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

Review: Lucas' Papaw Ointment

Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for the months of silence on the blog, I have had the worst semester ever, having come back from my Erasmus (I still have so much Erasmus + travel stuff to talk to you about!) and I've been completely swamped with so many projects and exams... 

Anyway, I am here today to write to you about the miracle worker that is Lucas' Papaw Ointment. Basically, this little guy does everything under the sun, well... almost! I have used it to treat:

• Mosquito bites - I am known in the mosquito community for my sweet blood apparently, which makes me the ideal target for them. As soon as I notice itching from a mosquito bite, I apply some Lucas' Papaw Ointment (LPO) to the bite and usually by the next morning it's either gone or almost gone! Living in the southeast of Spain, this is specially amazing in summer.

• Lip dryness or cracking - it doesn't feel AS nourishing as other lip balms that I own, but if I apply it at night, the next morning my lips feel soft and hydrated. 

• Skin dryness - for example, on my hands, if I don't have any available hand cream, I extend a small quantity of LPO and it works like a charm (but it doesn't sink in as fast as hand cream, so beware of touching stuff right after!). Basically, I use it wherever I have a dry spot.

• Itching - sometimes your skin just itches for no reason at all or you have a small skin reaction, and in this cases, I put some LPO over the affected area and the itch and redness just... DISAPPEARS. 

The tub also claims that it is quite good with burns (sunburns I guess), boils, bruises, rash (heat, nappy, etc.), temporary relief of dermatitis and eczema, pimples, splinters... and many more uses, which I can't vouch for as I haven't tried it for any of those problems myself.

I guess it's not surprising at all if my conclusion is that I would recommend this stuff to everyone*, as buying it in bulk on Ebay is very easy and cheap (I bought a pack of 6 tubes for 28€). Plus, if you are going on a trip, this is the perfect companion as it has so many uses and isn't bulky at all. 

*Always do a patch test in case you're allergic, as I'm not sure that this is a hypoallergenic product! 

Maria :)

Review: KIKO Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow

Now that the summer is finally here to stay, wearing eyeshadow can be a tricky business. 

With the sweltering heat, the only option is wearing a really long lasting eyeshadow that won't crease and will last you all day (and night!) These KIKO Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadows are the most comfortable ones I've ever tried, and there's a great variety of really beautiful colours! 

Texture:

A very pigmented, creamy texture that doesn't require more than a dab to show the full-on colour you can achieve. After some minutes it sets and doesn't move, so be sure to blend your eyeshadow shortly after applying it!

L to R: #05 Rosy Brown, #39 Dark Taupe

Colours:

There are 33 shades to choose from, ranging from dark blues to golds. I bought these two shades:

• #39 Dark Taupe - this dark brown is not too warm and is ideal to create the perfect smokey eye without the need of any other product! It has a satiny finish and looks almost matte.
• #05 Rosy Brown - this is an amazing shade, quite sheeny and metallic. The name suits it perfectly, and can look amazing for day looks on itself and with some eyeliner for night (it also looks amazing with #39) Unlike #39, it contains glitter.

L to R: #05 Rosy Brown, #39 Dark Taupe

The problem is, once you pick one, you need more and more!

I am eyeing up these: #06 Golden Brown, #11 Teal, #31 Iris Blue... (okay, I need them all!)

Packaging:

They come in a sleek black matte tube, and the eyeshadow twists up (= no product waste!) 

Final thoughts:

This product is definitely a 10/10 in my opinion. You should go right now to your nearest KIKO counter and check these out (and thank me later!) 

Have you tried these or would you like to? What do you think about them?

<3

M.

Review: L'Oréal "Les Blancs" Collection

Nothing says Spring like pastels! 

If you love pastel nail polishes, this L'Oréal nail polish collection will surely be your favourite release of the year. It's inexpensive, really good quality and the colours are just too beautiful not to swoon!

Para que llegue la primavera, no hay nada mejor que los colores pasteles. Los compré en Druni, donde los encontraréis a 2,95€... y si sois unas obsesas de los pintauñas como yo, 
¡os los acabaréis comprando todos!

