Josie Maran Plumping Lipgloss and Eye Liner

* Currently Josie Maran Cosmetics is non-compliant in their Compact for Safe Cosmetics.  Additionally, Josie Maran cosmetics does not appear to be as green as they are marketing themselves to be because of their use of ingredients such as polybutene, butylene glycol, hexylene glycol, and synthetic D&C dyes. Please see the article Greenwasher Exposed: Josie Maran at Feelgoodstyle for more information.

My Josie Maran Earth Day Essentials Kit arrived last week and overall I am very pleased with every item. It’s a great buy, and I recommend getting it if you’re interested in Josie Maran’s line of natural*, petrochemical-free*, paraben-free, phthalate-free, cosmetics. I’ll review all of the products in the kit, but will start with the Plumping Lip Gloss and Eye Liner for today.

I consider myself a minimalist when it comes to makeup. I’ll use tinted moisturizer on certain days or possibly some pressed mineral powder if I feel the need, (Jane Iredale’s is my favorite). But I rarely go without a little eyeliner and lipgloss, so that’s why I’m starting with these two.

Josie Maran’s Eye Liner in black is not for the faint of heart. It performs like a heavy duty kohl liner and is blacker than black. When I first put it on I felt like I should light up a clove cigarette, turn on The Cure and dance myself back to the year 1985. But since I’m not likely to do that, at least not the clove cigarette part, I’ll tell you that I very lightly applied the liner to my waterline, and then smudged it. I loved the effect. It gave a really subtle, smoky look, but was acceptable for a daytime Trader Joe’s run. This could easily be glamed up for the evening with a heavier hand.

In my HAIR post I said that I quit all non-green products “cold turkey” save for my hair products. I have to confess that was a bit for dramatic effect. I did wait until many of my products ran out before I replaced them, as there is no sense in wasting things. I still have a few last vestiges of non-green products that I am still waiting to use up, and one is my Shu Uemura Drawing Pencil in Khaki. Man, how I love that non-green thing. It’s the best eyeliner I have ever used. It ranks a 10 out of 10. But it’s made with petrochemicals and parabens, and I’ve been wondering what I’m going to do when it finally runs out. Thankfully, Josie Maran’s is a 9 out of 10 (I docked 1 point for the time it takes to smudge) and I’m hoping her brown liner is a 10 out of 10.

I am also duly impressed with her Plumping Lip Gloss. Not for its supposed plumping action which I could care less about and saw no signs of, but because it’s a great looking, moisturizing gloss. I felt a slight tingling sensation when I applied it, but it was short lived and I was only aware of it when I was thinking about it for this review. The Earth Day Essentials Kit comes with Daring, a sheer peachy pink imbued with subtle shimmer that does not require a mirror for application. Yay for “your lips but better” glosses! The gloss goes on smoothly with a brush-tipped wand that does not seem to be at risk for splaying out like an old broom as the Bobbi Brown ones do. (You Bobbi Brown fans know what I’m talking about). And this may be a pro or con for some, depending on if you care if your gloss tastes or smells, but Josie Maran’s gloss has a sweet fruity taste and a mild vanilla scent that lasts about five minutes.

If you don’t want to buy the whole Earth Day Essentials Kit, and would prefer to try just one or two of Josie Maran’s products, they are on sale at the Barney’s website, (6/9/09 Update: looks like everything is sold out) as they must have decided to not carry the line anymore. From their sale selection, I have also used her Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 which I really like as well as the Lip Gloss (the non-plumping one). And if you keep your Barney’s order under $50 the shipping is only $5.

posted by ~Trish