Brand Recon & Swatches: Jouer

Yesterday the husband and I went with some friends to Churchill Downs, and I took the opportunity to stop by a Louisville boutique called Circe. I’ve been meaning to go there because, you see, they carry Jouer cosmetics, which I’ve been wanting to try for a while. Jouer is carried online at Nordstrom, but the closest Nordie’s store to me (an hour and a half away) doesn’t have a counter. I discovered the boutique when I was checking the Jouer website for retailers. When I got there I had a nice chat with the SA, who was really knowledgeable about the lines they carry (they also have Kevyn Aucoin, Paul & Joe, Mario Badescu and various fragrances) and the history of the brands. I only picked up a couple things (a Jouer Creme Eyeshadow Crayon and a Lily Aldridge for Velvet top), but I took the opportunity to swatch some of the things I’ve been eyeing online.

(click to enlarge)

I was using q-tips for the swatches (I don’t like to stick my fingers in testers) so the powder products look a bit sheer – that’s more a function of the applicator than the product though. The powders were smooth and finely milled, and nicely pigmented. On the top row (left to right) we have their powder eyeshadows in Pistachio, Truffle, Amaretto and Caviar, followed by the Creme Eyeshadow Crayons in Avante Garde (which is the one that went home with me), Abstract, Baroque and Renaissance. I love that the crayons are all named after art movements, by the way. The bottom row swatches are their mineral powder blushes in Rose, Peach Bouquet and Blossom, which are quite different in the pan but looked similar on my skin – possibly because I had trouble getting a heavy enough swatch to differentiate the colors well.

The SA also sent me home with a cute little lip gloss mini in the color Monaco, which is a bright coral. I’m not a huge wearer of lip gloss, but I tried it on and it was nicely pigmented and very comfortable/non-sticky. I’ll be doing a full review of it at some point.

All in all, I was pretty pleased with what I saw. Pistachio, Caviar and Renaissance are going on my to-buy list for sure, and I’d love to try one of their blushes (not sure which – probably Bougainvillea, which they didn’t have a tester for). The price points aren’t out of control – mostly in the $20-30 range – and the quality looks nice so I’d be comfortable dropping a couple of their products in my next Nordstrom order or popping into Circe to pick up a few things the next time I’m in Louisville.