November 2009

My Foundation Shades

November 30, 2009

Hi ladies, I apologize for neglecting my blog! I’ve been swamped with projects, case studies and exams. I will resume posting later this week.

Many have asked what my skintone is, so I thought I’d swatch all the foundations I currently use. Just be warned that my skin is odd – all the foundations you will see are slightly different in undertone/shade so you may wonder “which is her true match? how can all those shades work for her?” The answer is that my skin is just weird. Most blend out for natural coverage so the shades are more forgiving than a full coverage foundation.

I’m Asian and my skintone is medium with golden/olive tones, usually the 3rd-4th shade from the lightest color, but I usually find it a challenge to find an exact match and typically fall in between shades. Many times I will have two shades to mix and blend depending on how pale or tanned I am.

These are my foundations, left to right:

Chanel Hydramax+ Active Teint 10 Sable-Sand (blends out very sheer)
Chanel Lift Lumiere 30 Cendre 2.5
Chanel Teint Innocence 30 Shell 1.5 (my holy grail foundation)
Chanel Teint Innocence 40 Beige 2.0 (my holy grail for summer time)
Chanel Teint Innocence Compact 40 Beige 2.0
Armani Lasting Silk 5.5
Armani Lasting Silk 6.5 (currently mix 5.5 with 6.5)
Armani Luminous Silk 5.5 (use in summertime)
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 Natural Radiance
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 Warm Radiance (use in summertime)
Paul & Joe Moisturizing Compact Foundation 30 (a bit light for my skin)
Paul & Joe Light Cream S Foundation 40 (a bit dark, but I mix this with a pale luminizer, doesn’t apply as dark as the swatch looks for me)
Nars Sheer Glow in Punjab

No flash, natural light:

Right now I’m loving Chanel Teint Innocence in Shell and also Paul & Joe’s Light Cream 40 mixed with Laura Mercier’s Natural Radiance Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer.

I always set with a powder. My favorites are Laura Mercier Translucent Loose, Laura Mercier Beige Loose, Chanel DPF Tender Beige, Armani Microfil Loose 02.

My skin is sensitive but normal.

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Paul & Joe Lip Lacquers and Lip Glosses

November 26, 2009

The last Paul & Joe feature in this series focuses on lip glosses. Paul & Joe currently has 2 formulas for the glosses in Lip Gloss N (wand with brush) and Lip Lacquers (squeeze tube).

L to R: 01 LE (2007), 02 LE (2007), 003 Lustre LE (2009), 04 Peach Syrup, 01 Nectar, 02 Mandarin, 03 Serenade, 04 Tenderness, 05 Riviera, 06 Can-can, 07 Adieu, 08 Bouquet, 10 Magnifique

I’ve featured the lip lacquers in previous posts, but to recap, they are supposed to be similar to their lipsticks in lipgloss form and the pigment is indeed rich, but not too thick or overpowering, making your lips look full. Paul & Joe’s website has a cute photo of the glosses which is fairly accurate in my opinion. There is a faint sweet scent to them, but on the lips you can barely detect any fragrance.

Lip Lacquers: 01 Nectar, 02 Mandarin, 03 Serenade, 04 Tenderness, 05 Riviera, 06 Can-can, 07 Adieu, 08 Bouquet, 10 Magnifique

See swatches of #1 – 8 here.
See Joey’s review/swatch of #10 here.

Paul & Joe also has lip glosses in a wand form called Lipgloss N. These are sheerer with plumping properties. I haven’t really tested it for lasting power but the few shades I have are pretty and feel nice, but are on the sheer side.

001 Limited Edition, 002 Limited Edition, 003 Lustre (from summer 2009), 04 Peach Syrup

I don’t have swatches of these yet, but I highly recommend you check out these links for swatches, L to R is 001, 002, 003 Lustre, 04:

001 and 002 – Yuki’s Lazy Channel: Paul & Joe 2007 Invitation Christmas Creation
003 Lustre – Yuki’s Lazy Channel: Paul & Joe 2009 Gold Summer Creation

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Paul & Joe Lipsticks

November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I wish everyone a day full of fun and delicious food 🙂

Today’s feature is on lipsticks. Since Paul & Joe has launched the beauty line, there have been several formulations of lipsticks that have been released. The current line consists of 25 shades called “Lipstick N.” The texture is smooth and creamy, pigment is semi-sheer with a glossy finish, similar to that of Chanel Aqualumiere lipsticks.

The Lipstick N colors I have:
02 Shaved Ice, 07 Rose Potpourri, 10 Maroon Glace, 13 Brick Roof, 14 Strawberry Jam, 16 Ballet Shoes, 19 Princess, 20 Milk Chocolate, 29 Mademoiselle

Also, each year Paul & Joe releases a limited edition collection they call Collection Sparkles in which they label those releases with a CS in addition to the color number. Haru at Rouge Deluxe gave an excellent overview, check out her post and a sneak peak at what’s coming out for spring.

The limited edition lipsticks:
055 Sakura Bonbon, 059 Motif, 061 Backstage, 062 Opening Night, 064 RPM, 101 Invitation, 001 Pink, 002 Orange

I’ve been asked how I’ve picked out the colors since I don’t have in-person access to the line. The colors have all been bought sight unseen – I’ve relied on various e-tailers like dermstore and beautyhabit who describe product colors for Paul & Joe. However, many times the color turns out to be completely different from what I expected. Many of the lipsticks I bought turned out to be lighter than I anticipated, but luckily, I’ve been happy with the way they all look.

