Face first

First things first: the Minted giveaway winner has been posted!

Now, out of the hundreds of posts I’ve written on Em for Marvelous, probably fewer than five discuss makeup. This is for a couple reasons. First, I am nowhere near an expert on the topic, and it’s not something I spend a lot of time thinking about or experimenting with. Second, I still think I’m on the hunt for my ideal products, so I don’t really feel as though I’m in a position to make recommendations.

But. In April, I posted about wanting to try Josie Maran’s Argan Oil Daily Moisturizer. I ended up buying the travel size, used it every day since, and then — the ultimate test — repurchased in September (the larger size!). I knew this lotion was special from the first day I tried it, but I didn’t want to recommend it until it passed the ultimate test :)

Everyone’s skin is different, so I have no idea if you’ll have a good experience if you try this lotion. But, if your skin sounds like mine, I’d say give it a shot! Before I tried Josie Maran, my face would be slick by the middle of the day — but then dry, sometimes, too! The JM moisturizer has made my skin drastically less shiny, and I think it’s improved my complexion a bit, too (the star ingredient, argan oil, is touted as skin-repairing and damage-reversing, for what it’s worth). And, as a huge stickler for sunscreen, I’m so happy it has SPF 40!

In case you try it, I use 3 pumps in the morning and 3 at night. It does take some rubbing in, but once it’s absorbed, there’s no white cast, which I’ve heard can be an issue with some zinc oxide sunscreens. I also think it smells good — kind of like blueberries :) And, it’s comforting to know there are no parabens, sulfates, fragrances, or dyes in it.

When I bought the JM moisturizer from Sephora, one of my samples was a Bare Minerals foundation. I ended up using it every day, too, and loved it as well! I purchased a full size Bare Minerals Ready Foundation at the same time as I reordered the JM, and couldn’t be happier. The final effect looks almost airbrushed to me — full but light and natural.

It will probably be another few years before I venture to make another skin/makeup recommendation on here, but I’ve been so happy with these two products that I had to give them a nod. I hope they might be a good solution for some of you!!

Have you found your perfect moisturizer? I’d love to hear!