Kiko Cosmetics

While I was in Europe I discovered a European cosmetic store/brand called Kiko Cosmetics. I went in a couple of them and each time the store was packed. Like how a MAC store in the US is on the weekends. Kiko Cosmetics has  HUGE line of products, from moisturizer and face masks to mineral shadows and eye primer. The products are also very decently priced...about half the price of MAC but a little more than a drugstore. Since I didn't know too much about the brand and was hesitant to spend a lot of what could be potentially horrible makeup, I only picked up one thing:

This is the Glamorous Eye Pencil in shade 402. I swatched a ton of products, especially the eye liners, and this shade is one that I don't already have in my collections. Yes, I have bronze liners but this one has more red/terracotta tones than anything else I have. 

This eyeliner is super pigmented and very smooth and creamy in texture. The formula is just like the Urban Decay 24/7 liners. It lasts about 2 hours on the water line and all day on the upper and lower lash lines. Overall, I really like this liner and now I wish I had purchased more products.

Have you every heard of or tried Kiko Cosmetics?

Alternatives to Black Eyeliner

Although black is the most commonly used eyeliner shade, there are 2 great alternatives that provide a dark line, but aren't as dramatic as black.

Clockwise from top: Smashbox Jet Set Eyeliner in Intrigue*, MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy, MAC Technakohl Eyeliner in Steelpoint (LE), Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Chocolate Shimmer Ink

Brown Eyeliner: Brown eyeliner is great for fair to medium skined beauties because it is more natural looking than black. However, that doesn't mean dark skin tones can't rock brown. I like medium to dark shades of brown because it provides the intensity of dark eyeliner, without looking black. Personally, I wear a lot of brown eyeliner, both during the day and at night, most frequently when doing a brown smokey eye or when wearing natural or no shadow. My two favorites are Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Chocolate Shimmer Ink and MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy (both are permanent products)

Grey Eyeliner: In the same vein, I LOVE grey eyeliner because it is much softer than black, and really complements brown and green eyes. Again, I like using grey eyeliner with little to no shadow on the eyes. I love using colored eyeliner and grey gives me the feel of using a colored liner, but is still very natural looking. The trick here is to use a grey that is dark, not silvery, like most grey liners are. My two favorites are Smashbox Jet Set Eyeliner in Intrigue (currently part of Smashbox's spring 2012 release and it comes with a mini liner brush) and MAC Technakohl Eyeliner in Steelpoint (a limited edition liner that came out a couple summers ago and I wish they would re-promote).

L-R in Natural Light: Smashbox Intrigue, MAC Steelpoint, BB Chocolate Shimmer Ink, MAC Teddy

L-R w/ Flash: Smashbox Intrigue, MAC Steelpoint, BB Chocolate Shimmer Ink, MAC Teddy

Other colors like dark navy and aubergine are also great alternatives to black, but are also a bit more adventurous than brown and grey. 

*Disclaimer: This product was provided by PR for consideration. As always, my thoughts and review reflect my honest opinions. 

A Sue Devitt Face of the Day with Product Reviews and Swatches

A few months ago I wrote about my love for the Sue Devitt Eye Intensifier Pencil in Kenya, and I was fortunate enough to recently receive the olive green color Bangalore, along with a few other Sue Devitt goodies:

Sue Devitt Eye Intensifier Pencil in Bangalore

Just like with Kenya, the Bangalore shadow pencil is opaque enough that it can be used as a liner or shadow, and is a quick and easy way to add some color to the eyes. The Eye Intensifier Pencils are creamy, easy to blend, and when used with a primer they last all day. 

Sue Devitt Gel-to-Powder Blush in Marion Reef

This is definitely my favorite product of the bunch. I mentioned it in last month's favorites, and this is a standout product. When you touch the blush it feels like a creamy gel and is soft and very easy to blend. When you start blending it on the cheek it starts to settle in to a powder but without being ashy or cakey. This property really allows the product to look natural on the skin and it lasts all day. The product itself is very pigmented and can be sheered out or layered for more intense color. I usually layer powder blushes on top of cream blushes but I don't have to with this one. I also like that the packaging is very slim and has a mirror....perfect for traveling.

Sue Devitt Lip Enhancing Gloss in Golden Triangle and Costa Del Sol

According to the Sue Devitt Website, these glosses contain Marine Filling Spheres that are supposed to "smooth out the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and work in tandem with Peptides that promote collagen production." All four shades are sheer and give the lips a smooth, full appearance. Personally, these are nice, but nothing special. I like that the gloss formula is non-sticky and the brush applicator holds a lot of product so the bristles don't splay like some brush applicators do. I didn't notice any plumping effect or anything extraordinary. On my lips, this gloss lasted only 2ish hours. I also think the tube is a little hefty compared to most gloss tubes, and considering how sleek the blush packaging is, this is not sleek at all.

