Showing posts with label Kiko. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kiko. Show all posts

Kiko Velvet Mat Lipstick 612 Strawberry Pink


I placed my Kiko order not long after I found Bourjois's Nude-ist, which was an experimental shade for me and it turned out to be fantastic. I wanted to further expand my collection by get off the beaten tracks once again and in the immense amount of Kiko's lipsticks in different shades as well as formulas, I decided on a medium natural shade called Strawberry Pink from the Velvet Mat range. For the longest time I wasn't sure about this shade on me, but yesterday I put it on and though: "Hey, I think I finally actually like it".


Strawberry Pink is a warm medium natural pink-rose-brown shade that is several shades darker than my lips as well as a bit warmer, so I don't think I can pull it off as a my-lip-but-better-shade, instead it's more of a deeper version of a nude lipstick on me. It has a tiny bit of a gold shimmer, but it's not visible on the lips.


The formula is light and creamy, also not matte. The finish it gives is that of a classic creamy lipstick, so don't be fooled by the name. Because it's a light formula, there are occasions when I find this shade a bit tight on the lips, especially after a prolonged wear, but in the first hours after application it's very comfortable to wear.


I don't know why it looks like it settled into every line on all full face pictures I took, but in real life it does not look like that.

Staying power is average and I mean average for a creamy lipstick, not a matte one. It lasts perhaps four or so hours, it depends on how much you talk, eat, drink or touch your lips. When you eat it leaves a ring of colour, so it needs to be reapplied.


The packaging is just awesome to me. You need to press the bottom part, so the lipstick pops out, which is so cool. The peach outer layer has a holographic shine, while inside it's a mix of gold and silver colour, which obviously gather fingerprints like crazy as you can see from the pictures.

The lipstick has a sweet vanilla scent.

It took more than two months for this shade to grow on me, but I think I finally like it. I don't see myself wearing as often as Nude-ist, though. This would be a lovely nude on medium skin tones, especially if you have a warm skin tone. The description of the formula is very deceiving just to warn you and also if you tend to have dry lips, this might make them feel tight, despite the creamy texture.

Have a great day!
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Kiko Velvet Touch Blush 07 Natural Rose


Though I'm a fan of cream blushes, I've only owned one in a stick form before this one, which I rarely used. This Kiko one caught my attention because of the shade as I wanted something more natural looking and not bright peachy or pink like a lot of cream blushes are. I'm a huge fan of shades like Catrice's Rose Royce and I'm Nuts About you, so a natural dusty rose colour and Natural Rose reminded me most of both these blushes, though there weren't many swatches of it online.


Contrary to what I expected, Natural Rose is in fact quite pink on me. It's a natural pink shade on my cheeks and I like it despite not being what I wanted. It's a nicely pigmented colour and one swipe leaves me with enough colour for a nice flush, while if I apply it with a brush, it ends up looking brighter and pinker. The finish is natural, so not dewy nor matte.


I also tried this on the lips and I think it's one of the most beautiful nude shades for my complexion. It's a nude shade, but not corpsy nude and it has a touch of warmth to it. It feels a bit dry on the lips, but it's not too uncomfortable and you can always wear a lip balm under it. I forgot to do a full face picture with this on the lips. 


The texture is buttery and transfers well on the cheeks in an even swipe, however, I find it's not as easy to blend it evenly on the cheeks with fingers. It's nothing major, but since you're swiping it directly on the skin and blending later, it moves the foundation around, so it can give a bit of a patchy effect, especially when it's fading. I find that it works a lot better if I use a stippling brush to blend. 

Staying power is quite a strange thing at this blush. If I use fingers it fades a bit patchy and fast, while if I use a brush it stays put a lot better and fades evenly. 


Packaging look nice and expensive, but the mechanism broke fast and the blush won't go back in unless I push it.

This is one of those blushes that is neither spectacular nor horrible and I do like, just not love it. I actually prefer this as a lip colour despite the dryness, but as far as cream blushes go these don't beat my favourite ones from Bourjois. I got this type of blush so I would have an easy-and-quick to apply product, but since I have to use a brush for a nicer finish, it turned to be not so quick. If you really like any shade of these, they are a nice buy. These cost 7.90€. 

Have a great day!
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Kiko Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow 38 Golden Taupe


When I was planning to order from Kiko, these eyeshadows were at the top of my list to buy. The hype surrounding these is impossible to ignore, especially since they have been dubbed as the dupe for By Terry Ombre Black Star eyeshadows. Eyeshadows in stick form were one of my first eyeshadows ever, but back then they were dry and tugged on the lids, so I haven't bought one since. This is completely different and find it nothing short of amazing, so believe me when I say that the hype is justified.


The texture is so creamy and in reminds me of Maybelline's Color Tattoo, just in a more convenient stick form. It just glides in the eyes, without tugging or dragging and you don't have to go over the line a  million times for an opaque and even finish. This shade is very pigmented, but of course as you blend the intensity diminishes, so you have to build up the colour if you want a nicely blended look with the intense colour on the lid. It blends so well and with any blending brush I've tried, from the classic MAC's 217 to the inexpensive synthetic eBay one. 


