When it comes to makeup, I tend to gravitate towards seasonal trends. I’m currently obsessed with all things pastel, but I’ll have moved on to bright neons by the time festival season rolls around. It’s a predictable and comforting cycle, the beauty industry’s own calendar, my favourite way of keeping track of time (except for Starbucks’ holiday drinks). That being said, I enjoy seeing brands think outside the seasonal box. The latest Joe Fresh Beauty launch may be just in time for spring, but it focuses almost entirely on dark and earthy tones, with a pop of colour and a touch of glow added for good measure.
First thought: it’s definitely not your usual spring makeup collection.
The Joe Fresh Beauty Spring 2017 collection is here!
Joe Fresh Single Eyeshadows
Beautifully soft and pigmented, the five new single eyeshadow shades* from Joe Fresh Beauty ($6 each or 2 for $10) are worth a swatch. There’s a nice range of shades in wearable neutrals and different finishes, the kind that work well all year round to create a huge variety of looks depending on your mood.
Cacao* (dark brown) and Cinnamon* (light caramel) have a nice matte finish, though Cinnamon is definitely not as pigmented as the rest.
Champagne* is a bronze shade with a shimmer finish that’s perfect for everyday wear, and Pretty Penny* is the most gorgeous copper shade with an intense shimmer finish that looks almost metallic in the light. Pretty Penny is the softest shade in the Spring 2017 collection, and it applies and blends like an absolutely dream.
Meteor* is a dark grey shade with chunky glitter pieces that works perfectly to add a touch of smokiness to an otherwise casual neutral look.
L-R: Cacao, Cinnamon, Champagne, Pretty Penny, Meteor
Joe Fresh Tinted Lip Balm
As much as I love my neutrals, I was pleased to see a cheeky lil’ pop of colour in this collection. The Joe Fresh Tinted Lip Balms ($12) come in ten shades, ranging from deep and vampy (the shade Blackberry) to barely there (Grapefruit), and everything in between. I was sent the shade Lychee*, a pretty summery coral, which strangely enough smells strongly of watermelon.
The formula is enriched with shea butter and various vaguely healthy-sounding oils, such as rosehip and avocado. Joe Fresh promises that this tinted lip balm moisturizes, softens and hydrates the lips, while also injecting your look with a bit of colourful sassiness.
The formula needs serious work. The product is super pigmented (which defeats the point of a balm in my eyes, because you need a mirror), and that’s a massive problem with a product that slippery. The flush of colour is beautiful, but unfortunately I ended up with most of it smeared all over my chin and upper lip within about a minute of wearing it. Every. Single. Time.
Joe Fresh Universal Brow Crayon
The Joe Fresh Universal Brow Crayon* ($12) is another big ‘nope’ for me. I’ve been #blessed with good brows, and they require little to no work on a daily basis, so I may not be the best judge of what constitutes or not a great brow product, but I personally like my brow pencils with a very, very fine tip. And this thing is huge. The tip of the Joe Fresh Brow Crayon is much too big for my fairly thick eyebrows, so I can’t imagine how someone who actually need to fill them in would work with that.
The crayon format is brilliant in theory, kind of halfway between a pencil and a pommade, but I found that I couldn’t control the amount of product that clung to the hair and ended up with too much. You’ll definitely want to keep a spoolie on hand when working with this. That being said, the shade was a good match for my brown medium eyebrows, though anyone with hair lighter than mine will most likely find this a little too dark.
Joe Fresh 8HR Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner
I love a good eyeliner, and I love an unusual eyeliner colour even more. The Joe Fresh 8HR Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner ($8) is an affordable way to dabble in non-black liner, with brand new Navy* and Burgundy shades. The shade Navy is nicely pigmented and long-lasting, and I *need* to pick up Burgundy. How beautiful will those liners look in the fall? Sure, they’re unusual shades for the season, but at that price you might as well stock up now!
Joe Fresh Highlighter Stick
I’ve been using the Joe Fresh powder highlighters for quite some time, and I was excited to try the Joe Fresh Highlighter Stick in Pink Pearl* ($10) when it first arrived. It blends well on the skin and it gives an intense glow, but I found it a little slippery over foundation so I quickly went back to my trusty powder highlighters. Though it wasn’t for me, I think glow lovers will love the intense and v. noticeable shine.
L-R: Highlighter, Balm, Brow Crayon, Eyeliner
If there’s one thing you need to pick up from the Joe Fresh Beauty Spring 2017 collection, it’s the eyeshadows. They’re incredible for the price and come in beautiful wearable earthy tones you will wear all year long.
