paul & joe

Paul & Joe’s Matte Pressed Powder in Cinnamon Should Come With a Warning Label: “May Seduce CCLs”

February 16th, 2012 by Karen 24 Comments

Attention, makeup companies and packaging designers: printing pics of sad, doe-eyed kittens on the cover of cosmetics compacts WORKS.

Hey, it worked for me. 🙂

I’m finicky about my face powders, and when I find a few I like, I tend stick with ’em. These days, I’ve been turning to the MAC Studio Careblends and Tarte Pressed Powders, but I physically couldn’t resist trying Paul & Joe’s Matte Pressed Powder in Cinnamon 001.

This near-translucent $42 face powder padded on the scene with dainty little kitten paws. Part of the Paul & Joe Kitten Collection, it’s become one of the more elusive kitties in the release, or so I’m hearing through the grapevine (apparently, I haven’t been the only makeup fiend to fall for this packaging). I adopted mine from beautyhabit.com, but when I checked back later, it was no longer listed there.

The feline fun doesn’t stop with the cute cat on the outside of the compact, either. There’s also a paw print powder puff in the compact and the silhouette of a kitty on the pan.

Tabs feels that he deserves some of the credit for the idea… After all, the model, as Tabs put it, has “some junk in da trunk” — an obvious indicator of Tabs’ influence in the world of plus-size kitty models.

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Matte Pressed Powder in Cinnamon 001

paul & joe kitten collection matte pressed powder
Matte Pressed Powder in Cinnamon 001
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Paul & Joe Waterproof Gel Eye Liner: Water Doesn’t Bother This Kitty Cat

February 14th, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

paul & joe waterproof gel eye liner

NOTE TO SELF: Next time Tabs insists on going for an impromptu walk in the rain (believe it or not, this has actually happened), grab Paul & Joe’s Waterproof Gel Eye Liner in Black ($25), because once this quick-drying matte black gel sets on my lash lines, it won’t even flinch in a downpour.

Part of the new eight-piece limited edition Kitten Collection, Gel Eye Liner feels thick, dense and kind of reminds me of a drier, grayer version of MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack.

I don’t think it clings to water lines anywhere near as well, but on rainy, rushed days when all I want are quick cat eyes, Gel Eye Liner delivers. It dries in just about a minute, and after that, I get a good 12 hours out of it without any smudging or fading.

For more on the Paul & Joe Kitten Collection, check out…

I’m Still Fawning Over the Paul & Joe Kitten Collection, Today With a Twist on an OmbrÃ¨ Manicure

It Was Love at First Blush for These Kittens: The New Kitten Collection Blusher Sticks From Paul & Joe

The liner also comes with a flat, tapered retractable brush that performs surprisingly well and draws thick and thin lines with ease. Using it to apply Gel Eye Liner creates lines that look a little bit blurred at the edges, for an effect that’s more soft than precise.

If you’re looking for lines with a crisper edge, you might want to apply this with something like the Sonia Kashuk Bent Eyeliner Brush instead.

paul & joe kitten collection waterproof gel eye liner black cat cool
Waterproof Gel Eye Liner in Black (sometimes called Black Cat Cool)

paul & joe kitten collection waterproof gel eye liner black cat cool
Waterproof Gel Eye Liner in Black (sometimes called Black Cat Cool)
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They Left Their Paw Prints on My Heart, But I’m Still Gonna Knead a Little More From Paul & Joe’s New Lipstick Cs

February 11th, 2012 by Karen 12 Comments

Wearing Paul & Joe Lipstick C in Meow

For all the grumbling I do about Tabs’ diva behavior, I have to say, he can be quite the charmer. To the best of my knowledge, since I don’t travel with him when he’s away modeling on location, except for the Edward Scissorpaws Incident, for which he’s still on probation, he’s never raised a paw against a human.

Always quick to show love, he’s the mellowest, most affectionate cat I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing.

