40 Days and 40 Nights of Beauty Brands

Day 30, Paul & Joe

Cavewoman: The first time I ever saw Paul & Joe cosmetics, I was in Bergdorf Goodman with some friends, browsing, testing fragrances, and finding lots of interesting cosmetic lines I had never seen before. What caught my eye at the Paul & Joe counter was the beautiful, feminine packaging. I fell in love with the compacts, the loose powders with their luxurious puffs, and the cute paper containers for eyeshadows. Of course, I had to bring home a little "souvenir" from Paul & Joe that day, and what better for a compact collector to bring home than a compact! I've added a few to my collection since then, and every trip to Bergdorf has to have a stop at Paul & Joe to see what is new.

My first Paul & Joe compact is the one with the pink and yellow swirled pressed powder. It is called Pressed Powder 001, no name to distinguish it from the other round compact which is just called Pressed Powder 002. Both of these powders have shimmer, but the swirled colors give a pretty brightening effect, and the one-color powder is glowy and luminous. I love shimmery powders, as I've shown in previous reviews, and these are favorites not just for the fine texture but for the adorable containers.

The pale green oval compact holds Protective Dual Powder Foundation SPF 25PA++ which is Octinoxate 7% and Titanium Dioxide 12.4%. This powder can be used either wet or dry, but I've only used it dry. It makes a nice finishing powder, I have not tried it on its own, nor have I put the formidable SPF to the test. I love this for the compact alone.

The liquid foundation, the primer, and the cream foundation are all excellent, too. I'm thrilled especially with the cream, which is not really a cream at all but a very thick liquid in the jar, and it smooths out beautifully for a luminous finish that can be either very sheer or well-covering. Thanks to my friend (you know who you are!) who helped me choose my correct shade. I see us back at the Paul & Joe counter very soon!

Annieytown: I hang out with some serious fragrance junkies. Some have been collecting parfum since they were children while others write perfume books and blogs. We are a serious crowd with exceptional noses. We love the thrill of the hunt from finding rare guerlain parfums at antique stores(Tussah!) to discovering hidden gems from niche brands. We will go anywhere to sniff out a new find.

Our local anthropologie store was where we discovered the amazing Paul & Joe fragrances. Blanc and Bleu are worthy of lemming, coveting and hoarding. I rave like a madwoman when it comes to these two bottles. They are better than most high end niche fragrances. However... it seems that no one is paying attention them.

Only a handful of makeupalley members sing their praises.
Today Blogdorf Goodman is going to scream from the rooftops and let you know what you have been missing.

Blanc was created by the great perfumer Jean Claude Ellena. This is the perfumer that was responsible for Frederic Malle's L'Eau d'Hiver. These two fragrances share similar notes such as hawthorn and heliotrope.

Blanc is a creamy almond based scent with hints of florals, cherry pie and milk. It is a comforting scent that manages to be elegant at the same time.

Blanc EDT notes are hawthorn, angelica(smells like honey), almond, sweet pea, freesia, lily, rose, musk, heliotrope and cloud of milk.

My favorite amber fragrance is Bleu. My love for it grew after witnessing it's greatness on a cold winter night in Ohio. Like Ormonde Jayne's Tolu, it transforms to greatness when it hits cold air. I could have stood outside for hours sniffing the sillage wafting from my coat sleeve. It did not matter that it was 10 degrees. The amber is thick and the incense notes are deep. This is not a cold church smell but something bright and luminous.

It was created by Pierre Bourdon. Mr Bourdon also authored my favorite iris scent, Frederic Malle's Iris Poudre. Clearly this man knows the way to my heart and nose!

EDT notes are bergamot, coriander( warm herbaceous scent) , cumin(brief and non-pungent), ylang-ylang, jasmine, rose, magnolia, heliotrope, oak moss(woody smell that is sweet and fresh), patchouli, sandalwood, myrrh, labdanum, vanilla and musk.

http://www.paul-joe-beaute.com/en/index.html

Paul & Joe is sold in Bergdorf Goodman. Call 212 -872-2736 for the counter.

You can also sometimes find it at your local Anthropologie stores and http://www.luileiny.com/

The bottles retail for $55.

What are your favorite Paul & Joe products? Let us know in the comments!

Photos: Cavewoman and Blogdorf Goodman
Disclosure: The products were purchased by the reviewers.