Nope, it's technically not makeup! The Mario Badescu Silver Powder (P745) is more like a face mask and acne troubleshooter than anything else. It's a skincare product that could pass off as finishing powder - actually, if you really want to maximize it, you can add a pinch of it to your loose powder just to amp up the oil-controlling properties. Just a pinch for one jar, no more.

For the Silver Powder is crazy oil absorbent. It contains calcium carbonate, which is a kind of chalk commonly used in mineral makeup, as well as kaolin clay (usually found in masks and long-wearing makeup) and zinc oxide (a sunscreen agent). It's mission is clear and devastatingly simple: to absorb excess oil and bring blackheads to the surface.

To use, dip a damp cotton bud into the powder and cover your nose with the wet powder. That should bring out most of the oil and impurities hiding near the surface of the skin.

I bought the Mario Badescu Special Healing Powder (P795) on impulse. It looked and felt a lot like T. Le Clerc's famous Loose Powder so I was interested in trying a cheaper version. Now, the MB powder is pretty good at oil control and quite helpful in fighting pimples because of its disinfectant properties. It also has very basic non-comedogenic ingredients - all four of it! It's practically mineral makeup.

However, I don't use this much mainly because I'm anal about how finishing powders should look like on my face

I'm 23 but the sad fact is that I still break out regularly. Sometimes it's before my period, often because I am trying out a new product for a review. I've heard from countless magazines that Mario Badescu is good for acne-ridden skin but thought that it's too expensive for me - wrong! It's quite affordable so I decided to buy the Mario Badescu Drying Cream (P795) when I was at Rustan's some weeks ago.

The Drying Cream promises to "heal and conceal under surface blemishes". I was a bit baffled about what the copy meant when it said surface blemishes, but I suppose it means pimples. The cream does heal pimples (albeit slowly), but I wouldn't recommend that it be used as a concealer since it's too white!

What I love about the product

• As promised, it dries pimples. I give it two to three nights, depending on the pimple's severity. Really bad pimples won't get worse if you use this cream.
• Great for pimple poppers (I'm guilty!). It covers up the wound, dries it, and sanitizes the area without stinging.

I've read about Mario Badescu years before in magazines, but my curiosity was piqued when Kristine of Temptalia raved about it in 2009. I never got to try it though because I had the impression that MB products are expensive, but that idea is quite off the mark!

On a trip to Rustan's Makati the other day I chanced by the wall of Mario Badescu skincare in the Essences section (near the Glorietta 4 area). I quickly checked the price and saw that the Drying Cream (for drying acne) was only P795. Well, it's not dirt cheap, but it's certainly not expensive.