makeup – base makeup

(Paul & Joe Pressed Powder in 03)

Like the Paul & Joe Loose Powder and Light Cream Foundation, I bought this at half price during the winter sale in London.

As I have mentioned previously, Paul & Joe’s foundations are known for being sheer and ultra-natural. This item is no exception.

03 is a translucent pale beige that goes on relatively sheer. The powder is sooth and fine, and it has a fair amount of shimmer. Even though the shimmer is very fine, I feel that it works a lot better for me as a highlighter than as an overall finishing powder. Since my face develops shine quite easily, a shimmery pressed powder can make shine look even more obvious. But for people with drier skin or for those who want extra luminosity, this shimmery (and by no means glittery) pressed powder could work well as a finishing powder.

Apart from using it as a subtle highlighter, I also like to dust a bit of it in the eye area to add a touch of luminosity.

Compared with the Loose Powder, the Pressed Powder is slightly more opaque and has a little more shimmer.

What is a little different about the kind of shimmer used in Paul & Joe’s base makeup items is that it is a pale gold shimmer of various subtle (but visible) tones (very pale pink, peach, green, blue,…). I have come across Paul & Joe counter leaflets that describe this shimmer as “nine-color gold powder”. Recently the Paul & Joe English website has named it “Secret D’Or“, which consists of “select varieties of champagne gold frost, each with different, subtle overtones and light reflective properties”.

I tried to capture the multi-color shimmer on camera:

(Please click on the image to see a much larger version.)

This kind of multi-color shimmer is quite subtle but is still visible up-close. Overall it does create a relatively natural luminosity that is in tune with the ultra-natural essence of Paul & Joe’s base makeup range. (Obviously many other brands feature something similar, but Paul & Joe uses this multi-color shimmer uniformly in their base makeup items, from primers to loose powder, in various amounts.)

However, for me, a downside of this pressed powder is that it is not particularly good at diffusing the appearance of pores. As a finishing powder for the whole face, I’d prefer something more matte and with a better pore coverage.

(At the moment, the Pressed Powder has almost been completely phased out (hence the discount) and is replaced by Pressed Powder N. I have tested the new version at the counter, and it seems that it is not drastically different. The powder is still relatively sheer, and the multi-color shimmer is still there.)

Related Posts:

Loving Japanese Brands – Paul & Joe
(my personal take on Paul & Joe)

Paul & Joe Foundation Primer N
(one of my favorite primers)

Sofina Raycious Pressed Powder
(more matter and with better pore coverage)

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(Paul & Joe Face Powder in 03 Ambre)

I bought Paul & Joe‘s Face Powder in Harrods in London during the winter sale just a few weeks ago. At 50% off (13 pounds), it was a good bargain. (You can read about some of the huge savings people can make on cosmetics in the UK during the seasonal sales.)

The reason why it was reduced is that Face Powder was replaced by Face Powder N last year, so the Paul & Joe counters (both in Harrods and Fenwick) were clearing out this previous version. (The comparison between the two versions will be made towards the end of this post.) I hadn’t tried the loose powder by Paul & Joe before so I thought I’d try it at this reasonable price.

Like Anna Sui’s loose powder, the case is quite bulky, but I absolutely don’t mind. (I do like my makeup items to have a substantial look and feel.)

(the case and the puff)

Also, like Anna Sui’s loose powder, the cap simply rests on the loose powder container. This can also make transporting the case tricky. I have heard about many “accidents” where the whole case is tipped over and half of the powder ends up on the floor. (Basically, this loose powder is one of the best candidates for the centerpiece on your glamorous dressing table. It is probably not even suitable for trips around your home.)

(The cap simply goes on the silvery rim.)

The similarity to the Anna Sui powder continues. The refill is in a closed round paper container. The top is cut off to reveal the powder.

(I followed the dotted lines…)

Then, the powder container goes back into the loose powder case. The sift is simply placed on top of the powder.

(It is finally done…)

I know that many people really don’t like this design, all the way from the case to the refill and the sift. It all seems quite fiddly. I personally don’t have problems with them. I think it has that delicate “handle with care” quality that can really appeal to me sometimes.

What I do have a problem with is the powder puff. Imagine your puff for your loose body shimmer and this is basically it. First of all, it is too hairy and fluffy for an even application. All I can do is very lightly dust the powder on the face. There is no way I can press the powder onto the skin evenly and have the powder diffuse the look of the pores. Secondly, the core of the puff is solid, so I can’t rub the two sides of the puff against each other to make the puff drink in the powder evenly. The powder can only sit on top of all the fluffy hair, and this simply doesn’t help with an even application. So, I use one of my other loose powder puffs instead.

Onto the finish of the powder itself. I have often heard that Paul & Joe’s base makeup line (primers, foundations, concealers, and loose powder… particularly the foundations) is all about creating a sheer and ultra-natural look. This is certainly what this loose powder offers. Because 03 Ambre is quite a good match with my skin-tone, it goes on almost invisibly, as it imparts a very light air of luminosity. The powder does have shimmer, but it is quite fine and sparse. The finish is very gentle and subtle and is not visibly either matte or glowy.

If you like an ultra-natural barely-there look, then this loose powder is worth trying. But I usually like my loose powder to give me a matte finish and to have a good pore-diffusing and sebum-controlling ability.

While at the counter, I noticed that the new version of loose powder (Face Powder N) is almost completely shimmer-less. It will probably give me the matte finish I like. Also, the shade in #02, which is the closest to the #03 Ambre that I have, seems, in a good way, slightly less pinkish and more yellowish. This would be the shade I would go for if I decide to try the current version. Also, it seems that #03 (of the new version) is one of the darkest loose powder shades from a Japanese cosmetics brand. If you have darker skin-tones and find it difficult to find a loose powder from a Japanese brand, then this shade might be worth a look.

Over all, Paul & Joe Face Powder is all about subtlety. I will definitely continue to enjoy using it sometimes, but I will reach for some of my other loose powder options when I need a truly finished look.

(One note: I think the Paul & Joe Face Powder, which I am reviewing here, might have also been replaced by Face Powder N in some other countries. But, some of the authorized Paul & Joe on-line sellers in the UK, which are listed on the Shop Info page of the English Paul & Joe Beauty website, are still carrying the Face Powder. I believe some of them ship internationally.)

Related Posts:

Paul & Joe Foundation Primer N
(a very effective and well-rounded primer)

Paul & Joe Lip Gloss N in Black-Tie
(my favorite Holiday 2007 item)

Loving Japanese Brands: Paul & Joe
(my personal take on Paul & Joe)

Lavshuca Face Powder
(my current favorite loose powder)

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