A Post on Red Lipstick - Paul & Joe Rouge #304

I was flipping through the November issue of MINA magazine and saw this!

Gorgeous red lips! As my lips are not hat nicely shaped, lipsticks are really a huge no-no. I usually end up looking extremely old (or like a cross-dresser) with conventional lipsticks. The only shade that I could pull off is nude (which I've got one in Dior Addict Lipstick #313) and Etude House's Dear Darling Cheek Tint that is in berry red.

Seeing that the model in the photo has rather thick lips and the Paul and Joe Lipstick looks so natural on her, more like a stain, I decided to make a purchase at ASOS as Paul & Joe has withdrew from the Singapore market this year. The parcel reached within two weeks' time. ASOS is providing good and timely service as usual.

The parcel from ASOS:

 The bubble wrapping that protects the product in the box:

As the lipstick case and the lipstick bullet is sold separately, they come in separate packaging which are shown in the photo below. The cardboard packaging is really pretty!

The lipstick casing is really elegant and feminine. Despite being made of plastic, it looks really classy and is something that you'll be proud to whip out in the wash rooms. While Dior Addict lipstick's packaging is sophisticated and modern; worthy for a career-minded woman, the packaging for Paul & Joe, with its gold rim and embossed floral patterns, is something you'll expect a girl on Paris Street to be holding.

In the magazine, it was written that the colour the model has used is #304 - Silk Stockings. However, after research done on the internet, it seems that #304 is more of a orange-red colour and not a rouge red with pinkish shade as shown on the model. Therefore, I ended up purchasing #304 instead and it is exactly the shade I wanted.

Here's the comparison between Etude's Dear Darling Tint and Paul & Joe lipstick:

Left: Paul & Joe #304 Rouge, Right: Etude House Dear Darling Tint #01 Berry Red.

As you can see, the colour for both is pretty similar. However, Paul & Joe's has this tweeny ween of pink in it and a meagre amount of glitter its formula.

I have read from a Taiwanese website that #304 clings to lips tenaciously and is harder to remove with a make-up remover when compared to other lipstick colours from the same range. Hence, I think this lipstick will serve as a great tint as recommended by the MINA editors. They have suggested to lightly dab the Paul & Joe on lips and spread with finger to achieve the translucent and natural rouge red lips.

As for the ingredients used in the lipstick, I can't say this Paul & Joe lipstick is totally toxin free, considering that parabens and petrochemical are employed in its formulation. However, these ingredients are frequently found in most lipsticks (unless you want to apply Badger tinted balms / Burt Bees, but has less color options), and you will not be able to shun them anyway even if you use other brands. If it will make you feel better, the ingredients are approved by the FDA and are in concentrations too low to result in health problems in humans (I have no idea if they will accumulate in your body, but if you are worrying, it'll be more wise to shun all kinds of lip products other than certified fully organic and natural ones). Here's the ingredients in the lipstick:

In all I am generally satisfied with the shade, the packaging and the wearing power of the lipstick. Its pretty cheap for its price and is definitely one of the lipstick that you may want to consider in buying.

The lipstick case is purchased at 10.90 SGD and the lipstick bullet, at 26.37 SGD on ASOS. However, the 10% or 15% promotion are applicable to Paul & Joe products when there is sales on ASOS. :)