• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To MakeupMakeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
    • Advertising & Media
  • Categories
    • Product Reviews
    • Makeup
    • Skincare & Fragrance
    • Style & Fashion
    • Hair
    • Nails
    • Tips & Tutorials
    • Just for Fun
  • Brands
  • Store

Paul & Joe

Paul & Joe Nail Polish in Bitter Lime: This Bitter Got Better

May 21st, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

paul joe bitter lime

paul joe bitter lime

OK, yeah…I admit it. It took me a little while to get on board with Paul & Joe Nail Polish in Bitter Lime ($16).

I don’t know why, but it reminds me of funky ’70s kitchen decor. I vaguely recall our fridge and countertops at home being this color back in the day.

My gut said, “Ew…” when I applied Bitter Lime for the first time, but I kept it on for the sake of experimentation. Within a few hours, my opinion if it started to change for the better. I like how it looks in different light, like in the natural light through the window in my office, it’s like a highlighter yellow, but under the “warm white” bulbs in the bathroom, it’s more of a lime green.

I might be too easily amused (not might — am).

And I love the shiny finish. (*makes grabby hands*) In these pics I’m wearing two coats without a base or top coat.

The formula’s also incredibly sturdy, like OPI-caliber sturdy. When I applied it last week with just two coats and nothing else to help it along, it lasted me three or four days before I saw any chipping at all, and I’m full-time typist tough on my nails. If I were to wear it with a base and top coat, I’m sure it would lasts me six or seven days at least, which would be pretty darned good for me.

Bitter Lime is a limited edition $16 lacquer in the new Paul & Joe Summer Collection, and it’s available now online and at Paul & Joe counters.

paul joe bitter lime

paul joe bitter lime

paul joe bitter lime

Also wearing…

Clutch — LOFT Art Floral Pouch
Dress — LOFT Striped Strappy Flare Dress
Necklace — an oldie from Kate Spade (but here’s something similar)
Nails — Paul & Joe Nail Polish in Bitter Lime

P.S. How’s it going today, my friend? On a scale of 1-10, how’s your Thursday been so far? I’d say mine’s been about a 7.5, which rounds up to 8. 🙂

There are 15 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty, Nails, Paul & Joe

Coral, Bronze and Gold: A Natural, Summery Face of the Day With Tom Ford Summer 2015, NARS Eyelashes, RMS Beauty, Paul & Joe and More

April 21st, 2015 by Karen 12 Comments

tom ford naked bronze
A Face of the Day with some products from Tom Ford Summer 2015, NARS Eyelashes, RMS Beauty and more

My father-in-law does this thing where he answers every “when” question with the word, “Tuesday,” like, “When did you guys go to that dinner?”

And he says, “Tuesday.”

Or, “When was that storm you mentioned?”

To which he says, “Tuesday.”

And he giggles every time like it’s the funniest joke in the world.

Big sigh…

Buuut, I’m borrowing the joke today! 🙂 Basically, I was in the mood to wear something natural-ish, summery and spiced up with sparkling garnish because, dude! — as my father-in-law might say, it’s Tuesday, and Tuesdays are the best days to wear glitter.

I used quite a few new products, too (some of them from Tom Ford Summer 2015!), along with some older faves like Diorskin Air Nude Serum for this bronzed brown and gold eye with pink cheeks and coral lips.

A trick for mornings when you wake up with puffy eyes…

I had majorly puffy eyes this morning thanks to my spring allergies, so to offset that puffiness I deepened my crease with a matte brown. Instead of using an eyeshadow, though, I grabbed Tom Ford’s Terra Bronzer.

Yup! I used it as a transition shade, which I like it for, as it isn’t orangey. It’s more of a golden tan warm matte brown, and I think it layers and blends beautifully.

I really didn’t want to accentuate my puffy lids, so I kept all of the shimmers/glitters on my “mobile lid.”

Yup, mobile lid. It’s the part of the lid that moves when you blink. You can see it when you look straight into a mirror and blink. That part that moves is your mobile lid.

tom ford naked bronze

Anyway! For this look, I did a matte in the crease and kept the shimmer confined to the mobile lid. The combination of shimmer on the lid and matte in the crease appears to deepen and define the crease.

Or at least that’s the idea.

IMO, the best thing from Tom Ford Summer 2015

For the shimmer, I used Tom Ford’s Cream and Powder Eye Color in Naked Bronze. I dabbed the cream bronze shadow on my lids with a finger, let it dry, then went back in and patted the glitter eyeshadow in the center of my lid to create a focal point.

I really like Naked Bronze, by the way. It’s annoyingly expensive ($60), but it’s so pigmented that I don’t have to use much, and both the cream and the glitter layer and blend sans drama. Even if you did use a ton, it would probably still look effortless.

