KIKO Milano Neo Noir Autumn 2016 Limited Edition Collection

KIKO Milano have once again teamed with designer Ross Lovegrove to bring us their Autumn 2016 limited edition collection, entitled Neo Noir; and of course, the packaging consists of stunning black compacts for the star products in the collection and bursts of dark colours for the other products.

pictures courtesy of KIKO Milano website

As usually happens with KIKO limited editions, the collection contains a lot of different pieces. This time I got myself three Sparkling Trail eyeshadows and a Graphic Gaze Double Eyemarker. The other products, although they look beautiful, I resisted getting them because I really don't have any more space for another blush/bronzer/highlighter.

The Neo Noir collection is inspired by the elegance of the colour black; more specifically, the flow of black silk - the ripples and the smoothness of it all which is reflected in the packaging of the face and lip products.

Sparkling Trail Eyeshadow 03, 04, 06 ~ €6.90 for 1.8g of product

These three shades caught my eyes instantly and the format is what convinced me to get them as they can be used as an eyeliner or as eyeshadows. The formula is very creamy and easily blendable but I do recommend you set them with a matching powder eyeshadow or translucent powder to ensure they don't budge or fade. They can go on patchy at first but the colour can be built up to a nice consistency with just a few strokes.

03 Sensual Burgundy - deep burgundy red

04 Feminine Emerald - shimmery emerald green with turquoise undertones

06 Rose Anthracite - charcoal grey with rose shimmer

Graphic Gaze Double Eye Marker ~ €8.90 for 1.5ml of product

This is a very cool product in my opinion and I really like the concept of it all but to be honest, I'm not entirely happy with it as the 'ink', apart from not being very black, it fades away easily and bleeds even with a primer. However, for those still curious to try it out for graphic eye looks, what you get is a double ended eyeliner pen with spheres instead of the usual pointy felt tip to help create unusual eyeliner looks. 

The KIKO Neo Noir collection is currently available on the KIKO Cosmetics website.

KIKO Milano Wanderlust Limited Edition Summer 2016

KIKO Milano have once again launched a super luxurious looking collection of limited edition products for summer - the Wanderlust collection. As soon as the email dropped in my inbox to notify me of this new collection, I found myself browsing the products and adding some of them to my cart. I really restrained myself not to buy everything and I only got three products out of the whole range.

picture from KIKO Milano website

As the name implies, the collection is inspired by the passion for travel, which seems to be more fuelled during the summer months. The design of the packaging was left in the capable hands of designer Ross Lovegrove, who is very well known for his futuristic work - and in fact, the products look out of this world beautiful.

The collection consists of a vast array of products ranging from DD Creams to baked blushers and bronzers, lip products to perfumes to name a few. I got a Desert Dunes Baked Bronzer in the shade 200 Warm Melange, a Heatwave Lip Oil in 01 Coconut and a Mirage Lip Stylo in 01 Canyon Rose.

All of the products have rose gold packaging which is precisely what lured me in to buy them in the first place and they all have a textured hexagonal design on them. The boxes reflect the same embossed hexagons design but are a glossy white colour and only have rose gold on the top flap. Now let's have a look at the individual products that I have.

Desert Dunes Baked Bronzer 200 Warm Melange - €22.90 for 20g of product, available in 2 shades

I am going to start with one of the star products in the Wanderlust collection - the Desert Dunes Baked Bronzer. I opted for shade 200 as I thought it will agree more with my skin tone. As I stated earlier, the packaging is exquisite and the bronzer also comes with a mirror on the inside of the case.

On opening, the bronzer has a nice, warm scent to it and the swirls in the baked product, really make it hard to use it and ruin the pattern. The bronzer has a silky matte finish and lasts for a good number of hours. I would describe the shade as a golden bronze and I find that the light coloured swirls balance out the bronze tones nicely. I think this would look better on me when I have a tan though.

Heatwave Lip Oil 01 Coconut - €10.90 for5.5ml of product, available in 3 flavours

Next I got the coconut scented lip oil which looks essentially like a lipgloss but has a more watery texture and lasts for less time on the lips. I got the Coconut one which is the smell that appeals to me the most out of the three available and it has summer written all over it. I find myself reaching for this product very often as it hydrates my lips and doesn't feel sticky at all. Even though it has a light orange tint, it goes on transparent on the lips and you can think of it as a transparent 'lip gloss'.

Mirage Lip Stylo 01 Canyon Rose - €11.90 for 3g of product, available in 16 colours

Lastly I have the Mirage Lip Stylo in the shade 01 Canyon Rose. This is probably my favourite product and it is the one I have used most to date. I really like the packaging with its magnetic closure and the slanting bullet makes for easy application. The shade I have is a kind of my-lips-but-better colour and I think it would work on almost every skin tone. I would describe it as a dusky rose hue. On me, this lasts for around 4 hours before I need to reapply, but I really don't mind taking this beauty out of my bag for touch-ups as it is such a work of art!

