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.
The Paul & Joe mania continues with pearl powders. These are loose eyeshadow powders. They all contain finely milled shimmer, the holiday colors have a silver micro-glitter sparkle that is very subtle but still visible. Compared to MAC Pigments, the pigment is a bit softer and not as frosty and the texture is a bit more powdery/light feeling.
01 Secret of Gold, 03 Silhouette, 04 Afterglow, 001 Smoke Black, 002 Smoke Brown
* 001 and 002 are from the holiday 2009 collection & are limited edition
* Number 02 Blaze is from a sample.
For comparisons and swatches to other brands/colors, check out these past Paul & Joe features:
Here is Day 2 of my Paul & Joe collection featuring 4 of the seasonal eyeshadow palettes. These currently retail from $38 to $40 USD and come in a cute mirrored compact along with a double sided brush/applicator. The textrue/pigment of these palettes is just as good as the single eyeshadows. I’m not a huge fan of the applicator-brush, but then I rarely am with any brand for eyeshadow palettes.
Great neutral colors for both warm and cool tones.
Swatches of the Holiday 2009 Palettes, Mesmerize 001 (cool toned):
Spellbound 002 (very warm):
Swatches from Spring 2009, Ingenue 001 (more neutral):
Starlet 002 (neutral but cooler toned):
For other blogs that have pictures of the palettes, check out:
The first collection feature for Paul & Joe will be about the single eyeshadows. I love the pigment and texture. They are soft and blendable with lovely shimmer. To me, they are on par with Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadows for how they feel, but the Paul & Joe are less prone to breakage. Some are a bit more sparkley than others, but there is a great range from matte, to satin, to sparkle, and shimmer.
The cute packaging it comes in:
Here are all the eyeshadows I have in my collection to date:
Swatches with high flash (over Armani LSF 5.5 as a base):
The pigment is excellent and please take the swatch pictures with a grain of salt – the flash tends to wash the color/pigment out a bit.
Swatches without flash:
The arm swatches don’t do the paler colors justice, they don’t show up well in the photo above, hopefully this will help show the pigment better (even if it can’t capture the true essence of each shade):
Close up of the limited edition packaging:
Swatches:
The regular shades come in a single mirrored compact form, but it appears that early next year Paul & Joe plans to revamp their eyeshadow line and make them available in palette form. Check out the Spring 2010 Promo Pictures on Rouge Deluxe.
All were purchased at Bergdorf Goodman, The Primping Parleur, Beautyhabit and Dermstore.com. I highly recommend you check out Beautyhabit.com and Dermstore.com for more product views and color descriptions.
FYI – The Primping Parleur has 20% off with code NOVFAMILY and Beautyhabit has 20% off as well with code INSTYLE – all codes good until the end of this month.
My readers know Ilovethose hard-to-find brands with a unique flair, and Paul & Joe is a recent discovery of mine that is fun, chic and sophisticated all at the same time. Each item is cased in an adorable compact or cute bottle and comes in an equally delightful box. The quality of the eyeshadows (singles & palettes), blushes, pearl powders, lipsticks and glosses are all incredible and high in both pigment and quality. The compact designs are adorable and will appeal to those young at heart, but are sophisticated enough to appeal to any age.
I’m going to do a series on my Paul & Joe collection in the upcoming week to help my fellow readers get a better idea of what the products look like in real life. While I do have access to most brands, there are quite a few that I do not, so I understand the pain many of you go through of not having in-person access to some lines. I hope this series will help!
How I found out about the line: I have 3 Paul & Joe Beaute aficionadas to blame for my addiction: Haru at Rouge Deluxe, Parsi & Joeybunny – all of whom have been invaluable in answering my millions of questions about the line. In addition, I have found Japanese Beauty Magazines to very helpful in featuring great photos and how-to’s.
Purchasing/deciding on colors: Since I don’t have access to the line within reasonable driving distance, I’ve relied heavily on other makeup addicts, blogs, e-bay photos, and various Japanese magazines as well as over-the-phone descriptions to help me decide what to buy. Websites like dermstore.com and beautyhabit.com actually have a color description for each color you click on which has helped tremendously. Still there is no substitute for seeing and trying things in person, so often times it’s just biting the bullet to buy and hope for the best.
