com / $18.00 mariobadescu.com) as a quick and easy fix. It is a strawberry filled, alpha hydroxy rich, clay mask that absorbs surface oils and debris to keep skin clear and healthy. It also contains the soothing botanical Balsam Peru, which helps to reduce redness and any minor irritation.