Kiko Cosmetics Artist Stroke Mineral Loose Eyeshadow

These little pots of loose mineral eyeshadow are genius - the packaging is the best I've ever seen for a loose eyeshadow, completely eliminating the problems loose eyeshadows have when you try to travel with them.

Many brands have tried to solve the problem of spilling, messiness and over-dispensing by putting sifters in their products, which then means a fair bit of shaking to get to the eyeshadow inside.  Kiko, however, have included an ingenious little mesh across the mouth of the jar - it's flexible and stretchy enough to let you press into it with a brush to load up on eyeshadow.  Combined with a lid which features a bit of plastic to fill the mouth of the jar and press into the mesh, the eyeshadow remains easy to use and totally secure when you move around with it.  Brilliant.

The loose eyeshadow itself is also pretty good - soft, easy to blend, and with a great level of intensity. Surprisingly, they're not the sparkliest of sparkly mineral shadows; there's a glimmer in there, but it's more subtle and dimensional than it is ultra noticeable.  With six shades available, these are a fabulous buy if you're a fan of loose eyeshadow.  Find them now at the Kiko website, where they cost a mere £6.90.

Disclosure:  PR samples

This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.

Quick Pick: Kiko Cosmetics Artist Foundation Face Brush

Kiko's latest Artist collection takes bright pops of colour and translates them into makeup - not just into the makeup itself, but also into the packaging, and in this case, the brushes.  This Artist Foundation Face Brush cheered me up the moment I opened the box - it combines a sleek white handle, a crisp silver ferrule, and synthetic white hairs tipped in hot, hot pink.

Aside from how it looks, it's also pretty damn good for applying foundation - the slightly pointed, chiseled tip lets you buff foundation with precision even in smaller areas like around the nose and under the eyes.  The hairs are soft and fluffy, letting you quickly buff liquid foundation over the face for a very smooth and even finish.

At just £13.90, it's much cheaper than most high street beauty counter brushes, and it performs brilliantly.  And it adds a cheerful pop of colour into my otherwise all-black brush pot.  Find it at the Kiko website or at one of their increasing number of stores.

Disclosure:  PR sample

This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.

Quick Pick: Kiko Cosmetics Liquid Intense Eyeliner in Brown

I try a lot of liquid eyeliners, and most of them are black.  Black, or turquoise for some reason.  So when this rather glorious brown liquid eyeliner popped through my door, I was curious to see how it looked, and I found that it's actually a pretty perfect companion to a neutral eye.

This particular eyeliner is Kiko's Liquid Intense Eyeliner - part of a recent limited edition collection, it comes in prettily sparkly packaging with some fetching art deco style lettering.  Score one for style.  It also has a very interesting nib - it's not a brush, it's not a felt tip, it's not foam - it's a soft, flexible plastic which makes drawing smooth lines as easy as stroking it along the lashline.  It does have a downside - because the shape is solid, you'll struggle to vary the thickness of the line without going over certain parts of it twice.

Not only is this eyeliner brown, but it also has a rather lovely depth and sheen to it - it's not sparkly, but it's definitely not flat.  It's more like a soft leather effect, and it's rather unusual, adding a bit of depth to the eye without looking odd from afar.

Of course, this being a Kiko product, it's also a mere £6.90.  If you're after a non-matte, easy to apply eyeliner, Kiko are selling Liquid Intense Eyeliner in brown, purple, a rather pretty sapphire blue, and if you absolutely insist, black.

Disclosure:  PR sample


This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.

BUY THIS NOW: KIKO Power Pro Nail Lacquer in 13, 02, 12

Kiko's new nail varnishes are simply stunning!  Power Pro Nail Lacquer is designed to give ultra shiny colour with a long wearing finish - Kiko are claiming up to seven days chip-free wear.  As well as that impressive wear time, they also boast a specially shaped brush and a smooth, easy to apply texture.

Unusually, much of the PR claims are true - the colours are beautifully shiny even without topcoat, the polish glides onto the nail smoothly, helped out by the fan shaped, densely bristled brush, and the wear time is excellent - with topcoat I get about six days before my nails start to chip, impressive given how hard working my hands are.

Alongside all this gloriousness, Power Pro lacquers also have an impressively dense amount of pigment in them - the swatches above are one coat on the red and the bright pink, and two on the pale pink.  The coverage is just brilliant - I can't remember the last time I was so impressed by a nail polish.

All this, and they only cost £4.90, and come in a wide range of 45 shades from brights to pretty neutrals.  I'll definitely be investing in a few more!  Find them at the Kiko website now.

Disclosure:  PR samples

This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.

