Josie Maran Saves the World with ... Cosmetics!

Who would knew that one day, a former makeup brand spokesperson would come out with her own makeup collection and that is what Josie Maran did.

The former spokesperson and face of Maybelline had launched her eponymous self-titled cosmetic collection with tagline "luxury with a conscience".

Raised in a Bohemian family in Northern California, she started modeling at 12 after being discovered by a family friend at family barbecue and never wears makeup.

By the age of 17, while still in High School, Josie took it seriously by signing with world's top modeling agency Elite Los Angeles. Her modeling stints include Glamor cover girl, the iconic Guess? girl, and constantly appeared in high-profile glossy fashion bibles namely Vogue, Mademoiselle, Marie Claire, and Elle.

"As I began to land jobs, I discovered what a lot of other girls already knew: the power of makeup," she says. "I'd never even applied lip gloss, but I learned trade secrets from the team of expert artists who applied my makeup on photo shoots."

"I was surprised to see how makeup could transform not just my look but also my mood! I saw that a little could go a long way, and I stopped seeing makeup as the enemy," she added.

Apart from being featured in various fashion glossies, Maran even landed a stint as the cover girl of the coveted Sports Illustrated magazine as well as brief acting appearances in movies such as Little Black Book, Van Helsing, and The Aviator, along with Leonardo diCaprio and fashion doyenne Gwen Stefani.

It was only after the birth of her first child, she looked at her life and questioned herself: "What can I do for the world, how can I contribute?" After spending so much time on her makeup chair, she decided to launch her own makeup brand and the result is the launch of super eco-friendly Josie Maran Cosmetics in fall 2007.

Unlike any other makeup brands, Josie Maran products are made from superior ingredients sourced from natural and renewable sources, ditching harmful chemicals and minerals that are not only heavy but bad on skin.

The magical beauty concoctions are then packaged in biodegradable packaging that contains corn based resin known as Polylactic Acid or PLA.

For spring, Josie launched her latest spring collection called "Wildflowers", which is inspired by sweet spring floral colors, which according to the model herself as "my little tribute to the wildflowers in each of us".

Color palette includes shimmering Pearl white, shimmering taupe (Cashmere), deep gray (Magic), shimmering plum (Plum), shimmering Lavender (Lilac), and soft peach (Little Kisses), soft rose (Baby Cheeks), and shimmering pink (Posey). The beauty benefits of organic coconuts are added into her concealers and cream blush, as well as summer staple cream bronzer.

Another must-have product from Josie Maran Cosmetics is the Argan oil. Touted as the "liquid gold" for your skin, the Argan oil is extracted from Argan fruits and widely cultivated in Morocco as a mean of commodity.

Lightweight and fast absorbing, the oil is rich in Vitamin E and essential fatty acids. Use it as either as your daily moisturizer in your beauty regime or as healer for cuticle and split-end hair problems.

The Josie Maran eco-friendly cosmetic line is available exclusively to Barney's New York and San Francisco but you can also purchase the line via the Net at Josie Maran Cosmetics website.

*Photos courtesy of Josie Maran Cosmetics and Josie Maran Cosmetics Blog.

Josie Maran Cosmetics at Barney's - 660, Madison Avenue, New York NY 10065; 77, O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, CA 94108.