New for Spring 2011, Josie Maran's two-shade Argan Blend Concealer ($28) provides long-lasting, repairing coverage that hides imperfections while hydrating the skin with Josie’s signature ingredient, organic argan oil. The dual shades are intended to work together to correct and conceal flaws and highlight skin tone, helping women address the appearance of lines, wrinkles, and discoloration, while concealing dark circles, blemishes, age spots, and redness.You probably know that argan oil - a hot skin care and hair care ingredient - is produced from the argan tree from Morocco. The oil is rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, which have anti-aging properties. This organic ingredient is known to help and prevent dehydration, inflammation, hyperpigmentation, and sebum production. It's the basis for Josie Maran's fabulous line of beauty products, many of which I love.
Argan Blend Concealer is a very nice, creamy, long-lasting concealer. I have only one problem with it. The lightest color duo is too dark for my skin. It's available in three color combinations, Sand (light), Suede (medium), and Chestnut (dark). I purchased Sand from Sephora online.
The concealer duo has two shades, one yellow-based and one pink-based. You can use them alone or mix them - theoretically to customize a shade that's perfect for your skin tone or the place on your face where you need concealer. With Sand, both shades are too dark for my skin, and they are no lighter when mixed.
It's not going to be easy for you to see that in my swatch photo. I applied the shades with a sponge-tipped applicator to try to show the shades adequately. At the top - if you can see it at all - is the yellow-toned shade. The pink one is in the middle. A mixture of the two is shown at the bottom. My photo was taken in full sun. The yellow shade is very yellow. The pink one is very pink - almost unnatural. Mixed, they are no better on my skin.
It's really too bad because I like the texture, consistency, and blendability of this concealer. I prefer concealers that are just slightly lighter than my own skin tone because they brighten while they conceal. When a concealer is too dark, it draws attention to the areas I'm trying to conceal, making them look muddy. I wish Josie Maran had introduced a color that would work for us extremely fair types.
If you are interested in Argan Blend Concealer, don't buy it online, sight unseen like I did. Go to Sephora and test it to make sure one of the three shade duos will work for you. You can also order Argan Blend Concealer online from Josie Maran's own Web site.
Photo at top courtesy of Josie Maran