Kiko Cosmetics Dusk til Dawn Volume Mascara and Graphic Ritual Kajal Eyeliner in Talisman Gold

I've long been impressed by Kiko's lipsticks and eye shadow products, and long been a bit disappointed in their mascaras - a recent try led me to write my shortest ever review.  So when I received the new Dusk til Dawn Volume Mascara from the brand, part of their Modern Tribes summer collection, I was prepared for it to be a bit rubbish.  Actually, its quite nice - it promises volume, and it gives a sort of medium- volume fluttery look, which isn't the most voluminous thing I've ever seen, but is pretty for daytime, and easily buildable for night.  It's also a mere £8.90, making it a bit of an everyday bargain.

With it, I'm wearing Graphic Ritual Kajal Eyeliner in Talisman Gold, which can be used on the inner rims of the eyes as well as on the lashline.  I've applied it along the upper and lower lashlines for a bright, wide eyed look.  The texture is very creamy and soft, applying with decent pigmentation and smudging easily.  Wear time is impressive too - I found it didn't migrate into my undereye bags during the day as some liners can do.  Not bad for just £5.90!

Disclosure: PR samples

This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.

Kiko Cream Crush Eyeshadow in Pearly Violet and Pearly Electric Blue

Kiko have released a new line of cream eyeshadows, Cream Crush, which comes in a staggering sixteen shades and claims bold colour and long wear - ten hours of wear, in fact.

Pearly Violet and Pearly Electric Blue certainly look bold in the pot, but looks can be deceiving...

Swatched, they're not actually as insanely pigmented as I'd feared - and indeed, a single application dabbed on with a finger and blended out gives a soft wash of colour.

Being impatient, I applied Pearly Violet over the top of a shimmering neutral shadow I was already wearing, and you can see that Pearly Violet isn't actually all that shimmery - it's got a slightly glowing finish, but blended out it's certainly not sparkly.

You can, of course, build up the colour by applying it in layers, and by using a firm bristled synthetic brush to paint it on, rather than sheering it out with your fingers.  But actually, I quite like the more subtle sheered effect, which makes these colours more wearable, particularly next to pink eyebrows (although that problem might just affect me!).

The creamy, almost mousse-y texture isn't likely to last long on anyone with somewhat oily lids, but luckily primer helps save the day - with primer, I get the promised ten hours and then some.  My only gripe is that the pots are a little on the small side - it's not a problem of being stingy, as there's plenty of product per pot, but it does make it slightly harder to get your finger into the pot to pick up colour, particularly if you have longish nails.  Easily solved with a brush, though.

As usual for Kiko, these little pots of colourful joy are very reasonably priced at a mere £6.90 each.  Perfect for a little colour experimentation for spring.  Find them now at the Kiko website.

Disclosure: PR sample


This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.

Kiko Cool Touch Eyeshadow in Innovative Pink

This eyeshadow from Kiko is a weird one.  The texture is cool, silky like a cream, almost watery-silky, and yet it's also a powder.  HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?  Science.  Pretty, pretty science.  So science-y is this product that it has an inner cap inside the casing to stop the eyeshadow's unique water based texture from drying out.

Science aside, Cool Touch eyeshadow is an absolute pleasure to apply - either with a fingertip or a firmly bristled synthetic brush - it blends smoothly and evenly across the eyelid, with a delightfully cooling texture.

The shade I have here, Innovative Pink, isn't all that innovative at all - it's a bright, light pink which reads as very white/silver on my cool pale skin.  Luckily there are seven other shades available, including the very pretty looking Ingenious Taupe.

If you'd like to try something a bit different, you'll find Cool Touch eyeshadows at the Kiko website, where they cost a very reasonable £8.90.  I'll be picking up Ingenious Taupe and hoarding it for summer, when I expect the cooling texture will be glorious on a warm summer's morning.

Disclosure: PR sample

This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.

Nine Word Review: Kiko Wild Lashes Mascara

Interesting brush, but... smudge smudge smudge SMUDGE.  Disappointing.  Avoid.

Disclosure: PR sample

This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.

BUY THIS NOW: Kiko Cosmetics Mosaic Highlighter in 01 Future Light

This beautiful Kiko powder is part of their futuristic Generation Next collection, and it's a dead dupe for Guerlain's iconic Meteorites.  It contains gold, green, white and purple tones to even out and illuminate the skintone (like Meteorites) and gives an oh-so-subtle light reflecting glow - so much so that you'll need to enlarge the swatch above and squint to see it.  The effect on the face is subtle - not glittery, not shimmery, just pretty and glowing (like Meteorites).  Better yet, it costs a mere £14.90, compared to £37.50 for a tub of Meteorites pearls. Oh, and it's more portable.  Buy it now, immediately, from one of Kiko's stores or online at their website.  Seriously.  If you like glowing skin, you won't regret it.

Disclosure: PR sample

This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.