(And he must know we’re talking about him because he just rubbed his chin against my leg, aww!)

I’ve been hoping that Paul & Joe’s lovely new Lipstick Cs (with the kitty paw pattern on the tubes) would evoke that same easy, breezy, cool cat style. The three $20 kitty-themed matte lipsticks were recently released with the limited edition Collection Sparkles launch.

Pinkish beige Sex Kitten, pinkish brown Meow and coral Catwalk look so cute, casual and comfy in their tubes that, I have to admit, I had dangerously high hopes. I expected all three to climb my metaphorical cat tower and make their way into my regular rotation of lipsticks. I mean, what could be breezier than a simple nude lip?

Obviously, the packaging’s off the chain. 🙂 I love the wee paw prints scaling up the length of each bullet and how the graphic designs on the tops and bottoms of the packaging line up perfectly.

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Lipstick C in Catwalk, Meow and Sex Kitten

Swatches from the left: Sex Kitten, Meow and Catwalk
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I’m Still Fawning Over the Paul & Joe Kitten Collection, Today With a Twist on an OmbrÃ¨ Manicure

February 10th, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

The other day, I sat down to do some nail swatching and tried to remember the last time I wore the same shade of nail polish on all 10 of my fingers or toes.

I totally drew a blank.

A month ago…? Or was it further back than that?

Lately, I’ve just been really into multi-colored manis, two-tone nails, glitter layers and ombrÃ¨ effects. Now, when I wear the same color on every fingertip, I feel like I’m kickin’ it old school. 🙂

Today I planned to paint my nails with one of the three new Nail Enamels from the limited edition Paul & Joe Kitten Collection, but then the fickle ombrÃ¨ bug attacked…

Four fingertips later, I was applying the second color. A few after that, I was applying the third.

See how they go from darkest to lightest from my left hand to my right? Just a different take on ombrÃ¨ nails. Those shades are hot pink Manekineko, rosy pink Kitten Claws and peachy beige Tigress ($14 each).

paul joe kitten collection nail enamel
Nail Enamels in Kitten Claws, Tigress and Manekineko

paul & joe kitten collection nail enamel
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It Was Love at First Blush for These Kittens: The New Kitten Collection Blusher Sticks From Paul & Joe

February 10th, 2012 by Karen 28 Comments

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Wearing Paul & Joe Blusher Stick in Minou on my cheeks and Glamour Puss on my upper cheekbones

Apparently, the recipe for shifting one’s crazy cat lady levels from relatively normal to full-on insane calls for kitties, blush, top hats and bow ties. Thank you, Paul & Joe, for unleashing this knowledge unto the world! Now, armed with your new Blusher Sticks ($28 each), I can realize my true CCL potential. 🙂

Part cream blush, part art project, these three Blusher Sticks — matte pink Minou, matte orange Catfight and shimmery beige Glamour Puss — just might be the cutest pieces of makeup I have ever seen.

Released with the new Paul & Joe limited edition Kitten Collection, available now on counters and online, each stick is about the same size as a lipstick.

paul joe kitten collection blusher stick
Blusher Sticks from the left: Minou, Catfight and Glamour Puss

paul & joe kitten collection blusher stick minou
Minou

paul & joe kitten collection blusher stick glamour puss
Glamour Puss
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The Paul & Joe Face & Eye Color Palette in Purr-Fect Is Perfect for Soft Green Smokey Eyes

February 9th, 2012 by Karen 38 Comments

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Wearing Paul & Joe Face & Eye Color in Purr-Fect on my eyes

Much like Paul & Joe’s Face & Eye Color palette in Siamese Please is a smooth operator, Purr-Fect is one cool cat.

The three thrilling cool-toned shades in this $36 palette don’t just walk. They strut! With a mossy greenish gray, a shimmery forest green and a glazed beige with a sheen finish, it’s my favorite, and probably the most dramatic, of the three feline fabulous Face & Eye palettes from Paul & Joe this spring.

