Jouer Cosmetics – for that naturally pretty face
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Jouer Lip Sheers and Powder Eyeshadows – the wht review
photos: we heart this
Is there a look that you always covet, but never quite achieve? For me, the look is that of the natural fresh-faced beauty. You know, the face that seems effortless. In the summertime, I am especially flummoxed by the challenge of recreating this look. My face is the type that typically looks like it has melted within a matter of minutes in the heat. So I have been on an eternal hunt for just the right products to help achieve that ideal, natural face. I have often felt a bit like Goldilocks, never quite finding my “just right”, that is, until my stint as a wht tester lead me to Jouer Cosmetics. The lucky testers had the opportunity to try two Jouer products – the Lip Sheers with SPF 15 and the Powder Eyeshadows
Founded in 2004 by beauty stylist Christina Zilber, Jouer was created with her unique “no makeup artist required” beauty philosophy. Christina wanted to provide her clients with high quality products that inspire easy and customizable looks and serve as the “little black dress” items of your makeup bag. She certainly has hit the mark with her well-edited collection of gorgeously simple yet wildly inventive cosmetics. It is also worth mentioning that many Jouer products have a fabulous and unusual interlocking feature which allows you to create a customized palette.
The SPF 15 Lip Sheers ($22) are packed with aloe vera and vitamin E, along with the sun protection. The team had the the chance to assess one a range of colors: St. Barths (sheer coral red), St. Tropez (sheer shimmering bronze nude), Positano (sheer berry wine), and Capri (sheer baby pink).
I received a Lip Sheer in St. Barths. When I discovered that it was a shockingly bright shade of coral, I was both excited and apprehensive. I love coral lip colors. They are perfect for a natural summertime look. And they seem to look gorgeous on everyone—but me. Coral tends to make me look like a freakish corpse clown.
Luckily, I had nothing to worry about. It is a gorgeous, sheer shade and I have no qualms declaring this the ultimate summer shade. It is a universally flattering peachy red punch of color. St. Barths is extremely comfortable to wear, while looking beautifully natural. Finally, a coral for me! Just remember that it is meant to give a sheer wash of color and not to be long-lasting. But with color this pretty and summery, plus SPF 15, who cares?
I also adore the packaging. As you can see in the above image, the Lip Sheer lip comes in a sleek, sophisticated tube of black and gold. It is slightly difficult to open, but this is a good thing, as it won’t open in your bag and leave a mess. I do suggest that you not expose the tube to extreme heat (like the beach) for long periods of time. I suspect that it would easily melt.
Additionally, the team checked out the Jouer Powder Eyeshadows ($20) available in a variety of rich, shimmer and matte formulas. Check the comments to see what the review team thought of shades like Truffle, a matte platinum gray (is it a must for taupe lovers?), Licorice, a matte soft black (a basic hue but so hard to get right), and Chocolat, a shimmering bronzed brown (always a staple, how will Jouer’s stand up?)
I tested Praline, accurately described as a “pearly neutral cream.” This versatile shadow is an oil-free wet-to-dry formula that can be worn as shadow or liner. I wear it alone when I am shooting for a very natural look. It really wakes up my eyes. But the color also blends beautifully with virtually any shade. This is a very soft shadow that has some fall-out. I highly recommend using a primer for that perfect canvas with this beautiful shade. Finally, an easy, natural look I can wear!
I also found these a tad tricky to open (I assume because of the interlocking feature). But you will get used to it. And this gorgeous shadow is well worth it.
I highly recommend both of these products. I give them 4 out of 5 stars only because of a few minor flaws. These are high-quality products that create a beautiful and natural look. In case you were wondering, jouer means “to play” in French and imo, this line truly evokes the natural and playful spirit of summer.
we heartsters and Testers – are you adore Jouer Cosmetics as well? What shades do I need to try next?
Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.
I sometimes skip “natural” products, fearing that natural really means boring, so Jouer has taught me a big lesson.
