Just wanted to remind all my readers that you can still get 20% off your online order from The Primping Parleur until the end of the month! Just enter the code BEAUTYLOOKBOOKBLOG at the checkout. Check out my original post HERE for more details and information.
Anyone who already ordered, what did you end up getting with the promotional code? I’d love to hear what you bought! I got quite a few presents for my girlfriends – they are all packed up and wrapped right now, but for myself, I got:
Paul & Joe Eyeshadow Harvest Moon 95 (waves to Joeybunny for convincing me!)
Becca Lip Tints Yasmina (nude-mauve on the left) & Estella (warm but pale nude on the right)
Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder in Candlelight
P&J Harvest Moon 95 Eyeshadow is a neutral plum-nude with shimmer. I think it will make a good natural contouring shade. The Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight Shimmer Powder is a soft champagne shimmer powder that gives a nice candlelight-like-glow, I used this on my eyes all over the lid which gave a nice glowy effect, but the color just didn’t seem all that unique. The Becca Lip Tints are both sheer but very wearable nudes for my pigmented lips. I think I need to try more of these.
Guest Writer Lakshmi brings us a detailed account of her recent makeover at Bergdorf Goodman with the Paul & Joe team for their holiday event along with lovely photos of her amazing haul (credit to go to her friend Dhruv for taking these photos)! It looks like the Mesmerize Holiday Palette is a big hit this season – want to know how to use this and what products to coordinate with it? Read on for her experience . . .
L to R: Nail Polish 06, Lip Lacquer 07, Lip Lacquer 10
Intrigued by rave articles on Paul & Joe, I decided to go in for a makeover at Bergdorf Goodman and had Caroline do my make-up which was just wonderful, the whole experience was totally fun! Here’s what she used on me:
Skin Prep
Caroline started by cleansing my face with the Cleansing Milk N, followed by the Refreshing Toner. Since my skin is very dry at the moment she followed it up with a richer toner that you just press into the skin instead of applying with a cotton pad. All these skin products have an orange blossom fragrance that is very soothing. She then applied some moisture cream, which was a little too heavy, so she blotted away the excess moisturizer and followed with an application of their Protective Foundation Primer.
Foundation
After the skin-prep, Caroline then proceeded with an application of the Protective Fluid Foundation. I am Indian with deeper skintones (MAC NC43) and unfortunately they did not have a perfect match for concealer so she opted for a Shu Uemura concealer from the neighboring counter as an alternative! She set my foundation with some loose face powder.
Eyes
* Step 1) Eyes were first prepped with a layer of their eye primer
* Step 2) She then applied the lightest shade (lilac) from the Mesmerize palette all over the lid
* Step 3) The medium shade from the same palette was blended in the crease to warm up my eyes, because the lilac was a little too cool toned for my skin
* Step 4) The next thing she did which was my favorite part of the entire makeover – she took the darkest shade in the palette (the black sparkly one) and lined my eyes extending it into the outer V, while smudging this to make it look diffused and soft.
* Step 5) She then deepened this eyeliner effect with Pearl Powder in 001 (smokey black shimmer) and lined my eyes with a black pencil liner.
* Step 6) Finishing touches – just to give some sparkle she used the Pearl Powder 03 on the center of my lid, applied and blended lightly with a finger.
While seemingly complicated, this combination of products gave my eyes a soft smokey look with a wonderful gradient effect from the darkest black color at the lashline slowly blending upward and outward. She then applied their mascara in black, the brush is quite thick and the formula seems glossy and volumizing, so can’t wait to try that. Since she applied it with a disposable wand, I have yet to see the effect of application with the brush.
Cheeks
I had already seen so many things I wanted to buy and we couldn’t really decide on a face color that was suitable, so she just applied the darker shade of their bronzer as a blush. I think that this shade is very comparable to MAC’s Refined Golden bronzer.
Lips
She applied a lipliner (don’t remember the number but it was a brick colored one) filled in lips with a brick reddish-brown lipstick (not limited edition packaging), followed by Lip Lacquer #10. We also tried Lip Lacquer #07 which complimented the rest of the look perfectly too!