856 Peche Neglige - 859 Gourmandise - 852 Pistachio Drage- 851 Nouvelle Vague - 853 Menthe Glace

I couldn't resist and I had to buy them all except for the plain white shade (857 Chantilly Lace), because I already have two whites and I have to restrain myself sometimes when it comes to buying!

In terms of opaqueness, these L'Oréal nail polishes are just one of the best. I used two coats to paint my nails, and only because one coat doesn't smooth out nail ridges, but the colour was perfect and not at all streaky from the first coat!

En cuanto a la opacidad, estos pintauñas de L'Oréal son lo más. Para las fotos, me pinté dos capas de cada, pero con una capa el color estaba perfecto y no se veían rayas (algo bastante común con pintauñas tan claritos). 

Thumb: 852 PD - Index: 853 MG - Middle: 859 G - Ring: 851 NV - Pinky: 856 PN

851 Nouvelle Vague: is a beautiful periwinkle blue with strong purple undertones. It's one of the most saturated shades, and you definitely wouldn't mistake it with white nail polish unlike other shades. In my opinion, definitely the most surprising shade of the collection! If I had to buy one shade of the whole collection, this would be it, as it's the most difficult to replicate.

Nouvelle Vague es uno de los tonos más sorprendentes de la colección, ya que no es ni azul ni morado, sino una mezcla preciosa de ambos. ¡Si tuviera que comprarme sólo un tono de la colección, sería éste! 

852 Pistachio Drage: is an off-white green shade, a very nice alternative to the classic mint nail polish. This shade makes you look oh-so-tan! 

Pistachio Drage es una gran alternativa a los colores mentas (como Menthe Glace) de los que ya nos hartamos hace un par de veranos. Hace que parezca que hayas estado tomando el sol en el Caribe, incluso si el papel suele estar más moreno que tú (como es mi caso).

853 Menthe Glace: This is an aqua shade, and the most saturated shade of the five I'm reviewing. I'm not a huge fan of aqua shades, but this Robin's Egg blue is quite a nice one! However, it's the least original shade of the bunch.

Menthe Glace es uno de los tonos con mayor saturación y de un color azulado verdoso muy bonito. Sin embargo, me parece el menos original de los cinco.

856 Peche Neglige: is a soft peach, with orangey undertones that still manages to look pink in some lights. Definitely one of the whitest shades in the collection and the most sold one at that (when I went to purchase these, there was only one left!)

Peche Neglige es un color melocotón muy bonito. Es uno de los tonos más blancos de la colección y al parecer también el más vendido (¡cuando fui a comprarlo sólo quedaba uno y medio escondido!)

859 Gourmandise: is a purply pink shade, quite white-based as well as easy to wear. It's a common shade too, quite similar to french manicure pinks. It's very pretty, but if I had to choose between all of the shades, this one wouldn't make the cut!

Gourmandise es un color rosita con un tono morado de fondo, pero nada muy aparente. No es un color muy original, y si tuviera que elegir entre toda la colección, éste no sería el elegido.

Price: 5,95€ approx. (2,95€ in Druni at the moment!)
Final score: 10/10

Have you tried the L'Oreal "Les Blancs" nail polishes? Which one do you have or do you want to purchase? 

¿Habéis probado estos pintauñas? ¿Cuáles tenéis o querríais comprar?

<3

M.

Party Ready: Essie "Belugaria"

Let's be honest: I've never been a huge fan of sand nail polishes. I like my nail polishes smooth and creamy, not scratchy. However, my love for the TV series "Reign" and Queen Mary's dresses made me want glittery but regal nails. (Also, check out Reign's soundtrack, because I love every single song they feature!)

Specifically, this dress.

Also, can we talk about how beautiful Adelaide Kane is?

Enter Essie Encrusted Treasures collection. 

I recently own Essie Hors d'Oeuvres, which I thought would be my favourite. And I reaaaally like it, but I have to say Belugaria took it's place! 

I read many reviews online which dubbed it difficult to apply, however I didn't have any problem at all (except maybe my extreme clumsiness and painting over the skin, which is easily solved!)

