WINNER Think Pink

From the bottom of our hearts we'd like to say thank you to everyone who shared their story for the Think Pink Giveaway. To know that breast cancer has affected so many people as told through their own words humanizes the struggle and the realities of this disease. Like we said before, sometimes its hard to hear the true survival stories through the din of all of the pink that bombards us during this month. We wanted to contribute in the fight through our Think Pink Collection, but beyond that we hoped to connect with our readers and our customers this month. And that we have.

Congrats to our winner Cathy who has shown so much resilience and bravery during her life! We wish you many happy and healthy years.

You can contact us here to claim your prize.

GET THE LOOK Halloween 2011

It seems that the older you get, the less easy it is to plan for Halloween (especially post kids) and to come up with elaborate costumes and makeup. So being resourceful, the team and I found a few photos that have the essence of a costumed look, but can also be inspiration for beauty after the cobwebs and pumpkins are put away. To get these looks, start with a primed face (to last you through evening).

Prime Face: After washing your face with Argan Cleansing Oil, massage in a drop or two of our 100% Pure Argan Oil followed by the Argan Primer Mist. Once absorbed, finish with Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation.

1. 40s Siren: To get this look, use our Argan Color Stick in Petal Pink on the apples of the cheeks. Highlight bone structure with a bit of Argan Illuminizer on your brow bone, cheek bones and the bridge of the nose. Then, cover the lid in Argan Eye Shadow in Pinkalicious sweeping out toward temple. Finish with two coats of GOGO Mascara and perfectly applied Magic Marker Lip and Cheek Stain in Flamenco on your pout.

2. Pretty Princess: First, define the brows with the Argan Magic Brows. Then, using Argan Beautiful Eyes in Beautiful Nudes, prep eye with Base/Highlighter and Lid. Follow with a sweep over the lid of the Corner Crease color and blend out above lid line. Using the Liner, softly sweep near eyelash line and fade up (to blend) and along lower lash line. Use the Argan Magic Marker Liquid Eye Liner to create a classic line and follow with coat of GOGO Mascara. Finally, sweep a coat of Argan Natural Volume Lip Gloss in Precious over lips and rule away!

3. Future Femme: Using the Argan Beautiful Eyes in Beautiful Smoke, prep eye with the Base/Highlighter. Then, carefully create a sweeping line above lash line using the Corner Crease color and follow with a line parallel and above that sweeps out to create a double cateye line. Go over the same lines with the Crease color for a bt of shimmer. Use the Argan Magic Marker Liquid Eye Liner to define the eyelash line and follow with a coat of GOGO Mascara. Finish with Argan Natural Volume Lip Gloss in Happy on the lips.

4. Golden Gypsy: Highlight your forehead, cheeks, bridge of nose and chin with a soft sweep of the Argan Bronzing Powder. Blend Argan Eye Shadow in Maple over the eye and cover with a touch of Argan Eye Shadow in Sweet Talk to give a golden shimmer. Coat upper and lower lashes with GOGO Mascara and finish the look with a coat of Argan Lip Gloss in Confession on the lips.

 We wish you a very happy Halloween weekend!

SEPHORA LAUNCH Mexico!

We're so happy to finally be in Mexico! Here is a sneak peek at the grand opening party for Sephora Mexico City! The line was long and the excitement was big.

If you live there and happen to stop in, send photos our way.

THINK PINK Giveaway

Beyond all of the pink products that bombard us during October, there are stories. Survival stories. Stories of heartbreak or of beating the odds. Stories of coming together in support of a loved one or finding the courage to face breast cancer personally. It seems that everyone has been touched by it and it is so much deeper than just a color or a ribbon. In my own life, I was touched by breast cancer after having a grandmother who was diagnosed with it. Grandma Rita is now healthy luckily (in fact, she's thriving as you can see here) and for that I am so grateful.

For our Think Pink giveaway, I am asking that you share a snippet of your story with us in the comments section. How have you been touched by breast cancer? Out of it, what has given you strength? We encourage you to share and to express yourself in honor of this month of survivors and of those that we should remember. We'll be picking at random one winner who will receive the ENTIRE Think Pink collection.

The winner will be announced next Friday on Facebook and the blog.

Photos from Pinterest.com

JOSIE'S TIPS Fall Argan Eyeshadow Trio Two

As part of our Fall Favorites, we've created our Fall Argan Eyeshadow Trio Two, a color palette of sparkling plum (Chianti), soft shimmery gold (Beach) and a matte pink brown (Oak). These three colors combined create a rich palette that compliments every eye shade. Our inspiration? Not only wines, the harvest and natural autumn tones, but interiors like the ones above that use aubergine to highlight a space and liven up the earth tones of woods, metals and tile.

