After all the high end excess recently (and you can have a look at my purchases from Dior's new collection, Charlotte Tilbury or NARS..), today we're going to be talking about some affordable beauty products that I am no less excited about. In fact, no, I'm more excited, because everything is inexpensive yet I'm seriously impressed with the quality.
The new Shade Fusion Trio Blushes are amazinggg! A small, magnetic closure palette containing 3 complimentary blush shades, the texture of these babies is like nothing I've tried yet, high end or drugstore. Enriched with Vitamin E and argan oil (seems to be in everything these days), these powders are so creamy, smooth, silky, they feel like a gel, and don't look, in the slightest, like a powder on the cheeks.
Although the powders look pretty bright and pigmented in the pan, they go on much more sheer and blend beautifully for the ultimate, natural flush. Without shimmer or glitter but not completely matte, the finish is a beautiful soft sheen, like you've gone for a brisk walk in the cold.
There are 6 shades to choose from and I went for 03 Abricot which gives a lovely peachy-pink colour, although I've swatched every colour from the range and there isn't one I don't like. Of course you can use each colour separately but I like to do a swirl of all 3 with an angled blush brush. Really, really love these.
I also picked up a few eye products. Ok, several. Well, 8 if we're being specific.
The Cream Crush cream eyeshadow in 06 Pearly Chocolate is a super pretty dark copper shade. These cream shadows are really soft and creamy and blend easily, lasting around 5-6 hours on my eyes without any issue. They're available in 16 shades, in both matte and pearlescent/metallic finishes (the mattes aren't my favourites) and I only picked up the one shade because...
The Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadows. This is really my favourite way to wear eye colour at the moment (whether it's via Charlotte Tilbury (review), Laura Mercier, By Terry etc). Fuss free application, easy to blend, really long wearing, and beautiful colour pay off.
You might think the offerings by Kiko are of a poorer quality than their far more pricey counterparts, because they're at least 1/3 of the price. But, this isn't the case at all. They're fantastic. They go on just as smooth, there are unusual and complex colours available, they blend the same and wear just as long (8+ hours for me), without smudging, smearing or creasing (I don't use a primer). There are 32 shades, with both matte and metallic finishes, some better than others. Here are the 7 I picked up.
05 Rosy Brown - a cool toned mauve metallic with a warm 'rosy brown' undertone.
06 Golden Brown ("golden brownnnnn texture like sun" anyone?) - a taupey, golden bronze.
07 Golden Beige - a soft, warm, light gold. Shimmery finish.
21 Passion Fruit - a peach with pink undertones and a golden sheen.
36 Golden Mauve - a muted orchid purple with gold shimmer. Really pretty over 38.
37 Burgundy - a warm burnt red/plum with a subtle gold sheen. Pearly finish.
38 Golden Taupe - neutral taupe, in between grey and brown in base, but I do sense a mauve-y undertone, with a gold shimmer.
I really love layering Golden Mauve over Golden Taupe. I think these two look amazing glinting away in dappled sunlight.
On the way out of the store I saw these. Formally known as the Double Dare Eyeshadow & Eyeliners, these babies are double ended pencils with a cream shadow (like the above) on one end and a kohl liner on the other. Very very similar, albeit some different shades, to the limited edition Colour & Contour sticks by Dior (review), if you want to save yourself £17.60.. Obviously 02 Copper & Chocolate speaks to me but I'm really liking 06 Steel & Anthracite too.
Completely over the moon with my purchases, there isn't a single dud in sight and all perform like they deserve a much more expensive price tag.
Although the powders look pretty bright and pigmented in the pan, they go on much more sheer and blend beautifully for the ultimate, natural flush. Without shimmer or glitter but not completely matte, the finish is a beautiful soft sheen, like you've gone for a brisk walk in the cold.
There are 6 shades to choose from and I went for 03 Abricot which gives a lovely peachy-pink colour, although I've swatched every colour from the range and there isn't one I don't like. Of course you can use each colour separately but I like to do a swirl of all 3 with an angled blush brush. Really, really love these.
I also picked up a few eye products. Ok, several. Well, 8 if we're being specific.
The Cream Crush cream eyeshadow in 06 Pearly Chocolate is a super pretty dark copper shade. These cream shadows are really soft and creamy and blend easily, lasting around 5-6 hours on my eyes without any issue. They're available in 16 shades, in both matte and pearlescent/metallic finishes (the mattes aren't my favourites) and I only picked up the one shade because...
The Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadows. This is really my favourite way to wear eye colour at the moment (whether it's via Charlotte Tilbury (review), Laura Mercier, By Terry etc). Fuss free application, easy to blend, really long wearing, and beautiful colour pay off.
You might think the offerings by Kiko are of a poorer quality than their far more pricey counterparts, because they're at least 1/3 of the price. But, this isn't the case at all. They're fantastic. They go on just as smooth, there are unusual and complex colours available, they blend the same and wear just as long (8+ hours for me), without smudging, smearing or creasing (I don't use a primer). There are 32 shades, with both matte and metallic finishes, some better than others. Here are the 7 I picked up.
05 Rosy Brown - a cool toned mauve metallic with a warm 'rosy brown' undertone.
06 Golden Brown ("golden brownnnnn texture like sun" anyone?) - a taupey, golden bronze.
07 Golden Beige - a soft, warm, light gold. Shimmery finish.
21 Passion Fruit - a peach with pink undertones and a golden sheen.
36 Golden Mauve - a muted orchid purple with gold shimmer. Really pretty over 38.
37 Burgundy - a warm burnt red/plum with a subtle gold sheen. Pearly finish.
38 Golden Taupe - neutral taupe, in between grey and brown in base, but I do sense a mauve-y undertone, with a gold shimmer.
I really love layering Golden Mauve over Golden Taupe. I think these two look amazing glinting away in dappled sunlight.
On the way out of the store I saw these. Formally known as the Double Dare Eyeshadow & Eyeliners, these babies are double ended pencils with a cream shadow (like the above) on one end and a kohl liner on the other. Very very similar, albeit some different shades, to the limited edition Colour & Contour sticks by Dior (review), if you want to save yourself £17.60.. Obviously 02 Copper & Chocolate speaks to me but I'm really liking 06 Steel & Anthracite too.
Completely over the moon with my purchases, there isn't a single dud in sight and all perform like they deserve a much more expensive price tag.
Have you tried Kiko makeup or any of these products??
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