However, I have to say I did cheat a bit. This is how I painted my nails with Belugaria:

1. I didn't put any base coat on, because mine is already dry and gloopy so I have none at the moment! 
2. I put on a thin coat of a Kiko Black nail polish. It's extremely pigmented, so a thin coat will do. (I love Kiko nail polishes, as a base mainly because the formula is quite flawless!)
3. I put on a thin coat of Belugaria. It dried veeeery quickly!
4. I tried putting on some Seche Vite over one of the nails, but it made the polish look like a plain black creme polish. I repainted some Belugaria over that nail, and no harm was done!
5. I did a second thin coat of Belugaria, although one coat was enough! But I wanted to see if it made it clumpier. I actually can't notice any difference wearing two coats from wearing one. 

I love that it makes my nails look like a piece of a haute couture dress!

Final thoughts: I'm in love! It's a perfect party nail polish (I'm wearing it tonight!)

Final score: 9.5/10 (I wish there might've been a little more glitter, but I love it anyway!)

Review: Jemma Kidd All Over Radiance Glow (in "Rose Gold")

I don't know about you guys, but lately I've been all about the natural but enhanced look. And as a makeup lover, it was very strange for me not to own a highlighter. After researching and having a look at hundreds (literally) of swatches, I decided to take the plunge and buy Jemma Kidd's All Over Radiance Glow in "Rose Gold"(on BeautyBay).


If you often read beauty blogs, you'll have heard about this before for sure! :) It's an amazing highlighter, natural but at the same time achieves the effect of a bronzed goddess. At least it does for me! 


Rose Gold is more of a yellow-rosy gold (kind of obvious), while Ice Gold is more whitish gold rather than yellow gold. So, taking that into account, if you have warm undertones you should go for Rose Gold. However, you can have warm undertones and in winter, if you're as pale as I am, you might prefer Ice Gold because it can match better your complexion in the colder months. 
That's for you to decide, lovelies! 

Focus! Damn, focus!

The packaging is a matte black, very simple and classy, and it fits in my palm. It's not a chunky packaging, so it will fit in any purse if you need to take it with you!

(Natural light)

(Flash)

My camera insisted on not focusing! 

Under flash light, you can see the shimmer, that is very finely milled and gives light wherever you put it on, but no chunky glitter or shimmer will make you look as a disco ball, don't worry. 

(Flash)

You can see I'm very pale, yet it looks great with my yellow undertones, so it doesn't look fake or noticeable at all. 

(Natural light)

Even under natural light (not direct sunlight) you can definitely see the glow that this gives to the skin. This isn't supposed to be a very shiny highlight, because we don't want to look fake or too overdone, that's why I think this highlight is the perfect product if you want a more natural look. 

Definitely, it's soft focused, on the face it just gives light where you want to create some more dimension, and it looks downright beautiful.

Do I recommend this product?

Hell, yes. It's amazing! 

Price? 

€20.60/ £16.63/$26.10 on BeautyBay

Have you ever tried any Jemma Kidd products? Any fans of the All Over Radiance Glow? Comment below and let me know about any beautiful highlighter you think is your Holy Grail product!


Love,
Maria.

Healthy Mix Serum & Healthy Mix Concealer

Hello everyone! :)
I finally got my hands on Bourjois' Healthy Mix Serum, and I also bought the concealer, because I had run out of my NARS foundation and my YSL Touché Eclat, which I will surely repurchase, but I needed a quick fix.

So I'm going to tell you what my initial impressions are of both of these products!

HEALTHY MIX SERUM (FOUNDATION)


The first thing I must say about this foundation is that I was terribly disappointed about the range of colors available. There were literally FOUR colors available at my Bourjois counter. I am guessing they think all spanish people have the same coloring? The darkest wouldn't have suited my mother's skin, and the palest, which is the one I got, is a bit darker than my skin. This color will definitely suit me in summer, but not now, when my skin is very very pale still. But a good buffing will do the trick, and as it doesn't look too orangey, it looks quite nice and even.

The shade I picked up was 53 Light beige. 52 would have suited me way better.

It has a fruity scent, which doesn't bother me at all, but if you have sensitive skin, this might cause irritations, and break outs, but I really like it!