Here are my tips for using these three hues to make your peepers pop:

-For an all-over, care-free mauve, use your fingers to first blend Oak over your lid followed by a touch of Chianti. Do the same near your lower lash line (like above). The wine color will soften by using both together.

-Add a sparkle to your eye by using Beach to highlight your brow bone and inner corners.

-For a stronger look, start with Oak and blend on top lid. Then take Beach and using a soft eye brush, blend in the inner corner of the top lid to about the middle of the eyelid. Take Chianti and blend along the top line, and into the outer corner of your eyelid to create a smokey purple look.

-For a contrasting pop of color, use Chianti on your bottom lid and Oak on the top (see above).

-Tip: These colors go really well with our Argan Eye Liner in Brown.

HELLO AUTUMN Giveaway

Hello friends! Recently, Rumi (my sweet daughter), the family and I went to a hoedown at her school complete with dancing, hay bales and plenty of festive food. It got me thinking, how do y'all (I said that after being there awhile) celebrate the season? Do you pick pumpkins? Bake apple pies? Jump around in the leaves? I want to know!

Send me your photos showing me how you get festive for fall and you could win my Fall Magic Marker Cheek and Lip Stain Trio and a Fall Argan Eye Shadow Trio of your choice! Send 3-4 high res photos with an explanation of how you say hello autumn no later than Thursday, October 13. The winner will be featured on the blog on Friday, October 14! Submit entries HERE.

Happy weekend!

GET THE LOOK Diane Von Furstenberg Fall 2011

If you've been keeping an eye out, you may notice a bold lip everywhere for autumn. A compliment to rich browns, warm grays and hues of gold, a true red lip and a dark dust of shadow can elevate your outfit and bring out your classic beauty. Finish with a clean brow and soft line of charcoal eyeliner and you're date-ready, girls-night-out ready or simply ready to look chic running out and about. Who says you can't be naturally gorgeous and perfectly polished all at the same time?

1. Start with unclean hair (think day old) as you want some texture to the look. Pull back hair in a loose ponytail using your fingers to give it a bit of a messy look at the crown. If you have longer bangs, twist them  to the side and secure with a bobby pin. Have fringe? Leave it down to frame your face. Finish with a drop of  Argan Oil Hair Serum through your ends.

2. After you've applied your Argan Tinted Moisturizer or Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation, take the Argan Eye Shadow in Iron and sweep along your top lash line focusing on blending out to the outer corners.  Follow with lining above your eyelashes using the Argan Magic Marker Liquid Eyeliner. Finish with one coat of GOGO Mascara.

3. For polished brows, use the Argan Magic Brows Brow Marker and fill in brows using short strokes.

4. Finally, using the Magic Marker Lip and Cheek Stain in Flamenco, color in lips carefully by first lining them and then filling in focusing on the center of the lips for a perfect cherry red stain. 

BEHIND THE SCENES Spring/Summer 2012

Yesterday's shoot for our Spring/Summer 2012 campaign was close to home—at the Josie Maran Cosmetics offices actually! It's always nice to have the team around and to spend a day working on another side of the process. Some days I am developing new products and other days I spend entirely behind the computer heading up the company, but this time I just got to go back to my roots as a model and proudly show my line.

We'll be announcing the winner for our What's In Your Kitchen Giveaway today so check back here!

GET THE LOOK Giles Spring 2012

When we spotted the Giles Spring 2012 show, we were super excited. A chance to recreate a beauty look using mostly our favorite multi-use products, our Magic Marker Lip & Cheek Stain? Yay! Plus, the hair looks just like Josie wears her hair on down days—natural and beautifully wavy. So, put away your straight iron, skip the heavy eye makeup because this look is all about being color-kissed in an effortless and simple way.

1. Let hair air-dry and while still damp, work in a dime-sized drop of Argan Oil Hair Serum. The point is to let your natural texture and shape shine without worry.

2. Prep face with a drop of Argan Oil followed by a our Argan Tinted Moisturizer. This will leave your face luminescent and bare-looking while still giving you some coverage and sun-protection. 

3. Using an Argan Magic Marker Lip and Cheek Stain in the color of your choice, dot the apples of your cheeks. Blend slightly so that you have a pop of color but no blotches.

4. To complete the look, softly use the same Argan Magic Marker on your lips or another color to give a popsicle-stained hue that works with the rich colors of fall focusing on the center of your pout. 

BEAUTY GIVES BACK Marie Claire Exclusive

With Morocco being the source of Argan Oil and home to the wonderful Berber women who taught me all about it, it will always be dear and inspiring to me. That is why I am honored to partner with Marie Claire to exclusively offer my Natural Radiance Collection through Sephora. By buying this set (which you can read about and purchase here), you can help the Marocavie Association provide drinking water and other services to Moroccan communities that need it. It truly is beauty that gives back!