Brand review + What to buy: KIKO Cosmetics

Since I discovered KIKO some years ago, I started using their products with the same awe a child has on Christmas day. At first it was only the nail polishes, but then my nail polish interest in general plummeted (I have like 100 of many different brands that I want to give away or just toss). Then it was the eye makeup, which is stellar. And then.. of course, my faves: lipsticks of all sorts!

Let's review some of these products!

LIPSTICK

For years now, lipstick collecting is my obsession. But I do tend to have some lipsticks that I never ever use, which is a shame. This, however, has never happened with my KIKO lipsticks because they are creamy (even if some are matte) and pretty long lasting (unless you go for a creamy sheeny one, of course). The picture above just shows 7 of dozens I have, so if you are interested in swatches, please let me know in the comments :)! 

My favourite ones are the Lavish Lipsticks (the three lippies pictured on the right) and I have the whole range of those but they were limited edition, which is why I had to buy a couple of backups. 

The new Gossamer Emotion (two on the left) are creamy, have a huge range and stay on, plus are not limited edition (and that embossing is suuuper cute)... However I'd definitely recommend swatching in person as some shades have microglitter (which doesn't show up A LOT but you can tell it's not matte) and others are just normal mattes, and sadly the website swatches are not specific about which is which. 

Above pictured are some sheeny creamy lippies that are also the bomb and I use very frequently (as you can see from the wear on the packaging of the pink one!) Definitely comfortable and you can find either sheer ones (sometimes you just need a little colour) and others (like the middle one) start shiny and then turn matte <3.

Quite honestly, even if I have MAC and NARS lipsticks, I usually go for KIKO ones (or L'Óreal but we'll talk about those on another post!) because I love the formulation and colour range that much. 

NAIL POLISHES

KIKO nail polishes have great opacity and range, plus are good quality and pretty cheap. Just recently I checked their nail polishes again and they just came out with a new version of their nail polishes, with a new and cuter packaging (pictured above), plus an even better formula. They are a bit pricier than before (4,90€ a pop) but they have loads of discounts on nail polishes pretty frequently. 

EYESHADOW

I have honestly never used a single powder eyeshadow from them (although I have swatched them in-store and are super buttery!) because for me their most stellar products are the eyeshadow sticks. If you have a limited budget to spend, go for THESE! <3 They have an amazing range of colours (04, 05 and 39 are my faves) and some are matte while others are shimmery. Once they're on, they literally won't budge or crease at all. I also have a couple of limited edition ones, like the golden in white packaging pictured above, which are the bbbbomb.

EYELINER + EYEBROWS

Eyeliner-wise, I only own three from KIKO: one liquid that has a flat paddle applicator and two pencil ones. Honestly, the pencil ones aren't amazing, I find they are not as soft as I like them but I actually haven't given them much of a chance since I usually don't use pencil eyeliner. The liquid eyeliner on the other hand is pretty good, I'm not sure if my favourite of all my eyeliners just yet, but pretty high up, although limited edition so I'm pondering getting a backup just in case. I'm sorry I didn't picture any eyeliner, I just got a bunch of stuff and forgot about these...

In terms of eyebrows, I have to say that I almost never do anything to mine. I have a Maybelline brow pencil that has a spoolie on the other side and that was about it before I got my KIKO eyebrow sculpt. I still won't do my eyebrows every day since mine are pretty dark and not too patchy (but they do need some perfecting) but whenever I do, I use the Eyebrow Sculpt over any other product. It looks like a similar concept (IMO) to the Hourglass Brow Sculpting pencil + Anastasia Brow Wiz but I haven't tried these so I can't really say much in terms of pigmentation, etc. but the KIKO Eyebrow Sculpt has enough pigmentation for my eyebrows (I need just *enough* since I use black for mine, it would be too much!)

MASCARA + LIPGLOSS

Why the hell did I pair these together, you might say. Honestly, I'm not sure. They are both products that I really like and use, but they're not products I'd choose over other brands. 

The lipgloss is really nice (not gloopy, not watery) and minty, plus it sheers out (which is something I need with lipgloss, I hate pigmented ones on myself!) which is why I have like four different shades. It looks really good on its own, but I do feel like if I don't put some balm underneath before applying my lips will look flaky when the gloss is gone. 

The mascara is volumizing and very black but I feel like it's too dry for me, or at least the one I got was very dry from the moment I bought it. This one is the only KIKO mascara I own and it's Kathleen Lights' favourite according to her Youtube videos, and while I get why she might like it (it does build volume), I can't say that this is my favourite mascara of all times (or even top 5).

FOUNDATION + CONCEALER + POWDER

This is my first KIKO *liquid* foundation and since cushion foundations are all the rage right now, I decided to try it out (mostly because I couldn't get my hands on the L'Oreal one just yet in Spain and I'm not buying foundations online ever). This is actually a CC cream which I prefer, but the lightest warm shade available is this one (Warm Beige 15) and it's still a tad darker for my skin (although that happens to me with almost all foundations). However, I really like it and use it every morning for work so I can't say it's my favourite (my Bourjois Healthy Mix is still top 1) but I got it recently and is way more useful to take on the go than foundation + brush/beautyblender.

I also use a powder to set my makeup and I love having compacts with their own applicators so that I don't need to bring any more stuff in my bag. It mattifies and doesn't look cakey, and the colour match is on point, so it's the only powder I ever use.  

