Argan Love

Argan Love

I have been wanting to post a blog about Argan oil for a looooong time! I know Argan oil has been a huge buzz word in the beauty industry (hello Moroccan oil hair products!) but, I've just started to notice this ingredient in Skincare just recently (and by recently i mean a year, I'm just way behind on blogging lol). I have always been a fan of Josie Maran. She was in Maybelline makeup ads back when I was just discovering my love for makeup. Now, she's this badass #girlboss with a hugely successful Argan oil Skincare & makeup line. She has major standards for her products, the ingredients, how their harvested, what her brand gives back, and of course she wants result-driven products that don't harm you or your health. So, the Josie Maran line is a total win in my eyes! Of course I HAD to try her products out!

If you've read this blog at all, you know I don't use toxic ingredients and I use my handy dandy "think dirty" app or the EWG website to check all my beauty & body products before I buy. So of course these babies I'm going to write about have checked out & are truly sitting on my bathroom shelf right now!


Josie Maran Cosmetics standards are:

-they use organic Argan oil
-all products are made with love
-they're vegan (woo hoo!!)
-no synthetic fragrances
-all natural ingredients
-cruelty free (another must for me)
-paraben free
-organic ingredients
-recyclable (gotta take care of Mother Nature people)

I love these standards! Not only do we have a choice to take care of our skin & our bodies & make sure we do not harm ourselves-now we can choose to support brands who also want to take care of our planet and those living in it! These are huge steps to making the world a better place!

Josie Maran Cosmetics main goal is to enhance natural beauty in all of us while enhancing the natural beauty of the world we live in. From harvest to production, Josie Maran makes sure they are consciously protecting & enhancing the beauty of our planet & ourselves. This company is also about empowering women. I mean how could you not want to support this brand!?!

Josie Maran Cosmetics gets all their Argan oil from an all-female co-op in Morocco. This gives women in Morocco an opportunity to get a job with a steady income with a fair wage in a decent working environment all while providing them literacy and other education opportunities to have the freedom to stand up against the traditionally male-dominated society.

Josie Maran Cosmetics also preserve the Argan forests where they harvest their Argan oil. The co-ops they work with provide responsible harvesting of the Argan oil to protect these forests. Josie also works to save the polar bears in a campaign she has with her Bear Naked Wipes. Every pack sold donates a portion to the Natural Resources Defense Council's Polar Bear SOS Initiative. She also donates 10% of sales from a limited edition product to the JMC's Model Citizen Campagin which highlights a different person who is out & about raising awareness. The proceeds will go to whoever that selected person's cause may be.

So as you can see, not only is she giving back to us. We do not need to worry about products we use harming us & potentially causing health issues. But-she also cares about the environment, empowering woman, making woman feel & look amazing, she cares for other causes & animals, and even the easiest act of us supporting this brand will help out too!

Josie Maran became more aware of toxicity of beauty products being a model for over 17 years. She got to work with the best hair & makeup artists around, but she also got exposed to the scary ingredients used in cosmetics. She wondered, did beauty products have to be bad for us? Well, apparently yes. She was told there was no way her products would be affective & have a luxurious feel without chemicals. Well, she didn't quit there. She continued to figure out a way to make this work and while she was in the South of France she was introduced to Argan oil. Josie referred to Argan oil as "liquid gold." And in 2007 Josie started her brand, Josie Maran Cosmetics & used her "liquid gold" as the staple to her products.

Like I said earlier, I had wanted to try her products because I was such a huge fan of her. But, like everyone else, I was worried about oils being too heavy for my skin. Now this was a while ago. These days I'll put plain extra virgin olive oil on my skin if I have to. Oils don't scare me one bit! But, to most people, putting an oil directly on the skin seems pretty scary. But trust me! It's not! It'll be one of the best things you can do!

I finally made the plunge and purchased a couple of Josie Maran argan oil starter kits at sephora while in Miami working last year. I was in Miami, my skin was really not acting right, and I was so over it. I was working for a high end Skincare brand at the time and was there to train & educate the counters and aestheticians. I have to admit, at about this time last year I wasn't eating great, wasn't sleeping enough, traveling like crazy, and my skin was majorly stuffing. I've had breakouts. I've had dry skin. I've had congested, oily skin. I've had redness & irritation. I've had dull skin. Well all of that put into one was basically my skin in miami. It was so dry, but so oily all at the same time. Being an aesthetician it's rare that I feel out of control with my own skin & in Miami, i did. My skin was just, blah. That's the only way I could describe it.

So last day of my Miami trip I'm shopping with my friend Tiffany. I hate to fly so spending lots and lots of money shopping was my coping mechanism. We went into sephora (which I never go to! I tend to avoid cosmetic stores because I am always in them working!) & I decided ok, I'm finally in one of these things-let's go check out Josie Maran's line! Made a straight run for it & immediately started playing. It was November while I was in Miami so all the holiday sets were out & I racked up! I was loving the lightweight consistency of the cheek tints & the foundation. The colors were beautiful, the finish of the makeup was beautiful. It was Like you had an immediate youthful glow. I loved it! Grabbed up one of the color kits immediately. Then I ran over to the Skincare side. I never use testers because I have seen first hand the lack of care & sanitation people use on these. But I couldn't help myself with the Argan milk from her line. I put a drop on the back of my hand (totally ok with that, I do that all the time) and I fell in love. My hand looked amazing! It felt amazing! So then I got the dropper, poured more in my hands & put it all over my face (totally not ok with that, I never do that at a store!). Immediately my face felt like it came to life. My inflammation calmed down, I felt soothed, I felt hydrated, it had a glow, it was soft, it was plump, it just felt amazing! I picked up that Skincare kit as well and the next thing I knew, I had spent $75 at sephora. Bam! That fast!

That was almost a year ago. I still use so much of her line. I'll write blogs in more detail highlighting one product at a time because they're so good. I just wanted to give you an overview of the brand as a whole first. I can't wait to share all my favorites from the line!!

Where to buy-www.josiemarancosmetics.com

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad