Sunday Sunblock - Josie Maran SPF 30+ Argan Sun Protection for Body

 Last year, I bought and used a bottle of Josie Maran's Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 40+. I enjoyed it, and it felt like a nice, luxurious item.  I did not enjoy the idea of spending $32 for two ounces of it. So, I asked the nice lady at Sephora for a sample of the less expensive body version, and she gave me two very full pods of the stuff.

It feels like whipped cream and sinks right in - the part on my hand where it's been rubbed in is to the left of the swatch. There's a bit of a white cast at first, but that goes away and covers with makeup really easily. I like this product a lot. I bought a full size, so that should say something. I've also noticed that it's out of stock frequently on Sephora's website, which must mean it's popular.
And, I haven't burned while wearing it.

Details

Size: 4 oz.
Availability: Sephora
Price: $24
Dollars per Ounce:  $6

Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide (5% each)

Inactive Ingredients: Argania Spinosa Kernal (Argan) Oil, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Natural Vegetable Glycerin, Arachidyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl (Octyl) Palmitate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla Bean) Fruit Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Fruit Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Aniba Rosaeodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyl Dimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Glyceryl Stearate, Sclerotium Gum, Arachidyl Glucoside, Polysorbate-60, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5).

 

 

March's Empties

*Herbal Essences Hydralicious conditioner (not pictured)* I used this up after the man bought it when he couldn't find his usual. The smell went well with the shampoo I'd been using. I can't say anything else good about it. This stuff is adequate.

*John Masters Organics Bearberry Balancing Serum sample packet. Nice stuff, just don't think it's worth the hefty price tag.

*Josie Maran Argan Oil mini size. I got this as a Sephora 100-point bonus. It's great for my hair but not so great for my face, which responded with some teeny zits. It's not great enough for my face to justify the purchase of a full size, especially not when there are so many wholesalers selling the stuff for so much less.

*Mountain Rose Herbs Cleansing Grains* I think these may actually have made my face worse. Which makes sense, if acne can be bacterial, then putting grains on your face is like feeding the monsters. Also, for me, the grains didn't do any cleansing.

*Nuance Salma Hayek Spot Treatment* I am not sure this did much of anything.

*Nuance Salma Hayek Wild Lime Exfoliating Gel* This does seem to make my face smoother, but I'm not sure it's better than other things that take less time.

*Pacifica Island Vanilla body butter - small size. I loved the scent of this, but not the form. I think I should look into their solid scents instead, as I could take a bath in all my lotion.

*Philosophy Mocktails Peach Daiquiri body wash, bubble bath, shampoo* I was thrilled to find this at a Marshall's because I liked last years Sephora birthday gift one. At first, I really liked the smell. Then, I couldn't believe how much of it there was left. I actually did try it as all three uses, too. It's an ok body wash, an ok shampoo, and not very bubbly as a bubble bath. For the price, you'd expect it to be great. Also, this stuff had sulfates in it, which I did not expect initially.

*Physicians Formula Healthy Wear foundation* This was my second one of these, and I do like this product, but I don't like how it's not in stores anymore. This means that it's impossible to get on sale. And I don't like it enough to pay full price plus shipping. If it were a better match for my skin tone (it's a bit pink), then I'd be more excited about it.

*Self-made cleansing oil (not pictured)* I liked this enough to make up another batch. It's a great thing to have around as a makeup remover. I mix roughly 9 parts oil to 1 part cromollient sce, which is an emulsifier and rinsing aid.

*St. Ives Green Tea Scrub* I still do not know if I'll buy this again - I liked it, but I have a few other things I want to try before committing to this one.

*full size item*

October 2011 Used It!

In October, I used up 18 things, nine of them full size. I would buy the alba facial cleanser, aloe gel, and tresemme conditioner again. Even though I would not buy them again, I can still heartily recommend Darling Girl's products.

1. Josie Maran Protect sunblock - spf 40 with argan oil. - Good, expensive enough I don't think I'll repeat, though.

2. Frankenlotion. The frankenlotion kind of sucked. So let's talk about the Alba Mineral Facial Sunblock spf 20 that went into it, and how goopy it was, or how good it would be if you were dressing up as Casper for Halloween. Or let's not.

3. Sahara eyeshadow from the Sephora Pure Wanderlust palette. Good basic shimmery beige. Can't repurchase.

4. Korres Guava Lip Butter. Eh. I did not like the pot. The product itself was ok.

5. Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake 3-in-1 (birthday freebie from Sephora). Decent shampoo, ok body wash. Nothing that special, though.

6. Liza's Lotions Blotch-Be-Gone with Salicylic Acid. A little sad that she's closed for the time being now. Get well, Liza!

7. Alba Botanica Sea Minerals Cleansing Gel. I might buy this again. But only if the cheapie I'm waiting to use doesn't work well.

8. VO5 blackberry sage conditioner. I need to stop buying this. It doesn't smell or condition that well.

9. CVS brand clear aloe gel. I will probably buy this again, if only because it's a pretty good hair gel/makeup remover/sunburn remedy, and it's dirt cheap.

I also went through some samples.
- Garden of Wisdom sulfur clearing mask (.25 oz size). Not bad.
- Biore nose strip. I liked it enough to swap for some more. Gunk be gone!
- Darling Girl Cosmetics Belle shadow sample. This was really pretty - don't need another pale shadow, though!
- Darling Girl Cosmetics Chimera shadow sample. Also really pretty, great texture.
- John Freida full repair shampoo and conditioner samples. Eh. I don't think it repaired anything. It did clean and help detangle my hair, though. But not so much that the sample worked.
- Too Faced absolutely flawless concealer sample decant - vanilla. I did not like the concealer because it creased. It does make me curious about the foundation.
- Tresemme "Naturals" aloe vera and avocado shampoo and conditioner samples. Did not like the shampoo. The conditioner is something I might pick up sometime.
- Silk Naturals Juiced sample shadow baggie. I don't think this is the best color for me, and I would have liked the sparkles to stay a bit longer.
- L'Oreal Youth Code day/night cream sample. This was fine. I'm pretty sure a pile of dimethicone is not going to do gene therapy on my face, though.