I know Josie Maran is known for her great natural looking cosmetics-great gems of products but for some reason this lip product didn't work out for me. I love other products in her line, for example the Pure Argan oil, Hydrating body butter and color stick. I'll pass on this one though. I have the color in Fuchsia Frolic which is a semi bright fuchsia color but is still subtle to the eye. Retails for $22 and comes in a few other colors.
Let me start out by saying that the way the actual lipstick is shaped and designed (the outer layer of gloss and the inner layer of pure color) is NOT the first design to be put out ever. A few years ago AVON put out the first ever 'Outer layer gloss and inner layer color' lipstick....I believe called Shine Attract lipstick ($9) and was a big hit. Pure color wrapped in clear gloss but in Josie Maran's case, her lipstick clear gloss part contains the Argan. I can't compare the both quality and standard since I've never tried the Shine Attract but just got intrigued to try it, especially with the very friendly price tag compared to JM's.
(Avon Shine Attrace lipstick-pure color wrapped in clear gloss)
Here is what I gather: I like the color but I don't like the way it applies so unevenly. I had to maneuver the lipstick a few times on the lips in order for it to apply evenly, if I hadn't then I'd end up with no lip color on the outer edges on my lips and only on the inner lips.....have you ever had a red popsicle or candy that stained your lips after you're done eating it, yep that is what we're dealing with here. So waste of product is not necessary, especially if it's costing you $22+
And where is the rest of it? The entire product was only about 3/4ths of an inch tall.
I really liked the packaging though. And the glossiness was outstanding....Overall I was not impressed and returned it promptly.
This swatch is about 7+ swipes on the back of my hand.