If you're unfamiliar with Sephora's Beauty Bank, essentially it's a way of earning free products for shopping at Sephora. Fo every dollar spent, you get a point. When you get 100 points, you can redeem them for a travel-size product. If you save up 500 points, you can get a kit that usually has one full-sized product along with a few other travel-sized products. The kits usually end up being around a $40-50 value, which is nothing to sneeze at. I've been over 500 points for sometime, waiting for the right 500 point perk to come along. When purchasing my Illamasqua nail polish the other week, I was offered this Josie Moran perk and decided to take it.
The Argan Lip Treatment in this package is full size and retails for $18. The Argan Oil is a 0.5 travel-size bottle that retails for $14. The Bare Naked wipes and Argan Cleansing oils are both probably worth $20 together.
The Argan Lip Treatment is a creamy smooth balm that has the most delicious green apple scent. I also think there's just a hint of vanilla in there, too. I actually stood and smelled it for a few minutes, taking some big whiffs because it smells that good. The texture is very smooth and silky and not greasy at all. There's no applicator so you have to apply it with your finger, which some people like and some hate. I was looking at the lid, and I think you could jerry-rig an applicator in there pretty easily.
Despite the wonderful smell, the taste really doesn't follow suit. The closest I can describe the taste is that it's similar to that of Vaseline. Not great but not horrible either. It feels nice and light on the lips, and gives a pretty sheen. However, this lip treatment isn't very mositurizing at all. It disappeared off my lips in under ten minutes and left them feeling drier. I had a similar experience with Maybelliene's Baby Lips last year.
If I hate to rate Josie Maran's Argan Lip Treatment, I would probably give it only 1 star out of five. Yes, it smells amazing but it doesn't moisturize very well, essentially making this product pointless.
If you're looking for a moisturizing balm, spend a few dollars more and get Fresh's Sugar balms. They come in a variety of sheer yet buildable colors, and there's an intensive care balm as well.
For who lose their lip stuff on the daily, you can't beat Alba Botanica. They're organic, come in a range of flavors, it stays on forever, and it costs less than $3. You can find it at most drugstores, Walmart/Target, and Kroger's.