What I ended up going home with:
Pearl Powders in 001, 002 and 03
Lash Mascara in 01 (black)
Lip Lacquers in 07 and 10 – they are unlike anything I’ve tried and have an amazing finish…
Nail Enamel in 06
The gift with purchase was a beautiful Paul & Joe notebook in purple to match their holiday collection packaging!
Pearl Powders: 03 (top), 002 (front left), 001 (front right)
I’ve been writing so much on Edward Bess and Paul & Joe (my two new loves) – I thought I’d take a short break. Here is my list for December (a bit shorter than normal) of what I’m loving right now:
1) Harney & Sons White Christmas Tea – Got this in a Holiday Tea Set from Williams Sonoma (instore). I know it’s not exactly beauty-related, but I’ve been drinking this nonstop when I study or blog. Add a bit of honey, sugar and soy milk and it’s heaven. I think you can get it cheaper individually on the Harney & Sons Website.
2) Korres Lip Butter in Guava – Posted about some lip balms last month HERE. This one is smooth, sweet but light scent, moisturizing but not goopy. I love the light pink tint! My lips were a bit chapped from lack of food/water/sleep as I spent the last week working non-stop on school projects. This revitalized my lips instantaneously – no joke.
3) Dolce & Gabbana Mascara – I used up my favorite Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill and felt it was time to open my D&G Mascara. This is *everything* Melissa and Rachel from Saks NY D&G have raved about. Defines and thickens lashes and doesn’t clump or smudge. I love the brush because it gets all my lashes without applying too much goop. It gives a more natural look compared to Armani Eyes to Kill/Diorshow. (No photo, but it comes in a heavy gold tube.)
4) Bobbi Brown Java Metallic Eyeshadow – I don’t know why I haven’t written about this sooner. I bought it as soon as the metallic shadows came out and love this for a smokey cool-brown shimmer. Most shimmery dark brown shadows I’ve found seem to be warm toned (Bobbi Brown Chocolate Shimmerwash, MAC Mulch, Nars Lola Lola, Chanel Cinnamon). If you like taupes, you will like Java – it’s a few steps up in intensity from your regular taupes with smokiness to it. Looks great when applied with a damp brush.
Compared to Stone Shimmerwash and Chocolate Shimmerwash for your reference:
5) Nars Irresistiblement Bronzer – I bought this months ago because it looked so pretty on Em from Too Much Blush. Even though our skintones are completely different, I had to give it a try. I’ve been alternating between this and Edward Bess Daydream for everyday bronzers. It’s a warm almost orangey looking bronze in the pan. But on the skin, it warms up my face like a bronzer-blush. Your mileage may vary on this, but if you have a Nars counter near you it’s definitely worth trying out even if it doesn’t look like your cup of tea.
6) Mauvey Pink Lipglosses: Bobbi Brown Pink Buff, Paul & Joe Lip Lacquer 07, Paul & Joe Lip Gloss 09, MAC Lovechild and Paul & Joe Lip Lacquer 10 – It’s difficult for me to find a mauvey lipgloss that isn’t too pale, too purple or too grey. All of these work perfectly because they have just the right amount of pink or brown so I don’t end up looking dead. They go well with Laura Mercier Chestnut Lipliner which is a good everyday neutral.
I bought Paul & Joe Lip Lacquer 07 and Gloss 09 thanks to the genius of Caroline from the Paul & Joe counter at Bergdorf Goodman. She said they were great for girls with skintones like us (medium and Asian) but flatter almost everyone she’s worked with. Of course she was right on the money. I then bought Lacquer #10 thanks to Joey’s rave review and pictures. I was worried it would be too brown, but turns out it’s not!
L to R: Bobbi Brown Pink Buff, P&J Lacquer 07, P&J Lipgloss 09, MAC Lovechild, P&J Lacquer 10
7) Guerlain Perles Imperiales Holiday Meteorites – This is my one and only Guerlain Meteorites. I caved from all the raves and bought it online because it was sold out in stores by the time I decided I wanted it. Gives a pretty sparkley glow.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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 – soif you have a nearby salon or beauty store that carries Paul & Joe, check with them!