Once it sets it doesn't move for ages. It only creases at the end of the day and even then it's not in any way tragic (I have normal lids). Their claim about an 8 hour no-transfer eyeshadow is not exaggerated as far as my experience goes. For a cream eyeshadow to perform so well, is quite an achievement.


38 Golden Taupe is a neutral taupe shade with an equal mix of brown and grey, so a type of shade I love wearing and in the same colour family as Satin Taupe, which pairs excellently with Golden Taupe. It has quite large, but sparse chunks of gold-green shimmer, which to me looks out of place, especially when the eyeshadow is blended out, but it's not too distracting and it's still a nice everyday shade.


This is one of the most impressive eyeshadow formulas I've tried so far and if you love Maybelline's Tattoos you'll love this as well. I wouldn't mind having some more shades in my collection, especially after seeing shade 06 that my fellow Slovene bloggers, Petra and Sandra ordered. I also like shade 04 Golden Chocolate that Nadja swatched here.


These cost 6.90 € and they are so worth it.

Have you tried these? Have a great day!
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Kiko Smart Lip Pencil 709 Magenta


Holy mother of lip pencils, I adore this lip colour! When I was ordering from Kiko's website, I didn't quite know what to expect, but this colour is so spot on "me". I feel these types of shades are just my colour. Though it's a lip pencil, the formula is comfortable enough to be worn on it's own instead of a lipstick and the fact that it costs only 2.50 € is a huge plus.


Colour: Magenta is as the name suggests a magenta, but a warm interpretation of the shade. In other words is a warm hot pink, the type of colour I really love because it's fun and easier to wear for everyday than a classic red. Catrice's Ultimate Colour Lipstick in MATTraction is similar, but more red, while MAC's Relentlessly Red is lighter and more coral. If you ever searched for a lip liner that would work with MATTraction or just want a similar and even more affordable alternative, this is it.


Texture: It's a soft pencil, though not as buttery as Essence's, which for me is a good thing. It reminds me of Bourjois pencils, but it's not as waxy. It transfers easily on the lips, with no dragging and it's not so soft that you wouldn't be able to do a precise application. The finish it leaves is matte and I don't find it drying, but if your lips are dry, you should take it into consideration that it's not as creamy as Essence's pencils and that it will emphasize dry patches.

Staying power: The pencil transfers well due to creaminess, which also means that the staying power isn't its strong point, but it manages to survive well enough and it's comparable to a creamy lipstick. It does smudge, so don't run too confidently around with it.


This is a gorgeous lip colour for such an affordable price. If you happen to find yourself in Kiko's shops, give this a swatch. The staying power isn't amazing, but since I know most of you love Essence pencils, this won't be an issue for you and you'll probably like the creamy texture of it. I really recommend picking this up if you like such lip colours.

Have a great day!
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Spring Beauty


BASE
Spring is time for lighter bases and this one definitely fits the bill. It has a light to medium coverage, in fact in that respect it's very similar to Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, however, the finish is more satin-matte than dewy which will appeal to those whose skin gets a bit shiny during the day. This is my ultimate product for when I'm in a hurry as it takes seconds to apply and blend in with fingers.

Out of all my foundations, BBs and CC creams this has the best finish ever. Again it's similar to Healthy Mix Serum in terms of coverage, but with a more satin finish. This literally looks like skin. It just melts in invisibly and it doesn't settle into lines or pores. To me this is the perfect base, but the lightest shade is too dark for a Snow White like me, so I really wish Bourjois made another lighter shade of this.

BOURJOIS Healthy Mix Serum 
This has been my favourite foundation since its release. It looks incredibly natural and fresh on the skin due to the dewy finish and it's particularly nice for dehydrated skin with dry patches because it's one of the rare foundations that doesn't look odd on such skins. This is a staple in my collection.


 EYES
I love a neutral, defined look in any season, but I think that such a look fits into spring especially well. This is the palette that started my matte neutral-taupe eye look obsession and it made me fall in love with eyeshadows. The shades in it are perfect for an everyday defined eye, but the colours can also be worn in a smokier combination. The quality is fantastic and these are some of the best matte eyeshadows around. 

Basics 2 offers a bit more variety when it comes to medium toned shades and it also contains more cool toned shades. If you find the first version too light for your skin tone, this should work at lot better. The quality is again superb as at the original, so another pack of nicely pigmented and smooth eyeshadows.

 I've raved a lot about this budget friendly palette and I still love it. It's like someone put both Naked Basics palettes together and took only the good shades in it. The quality is really good for the price and all the colours are actually matte.


CHEEKS
BENEFIT Coralista
Coral is the obvious choice for spring cheeks and Coralista is my favourite because it's gorgeous coral shade with an illuminating shimmer/glow. This is the type of shade that makes you look so fresh.