I tested Jouer’s SPF 15 Lip Sheers in Positano and now know that natural means better than my lips could ever look on their own! In the tube, Positano looks alarmingly dark, but it goes on sheer, leaving just a hint of color that makes my lips look plump and smooth, like I’ve been kissing someone for a long, long time. I don’t know how I ever got through summer without this beautiful color!
The tube is so elegant, unlike anything else in my makeup bag. And the SPF15 cinches it– Positano is my favorite lip product of the summer. 5 stars.
And I guess I need to try St. Barths next, @kellie76!
I love how you can just tell in that photo that the lip sheer are going to be sheer, even without knowing the name. Especially St. Barths, it looks like it’ll apply nice and light with just a wash of color.
And I know it’s juvenile, but St. Barth’s made me think Barth the burger chef from You Can’t Do That on Televison. (Did I just date myself?)
I tested out Jouer’s fabulous lip sheer in St. Tropez and I must say, yet again, I’ve found a new favorite! The packaging is slick and impressed me right away. It just looks like a classy, expensive lipstick. The color was perfect for summer…kind of like a champagne nude and it looked amazing with a tan and bronzer on! It’s sooo soft and silky, it does make your lips feel great! I also love that it has SPF 15 in it. I am definitely going to check out some of the other colors because they all look beautiful.
I love Jouer! I am so glad that I was able to test a few of their products. I never would have found them otherwise. They are are just so fresh and natural. These are easy to wear products that enhance your natural beauty. 4 Stars from me (deducting 1 because both packages were hard to open).
I received Jouer’s spf 15 Lip Sheer Hydrating Sheer Lipstick in Positano. At first glance, I thought this would be too dark for me, it looked chocolate brown! But it winds up looking gorgeous, like an ultra sheer sweet rich wine on your lips! Because I care to take care of my lips, I really appreciate that this is packed with great ingredients and offers great lip protection.. Not just from the elements because of it’s spf of 15, but it is also rich with aloe vera and vitamin e ! I am totally jonesing the St. Barths, St. Topez, and the Capri! This is very slim in appearance and fits in your hand for easy application. It also it carries well in my pocketbook. A solid 4 stars
I used to feel like Melissa does about neutrals/natural beauty makeup looks–a little boring. But lately I’ve really been feeling the desire for a classy but simple neutral look. Those eyeshadows look gorgeous.
I cannot sing Jouer’s praises enough! I tried the Capri lip sheer. Um, hello LOVE OF MY LIFE. It is seriously one of my favorite makeup products ever. It is very sheer. Like, I can’t really discern color on my lips but somehow I feel like I look prettier? I can’t explain it – it’s so pretty! And it is very hydrating, so smooth.
5 stars from me!
That fleshy pink Lip Sheer looks like a fantastic daytime neutral! I’m always looking for non-beige nude alternatives.
Just ordered the Positano…I’m such an addict! : )
I tested Licorice powder eyeshadow and this one was a winner!
Back in the day when I was going through my goth/punk phase I wore tons of black eyeliner and black eyeshadow. Maybe a deep dark purple would sneak in there once in a while, but for the most part it was black, black, black. And always harsh black. Awesome, right?
Now that I’ve gotten older and appreciate a look that is less…well, just less…finding a good soft matte black was like winning the lottery of eyeshadows! It’s silky smooth, blends beautifully over a nude base shadow and works really well as a liner and also for a smoky look. But again, it’s a soft black so it doesn’t look like I’m giving myself raccoon eyes. It’s very sophisticated and sexy.
This was the first time using Jouer cosmetics, but I’m very impressed with the eyeshadow. I would definitely give the rest of their line a try. 5 Stars!
And @kellie76, I had trouble opening the packaging too! Glad I wasn’t the only one who had difficulty!
Legos with make-up on the inside that’s a decent price? Gimme, gimme, gimme. I loved Legos as a kid.
