Julie Hewett Ronnie Bijou Sheer Lipstick

I usually stay far far away from peachy colored lipsticks. They clash with my skin and they look awful on my darker-than-average lips. I can admire the look on others, of course, but makeup is supposed to make me look and feel pretty, not like a trend slave, so I avoid.  Which is why the potted sample of Julie Hewett Bijou lipstick in Ronnie has been sitting in a drawer untouched since many moons ago when I photographed and swatched it. I love Julie Hewett's lipsticks and have bought several over the last few years, but Ronnie, a golden rose peach never seemed like my thing.

Hewett's Bijou series is sheer and goes on the nude side. They're of medium pigmentation level, so in my case the less attractive side of peach (i.e. orange) is toned down by allowing my natural color to come through. The surprise is that when layering to build up the color it is still a very beautiful and natural color. It looks like a warm rose on my lips, which is quite different and a lot more wearable for me than the swatch has led me to believe. The secret is the combination of the wonderful formula (it's balmy and has quite a bit of slip) and the specific pigment in Ronnie.

Bottom Line: A perfect spring/summer color, even for me.

Julie Hewett's Bijou lipsticks ($20) actually come in a regular bullet tube and look like regular lipsticks. The generous size potted sample was a GWP. The lipsticks are available from MioMia (shopmiomia.com). To find Ronnie on juliehewett.net you need to search it by name, as for some reason the color doesn't appear with the rest of of the Bijou collection though it seems to be in stock.

Photos by me.

Julie Hewett Ruby Organic Camellia Balm

I go through a lot of balms and lip treatments during the winter (and only slightly less in the summer months). I have soft spots for nicely tinted balms that multitask and function as part of the overall look. This Organic Camellia Balm from Julie Hewett is one of my favorites of this category because it has everything I like.

The texture of the Camellia Balm is rich yet not heavy or goopy at all. It goes on in a thin layer with an almost glossy finish and makes my lips feel better instantly. I can't guarantee how much active ingredient is in this Julie Hewett product, but camellia seed oil is listed first on the box, and the balm's performance is quite outstanding, so I reach for it often.

Ruby is a sheer pink-based red. My lips are much darker than my wrist, so I don't get nearly as much color, but worn on its own, Ruby keeps my lips from appearing washed out. It also makes a great base for lipstick I normally find too dry. Julie Hewett also recommends using Camellia Balm as a cheek tint. I was brave enough to try and really liked it- Ruby is easily sheered using nothing but fingers and gives my face a very natural and healthy flush that doesn't even look like makeup. I didn't experience any skin issues as a result- on the contrary- I find it pleasant and softening.

Bottom Line: lovely and useful.

Julie Hewett Ruby Organic Camellia Balm ($18. This products also comes in nude and rose as well as in stick and pot forms) is available from juliehewett.net.

All photos are mine.

Julie Hewett Mystere Hue Color Cream Eye Shadow

Julie Hewett's Hue Color Cream in Newsprint Bleu is my absolute favorite blue eyeliner and has been so since I bought my first pot of this vibrant cream product. The Hue Color Cream line is supposed to do a double duty as a liner and a shadow, but Newsprint Bleu is very dark and intense so I prefer to only use it as an eyeliner (and use my thinnest brushes for this task). To test Hue as a cream eye shadow I chose Mystere, a shimmery metallic taupe.

Mystere leans towards the warm side and has a beautiful finish. It's everything I wanted Buxom Stay There cream eye shadow to be and it sorely wasn't. I've worn it alone and as a base for powder eye shadows (it's fun to experiment with the way Mystere makes old familiar colors appear ) and it never disappoints- the cream stays in place all day with no creasing, melting or flaking. I took a chance one August day and tested it (over a primer. I always use one) in NYC heat and humidity. Julie Hewett won.

Hue Color Cream comes in two formats- pots ($14) and refills pans ($10). The latter is what you see in my photos. The pans fit in Hewett's empty palettes ($8) that can be customized and include a variety of eye, face and lip products. Julie Hewett's website (juliehewett.net) has been redesigned and improved greatly, even if the menus are somewhat clunky and the information architecture gave me some eyebrow raising moments (can't help it. I'm married to an e-commerce guru). The pan refills are not under the Hue Color Cream page but in the Custom Palette section under Single Pans.

Bottom Line: Next one I'm buying is Malachite.

All photos are mine.