Overall, I really like this collection but if I'm being completely honest, I think the products are a little over priced (save for the lipsticks which I think are justly priced) so you might want to hold on to getting any of the products until they are on sale.

What do you think of this collection? Will you be getting anything from it?

Monthly Favourites | January

Ok so I know we're in the middle of February but I still want to share with you my favourite products from last month as there are quite a few new products that I want to share with you all. Starting off with the KIKO Lip Scrub which so far has bee the best one I have ever used. It is gentle enough to be used everyday and keeps lips feeling soft and supple. I prefer to use it before going to bed followed by some lip balm to wake up with plumper lips.

Next, I have the Onsen Purifying Facial Peel which I have been using religiously on a weekly basis ever since I got it. I shall go into more detail in a review I have planned for this weekend but I all have for this product as words of praise as it really does deliver great results and even better looking skin.

On to makeup, I only have two products for this month, the first of which is the Make Up Store Smoothing Primer Powder which is god-send for days when I'm in a hurry and just need a thin veil of something for my skin to look good to go. It's got a very fine texture and can be used as a primer or worn alone. I sometimes also use it as a setting powder and for baking and it also works well in that regard.

Lastly is my MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipstick in the shade Oh Lady! I have worn this a couple of times and I always got good compliments on the colour. I have to say that this passes the eat & drink test, the kiss test and the time test! It is really that long lasting and I admit, it is a bit of a pain to remove completely.

Do you have any favourite products you would like to share? Write them in the comments!

January Collective Beauty Haul

I have been very good at sticking to my clothes buying ban this month but not so much when it comes to makeup - I did buy a few new things to add to my collection, because you know, I don't have this and I don't have that in my overflowing makeup drawers.

I placed an order on the KIKO website as they were on sale and you know how it goes, I 'needed' a few things. I got a CC Blur Skin Trainer for which I have high expectations, a lip scrub which I have heard very good things about, a Mixing Solution, Nail Lacquer Thinner, two eyeshadow sticks and some eyebrow products which I totally love and shall review shortly.

During an event hosted by the Make Up Store, I picked up a Smoothing Primer Powder and a Lip Pencil in Burlesque and they were kind enough to give me the Grass Microshadow as a gift. I have only tried the powder and all I have for it are words of praise!

Lastly, I went to MAC to pick up some things from their current collections and I walked out with Oh Lady! Retro Matte Liquid Lipstick, a Foiled Eyeshadow from the Faerie Whispers Collection in Fly By Twilight and a mini Fix+.

So that's it for this post, I hope you enjoyed it and maybe got inspired to get some of the things yourselves :) Watch out for some exciting posts and news next ;)

Review | KIKO Cosmetics Midnight Siren Limited Edition | Matte Muse Lipstick 06 Luxury Sangria

Is it just me or are there others who also think that KIKO Cosmetics Limited Editions are some of the best-looking products out there? Such is the case with their Midnight Siren collection and the Tahitian pearls inspired packaging of the products. The collection, which came out in the beginning of Autumn, consists of darker tones which we tend to favour more during the colder months.

Out of the entire collection, I only got a Matte Muse Lipstick in the shade 06 Luxury Sangria. Now, I already have God knows how many more similar coloured lipsticks but the packaging is what intrigued me to get this product. 

The lipstick is supplied in a black box with green and purple reflects that come to life according to how the light hits them. The actual product, is a liquid lipstick which comes in a rather heavy glass tube with a curved doe foot applicator. The cap is the same colour as the outer box which are meant to represent the colour of Tahitian pearls.

The shade 06 Luxury Sangria, is a true sangria red and has just a slight shimmer upon application. The lipstick takes some time to dry to a completely matte finish but it never feels drying on the lips. It fades uniformly to a stain after say 2 to 3 hours of wear.

I like the formula of this lipstick so much I would really like it if KIKO considered to have a permanent line of these!

KIKO Cosmetics Midnight Siren Matte Muse Lipstick is available in 6 colours at €6.90 for 8ml of product.

Review | KIKO Cosmetics Rebel Romantic Limited Edition Collection

In my latest KIKO Cosmetics order I got a few pieces from their Rebel Romantic Limited Edition which I think you might want to see just in time to get them yourselves before they sell out. The collection revolves around the woman who is romantic by nature but has a more edgy, rebellious side. The collection boasts 38 beautiful pieces including pochettes, eyeshadow palettes, face products and lip products. 

I got myself a Rebel Bouncy Blush and two Intensely Lavish Lip Pencils from the collection. I think you will all agree that a lot of work has gone into designing the boxes of the products in the collection not just the actual packaging. The boxes have a soft, velvet-like feel all over and it's really a waste to throw them away.