Purr-Fect is one of three new Face & Eye Color palettes in the new limited edition Paul & Joe Collection Sparkles release for spring 2012.

I love wearing soft smokey greens on my eyes, so Purr-Fect’s a perfect fit my makeup style.

As for wearing these powders on my face and cheeks? Hmm… Perhaps the glazed beige, but I looked pretty creepy in green blush the last time I checked. 🙂

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Purr-Fect

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Now There’s a Smooth Cat: The Paul & Joe Face & Eye Color Palette in Siamese Please

February 9th, 2012 by Karen 25 Comments

paul & joe siamese please (2)

Renowned for their affectionate, social nature and intelligence, Paul & Joe Face & Eye Color palettes in Siamese Please ($36) enjoy being with people.

Often they bond strongly to a single person and are sometimes described as “extroverts.” These palettes, like the cats from whence they get their name, are typically active and playful, even on adults, and are often found playing on the eyes and face. 🙂

One of three new Paul & Joe Face & Eye Color palettes in the limited edition Collection Sparkles release for spring 2012, Siamese Please contains three seal-point inspired shades — a pigmented shimmery bronze, a brownish taupe with silver glitter and a sheer matte beige.

In this look, I’m wearing all three shades on my eyes (the bronze on my lids, the beige along my brow bone and the brownish taupe along my upper and lower lash lines), but I’d also like to try wearing the bronze as a blush and the matte beige as a highlighter for my cheeks.

Siamese Please is one of three new Face & Eye Color palettes in the new limited edition Paul & Joe Collection Sparkles release for spring 2012.

Like the powders in the Kittycat Face & Eye Color palette, these vary in intensity, with the shimmery bronze and brown colors applying with the most pigment, and the matte beige with the least.

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Siamese Please

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This Kittycat Sparkles in Purple, Pink and Beige: The Paul & Joe Face & Eye Color Palette in Kittycat

February 9th, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

paul & joe kittycat (1)

I swear on my husky tabby’s orange tum that my cat lady heart broke a little when I finally took my brushes to Paul & Joe’s new Face & Eye Color palette in Kittycat ($36).

Kittycat is one of three new Face & Eye Color palettes in the new limited edition Paul & Joe Collection Sparkles release for spring 2012.

And I suppose this may be a little too much information…but while I did my eyes this morning with Laverne’s — yes, I’ve taken to calling her Laverne — shimmery reddish purple and matte pinkish beige shades, I pretended to pet her chest, back and tail with my brush, speaking to her in the same high-pitched voice normally reserved for Tabs.

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Kittycat

“Look at you, Laverne!” I said with my inside voice out loud. “Look at your pretty purple tail! I’m petting your sides now and your little paw…” 🙂

A few quick observations about Laverne, also known as the Paul & Joe Face & Eye Color palette in Kittycat

The three shades vary in intensity, with the shimmery reddish purple packing the most pigment, the peachy pink shade (which has just the slightest sheen) depositing a little bit less, and the matte pinkish beige delivering the least.
The purple’s prominent flecks of silver glitter exhibit some fallout, especially when I’m working quickly and rushing through a look. I don’t think it’s bad, though.
I still really like the matte pinkish beige, despite it applying rather sheer. Smooth and buttery, it blends seamlessly into the other shades and still looks very elegant on its own. For a simple, fresh look, I’ve been applying it all over my lids, curling my lashes and then adding lots of mascara.
If you plan to wear the peachy pink shade as a cheek color, try it with a small, pointed blush brush for greater control. A larger blush brush might pick up the darker purple of Laverne’s “fur.”
The words “Paul & Joe” in the upper right corner are an overspray. Now, after taking my brush to it, my pan just says “Pau.” LOL! Yes, I’m too easily amused.
All three shadows blend without fuss or muss.
The powder has a light floral fragrance, which to my nose smells a little like carnations.

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