It didn't look very oily on me, and it definitely has some staying power, even if I didn't set it with any powder. It doesn't have the BEST coverage, and as I did have a couple of blemishes, this didn't cover them completely. On the other hand, it is very lightweight, so it doesn't feel cakey AT ALL, and I definitely love the texture, which they promote as gel-like, but I think it it like a normal liquid foundation (in my opinion, at least.)

I definitely like this product, for a day in which your skin hasn't too many blemishes and you don't want full coverage!

Healthy Mix concealer in shade 51; Healthy Mix Serum in 53

HEALTHY MIX CONCEALER

Even if it looks way too light in the swatches, this means that a little goes a long way, and a little blob will work for both my under-eyes, and will cover ANY blueness, or redness I have, making my eyes look very awake and bright. This has definitely been a discovery, and I'm in love.

THE VEREDICT:

I love both of these products. Even if the shades weren't the best, that's my own fault, but even then, I was able to work with both of them, achieving a bronzey glow (not orange, I assure you) and a soft brightness under the eyes (not white either).

Do take into account, however, if you're looking for a full coverage foundation, the H.M. Serum is NOT going to meet your expectations! 

I still have to test the staying power of the serum (foundation), but I will keep you posted tonight on that, as I am wearing it to a party, and this HAS to stay on (at least) a good 6-7 hour period for me to REALLY like it!




Love,
Maria.

OPI Kiss Me On My Tulips: review

Hello everyone! :)

My OPI 'Kiss me on my tulips' nail polish finally got here! But I have to admit, it wasn't what I expected, and I wish I said it the good way. You know, what happens with swatches you see online, is that half of those pictures have been post-processed, and colors tend to look brighter and beautiful. That's the thing, I was fooled into believing this was the ultimate bright pinky fuchsia, and I'm afraid to say, it isn't.

And the worst part is, even though I don't own many pinks in my collection (2 out of 27 polishes in total), one of them was an EXACT DUPE! Can you believe my (bad) luck? 

Even so, it's a pretty color, I can't say it isn't, but I just expected a really bright and beautiful pink, and it didn't meet my expectations. Anyway, here you have the swatches, (and comparison to my Bourjois dupe, in case you want to check it out!)

This is it! It looks pretty right? It is actually, but I'm afraid it's not as bright as you might imagine. Actually, I think in this picture it looks a tad brighter.

This is the Bourjois dupe I was telling you about, and I'm really mad I spent like 13€ or so, on some color I ALREADY had! (Blame it on my compulsive need to buy polishes I've merely seen a couple of swatches of!)

I admit Bourjois' nail polish, isn't AS BRIGHT, but it doesn't differ too much, really (there's a swatch below so that you can see how much they really look alike!)

This Bourjois nail polish is called 'Rose Vamp'. This isn't the cheapest nail polish I own, I think Bourjois polishes retail for... around 8-10€? Definitely less than 10€, and I think I bought it when it was 4-5€ or so, but this is a rather old polish and Bourjois prices HAVE been going up lately!

(OPI Kiss me on my tulips; Bourjois Rose Vamp) 

 The only main difference I can see when looking at both of these swatches is that the OPI nail polish just applies like a dream, opaque in just ONE COAT, while the Bourjois polish is less opaque, but probably with two or three coats it would be perfectly fine!

Overall, this color has really deceived my expectations of it, since I really wanted it to be bright and beautiful, and it just ended being one of the only pink shades I already own (and that I don't wear very often FOR A REASON, it's just not the perfect pink!!)

So, guys, I know I normally LOVE everything I buy, but I'd advise you to stay well away from this nail polish if you can, and purchase the Bourjois one instead (and I'm sure there are CHEAPER brands out there that make this pink shade, for sure!) This color is not a must-have, or something that you aren't bound to have, believe me, if I have it, you must have a really similar dupe in your collection too! 

I'm sorry if I didn't have anything amazing to say about this polish :( 

Hopefully, my OPI Rainbow Connection was able to save my nails from total boredom, and it actually looks good with these accent nails (on my left ring finger, my right ring finger and my right thumb; a little random placing always works wonders!)

Do you own this polish? What do YOU think about it, and how do you make this work for you?

Love,

Maria.