Where to buy: Since I am in the US, I will focus on the locations within the US. There should be listings by country on the Paul & Joe Beauty Website though. I have purchased my Paul & Joe products at the following locations (this is not all inclusive of all P&J retailers, just the ones I’ve bought from):
Bergdorf Goodman, New York: I love the girls at P&J Bergdorfs counter. Super friendly and fun, they are great at recommending colors. They have super-cute gifts with purchases at various events. Ask for Caroline or Hettie at the counter, they are fabulous! If you call them, also ask about their exclusive Paul & Joe Club Card program. The first week of December, BG will have their $25 off $100 purchase gift card event. They usually have really cute gifts with purchases featuring generously sized skincare samples.
The Primping Parleur: A salon/boutique in Brea, California. They have the largest selection of limited edition P&J products that are hard to find elsewhere (that I know of), along with all the regular P&J products. Right now they are having a 20% friends & family discount for November with the code NOVFAMILY. Fast shipping, nice samples and all packaged in a cute box. They also carry other brands like Becca & Kevyn Aucoin to name a few. Check out their website for events and boutique information!
Beautyhabit.com: Since the Beauty Habit boutique isn’t near me, I opted to shop online. They also carry various limited edition products and have some of the shades that have been discontinued too! They are also having a 20% discount with the code INSTYLE until the end of the month.
Dermstore.com: An online boutique that features a 10% discount on items that are part of your favorites list. They carry some of the older discontinued colors too.
What to look for in this series: I am going to do a feature per product item (ie nails, eyes, palettes etc.) with photos and swatches (when I can). Any other resources, experiences, links you’d like to share? Please let me know! I have found a few blogs that have featured a bit of Paul & Joe here and there. These are my resources, I’d love to hear yours:
Keep your eyes opened for the upcoming features! In the meantime, check out the Paul & Joe Website and their Facebook Fan Page 🙂 I have featured Paul & Joe previously, so click on the label/tag at the bottom of this post to see what I’ve featured so far. I’d like to invite any other Paul & Joe fans to submit any photos or reviews of their collection to be featured on The Beauty Look Book too! Just contact me through the side bar to discuss an idea with me.
Or, if you have your own blog and want to write about your Paul & Joe items, let me know and I’ll link you!
A few disclaimers: I am not affiliated with any of the retailers listed above (other than just being a happy customer). Also, you may notice that all the lipsticks are new. To address some questions I’ve been asked in the past, I am not just a collector, I actually do use the makeup. I try to take photos as soon as I get something before it’s used for a cleaner look.
Here’s November’s List of Ten Things I’m Loving Right Now. As always, I want to hear your lists too! And they don’t have to be beauty/makeup related.
1) Henri Bendel Candles from Bath & Body Works $26 – these are the best candles I’ve tried with so many feel-good scents. My favorites are Vanilla Bean, Fig, Quince, Pomegranate – and my husband loves these too.
2) L’Occitane Holiday Sets – Still loving the scented hand creams, in particular the Shea Vanilla and Frangipani scented ones! I wish they weren’t limited edition. Also love the Shower Celebration set – wish all the scents came in larger sizes (I believe the only one available individually right now is the Almond Shower Gel).
3) Paul & Joe Lip Lacquers $20 – You’ve seen these in my look features earlier in the month and my regular readers know that I bought practically every color. They are absolutely fabulous and I hope these are here to stay. They are great alone or over a liner/lipstick. I can’t rave enough about them. Cute packaging, nice pigment, non-sticky texture, very wearable colors. I’ve purchased my Paul & Joe items from Bergdorf Goodman, The Primping Parleur’s Online Boutique, Beautyhabit.com and Dermstore.com – but check the Paul & Joe Beauty website for locations around the world.
4) PhytoSpecific Integral Hair Care – this is a spray hair treatment which is supposed to “restore moisture, smooth, redefine curls, detangle, make setting easier, and protect hair from heat damage.” I have thick slightly wavy hair which I cannot air dry because it poofs up into a huge frizz ball. Up until a year ago when I started using this, I religiously blow dried and straightened my hair daily. I tried a number of no-frizz serums and straightening sprays, but I still had to go through the daily ritual of blow dry/straighten. This spray is incredible for me and once I spray and comb through, it allows my hair to air dry without turning into a huge frizz ball. I haven’t tried any of the other PhytoSpecific products, but I do love the shampoos in the regular Phyto line.
5) Dolce & Gabbana Caramel Blush $44 – I love nude blushes and this one is pretty without looking muddy on my skin. You can buy D&G online at saks.com, but I highly recommend ordering through the Saks NY or Beverly Hills counters because you get excellent customer service and the makeup artists who run the counter are very good at recommending colors. If you have any questions about other products, you can ask me too! I’ve accumulated quite a few things from them since they launched the line.