I think Tom Ford’s cream shadows are among the best products in the line, and if I were to choose one thing from the Summer 2015 Collection, it would be one of the Cream and Powder Eye Colors.

Cream blushes: a makeup tip

For cheeks, I also turned to Tom. I dabbed golden pink Cream Cheek Color in Pink Sand on the apples of my cheeks for a soft, subtle sheen and some natural pink color.

My favorite way to apply cream blush is to do it right after foundation. That way the foundation is still a little wet and the cream blush blends into it more easily. If, on the other hand, I wait until my foundation is dry, the blush seems to sit up on top of my skin where it looks more obvious.

For this look, I stippled the blush with a Real Techniques Multi Task Brush.
[Continue reading…]

There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face of the Day (FOTD), NARS, Paul & Joe, RMS Beauty, Tom Ford Beauty

Paul & Joe Protecting Pressed Powder Blush in 0401: Meowza to the Max

April 1st, 2015 by Karen 32 Comments

Paul & Joe Protecting Pressed Powder Blush in 0401

As an official member of the International Consortium of Cat Ladies, I have to say that this cat on Paul & Joe’s new Protecting Pressed Powder Blush in 0401 (coming later this month to Paul & Joe counters and beautyhabit.com) is the most handsome tabby ever known to cat lady kind, and I’ve seen some handsome tabbies in my day.

But the International Cat Lady Consortium has spoken, and it’s unanimous. This cat is the handsomest cat ever. Of all time. 🙂

About the blush now, can we just talk? This blush: amazeballs. It’s a peachy pink powder blush, which, I know, you’re rolling your eyes thinking, “Karen, OMG, b*tch! You’ve worn so many peachy pink powder blushes,” but this one — gurl, this one is a peachy pink powder blush with neutral undertones, and it is so hard to find one with truly neutral undertones.

I don’t care what your skin tone is. You could be the palest princess, you could be the most bronzed bahama babe, you could be a freaking green-@ss alien from Mars, and this blush will look great.

Paul & Joe Protecting Pressed Powder Blush in 0401

Paul & Joe Protecting Pressed Powder Blush in 0401

OK, one, it puts the universal in universally flattering, and two, it’s like a magical makeup eraser that removes all of the pores on your cheeks. Once I put this on — and I only need one layer — my cheeks look straight-up like a baby’s butt, and not a dirty-@ss baby’s butt, because that’s not how I roll. This is a clean-@ss, smooth baby butt, like from one of those commercials, and it smells good, too. It smells like Paul & Joe’s standard yummy floral chrysanthemum/jelly beans/all-kinds-of-goodness-in-a-pan scent.

It also lasts a really long time, and I don’t just mean a really long time. I conducted a very scientific test yesterday. I put it on in the morning, worked all day, then ran errands in the afternoon, and when I got home, I took a hardcore nap on the couch, like, so hardcore, dog. So hardcore. Put the blanket on top me and everything.

paul joe powder
Swatch of Paul & Joe Protecting Pressed Powder Blush in 0401

paul joe powder
Wearing Paul & Joe Protecting Pressed Powder Blush in 0401 on my cheeks

[Continue reading…]

There are 32 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face, Paul & Joe, Product Reviews

Paul & Joe Protecting Pressed Powder Prepares Pet Assistant Cheeks for Busy Schedules

March 30th, 2015 by Karen 17 Comments

paul & joe protecting pressed
Paul & Joe Protecting Pressed Powder in 002 ($45)

The following guest post was written by Tabs…

You can forget about opening this compact with your paws because, sadly, it is made for human hands only.

Paul & Joe’s new spring 2015 Protecting Pressed Powder is not for powdering tabby noses. It is for human faces, both female and male. (For the record, I’m Team Man Makeup all the way.)

Pressed powders are an essential component of a professional pet assistant’s appearance. This one comes in a beige compact with a sassy tabby on the front smoking a pipe and wearing a jaunty captain’s hat.

Paul & Joe Protecting Pressed Powder

PRICE: $45
AVAILABILITY: Coming in two shades (pale pink 001 and multi-beige 002) this April to Paul & Joe counters and beautyhabit.com.

When you open the compact, there’s a big mirror inside, into which you may stare at yourself if/when your greedy assistant decides to share.

There’s also an embossed — I’m not sure if that’s the right word; I have to look it up in my kitty dictionary — flower design on the pan. I think it’s a chrysanthemum, but I must ask my botanist cat friend about it.

The pressed powder can be worn either on top of bare fur — haha, just kidding — bare skin, or used to set liquid foundations so that they don’t move over the course of a busy assistant’s day.

I’ve observed the product in action on my assistant. When she used it to set her foundation and concealer this morning, she smiled.

Well, before she smiled, she stuck her nose in the pan and said, “Mmm! Smells like flowers, Tabs!”

Honestly, though, I don’t know what she meant by that. Half the time she’s mumbling about lord knows what, and I’ve just learned to tune her out.

Anyway, I do appreciate that her skin looks smoother and less oily than usual. I presume it is due to this powder’s oil-absorbing powers and its ability to blur pores.

Of course, we are cats, and not all of us are carrying American Express Black Cards, so you’re probably wondering if this powder is a good value for the price. It is $45, after all.

paul & joe protecting pressed

Paul & Joe Protecting Pressed Powder: Ingredients and benefits

  • Crystalline cellulose — Absorbs sebum
  • Jojoba seed oil — Emollient
  • Orange flower water — Moisturizer
  • Rosemary extract — Emollient
  • Sunflower seed oil — Emollient
  • White lily extract — Moisturizer, prevents irritation

paul & joe protecting pressed
[Continue reading…]

There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face, Makeup, Paul & Joe, Product Reviews

Get All the Gloss Without the Goop With the New Spring Paul & Joe Beauté Eye Gloss “S”

February 25th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

Paul & Joe Eye Gloss S from the left: Secret d'Or (01), Creme Brûlée (04) and Antique Coin (05)
Three of the five new $25 spring Paul & Joe Eye Gloss “S” from the left in Secret d’Or (01), Creme Brûlée (04) and Antique Coin (05)

All the gloss without the goop. Thank you, Paul & Joe, for helping my lids to glisten without the games that often accompany gloss-tacular eyes.

Yeah, man! Eye gloss isn’t just for Victoria’s Secret Angels who stomp-walk down the runway anymore. We, too, can make it an everyday thing, thanks to Paul & Joe’s Eye Glosses (they’re also called the Eye Gloss “S”).

They have an airy, whipped consistency and a non-sticky texture, so they feel like light feather kisses, and because they dry all the way down (unlike the many glossy formulas out there that stay wet), the gloss shouldn’t shift and settle into your fine lines or creases as you go about your day pet assisting (I feel your pain).

All five of the new spring Eye Gloss “S” shades have a dewy finish and a moisturizing formula that contains jojoba seed oil, orange flower water, sodium hyaluronate and white lily extract, and they seem pretty hydrating. There’s silvery golden Secret d’Or (01), pale silvery blue Firmament (02), pearlescent purply pink Angel’s Wings (03), silvery caramel Creme Brulee (04) and silvery orange Antique Coin (05).

Paul & Joe Eye Gloss S in Secret d'Or (01)
Eye Gloss S in Secret d’Or (01)

Paul & Joe Eye Gloss S in Creme Brulee (04)
Eye Gloss S in Creme Brulee (04)

[Continue reading…]

There are 20 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Paul & Joe

The Beautiful Beasts in Paul & Joe’s Menagerie Are Wild About Laid-Back Color: The Spring 2015 Menagerie Collection Face and Eye Color CS Palettes

February 9th, 2015 by Karen 23 Comments

Wearing the new Paul & Joe Face & Eye Colors in CS 0996 and CS 094 from the spring 2015 Menagerie collection
Wearing the new Paul & Joe Face & Eye Colors in CS 096 and CS 094 from the spring 2015 Menagerie collection

Paul & Joe’s spring Menagerie collection is not simply a collection of printed animals on powder pans. It is a representation of my not-too-distant future, a future in which I am a woman of advancing years living on a farm on the Big Island of Hawaii surrounding by cats (obviously) and various other fauna.

Despite El Hub’s protests, we adopt a hippo and an elephant, in addition to ducks (and cats), and all of them live together harmoniously, much as they do on these pans. 🙂

Paul & Joe Menagerie Spring 2015 collection Face & Eye Color CS from the left: Elephanteau (096), Les Flamants Roses (094) and Girafe (095), $39 each
The $39 Face & Eye Color CS palettes from the left in Elephanteau (096), Girafe (095) and Les Flamants Roses (094)

I think I’m physically incapable of not smiling when I look at these limited edition palettes, and they’re also a lot of fun to use, especially on casual makeup days when I’m rocking a ponytail, white tee and jeans (with my ASPCA cat Vans).

Paul & Joe Face & Eye Color in CS 096
Face & Eye Color in Elephanteau CS 096

The powders are multifunctional eyeshadows/blushes/highlighters and can be used on your eyes and cheeks.

Paul & Joe Menagerie Spring 2015 Face & Eye Color CS in Les Flamants Roses
Face & Eye Color in Girafe CS 095

They also smell like candy hearts. 🙂 And the scent is fairly strong (typical of Paul & Joe). Luckily, I like it.

Paul & Joe Face & Eye Color in CS 094
Face & Eye Color in Les Flamants Roses CS 094

Just like real life on a farm, these animals have jobs. The cat moonlights as an eyeshadow, the hippo works as an accent shade for eyes, the duck dances as a highlighter, and the elephant assists cheeks (while also doubling as an eye color).

Really, though, you can use any of them on your eyes or face, although Greta in the cube next to you might roll her eyes if she sees you wearing the blue hippo on your cheeks.

But who cares? Do it anyway. I did the other day, haha! I wanted to see how the eyeshadows would work on my cheeks, and they worked great. The smooth, easy-to-blend powders deposit a tiny bit of fallout, but it’s not enough to warrant calling the avenging makeup angels down to unleash their wrath of fire and brimstone. Nothing like that.

Paul & Joe Face & Eye Color in CS 096 Swatches
Face & Eye Color in Elephanteau CS 096

Paul & Joe Face & Eye Color in CS 095 Swatches
Face & Eye Color in Girafe CS 095

Paul & Joe Face & Eye Color in CS 094 Swatches
Face & Eye Color in Les Flamants Roses CS 094

[Continue reading…]

There are 23 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Palettes, Paul & Joe, Product Reviews

Should You Bring the Paul & Joe Beaute Eye Liner WP & Eye Crayon Duo in Saint Tropez 001 to the Beach, Baby?

June 25th, 2013 by Karen 29 Comments

Paul Joe Eyeliner from Saint Tropez 001 Duo

Few years ago I got to talking with a friend of mine who lived in Hawaii for some years. She said that while she lived there, she never once went in the ocean.

Paul Joe Eyeliner from Saint Tropez 001 Duo
Eyeliner from Saint Tropez 001 Duo Eye Crayon on the left and Eye Liner on the right

It kind of blew my mind. As a bonafide beach baby, I couldn’t fathom living in a place with warm, tropical water and not once stepping into it while you’re there. It’s everywhere around you, after all!

Paul Joe Eyeliner from Saint Tropez 001 Duo
Eyeliner from Saint Tropez 001 Duo

I know, different strokes for different folks, but if I could, I’d go swimming or surfing in that ocean every day…or at least every other day (everyone seems to say that, though, don’t they?).

Maybe that’s why Paul & Joe Beaute’s Beach Baby collection speaks to me…

Paul Joe Eye Crayon from Saint Tropez 001 Duo
The Eye Crayon from the Saint Tropez 001 Duo…

[Continue reading…]

There are 29 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, Paul & Joe, Product Reviews

Eye Gloss, Lip Gloss, We All Gloss for This Gloss: Paul & Joe’s Eye Gloss & Lip Gloss Duo in Nice

June 21st, 2013 by Karen 7 Comments

Paul & Joe's Eye Gloss & Lip Gloss Duo in Nice
Wearing the new Paul & Joe Eye Gloss & Lip Gloss Duo in Nice ($34) on my lids and lips (from the new Beach Baby collection)

So darned cute that heart-shaped bubbles and blue-eyed white kittens may trail behind you when you wear it. 🙂

Paul & Joe’s sweet dual-ended stick has a cream shadow (the Eye Gloss) on one end and a lip gloss on the other. Nice ($34), from the Beach Baby summer collection, is nice!

1. Adorable overload…

Paul & Joe Beach Baby Collection 2
From the left: the Eye Liner and Eye Crayon from the Eyeliner WP & Eye Crayon Duo in Saint Tropez 001; the Gloss and Eye Gloss from the Eye Gloss & Lip Gloss Duo in Nice 02; and Bermuda Nail Enamel

OOH! Look at the scripty font and chrysanthemum flowers.

Paul & Joe Eye Gloss from the Eye Gloss & Lip Gloss Duo in Nice
The Eye Gloss from the Eye Gloss & Lip Gloss Duo in Nice
Paul & Joe Gloss from the Eye Gloss & Lip Gloss Duo in Nice
The Gloss from the Eye Gloss & Lip Gloss Duo in Nice

2. Put your powder shadows on pause

Paul & Joe's Eye Gloss & Lip Gloss Duo in Nice Eye Gloss Swatch
A swatch of the Eye Gloss

[Continue reading…]

There are 7 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Lips, Makeup, Paul & Joe, Product Reviews

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog

Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog! My name is Karen, and I’m a freelance writer obsessed with makeup.

Makeup and Beauty Blog features daily product reviews, makeup tips and beauty news — like an interactive version of a monthly print magazine, except with occasional pictures of my cat.

Recent Posts

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 878

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 894

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 893

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 892

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 891

/* real people should not fill this in and expect good things – do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Featured Posts

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 771

Lady Unicorn

Weird Things I Like to Do

brows fill out beforehand

Before You Pluck or Wax Your Brows, You Must Do This

current bare skin status

What’s One Thing That Drastically Changed Your Skin for the Better?

Copyright © 2025 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.