Poupounette (108) Face & Eye Color by Paul & Joe Beaute

Paul & Joe Beaute is one of those brands that sucks me in with their cute packaging, although typically I admire from afar. To date this is only the second item of theirs that I've purchased, with the first having been one of their lipsticks, Toujours Heureux. So, let me introduce you to Poupounette, one of three Face & Eye Colors available from the Spring 2017 collection. Poupounette means sweetie or honey and is typically used to address little girls, although it can also used as slang for a certain sex act. Yep.

Source: Paul & Joe Beaute

The spring collection marks Joe & Paul's 15th anniversary, and is built around "makeup for love and romance", with a collection of pink hued makeup for the lips, cheeks, and eyes.  The Face & Eye Colors ($35) feature 3 shades in each palette that can be worn alone or blended together. When I was chosing mine there were few reviews online to guide me, but the softer tones of Poupounette appealed to me me the most.

The packaging is a sturdy cardboard, and the elastic will come in handy if you plan on keeping this in your makeup bag or traveling with it. It also comes with a decorative kitten's paw puff applicator. I say decorative because I will never use it to apply the powder :-) Here is how the tones of Poupounette is described on Beauty Habit:

A combination of cozy and neutral shades ideal for use day and night Hues in the palette include: Canal pink – a beautiful golden pearl, Cinnamon with hints of silver and gold pearl and Cream highlighted with red, gold and pearl accents.

The hearts will rub away upon first use, and each of the 3 colors are a satin/shimmer in finish. As an eye shadow they are extremely soft in color and best suited as a wash of color for natural makeup days.

Where Poupounette shines for me is as a blush/face color. I've been wearing it for over a month now and still find myself reaching for it regularly.  The powder is finely milled and applies smoothly.  I'm not someone who wears overly shimmery blushes, but this one has just the right amount for me. It's enough that I do no use a highlighter with it, but not so much that it emphasizes skin texture. It's a great spring/summer color for those with fair complexions. You can get different variations in color depending on what shades you mix together.

Paul & Joe Beaute products are manufactured by Albion, which is a Japanese company. My impression of Japanese powder based makeup is that they are more subtle and natural in finish and color, which is definitely the case here. Think "natural beauty" as opposed to "color impact".

As to whether Poupounette is worth $35, I think that totally depends on your perspective. I view items like this as both novelty and collector's item, so you are paying more for that. However, I do like the quality of the powder/formula, which includes:

• Orange Flower Water – Moisturizer  
• White Lily Extract – Moisturizer, prevents skin irritation
• Jojoba Oil – Emollient  
• Sodium Hyaluronate - Moisturizer 
• Rosemary Extract – Emollient  
• Rose Fruit Oil - Emollient 

So yes, for me it's worth it.

Paul & Joe Lipstick Refill 204 Toujours Heureux and Lipstick Case 020

The pretty designs offered by Paul & Joe have beckoned me for a while, and I finally decided to get one of the lipstick refills and a lipstick case to house it in.  My ongoing quest for the perfect peach lip shades led me to Toujours Heureux ($20), and my love of Asian influenced art resulted in the lovely blue and orange lipstick case 020 ($7).  Just so pretty.

The case is made of cardboard but feels pretty sturdy, and my biggest fear is it getting dirty from being handled and/or carried in my purse.  Oh well, such is life.  The refill fits nicely in the case and I love the design details of the P&J initials in the lipstick and the name on the tube.

Toujours Heureux is part of the "Natural" line and it turns out to be much less vivid on than it appears in the tube, as the finish is more sheer than opaque.  The formula includes cocoa butter and jojoba oil, and I found it comfortable with a wear time of about 3 hours, which is about average for me.  

Toujours Heureux means "always happy", and I'm a believer in surrounding myself with positive people and items that make me happy, so I like the name :-)