Josie Maran Coconut Cheek Gelée.

I’m a sucker for all things multi-purpose, so when I dug out the Josie MaranCoconut Cheek Gelée ($26, available here) from the Sephora Favourites Summerstash, I was all kinds of excited. You see, cheek stains are one of my favourite things – I pack it on the go all the time just for the sake of having one for touch up’s during the day. I pack these in my travel bag because they are gems – leak-proof, shatter-proof, and they take up so little space. Sometimes, I’ll be naughty and use it as a lip stain in emergencies – so versatile!

I have yet to use many Josie Maran products. Believe it or not, I’m not really into the argan oil hype (I know, unbelievable!) I’m not a fan of slathering any kinds of oil and given that Ms. Maran’s most popular product is the 100% Argan Oil so I’ve never really bothered looking into the brand offering much further.

I think you should know that the pot is tiny. Like, very tiny. Not that it’s a problem – the smaller the better, and the more chance that you are actually going to finish it. The colour is matte, and a lovely berry stain colour that looks very natural on my NC25 skintone, and I’d wager would look suitable on many different skintones. On the other hand, the packaging needs a bit of rework. The jar is not very big, and the product fills up only half of the pot. So if I’m trying to get some products out, I have to use my fingers. With this mini version, only one finger really fits into the pot. If you have nails, be prepared to get some under your hails – nasty stuff! The thing is, I don’t typically use brushes when it comes to gel-based or cream-based products. Most of the time, the brushes tend to leave hairs behind, not very attractive. But given that my fingers are not as useful in getting the products out for application, I’ve had to resort to the good old brush to get the job done.

As expected from a gel-based product, there is a little bit of stickiness when you first apply it. The stickiness does dissipate so it’s not something to worry about. The colour can be built up without getting that sticky feeling which is never attractive. I’m not sure if this is something I would purchase a full-size of, given that in terms of price/value or price/volume ratio, it’s a little bit of a splurge.

My review (particularly in regards to the packaging) is skewed to the mini version as it is the version that I have. If you are planning to get the full-size, this aspect will not apply to you though I think the rest of my points are valid across both sizes.

Now it’s your turn! Have you tried? As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Share with me comment section or through Twitter or Instagram!