In terms of concealer, I have to admit that I have never tried one from KIKO (although I hear great things of the Soft Focus one) and my most favourite high street one is from Bourjois CC Concealer (shade #21, always).

What do you think of KIKO? Have you tried it and what did(n't) you like? (+ would you like swatches of anything mentioned above?)

MARIA

Falling in love with Vienna

Leaving everything you're used to behind is difficult. You forget stuff, you miss your friends, you miss the food you usually eat... But it's also full of new and exciting beginnings. You get to meet new people, learn different languages and get mixed up in confusing situations. Anyhow, going to live to a different country it's still one of the greatest experiences you can have.

And in Vienna, it's just too good to be true!

I've already been here for almost a month and I have to excuse myself for the lack of updates. You see, I've had to adapt but I've also been doing quite a lot of travelling during this month (Bratislava, Budapest, Warsaw, Linz...) but more on that later! 

Recently, I was speaking with some other Spanish exchange students that live here and we've all come to the conclusion that once you come to Vienna, you set a very high bar! Even if you visit other places and love them for different reasons, none will capture your heart like Vienna has.

It's just too wonderful for words, very safe, amazingly beautiful and there's always a hundred fun things to do. Plus, it's in the centre of Europe so you can get to many destinations without having to spend that much time travelling!

I mean... can you blame me for loving it here?

Have you been to Vienna or would you want to go? If you have, did you like it?
What other places have you fallen in love with?

<3

M.

What I'm loving right now (Non-beauty)

Song: New Soul - Yael Naim

Book: Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

You don't have to be a gaming geek to like this book, I assure you. I really liked the portrayal of the "future" that is the setting of this book. It's been a long time since I'd read a book so addictive and beautifully written!

 The score, in my opinion: 10/10.

Film: The Wolf of Wall Street

Really liked the film, because it was downright impressive and unforgettable. 

However, I'd give it an 8.5/10, because it isn't the kind of film that makes you want to sit and discuss or that makes you want to think about life, if you know what I mean.

TV series: Reign and Don't trust the b* in apartment 23...

It's such a pity they cancelled this show! I have a huge crush on Krysten Ritter right now. 


Blogs: 

1. I Covet Thee (Another massive girl crush, I love Alex's blog!)
   
   
   
2. xoVain (I love every single article they post, and I don't like to play favourites but if I did... Alle would be my nerdy fave!)
   
   
   
   
3. Cocoamourr (my latest discovery <3 She's very approachable and lovely,
   which is what makes me love every single one of her posts.)
   
   
   
4. Nemesis, Babe (I love Marie's personality and just.. her whole blog, really!)
   
   
   
5. Shared Closet (The blog of two spanish sisters that love fashion, traveling and are the happiest people alive! They just make you want to pack a bag and to travel the world!)
   
   
   

Lots of love <3 

And brace yourself for tomorrow's post! 

MAC Lipstick Series: Ruby Woo

Hello ladies!

I've taken a short hiatus from my blog I'm afraid, but I'm back! Even so, my exam period starts next week, so I may post more randomly than I would like, so please be patient with me :)

But first things first, today I would like to talk about a classic staple lipstick from MAC, RUBY WOO. Hasn't every single girl and woman heard about this beautiful red lipstick? The thing is I purchased this lipstick not long ago because I've never been too sure about bright red lipsticks working on me. And whenever I saw swatches of this lipstick, it sometimes looked more orange and other times it looked really pinkish. 

When I finally decided to go and check it out, I didn't like it under the bright store lights, it just looked to dark on me. So I didn't purchase it at first. But some weeks later I thought to myself: "let's try it at home, plus it's a classic, it can prove to be useful in the future!". So I finally bought it.

I should tell you about my MAC red lipstick history, because I now own FOUR red lipsticks from MAC, which are: Russian Red, Lady Bug, New York Apple (and Ruby Woo). And up until now, I didn't think any of these suited me, except maybe Lady Bug, because it has a Lustre finish so it can be worn slightly sheerer and looks quite fresh (will review on my next post). Still, none of these three (the ones purchased before Ruby Woo) were what I was looking for. 

Let me show you what Ruby Woo (Matte finish) looks like on my skin (warm toned, I have a lot of yellow undertones but I'm quite pale), but take into account that lip swatches contain no lip pencil whatsoever and I've just put on some balm before applying the lipstick, because matte lipsticks can dry my lips and they can look far from perfect. 

Light swatch of Lady Bug (left) and Ruby Woo (right)

You can see the shine that Lady Bug has (especially noticeable on the last two pictures) and how matte Ruby Woo is. We can also see that Ruby Woo is brighter, while Lady Bug is a tad darker and more orangey (you can notice this on the first picture). 

(Lady Bug, left; Ruby Woo, right)

In this overexposed picture we can clearly see the orange undertones in Lady Bug 

and the bluish undertones in Ruby Woo. 

Now, onto the lip swatches! I actually couldn't find my lip pencil and I was DETERMINED to do a decent lip swatch with this lipstick. But I'm afraid I didn't find it (I will keep looking) but I actually didn't need it to get a good application since it's a fairly new lipstick, so it is still sharp.

As you can see, this is a beautiful lipstick color, and it suits my skin quite well. I'm up for bright lipsticks, more than for dark ones, so that's why I really love this lipstick. I also like matte finishes, although I admit this lipstick can be quite drying without any balm underneath (and it still is with a little on, but it doesn't bother me that much).

My conclusion?

I am in love.

Maria.