Over the past 5-8 years, I’ve been buying the best face creams that money can buy. Creme de la Mer, Jurlique, Dr. Hauschka, Fresh, Sisley…you name a crazy-priced brand and I’ve bought vats of their creams. Some worked better than others, but all of them left me feeling like I dished out more cash than I was getting back in results. The one that came closest to perfection for me was Creme de la Mer, but along with the hydration/elasticity I was getting fairly frequent breakouts because the thickness of the cream blocked my pores something fierce (even the lighter version).
But one thing I never considered trying was oil. I figured that oil was, well, oily. My skin is that oh-so-maddening combination of oily and dry all at once. I need moisture++ to keep the elasticity, but too much moisture blocks my pores and gives me blemishes. I had people suggest trying oils, but my own image of oil was always negative.
What started to change my mind is a deluxe sample I received on one of my trips to Sephora. I have something like 25
gabillion points, which I refuse to cash in on (I’m holding out for some luxury spa vacation package – the big kahuna!). While checking out during my birthday month this summer, the cosmetic consultant handed me the usual philosophy birthday bubble thing and upon looking at my points, offered up a free sample of Josie Maran’s Argan Oil. It was a freebie, so I took her up on it.
It sat in my overpopulated skincare drawer (full of partially used products) for a couple of weeks until I ran out of whichever expensive cream I was using at the time. Upon realizing I had nothing to moisturize with, I thought I’d give it a whirl for one night to see what would happen. And what happened was nothing short of miraculous!
Sure, it went on oily. My boyfriend said he felt as if he was crawling into bed with an Exxon Valdez activist. But in the morning, it had absorbed nicely into my skin and when I looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror I saw an even, smooth skinned woman looking back at me (usually I wake up blotchy and puffy). Thinking it was just a fluke, I tried again the next night and, sure enough, I woke up looking fresh and more even-toned again.
After a few weeks, my skin felt more taught than usual. I swear my jowls were receding. There were no breakouts. And best of all, I stopped wearing full-on foundation and started wearing a wee bit of tinted sunscreen instead. I was hooked! I immediately went online to research what I had discovered and it turns out that Argan Oil is one of those ‘best kept secrets’. I also didn’t know this right off the bat, but it is otherwise known as Moroccan Oil – the same stuff that is being raved about for hair repair (and works…I’ve been using it since).
I also discovered that Josie Maran isn’t the only one who produces cosmetics based on this miracle oil. I can buy it for super cheap at my local health food store (about $25 for 4 oz – sure beats $135/oz!). I still buy from Josie’s line whenever I can because she has a great mission to support the women who harvest this oil in Morocco, but when I can’t get to a Sephora or I’m feeling a little cheapskatey, I’ll pop into the local Rachelle Bery to pick up my supply. I use it for my face, my turkey neck, my decollete and my hair – so I sail through my supply pretty quickly.
I’m completely hooked and I’m super excited that I found something that works that doesn’t cost me more than my rent to use. Have you used Argan Oil or Moroccan Oil? If so, what do YOU think? Do you have any more ‘best kept secrets’ you want to share with me?
Would love to hear your comments below. I’m also sending out an open invitation for women age 35-55 to contribute posts to this blog. There seems to be such a demand already (I’m getting tons of emails and messages of excitement) that I think we could build a great resource!
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Tags: argan oil, Creme de la Mer, Dr. Hauschka, face creams, Fresh, josie maran, Jurlique, rachelle bery, sephora, Sisley
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