Two of the new LE Paul & Joe Fall 2015 Eye Color CS shades ($28 each)

Paul & Joe: Hello, miss. Would you like an eyeshadow with your caffè latte?

Me: YES, PLEASE. And can you make that a decaf? (The latte, not the eyeshadow.) OOH! And could you please draw a swirl on top of the foam for me?

Paul & Joe: Sure. 🙂 We got’chu, boo.

These two new $28 Paul & Joe Eye Color CS powder eyeshadow singles are certainly kicking my coffee cravings into high gear (I’ve been trying to stick to decaf for the past few weeks…bluh). Inspired by creamy caffè latte colors and espresso shades, they have a soft sheen and a light, airy texture drool-inducingly like warm and frothy coffee shop beverages.

Mmm, coffee…

Even the packaging looks like a little latte cup. See the mini eyeshadow sponge applicator “spoon”? (AWW!)

Two of the three Paul & Joe Fall 2015 Eye Color CS shades (LE shades added to P&J’s existing Eye Color CS line)

Paul & Joe Eye Color CS in Cafe Macchiato 097

Paul & Joe Fall 2015 Lipstick CS (three new limited edition shades, $20 each)

To say that I’m sweet on these three new limited edition fall lipsticks and refillable lipstick cases from Paul & Joe would be both a grievous understatement of ridiculous proportions, and incredibly apt, because, hello! — TEH KITTEHS.

But also because the lipsticks are magically made/manufactured using an old Japanese candy-making technique called Kintarō-ame, which involves layers of candy (or makeup) rolled together. In this case, the innermost cylinder is shaped like a feline’s face.

Which is wondrous, delightful and incredibly amazing. 🙂

The candy-making process also means that the interior kitty tubes are still visible all the way down to the bottom of the bullets — a fact that greatly pleases my makeup-obsessed, cat-loving heart.

The three new $20 Paul & Joe Fall 2015 Lipsticks CS from the left in Cafe Parisien 093, Coffee Cherry 094, Cafe Espresso 095; and the $7 Lipstick Cases CS from the left in 030, 020 and 028

Lipstick CS ingredients and benefits

Cocoa Seed Butter — Emollient

Jojoba Seed Oil — Emollient

Lavender Oil — Emollient

Orange Flower Water — Moisturizer

White Lily Extract — Moisturizer and prevents irritation

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Pieces from the new Paul & Joe summer 2015 Midnight Sangria collection (gorgeous kitty model in the background is extra)

Paul & Joe, those purr-veyors of pretty products for makeup-loving cat ladies, have a new summer collection out, and in a shocking development, it features absolutely no cats (other than the one I hired to model for the top picture’s background).

As in NADA GATOS.

Wait — what?

That’s right! The theme for the limited edition summer 2015 collection is Midnight Sangria.

Obviously, this is throwing off my internal crazy cat lady barometer…so I have supplemented these photos with additional cats. 🙂

The collection includes five nail polishes, three eyeshadow duos, three lipglosses, five mascaras and again, zero cats.

Paul & Joe Eye Color M in Ole 002 ($28)

Paul & Joe Eye Color M in Mambo Mambo 001 ($28)

Paul & Joe Eye Color M in Argentine Tango 003 ($28)

Paul & Joe Lip Gloss M in Sanguinello 003 ($26)

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.

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. 🙂

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.

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.
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