The Rebel Bouncy Blush comes in this sangria coloured box with a curved top and bottom. The blush compact is a satiny rose gold colour and has a geometric design embossed on the left half of the lid. The compact also comes with a mirror on the inside. The shade I have is 04 Passion Red Wine, a name the blush colour lives up to! The blush texture resembles a sponge and has a very creamy formula, making it very blendable. I recommend using a light hand and then build up the colour to the intensity you want. This blush having a cream formula, I expected it to fade after a few hours but since the formula dries to a satin matt finish, the blush is quite long-lasting. I find it gives my skin a post-work out glow.

KIKO Cosmetics Rebel Romantic Rebel Bouncy Blush comes in 4 colours and each retail for €9.90 for 5g of product.

Next I have two Intensely Lavish Lip Pencils in the shades 05 Heavy Cherry and 06 Melodious Wine. Again, they come in a velvet touch box and they have a rose gold cap and the same geometric design as the blush around the lower part. The only thing that I don't like with these lip pencils is that you only have the shade number printed on them but not the name.

The colours are very similar to each other but shade 05 Heavy Cherry leans more towards a pinkish red while shade 06 Melodious Wine is more of a burgundy wine colour and is slightly darker. Both lip pencils have extremely good pigmentation and once dry, they won't budge. They transfer colour on the lips easily but it takes quite a lot of work to wear them as a matte lip colour on their own because they are not as creamy. The pencils are not retractable and thus you have to sharpen them to get more product out.

KIKO Rebel Romantic Intensely Lavish Lip Pencils
05 Heavy Cherry (left) and 06 Melodious Wine (right)

There are 4 Intensely Lavish Lip Pencils in the collection which retail for €4.90 each for 1.3g of product.

Have you tried anything from this collection yet?

October Collective Haul

October is my birthday month, hence as you would expect, I have treated myself quite a lot ;) With makeup being one of my biggest vices, I have spent a ridiculous amount of money bought quite a few pieces which I had my eyes on for quite some time, especially these lipsticks and blush from MAC.

I had been waiting for a restock at MAC to get these three lipsticks, left to right, Brave, D for Danger and Media. Luckily for me, on my latest visit to the store with Marija from Pocalocca, we found the staff taking the stock out from the boxes and luckily they had everything we wanted! The lipsticks cost €19 each.

One of the star pieces in this month's haul though is the Guo Pei x MAC Powder Blush in the shade Red Water Lily. Now I had to get this online as I haven't seen this collection locally yet and I really wanted to get my hands on it. Most of the collection, including this blush, sold out within a few hours on the MAC UK website so I had to resort to Ebay. Luckily I found a legit seller who was selling a brand new in box version of it and I bought the blush straight away! It set me back a little over €60 which is crazy I know, but just look at how gorgeous the packaging is! The top is even made out of silk! I shall be posting a review with more pictures and swatches of this blush soon so keep an eye out for that!

If you follow me on Instagram and Facebook, you would know that my boyfriend really spoilt me for my birthday by gifting me the Rouge Louboutin lipstick in the Silky Satin finish. It is a luxury item which is not exactly cheap but is a nice, covetable item and something I wanted ever since I heard news of the range coming out, so thanks honey :)

More cosmetics which I got online include an order from KIKO Cosmetics, and an order from Makeup Revolution. From KIKO Cosmetics I got a backup of the Brush Cleanser, a Matte Muse Lipstick in the shade 06 Luxury Sangria from their latest limited edition Midnight Siren as well as a Rebel Bouncy Blush in 04 Passion Red Wine and two Intensely Lavish Lip Pencils in 05 Heavy Cherry and 06 Melodious Wine from the Rebel Romantic limited edition. If you are interested in the Rebel Romantic limited edition, I suggest you get it before it is gone.

From Makeup Revolution, I got some of their new stuff, namely the Ultra Cream Contour Palette, Ultra Contour Foundation Brush F302, Ultra Flat Contour Brush F304 and the Advanced Complexion Expert Sponges in both the soft and hard versions. They also included a tester of the Ultra Blush Palette in Hot Spice, so thanks for that!

I have also bought the Pupa Milano Animal Print Effect Top Coat from their Soft & Wild Collection for €6. Next week, I shall be reviewing this top coat along with the eyeshadows and lipstick which were kindly sent to me so you will be able to see more pictures.

Moving on to fashion, I only bought a few 'essential' pieces in a bid to try and save up for a large shopping spree in London (you see, clothes and accessories are also a big vice of mine!).

I got this pair of printed pants from Promod at just €14.97 on sale and I also bought a pair of white sneakers (€20), a backpack and this gorgeous set of stud earrings (€5), all from River Island. Then from Asos, I got this pair of holographic rose gold sneakers (€35) seeing I am currently obsessed with this metallic hue and this pair of mint sandals which were on sale for just €10.

Lastly, a little Mango spree where I bought this lace crochet top and this printed skirt for €39.99 each and a basic oatmeal button down cardigan for €17.99.

That's it for this month! Any favourite items you treated yourselves to?