The most classic warm pink shade that brightens the face by giving a cute flush to the cheeks, but without any shimmer. The quality of these blushes in amazing, especially considering the price. 


This is one of those great super perky peaches for pale skins. I prefer this to pink blushes when I want to look healthily flushed, plus the velvet cream texture looks very natural on the skin.

Pop of Pink is a bright warm pink-coral and can be used quite sheer or build up for intensity. The liquid-mousse texture gives the cheeks that lovely natural "of course I'm not faking that flush" finish, especially when paired with a light base. 


LIPS




Nude-ist is a beautiful muted rose shade on me with a nice matte finish and it's one of those fantastic natural shades that give me a bit of colour and definition to lips. 

These are such a fancy replacement for a lip balm due to their comfortable, creamy formula and the divine peachy scent. Rose Melody is a natural-pink my-lip-but-better-shade with a nice glossy finish that is great for any easy everyday look.



This is one of my never-fails default lip colours for most occasions because it manages to brighten up my pale skin tone, but isn't too flashy or too in your face. It's a medium pink-coral or peachy-pink and I really appreciate that there is more pink in it because corals mostly look unflattering orange on me.

The brightest choice in my selection, Sweet Tart is a bright, warm Barbie pink that is very pigmented, which is a pleasant surprise for such a balmy product. 


 Cotton Candy is a warm pink that is similar to MAC's Please Me, so it's a great everyday colour, when you want something neutral, but not completely nude (on condition you have a pale skin tone). The formula is really creamy and yet it manages to cling on longer that for example Essence's pencils, so it's a nice replacement for a lipstick.

This is currently my favourite lip colour as it's one of the nicest light peachy-pinks ever. It's a good pencil that is somewhere between being creamy and hard, so it defines well, but the formula is a drier one, however, the colour makes it all worth it.

NAILS

The rather dully named nail colour, 01 is a a nude with a rose-violet-taupe tone, which is close to my skin tone, but those cool hues keep it from looking like mannequin fingers. The formula is so smooth and surprising easy to apply for an opaque nude nail polish, but what impressed me more is how shiny is the finish.

This is that one fantastic transition shade that can easily be worn from autumn though winter into spring because it's such a nice mix of styles. It's a mix of autumn-winter taupe and spring pastel lilac shades, so it looks very modern on the nails. 

ESSIE Nail Lacquer
Mint Candy Apple
The quintessential mint green nail polish that is closer to pastel blue than green. The formula makes you work for it, but there are plenty of better performing dupes anyway and you can't really have a spring without such a shade at least once on the nails.


I got this hoping it be the perfect nude nail polish, but it turned out to be so much more. It's a pastel light pink-peach shade, so it's somewhat nude but with a cute twist.  

The name completely fits this brightened coral-pink shade as it really is cute.The formula of this shade is unbeatable because the application is so smooth and even.

The greener and a bit more muted sibling of Mint Candy Apple, but with a much better performing formula.


FRAGRANCE
Katy Perry Royal Revolution
A sweet, yet fresh scent which still has that depth that also makes it a nice choice for a night out. It reminds me of a very nice smelling shampoo and I love such scents in the spring.

LA RIVE Moon
This is one of those clean, but classy scents that work no matter the occasion or season. It's basically a cheap knock-off of Hugo Boss Nuit Pour Femme and works just as well. It starts with a nice peachy burst, but it quickly settles into a nice expensive fabric softener scent.

The heaviest fragrance out of the three, but still lighter than all those vanilla-cupcake based scents like Fantasy. Fame is a lovely blend of apricot, honey and flower notes, while the depth is created by the smokiness of the incense note.


Have a great day!
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Kiko Nail Lacquer 345 Jade Green


Of course I couldn't go though checkout when doing my Kiko order without a mint green nail polish in the basket and I've chosen, what I believe is, their lightest version of the shade. Jade Green is a similar colour to the much more famous Mint Candy Apple, but it is a bit greener and less bright, so it's almost something like a "dirty" mint green. Obviously I love it to death (my mint green obsession is well known and substantiated by my pinterest board. And my clothes. And bedroom. I digress...).


The formula is much better than Candy Apple's. It's still a pastel formula, but one that is opaque in two coats and it kind of evens itself out after a few seconds, so the finish isn't as streaky as at MCA and you don't have to pile on coats to achieve a smooth finish. The brush is a good one and applies the product well. 


 Though I get asked about it a lot, I don't like to discuss staying power because pretty much everything lasts ages on my nails (I planted a field of potato with this nail polish and the nail polish didn't chip one bit. My nails are just really healthy and strong). I usually change the colour after a week when my nails grow too much. This is no exception, but I did notice that it lasts longer that Mint Candy Apple, though bear in mind my Essie is ancient in nail polish years (nearing its fifth year I believe). By the way, the pictures of the nail polish on the nails were taken on the third day because I forgot before.

Nail polish costs 3.90 € in Kiko shops and on their international website. I would definitely like to try more of their nail polishes as they have an amazing shade range and I really like the formula.

Have a great day!
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