I had trouble with the packaging but once I was able to try Jouer’s Chocolat eyeshadow I was beside myself. I am in love with this color. Natural makeup is my signature look – I want to look like I barely have anything on (even though I love makeup and products!!) so I usually shy away from eyeshadow. This color – with the silky texture and easy blending can be worn alone for a completely sheer day look or layered for night. I will be revisiting this line for more products for sure. It is going to be my go to line – I can tell. Never been so impressed with an eyeshadow! Oh – the best part is that sometimes I forget to put eyeshadow on first – before any other makeup … in case the excess that falls around where I don’t want it to go messes the foundation or blush up. Well even when this color goes all around it is so easy to cleanup it doesn’t ruin your look. ah. forgiving eye color at last.
While the packaging wasn’t easy to open, I was actually quite happy about that! I always have a problem with my lip products coming open in my bag and I was happy to not have to worry about that.
I tried out the SPF 15 lip sheer in St. Tropez and it quickly took up residence in every purse and clutch that I have/take with me. The color is perfect for summer and the beach. It goes on like a gloss without the sticky/tacky dangers of gloss (sand in lip gloss is gross!) and it looks very classy thanks to the beautiful packaging.
The only draw back for me is the scent. It’s vaguely vanilla plastick-y and I don’t know why but it’s a little repulsive for me. Not enough to stop me from using it, I’ve nearly used up the tube already, but it is annoying. FOUR STARS! This is definitely a re-buy!
I got to try the lip sheer in St. Bart’s, which I was pretty stoked about because I’m a tinted lip balm addict. St. Bart’s is a sheer coral red shade that goes on as a sheer orangey red–with the barest hint of color. The product itself feels like butter, but richer, on my lips–no annoying tackiness or stickiness. I’ve had weirdly dry lips lately–like painfully cracked lips–and this stuff is one of the few things that soothes them and makes them feel better. I also love that they have SPF 15–I have gotten in the habit of tossing this in my purse and going. My only complaint is that while it is a lip sheer, I wish there was the teensiest bit more pigment. 4 stars!
Oh my, call me silly and give me a goose. I was so entranced by the beautiful lip sheer that I never got to try that I completely forgot about what I DID get to try– the licorice powder eyeshadow.
First, I should say that every woman needs a matte black eyeshadow in her palette. I’ll go a step further and suggest that this may be THE black eyeshadow to have in that palette. The black is soft and rich and deeply pigmented so that it doesn’t need to be wet to be true. A stiff-bristled slanted brush does a great job with this shadow dry, making a black but easily smudge-able line. But please, use a wet brush if you’re looking to make a clearly defined line (a la 60’s era cat eye) because that works, too.
What else can this shadow do? Well, for starters you can use a fluffy eyeshadow brush, wipe off the excess and apply to a primed lid for a buildable matte grey color. Use the same shadow with a smaller, stiffer shadow brush for a darker crease line. And, well, you already know about lining. I was really daring one night and tried the black lid to crease and undereye as well. Sometimes that dramatic silent film look inspires me. Yes, I love a black shadow.
Now the packaging is genius, too. I wish I had other shadows so I could take advantage of that lego bit–it feels so DIY in the most childlike of ways.
I give 5 stars.
Jeez! I apologize for being so behind on my reviews, but I am slowly catching up on all my duties sonce my trip to France in August!
@kellie76, thank you for the great review! I couldn’t agree with you more on the Praline eye shadow. I love the smooth and almost creamy texture of the powder shadow. The pay off is great, and the soft color does brighten the eye. I too struggled a bit with opening the case, but once I figured it out, I was intrigued by being able to inter-lock other cases to make a custom pallet! (Must get 3 more to make a square!) I love the texture and feel of the shadow, but Praline was a bit shimmery for my crinkly eyes..(my problem, not Jouer’s) so give the shadow 5 stars!!