Thursday, October 25, 2012

Sephora Brand - Great Products, Even Better Prices

I'm back today with a quick little blurb highlighting one of the products you can find at your local Sephora - their own brand of color cosmetics.  Yesterday I was out and about and, of course, was drawn into the Sephora in my local JC Penney.  While this shop does not have nearly the selection of a stand-alone Sephora, it's good for a quick makeup fix, and does have the benefit of carrying the Sephora brand products - brushes, eyeshadows, lipsticks, and, thank heavens, LIP LINER!  

As some of you may know, I have been heartbroken since the Aveda line stopped making lipliner, as I had been using their brand for years and years, and found nothing to compare with the color, minty (yep, there's that minty taste again!) flavor, and longevity on the lips of this product.  Some of the brands I'd tried include Bare Minerals (and, alas, THEY, too have stopped featuring lip liners in their line); Lancome (very expensive and no good color selection for me); Makeup Forever (too-bright colors); Hourglass (bleeds!!!!!!); Cargo (sorry, that reverse lipliner doesn't work); MAC (might be good if I could find the right shade); and Clinique (not a bad formula, but that line doesn't have the perfect color for me yet).



Here is a small sampling of my lipliners.  As you can see, the Sephora purchases are in the front.  The texture is wonderful, and the two colors I purchased (for a mere five dollar bill) are good for the colors of lipstick I wear on a daily basis.  However, look at the SIZE of these babies!  What's up with that?  These are brand-new, and are basically half the size of any other lipliner I've ever purchased.  But then again, they're half the price, too, so I guess when you need a new one, just get two at once and you'll be good to go!

There was a very decent color selection - I did not actually count them, but from memory, I'd say that you could choose from about ten or twelve shades.  The colors range from red to pink to brown, so I'm sure that there is a shade that would be just grand for any lipcolor you are wanting to match.  Minus the mintiness.  (A blessing for some, others not so much.)

Next time, I'll tell you about the neat Sephora brand eyeliner I brought home. :)

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Josie Maran's Argan Oil Products!

I don't know how many of you have heard of Josie Maran, as she's perhaps not exactly a household name, but she is a lovely young thirty-something model and mother of two little girls who started her own line of Argan Oil products roughly a year and a half ago.  I first became aware of her products (where else?) on QVC about a year ago.  These products are pretty decent, and, while they will NOT suddenly make your fifty/sixty/or seventy+-something face transform into the sweet young thing you were in your twenties (yes, dearie, of course we were ALL once sweet young things), they WILL give you some bang for your buck, and even bring a little smile to your face when you use them.  Maybe.  If color makes you smile the way it makes me smile. :)

A 1.7 oz. size of Argan Oil was Josie's first product in the line, and I confess that my lovely bottle of the stuff is nearly ALL GONE!!!  This, in itself, is pretty impressive, because Makeup Ho that I am, I RARELY finish a product.  (The exceptions being mascara, lipsticks, and the occasional lipgloss.  And my bottle of Lauren, the Ralph Lauren classic fragrance that is my all time favorite scent.  Evah.  Yum.)  Here is the bottle of Argan Oil:


I like to use it on the Crow's Feet (on me they might be more like Buzzard's Feet) at the corners of the eyes, the lovely Crypt-Keeper lines above my less-than-lush lips, my elbows, the tops of my hands, and on my cuticles.  It's very light and absorbs pretty quickly.  If you are very diligent and use it daily (as I do not, because I just am not that good about any beauty routine except for applying makeup....LOL), it really does have a softening effect on the lines and wrinkles.  I believe I have been using my bottle for about a year now, and there's probably half an inch left in the bottom of the container.  It hasn't gone rancid yet, which is quite decent, as I've had other products that don't last nearly as long.  It's not terribly inexpensive, as I believe this bottle was in the vicinity of $48.00, but if you shop on the Q, you can probably get it in combination with another product, such as the Argan Color Stick I am going to talk about next, which makes it a much more palatable price. :)  Josie Maran Argan Oil is 100% Moroccan  argan oil, with no fillers or additives.

Which brings me to the other Josie Maran product that I really like, the Argan Color Stick.  This is a product that reminds me of the Nars Multiple, but in my book, this product beats the Multiple hands down, as the Multiple costs quite a bit more at $39.00 (The Argan Color Stick is a mere $22.00), and does not last nearly as long on the lips as the Argan Color Stick does.  Plus, Josie's product has a fab minty feel on the lips, and is infused with the softening properties of - you guessed it - ARGAN OIL!  :)


My Argan Color Stick is the Petal Pink shade, and it's a beautiful, warm pink, with a touch of shimmer.  I believe that there are several other different shade choices available.  Check them out at www.josiemarancosmetics.com.  You can also stop by your local Sephora (OMG, don't tell me you don't HAVE a local Sephora - I would die a thousand deaths if I couldn't pop by that Cosmetics Mecca weekly to drool over the latest goodies on display, but that's just me) to check out the beautiful Josie Maran offerings there....

You can use this product on your cheeks and lips, and it gives a lovely sheen of color on the cheeks - dewey, ladies - just what we are looking for to make our old, crepey cheeks appear YOUNGER, right?  Just dot a little of the product on the apples of your cheeks and blend outward and upward.  And when you're done with your cheeks, apply some to your lips.  I wore it today, and the lipcolor lasted a good three to four hours for me, and it didn't sink into the vertical lines now permanently making their home above and below my mouth!  For that alone, it deserves applause.  And a big KISS! 



I highly recommend these products.  Josie's "Magic Marker Lip and Cheek Stain", not so much.  I tried it.  And then I ran screaming out of the bathroom.  That product was not even REMOTELY wearable for this old broad, and, believe me I bought SEVERAL in the hope that one of the shades would work.  Total waste of my cash.

However, I recently sampled another of Josie's products at - you guessed it - Sephora - and now I have something that I can put on my Wish List for Christmas.  It's the Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter in Vanilla & Apricot, although there is a Citrus version as well that I have not gotten to sniff personally.  This product make my skin feel nothing short of divine, and the scent was absolutely delicious.  The Argan Balm is also really nice, and I loved the way that made my skin feel as well.

So, what are you waiting for, girls?  Get yourselves over to Sephora, or shop online on the Q or Josie's own website, and get one of these little beauties home.  You'll thank me, I just know it!  

Till next time, my Beauties.