Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Joe Fresh Cosmetics Overview

As a Canadian makeup, cosmetics and general beauty products lover, when my local Great Canadian Superstore (which is a grocery store) started carrying this brand Joe Fresh I got VERY excited.  It’s drugstore, so it’s affordable, but it’s MUCH more affordable than a lot of the other drugstore products the stores in my areas carry.  I haven’t seen anything over $10 (in the bath and body department – they carry clothes, too!), and it’s all very good quality. They have cosmetics, bath products, different tools you need to pamper your body, clothing, shoes and accessories.
What I know about Joe Fresh (http://www.joe.ca) is that they come out with collections (Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer I believe) and those items would be considered limited edition.  They also have a classic collection which is available year round. 
If you do live in Canada, are visiting Canada or are able to swap with someone in Canada (I do in fact have an underused MUA account *hinthint*) you should check out Joe Fresh! They literally have everything you might need for a makeup collection (brushes too!) and it’s extremely affordable.  There may not be a wide selection in the classic collection but you can always check out the clearance areas of the store – that’s where I find a lot of Joe stuff, marked down for even cheaper!
What I am going to be reviewing today is what I have purchased from Joe Fresh over the past year and a half or so, since I saw them pop up at the grocery store.  I have 3 single eyeshadows, an eyeshadow trio, a liquid pen eyeliner and a jumbo eye pencil.





Single Eyeshadows - $4, 3.3g (MORE than double than a MAC eyeshadow)

 Olive - bright chartreuse, looks shimmery in the pan, goes on matte

Pebble – grey/brown, very shimmery and frosty

Plum – slightly shimmery deep purple

All of these shadows are very creamy and nice to work with and blend.  They’re very pigmented but as other shadows, they show up better with a primer/colour base.  I would pair any of them together, and if I wanted a bold, bright look I would use all three.  I believe that the only one that’s NOT limited edition is Pebble, but just take a look at the 50% off section and whatever they have in stock and I’m sure you’ll be able to find something comparable (I believe there is a new deep purple shade coming out in the fall collection), or even other colours you like.  There isn’t a huge range of colours, but all of them are very wearable and possible dupes for other colours from more expensive brands. 

Eyeshadow Trio - $6, 7g (MORE than a MAC blush)

 Olive (doesn’t have the other single eyeshadow Olive colour in it though, weird eh?)

This trio has a matte light, buttercream yellow colour, a shimmery moss green and a deep, semi-matte forest green.  They are not all equal in size (the lightest shade is the largest) and it might be kind of hard to get a brush into one of the darker shades without also passing it through a lighter one.  These all feel just like the single eyeshadows.  This trio is also limited edition, but again, I’m sure you’d be able to find a similar one or other shades the ones in it in the singles or other trios.  I especially like the lightest shade.  I use it often as a browbone highlight and an inner 1/3 of the lid colour. 



Liquid Eyeliner Pen - $6, 1ml

Black

This thing is awesome! It’s so black and so pigmented and super easy to use. In the picture, the swatch is preeeeetty light but that’s only because I’ve used it so much and I need a new one!  Generally, the only two colours these come in is black and brown, but a couple new shades come out with the collections (I’ve seen a turquoise one that I think came out in the summer, and I MIGHT have to go get if I can still find it).   

Jumbo Eye Pencil - $6, 2.2g


 
Nude

I’m on the fence about this one.  Maybe I’m not using it right (too much, too little), or maybe my lids are just too oily, but I cannot use this AT ALL like a base, even over a primer.  I do, though, like using this as a brow highlight or inner corner highlight.  It’s not very pigmented at all but it is pretty shimmery and light.  I like using this as a waterline base when I think that white will be too harsh.

All in all, I think that Joe Fresh is a FANfrickinTASTIC Canadian drugstore brand.  The products are well made, and I plan on getting more of them!  You American makeup lovers out there that can’t readily get your hands on these products should go online and find someone to swap with, or make a trip up to the great north to get your hands on some! 
If you’d like any more reviews about this brand, or any of the other products, feel free to let me know! 

Disclaimer: All of these products were either purchased by myself or as a gift for me from a friend/family member.  I have no affiliation with the company and was not compensated for this blog.