Paul & Joe Beaute Spring 2014

There are some extremely pretty new arrivals for uber-cute Beauty creators Paul & Joe, a trio of which I can show you today.  Even though I think one or two things might have been around for a little while longer, the products I have are extremely summery; girly, pretty, ice cream shades that evoke images of sangrias and swimming pools.  In typical Paul & Joe style, there’s plenty of room for customisation, so with that in mind, let’s first look at the new Eye Colour Cases and their corresponding Eye Colour Trios.

There are three variants of the Eye Colour Cases; 2 florals and 1 kittens, the latter of which is pink with little tabby kittens = SERIOUS WANT.  These are each £7 and can be filled with one of the Eye Colour Trio shades, of which there are 8 combinations: Breakfast in Bed – warm browns; Cherry Blossom – pink/rose gold; My Little Kitty – neutral browns; April in Paris – pastels and taupe; Garden of Flowers – brighter pastel shades; Stormy Weather – navy and grey; Tree-Shaded Walkway – forest shades of green and gold; Night Cafe – three metallic shades.

My picks are Cherry Blossom, My Little Kitty and Night Cafe, but having said that, the trio I have – Breakfast in Bed is pretty much the perfect set for blue eyes as it contains a shimmery highlight shade, a bright rust shade and a warm, deep brown shade for definition and contouring.

The trios are £23 so combined with the cases you’d be looking at £30, which is quite a bit to spend but if you think of it at £10 a shadow in extremely attractive packaging then it isn’t too bad…

Next up are the Glossy Lip Colours which aren’t technically part of the Spring collection, but the muted shades offset the lighter brights of the shadow trios.  There are ten shades in total: Savoir-Fair – pink with gold undertones; Next to Nothing – nude beige; Pink Ballerina – feminine pink; Flamingo – coral; Tunisia – bright orange; Carnaval – bright pinky red; Dulce de Leche – caramel brown; Eglantune – rosy pink; Bougainvillea – Fuchsia; Cabaret -bright red.

The shade I have is Flamingo which is a surprisingly perfect shade for summer.  The finish is quite gentle so if you like a really bright pop then I don’t think you’ll get on well with these, but if you prefer flattering, easy shades that work in harmony with the rest of your make-up then these are well worth checking out and they’re £20 each.

One thing I will mention is the wand which some will love and some will hate.  It’s a flimsy plastic that is useful for lining lips and getting a neat outline, but for me it just placed colour all over the place and made getting that neat, glossy finish quite tricky.

Lastly we have the beautifully packaged nail collection, which look like little upside down posies and really are gorgeous.  There are 25 shades in total, two of which are glitter shades, plus there’s also a new range of complimentary nail products including a Nail Treatment Oil (£14), Base Coat (£12), Top Coat (£12), Matte Top Coat (£12) and Enamel Remover (£11.50) all of which come in equally pretty packaging.

The shade I have is Indigo Blues which is a deep navy shade that I think would be more suited to Autumn nails.  The polishes are £12 each and the finish in my shade isn’t great; it’s extremely streaky on one coat but it does seem to even out more on the second coat.  I think a good top coat would sort this out.

My favourite without a doubt are the shadow trios which contain a fantastic collection of shades; you’re bound to find at least one trio you love.  The lipglosses are pretty and summery if you can get the hang of the applicator, and the polishes have a great shade selection, but I’m a bit wary of the finish.

Everything above is available now from ASOS.com – link – or in store or online at Harrods – link.

*PR Samples