Being that they are very new, I haven’t tried them all yet. I did wear 07 yesterday and 29 today and can say they have the same lasting power and texture as Chanel Aqualumieres. They last longer than Armani Lipsticks and MAC Lustres, but their glossy finish makes it where they don’t last quite as long some other formulas like Laura Mercier or Bobbi Brown Lipsticks. I’d definitely recommend wearing with a lipliner to make it last longer.

(Note there won’t be any swatches for these.)

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Paul & Joe Nail Enamels

November 24, 2009

Photos and swatches the nail polishes, 3 coats each swatch:

01 Secret of Gold (pale champagne base with micro silver glitter)
02 Heirloom (sparkley gold base with micro glitter)
03 Lampshade (opalescent shimmer)
04 Provence (more mauvey-nude pink shimmer)
05 Teacup (nude pink cream)

* Please note, the flash either washed these colors out or made them all look the same. They are all similar, but the difference is in the undertone.

10 Poodle
11 Goldfish
12 Matinee
13 Theatre Lights
14 Strawberry Glace

18 Nouveau
20 Manhattan
27 Gilded
29 Toujours

They have a different scent than most nail polishes – almost a powdery/floral scent. My top three picks would be 02 Heirloom (sheer champagne gold with sparkles), 10 Poodle (cotton candy pink with a slight iridescence) and 20 Manhattan (pretty sparkling gunmetal).

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Neiman Marcus Holiday Exclusives for Bobbi Brown: Mini Shimmer Bricks & Lipsticks

November 23, 2009

The Bobbi Brown Neiman Marcus exclusives have arrived in-store which include 3 mini shimmer bricks in Nectar, Plum and Sandstone along with the exclusive lipsticks in Pink Nectar and Sand.

The colors are stunning and the packaging is gorgeous, but the bad news is that there is no set price as thought by my SA and price is steep at $45 each. They are extremely tiny and encased in a heavy magnetized metal compact with a velvet pouch. The lipsticks are regular price $22 and come in the same special packaging as the chrome lipsticks in Sand (nude beige) and Pink Nectar (coral-pink). They are also repromoting Port from the Chrome Collection.

There are three ways to get a better deal on these:

* Starting the 22nd until the 29th, you can save 10% off a purchase of $200 or more at Neiman Marcus
* Neiman Marcus will have their Incircle event starting December 7th – there will be a GWP
* Wait for Bergdorf Goodman’s $25 off $100 event starting December 2nd (however do note quantities may be limited)

The Neimans near me said they only received 3 of each shimmer brick and a limited quantity of the lipsticks. I was on the wait list, so my SA called me as soon as they came in.

The colors are indeed stunning but at $45 each, I feel they should have at least been the full size or come with a brush.

Close up of Plum & Nectar:

Size comparison:

Lipstick and lipgloss comparisons:

The Paul & Joe series will be continued tomorrow.

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Paul & Joe Limited Edition Face Colors

November 22, 2009

Last holiday (2008), there were a few limited edition sets that came out featuring a face color and lipstick packaged in a cute satin kitty-print makeup bag. Two sets were released, 001 Pink and 002 Orange. Each face color is made up of three different color swirled together: a pale highlight, the core color (either pink or orange) and then a variation of that same tone. All the shades are shimmery, but on the skin, the shimmer is natural and pretty.

The lipsticks will be featured when I do my lipstick post, but for now, here are the 2 face colors compared to similar shades in the regular line.

001 Pink and 002 Orange compared to 07 and 08.

They aren’t quite as pale on the cheeks as they are swatched on my fingers. I think I may have picked up more of the silvery swirls. Blended all together they work well for blush rather than a highlighter.

Check out my other favorite go-to resources for more photos and swatches:
* Rouge Deluxe: Paul & Joe Holiday 08
* Yuki’s Lazy Channel: Paul & Joe Christmas Creation 2008

These 2 sets retail for $55 each and can still be found online in the US at The Primping Parleur. If you do order through them, make sure you use the code NOVFAMILY for their 20% Friends and Family event this month. Various boutiques may still have this in stock – so if you have a nearby salon or beauty store that carries Paul & Joe, check with them!

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Paul & Joe Face Colors for Blush and Highlighting

November 21, 2009

Each Paul & Joe Face Color consists of 2 colors in crescent shapes that allow you to mix and blend the colors based on your preference. Some have a lighter paler shade that I like to use for highlighting, but most of the time I just like to swirl the colors together. The texture is soft and velvety and pigment is soft and natural.

Swatch of 03 Canteloupe Melon:

Swatch of 07 Love:

Swatch of 08 Moroccan Orange:

Swatch of 11 Rhapsody:

Swatch of 12 Chic:

Swatch of 15 Re-Belle:

Swatch of 16 Canyon:

Swatch of 17 Sundown:

Swatch of 18 Risque:
They are a bit pricey at $24 USD each, so I try to wait for GWPs at Bergdorfs or Friends and Family Discounts for various online boutiques which can reduce the retail price down to around $19.20 at 20% off. See the first post, Paul & Joe Beaute: Chic & Sophisticated Makeup for the Young at Heart, in this series about current specials.