Review: Josie Maran, Finger Paints - 'Lovely'

Josie Maran, former Maybelline model (for almost a decade), launched her namesake cosmetics company in 2007. Her company boasts the motto, "luxury with a conscience", as the line represents organic products with chic biodegradable packaging. 


I'm going to be completely honest here -- I'm not very conscious about the ingredients in my cosmetics. Perhaps, not as much as I should be. In everyday life, I'm considerate of my enviro\nment. I recycle, never litter, and I use green household cleaning products. Still, my makeup is far from green. Except, I purchased Ms. Maran's finger paints online at Sephora, in 'Lovely'. I had a difficult time trying to find a decent picture that truly represented the colors. The 'Sweet' palette was too dark for my taste, so I crossed my fingers and went with 'Lovely'. Sephora describes Finger Paints as being a "A multi-use palette containing four feather-light shimmers that bring soft-glowing color to eyes, cheeks, and lips". So, here's what I received for $36USD:

The packaging is clearly beautiful. It's almost hard to believe that it's biodegradable! The surface is reflective with a hint of pink and the namesake is printed on the top. This compact comes equipped with a generous size mirror. I think that Josie Maran's aim was to create a line of organics that are equally as luxurious as non-organic high end competitors. Really, how many organic (and / or eco-friendly) cosmetic lines have you seen that can boast their pure ingredients AND luxury? Not many. There's Tarte and Jane Iredale, but unless I missed out on something, it's a rather small market.

Upon opening, I noticed holes, or tunneling, in the creams. Perhaps this is normal for organic cosmetics? This is my first organic purchase from a cosmetics line, so I'm not sure if this is due to the ingredients, or what. Anyway, the colors are gorgeous: beige, peachy-pink, gold and tan. I think that these colors would be most flattering on fair-medium skin tones and the 'Sweet' palette would be flattering for medium-dark skin tones (but could be suitable for fair skin as well). Then again, on her website, the description claims that the colors are selected specifically to suit all skin tones. When I swirled my finger into one of the creams, I noticed the gritty, sand-like, texture. I did not like it at all. I knew immediately that I'd have a hard time blending with these. Before purchasing, I've also read many complaints that they have no real staying power on the lids and they crease terribly without a really good primer. I rely heavily on other reviewers for an opinion (because nobody knows better than personal experience, right?). I like to use these (with the exception of the brown) in the corners of my eyes. The tan, I think, is beautiful on the lids, corners, and beneath the lower lash line. The pink and gold work lovely as highlighters. Lastly, the beige (brown) is meant to be used as a shadow color.


Bottom line: The colors are pretty, but that's about it. Unfortunately, it's not what I was looking for. I never reach for this palette.... what a shame!


Swatches: