Paul & Joe Lipstick and Lipstick CS

I've been staying away from Paul & Joe for a long time, not because I'm not interested but because I'd be in trouble if I get started ^.^" They keep coming out with one limited edition collection after another, which I'm a total sucker for, not to mention many of those items are always super duper cute!   

Anyway, last winter 2012 I actually caved and bought a few items from Beauty Habit right after moving home from Taipei. But then I had to pack again for SF, and so didn't get to the stuff I bought until now: Face & Eye Color CS 73 42nd Street, 74 Empire State, and 75 Brooklyn Bridge from the Manhattan Collection released fall 2011, and Color Powder CS 79 Les Tourtereaux released fall 2012. This year another death blow came in the form of an adorable kitty blanket GWP, also via Beauty Habit, and so I decided to give some of the Lipsticks and Lipstick CS a try. 

Top: the 2 orders from Beauty Habit, last winter and this fall. All pictures taken in natural light without flash. 

Face Colors and one more Lipstick refill ordered via Beauty Bay.

The evil kitty blanket that's found a permanent home on my couch. It's so, so, so soft and measures 44 x 26 inches.

The removable and sold separately lipstick cases were introduced just a couple of years ago. I'm really glad they did because I'd much rather pick and choose among the prints of the case and the color of the lipstick refills. I'd hate to be forced to buy a lipstick in a ho-hum color just to get the pretty case, or vice versa.

Lipstick Case CS 006, 007, and 008 from the spring 2013 Carousel collection, and 009 and 010 from fall 2013 Fairytale collection.

As for the lipstick refills, there are 3 finishes: sheer, natural, and full coverage. I went for the sheer ones ^.^ Sounds totally counterintuitive, I know, since most people go for the natural or full coverage. I don't know why, but most of the time I prefer my lipsticks on the sheerer side. From the fall 2012 limited edition releases I got 001 Cupid's Kiss and 004 Beloved, both have sheer finish. From the fall 2013 Fairytale collection I got (Lipstick CS) 083 Happily Ever After, which I think is actually a natural finish. And from the permanent lineup I got 104 Mademoiselle and 105 First Kiss, again both have sheer finish. 

Left to right: 001 Cupid's Kiss, 004 Beloved, (CS) 083 Happily Ever After, 104 Mademoiselle, and 105 First Kiss.

All the lipsticks are scented, and although the fragrance doesn't bother me I have to admit it's rathe chemically and perfumy and not in a good way. I would much prefer my lipsticks unscented. However, texture wise these lipsticks are fantastic! They apply on the thinner side with slip, although not so much that they feel all buttery and melty like Lavshuca Moist Melting Rouge. And the slip actually feels nice too, not the silicone-y slip you would expect. Once on, they are balmy and surprisingly moisturizing, with a nice sheen to boot! Likey! 

- 001 Cupid's Kiss (Sheer): sheer and shimmer free bubblegum pink. This applies totally sheer like a colorless balm. However, it gains some color within the minute and I get juicy pinky lips with a nice sheen, perfect for daytime! This color is so effortless I've been carrying it with me for days when I feel lazy but still need some color.

- 004 Beloved (Sheer): metallic pink with silver sparkles and a golden sheen. This one actually applies with some tug and is not as slippery as 001 Cupids Kiss above, feeling somewhat more substantial on the lips. It's supposed to be a sheer finish but I find that the metallicity gives me moderate coverage with just two layers! Even better is that the color has enough warmth to combat the potential frostiness, and it remains very metallic on my lips without crossing that frost line. That said, the same metallicity emphasizes my lip lines so it's not perfect.

The bonus is that despite all the shimmers, this color is actually much smoother than the 104 Mademoiselle below! After swatching on the back of my hand, I expected 104 Mademoiselle to be more wearable. But when I tried them on the lips it was the complete opposite! I was dead wrong, and 004 Beloved turned out to be totally wearable while 104 Mademoiselle was pretty much a clear glitter fest. Ha!

- CS 083 Happily Ever After (Natural?): shimmer free hot pink. I'm guessing this is a natural finish because it wasn't indicated, and this is definitely neither sheer or full coverage. Like 004 Beloved above this one also applies more substantial with tug, leaving a nice sheen. And thankfully it's somewhat more translucent and not opaque, because opacity + hot pink = no go for me. It's not as moisturizing as 001 Cupids Kiss and 105 First Kiss but I still like this color very much! After all, it's not every day that I find a wearable hot pink lip color.

- 104 Mademoiselle (Sheer): sheer cloud pink with silver sparkles that applies on the slippery side. In theory, it's pretty, and it even looks pretty in the tube. On my lips though, the sheer pink disappears completely, leaving just the silvery shimmers. The worst part is that the shimmer particles are quite large and thus appear glittery. Not good. And they turn the otherwise soft and smooth lipstick gritty, which is a total shame. The upside is that does leave a glossy sheen and is moisturizing.

- 105 First Kiss (Sheer): don't let the bright pink fool you, it's a sheer petal pink. This also applies with a lot of slip, and like 001 Cupid's Kiss it goes so sheer it's almost like a colorless balm. However, leave it for 30 seconds and it'll turn pinker, leaving a glossy sheen and is very moisturizing. If I were to wait for another 15 minutes and wipe it off, I will get a stain in the same color! Neat, huh? After taking the swatch pictures below I couldn't swatch anything else for the day because there is a pink stain on the back of my hand ^.^ I also carry this one in my book bag for school! This and 001 Cupid's Kiss are actually my favorite out of these 5!


Left to right: 001 Cupid's Kiss, 004 Beloved, (CS) 083 Happily Ever After, 104 Mademoiselle, and 105 First Kiss.