Is This the Best Argan Oil on the Market?

Photo: Paradox

After years of keeping oil as far away from my face as possible, I discovered—quite by accident—that slathering oil all over my face makes my skin less oily. That prompted a radical shift from oil-free cleanser to cleansing oil in the evenings, and swapping traditional moisturizer for—you guessed it—more oil. I've got a few regulars at this point, but local blogger Elise Gabriel convinced me to try an Argan oil from a shiny, new San Francisco brand called Paradox...and it's fucking fantastic.

So how did Elise discover this stuff? She made it.

The Twitter length story: Elise was traveling a ton for work. Her skin revolted in Morocco. She traded bougie beauty stuff for Argan oil and her skin resumed glowing.

Elise's Morocco trip sparked an obsession with natural beauty products, so she brought ingredients back to San Francisco and began experimenting with her own formulas. The winner, which she calls Marrakech Liquid Gold, is a cold-pressed Argan oil with rose essential oil. (Rose evens out redness and will leave your face smelling like an English garden.) Elise says it's organic, ethically-sourced, and packed with Vitamin E and Omega-3 Fatty Acids.  My take: the formula is light, leaving skin glowing and hydrated, but not greasy. 

Paradox is setting itself up as a luxury beauty brand, so Liquid Gold is not cheap. (Then again, you probably guessed that from the term, "liquid gold.") A 1.7 ounce bottle is $65. While that's not as expensive as La Mer or SK-II, it's certainly pricier than raiding your coconut oil stash in the kitchen.

If you're not quite ready to take the plunge, hit up Paradox's Instagram and mention @hellorockyt in the comments to request a free sample.  Just be warned: you'll be splurging on the full-size soon.