Now there’s a face you can trust, are we right? Josie Maran, the foxy model and makeup maven behind Josie Maran cosmetics answered a few of our burning questions about beauty and products. We’re going to run it in two parts. Here’s the first chunk where she tells us about a—gasp—waterproof mascara, and some insider beauty tips. Next up? More modelly secrets, her favorite other natural lines and more.

What are some common booboos you see in makeup application—and how can we fix them?

One thing I see a lot of is eyeshadow mistakes. Blend, baby, blend! Apply your colors and then take a clean eyeshadow brush and go over what you’ve done until it blends together beautifully. Also, curl your lashes. This is such a small step that so many women skip but it makes a huge difference. Curling your lashes really opens up your eyes and pulls a whole look together. I’m actually totally addicted to curling my lashes.

Do lots of models use natural products?

As a model, it’s hard to use natural products because, unless you’re carrying your own kit around, you’re at the mercy of the makeup artist who is doing you for the job. On top of that, there haven’t really been [many] high performance natural makeup products that hold up for photo shoots or runway. However, I do think that models (like everyone else) are becoming more conscious about what they put on their bodies—especially in terms of skin care. In fact, the gorgeous supermodel Brooklyn Decker just gave a shout out to my argan oil saying she can’t live without it! Every day makeup artists have been asking me to help them clean out the toxins from their kits, and we send them healthy high-performing cosmetics from my line to use on their clients.

We bend on waterproof mascara and antiperspirant on occasion. You told us in the past that creating a good mascara was crucial to you—and yours is great—but could natural ever replace truly waterproof?

It is true that a good mascara is like the holy grail. And guess what? My new mascara is natural and water resistant! You can have both! Two ingredients—the organic cerifera wax and the organic beeswax—help keep the mascara on your lashes, while the argan oil conditions and volumizes at the same time. I’m also so proud of the GOGO mascara because of the cause behind it. GOGO stands for Get One, Give One. We’ve teamed up with City of Hope, a cancer research and treatment center, and for every GOGO we sell we are donating one to a patient or survivor of cancer.

If you could offer women one beautifying tip, what would it be?

Use your fingers when applying makeup.  Don’t be afraid—the result is natural and clean.  And, of course: Smile!

What is your number-one favorite natural ingredient to use in products—other than argan?

Argan Oil IS my favorite natural ingredient! I use Argan Oil in almost all of my products for it’s moisturizing, anti-aging, and nourishing properties.

Stay tuned for part two!