This screw-lidded tub of powder had been languishing in the depths of one of my ginormous mirrored Ikea medicine cabinets (I miss them SO MUCH, sniffle) for the longest time, but was dug out again recently as part of The Big Pre-Move Clearout. And since those stupid DIY pore strips had failed to make any sort of impression on my deeelightful nose 'n' chin blackheads, I thought I might as well give Mario and his Silver Powder another chance.
It's actually a fine white, not silver, powder, and the instructions recommend dipping water-dampened cotton wool directly into the powder and then pressing it onto congested areas. I prefer to tip a little powder into the palm of my hand and make a paste by mixing it with a little water before applying with cotton wool; I find that this makes it easier to control the consistency of the mixture. There's quite a bit of powdery fallout anyway as it dries, but that's even worse if the mixture's too thick.
Get overly enthusiastic with this stuff and you're asking to be hauled off to the boss's office or a Narcotics Anonymous meeting: you'll be sneezing white powder for a week.
Removal after the recommended 10 minutes is up is a job in itself: even using toner per the label, Silver Powder is inclined to leave a bit of a white film behind.
So using it was just as much of a rigmarole as I remembered. However, I did notice more of an improvement in the appearance of oiliness, blackheads and under-skin congestion than the last time I used it, probably because there were a few things I did differently this time around.
Advertised
I used a warm damp muslin cloth before the toner to help ease loosened blackheads out of the pores they'd been squatting in. (Nice visual, ha?) I kept up my normal twice weekly scrub with Origins Modern Friction. I also used the Silver Powder regularly: three times a week initially and then once a week for maintenance, rather than just the odd time that I remembered it.
This isn't going to suit skin that's sensitive or in the slightest bit inclined to dryness, and it definitely needs to be incorporated into a long-term treatment plan as it's not going to provide a quick fix on its own. For now, though, Mario has earned a place in the top drawer of my new undersink vanity cabinet yoke.
Fanceee.
There are sadly no Irish stockists of the Mario Badescu brand that we know of but you can buy online from BeautyBay.com for €13.