6) Edward Bess Daydream Bronzer $48 – By far my favorite powder bronzer of the moment. Wasn’t so thrilled with the hefty price tag, but I have to say that it gives that natural tanned glow. My skintone is on the pale side right now, I’m the equivalent of what’s in between MAC NC30-35. Normally I’m more of a NC35-40ish. You can purchase Edward Bess at Bergdorf Goodman or online at EdwardBess.com. Compared to some other bronzers:
7) Le Metier Eye Brightening & Setting Powder $36 – I’ve always been skeptical of brightening powders mainly because I usually don’t see a difference when using them. This, however, is every bit as great as Ellyn (from Neimans King of Prussia) and Lisa (my fellow Le Metier fan) have both raved. I use the shade Revive which is good for medium-tanned skintones. The next shade down Refresh is quite a bit paler. Seems like they need a shade in between. I use it after I apply my foundation in place of concealer under the eyes and it is an instant-brightener/evener all in one. (FYI – Neimanmarcus.com has free shipping with code and a promotional Peche Lip Creme with any Le Metier purchase, good as long as supplies last.)
8) MAC Pigments: Naked, Fairylite, Your Ladyship, Shimmertime – I like light/neutral pink shimmers for a natural barely-there all over eye color. I believe all of them have been discontinued except Naked, but you can get a full sized Shimmertime Pigment in one of the MAC holiday sets and Naked is also available as a mini in one of the holiday pigment sets.
The swatch picture couldn’t capture the real color, so I’ll try my best to describe the differences:
Naked is the most neutral
Fairylite has the most pink and most visible silver sparkle/micro glitter
Your Ladyship has a golden sheen to it
Shimmertime is the most pink/frosty throughout
9) MAC Style Black Mineralize Eyeshadows: Gilt by Association, Cinderfella, Young Punk $19.50 each – Yes, I do like MAC products even though I don’t write much about the line! I was afraid these would be too glittery, but they work well when applied with a damp brush or over a gel liner for a pretty smoky eye. It appears they are sold out online, but most MAC stores usually still carry seasonal stock so check your local store.
10) Hot Chocolate – I know many of you prefer I stay on the beauty topic, but I really love this time of year because it’s the perfect time for hot chocolate, apple cider, and warm teas. A classic favorite is the Williams Sonoma Hot Chocolate that they only carry during the holidays. I’ve seen a few at Godiva and Crate & Barrel that I’m dying to try out. I know Trader Joes has a lot of holiday ciders and goodies, so I’m hoping they have a hot chocolate too. Do you have a favorite hot chocolate?
I will admit that I tend to associate rosy pinks more with spring or summer, but I feel that rosy pink lips can pretty much be worn year round. For lips, I tend to lean more towards more natural pinks since I already have a lot of pink in my natural lip tone, so these won’t be the rosiest pinks that are out there.
Rosy Pink Lipglosses:
1. MAC Sweet Strawberry Lipglass 2. MAC Bingo! Plushglass 3. MAC Creme Anglaise Cremesheen Glass 4. Le Metier Siena Lip Creme (GWP) 5. Becca Rosita Lip Gloss 6. Nars Stella Lip Gloss 7. Paul & Joe Limited Edition 001 Lip Gloss 8. Chanel Imaginaire Glossimer 9. Edward Bess Love Always
Swatches, same order:
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Rosy Pink Lipsticks:
1. Chanel Ischia #96 Aqualumiere 2. Chanel Tasmania #99 Aqualumiere 3. Bobbi Brown Ruffle Metallic Lip Color 4. Le Metier de Beaute Cannes 5. MAC Strawbaby Lipstick (Fafi label came off) 6. MAC Party Mate 7. MAC Skew
(The swatches didn’t turn out so well, I might try again later)
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Nail Polishes:
1. OPI California Raspberry 2. Essie Very Cranberry 3. OPI Grand Central Carnation 4. Dolce & Gabbana Rose (received as a GWP, but part of the regular D&G line) 5. Paul & Joe #13
For the swatches, the order is:
1. Thumb = Paul & Joe #13 2. Index = Dolce & Gabbana Rose 3. Middle = OPI Grand Central Carnation 4. Ring = Essie Very Cranberry 5. Pinkie = OPI California Raspberry
My blush collection has a lot of nude pinks, hot pinks, dusty pinks, peachy-pinks. I don’t have very many rosy-pink colors for cheeks other than my Bobbi Brown Raspberry Pot Rouge. Hence, no focus on the cheeks. I definitely do not have any rosy pink eyeshadows.
Would love to hear what your favorite rosy pink colors are!
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.
