Review: Josie Maran Beautiful Bronze Kit & Clinique All About Eyes Cream

A while back I decided to treat myself to some goodies at Sephora, and here is my review. I think writing down which products I like and why will be a good way to keep track of what I've used and remember what to purchase again. 

Josie Maran Beautiful Bronze Kit ($43.00 CAD)

I think I received a 15% off coupon via email, hence why I decided to purchase both items (despite trying to put myself on a budget :P). I've wanted to try Josie Maran products for a while now, and this set seemed like a pretty good value for the amount of products you get. 

It came with a little instructional pamphlet on how to use the products. 

 1) Argan Natural Volume Lip Gloss in Precious
    I'm not much of a lip gloss person to begin with. Or lip anything really. I hate the sticky feeling most lip glosses leave, and most of the time my hair gets caught in it within about a minute. This lip gloss, however, was different. It's still a bit sticky, but melts into your lips and isn't very noticeable. It's quite moisturizing and even though it looks candy pink in the tube it applies with a more natural colour. Overall, I really liked this lip gloss and will purchase it again on its own for sure.

 2) Argan Brightening Bronzer Sun Spot Corrector
     I was a bit skeptical of the claim that a bronzer could protect from sun damage and actually correct sun spots, but why not. I love the smaller packaging and overall look of this bronzer. At first I thought it might be too dark for me, but after using a lighter touch I was quite pleased with the effect. It has tiny gold particles that give off a nice glow, rather than a shimmery finish. I only need a little bit of product, since the colour is a bit darker than I would normally choose. I really like the formula and consistency of it though. I did drop the bronzer once and it got a little bit cracked inside, but I got rid of the little pieces and it's still a great product. I would purchase it again on its own.

 3) Argan Daily Moisturizer
     On the Sephora site, it states that this moisturizer in the kit does contain SPF 40. On the actual packaging there is no mention of it though. The regular sizes all have SPF, so I assume this one does as well. There are not many moisturizers that I can truly say have made a visible difference in my skin. This one definitely has 100%. I already ran out of the 0.5 oz size, but it did last me about a month. I like that it comes with a pump, which I find easy to use. It comes out and goes on as a bright white liquid, but absorbs very fast and is not noticeable at all. My skin was not greasy at all after applying it and was even more matte in my opinion. After about a week of using it every day, I remember looking in the mirror and being actually surprised by how good my skin looked. It was brighter and a lot smoother. My sporadic breakouts diminished, and it just felt great all around. I was really happy with this moisturizer, unlike any other. The bigger size is a bit pricey, but I loved it so much I will buy it for sure. Definitely an amazing product for my skin.

4) GOGO Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara
    To be honest, I was not very fond of this product. Upon first use, my eyes actually stung a bit which has never happened when using a mascara. I found the formula to be thick and clumpy and the brush was wider than I am used to. It did not lengthen my lashes at all, but made them quite thick. When i combed out the lashes, there was a lot of product that fell onto my cheeks. And I noticed there were sometimes little flecks under my eyes throughout the day. I did give this product a chance and after learning to apply it better, it wasn't that bad. My eyes did not sting anymore and the look was quite nice, but there were still little pieces of it that would fall on my face throughout the day. My good friend  Kim loves this mascara though, so I gave it to her since I will most likely not use it much.

5) Bronzing Argan Oil

    I was not too sure of what to do with this little thing at first. The girl at the Sephora recommended putting some on your palms and rubbing it over your hair. When the product sits for a bit, the bronzing liquid and argan oil separate, so you have to remember to shake it before application. Although it is a bit neat to have it separated as well, for example if you just want to use the oil with a hint or shimmer. Or use the bronzing liquid that is thicker on the bottom, and less of the oil. At first I started putting this on my eyelids for a nice glow. I really liked the look, but it did not feel very good after a while as I guess some of the oil would get into my eyes and my vision would become blurry. A no-no. I forgot about this product for a bit, but then used it again on my hair. I love it on my hair! Just a little bit and it not only gets rid of flyways but also adds a nice shine to the hair. I've used it on my face as well, and it's great. It does not feel very oily after application, and creates a wonderful bronzy look that is very natural. I've decided to hold off using this product until the summer, when it will probably be a staple for me. I would repurchase this again just because it is so versatile and I will use it for a long time.

Clinique All About Eyes Cream ($37.00 CAD)

The Clinique All About Eyes Cream is probably the most expensive eye cream I have bought to date. I read pretty good reviews about it, and decided to try it. It's a cream formula but goes on somewhat gel-like.  It claims to "diminish the appearance of eye puffiness, darkness, and fine lines".  I really like the consistency and feel of this cream. It was pretty lightweight, applied easily, and absorbed quickly. There is nothing I hate more in an eye cream than a greasy lid after application. I cannot say that it diminished under eye circles in my case, but overall I was pretty pleased with the results. I did feel more refreshed after using it, and it is a good base for applying make-up. I would repurchase again.