L-R: Kenya shadow, Kenya blended, Marion Reef blush, Marion Reef blended, Costa Del Sol gloss, and Golden Triangle gloss

Here are snaps of the shadow, blush, and Costa Del Sol gloss in action:

Bangalore Eye Intensifier Pencil with no primer

Bangalore Eye Intensifier Pencil 7 hours later

You can see how badly the Eye Intensifier Pencil creased when worn by itself. When used over a primer this shadow lasts all day without fading or creasing. 

Overall, I really like the Eye Intensifier Pencils and the Gel-to-Powder Blush. The glosses are meh. I have only seen Sue Devitt cosmetics in-person at Macys, but they might be available at other retailers too. You can also purchase them online on the Sue Devitt Website, which is currently offering a free Eye Intensifier Pencil in Golden Triangle, an exotic jungle green, with any $25 purchase. 

Disclaimer: The products in this post were provided by PR for consideration. As always, my thoughts and review reflect my honest opinions. 

MAC Shop Cook Collection - Haul and Look

Hey Dolls! I haven't been interested in the recent MAC collections, but I did pick up a couple things from the recent Shop Cook collection: Call Me Bubbles Eyeshadow Quad and Added Goodness Fluidline Eye Liner.

L-R: Call Me Bubbles, Fresh Daily, Full of Flavour, Brash shadows; Added Goodness liner

The shadows are super pigmented and I especially love Brash, which is a veluxe pearl texture (my favorite). These shades are perfect for spring and summer. I have so many Indian outfits in these shades so I am excited to wear them with my sarees and lehengas...perhaps even a look like the following:

In this look I am wearing Call Me Bubbles and Fresh Daily on the lid, with a mix of Brash and Bronze (not from the quad) in the crease. I used a similar gradient on the lower lashline. I lined the top lid with Added Goodness Fluidline and used Black Funk pencil on my waterline.

What do you think? Did you pick up anything from the Shop Cook collection?

January 2012 Favorites

Yes, I know I am not the first to say this, but can you believe January is already over? Where does the time go?

Anyhoo, here are the products I kept reaching for in January:

1. Laura Mercier Luster Eye Colour Duo in Dusk/Chocolate - These two shades work so well together making it easy to create a contoured eye. Both shadows are smooth, easy to blend, long lasting over primer, and very pigmented. I have really been loving Laura Mercier's color products lately and will be featuring more of my fave products in the coming weeks.

Swatch of Laura Mercier Luster Eye Colour Duo in Dusk/Chocolate

2. MAC Mineralize Blush in Early Morning - This is from the Naturally collection and although I normally don't go for mineralize blushes, this one is amazing. It is extremely pigmented so I use a light hand and a skunk brush (I prefer MAC's 188) so that I can have good control of how much color I apply. I think this is gorgeous on all skin tones, but due to pigmentation, it is best suited for medium-dark skin tones. All 3 blushes from the Naturally collection are super smooth, finely milled, and have a natural sheen to them that is not sparkly or matte. Ever since I got this one I have been using it almost everyday.

Swatch of MAC Mineralize Blush in Early Morning

3. Hana Shine Shield Serum - I originally reviewed this here, and I liked it, but I have really been loving it the past few months. After washing my hair I apply a few drops of Moroccan Oil to damp hair, then blowdry and flatiron. Due to the winter static and dry weather, I have been having a lot of flyaways so after straightening my hair I rub a drop or two of this serum between my palms and smooth it over the top of my head. It works really well to control the flyaways, but it also adds softness and shine without adding any greasiness. Don't you love re-discovering good products you already have?

4. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Corrupt - I confessed my love for this here and honestly, I haven't been using any other liners. This is darker than basic brown, but not as harsh as black, and it just works. I use it day and night and with all sorts of shadow combinations (or with no shadow). This pencil is just amazing and judging by how much I use and sharpen this, I better find another pencil just like it soon, cuz this is going to run out and it is not permanent....le sigh.

Swatch of Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Corrupt 

What products have you been loving?

My New Eyeliner Obsession - Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Corrupt (Review and Swatches)

I've mentioned many times recently that I have been using MAC's Sable eyeshadow non-stop, and another product that's been getting a lot of love from me is the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Corrupt:

This is a dark brown liner that has tiny bits of sparkle in it. The sparkle is subtle enough that you can wear this during the daytime, as I have been recently (often times with Sable). I like this shade because it is darker than UD's Bourbon, but not as harsh as black liner.

Swatch of Corrupt in Natural Light

Swatch of Corrupt with Flash

Here is a quick look I recently wore with MAC's Orb shadow on the lid and Wedge shadow in the crease.

Isn't brown liner lovely? I even lined the lower lashline....just halfway, not the full lashline...to give some emphasis to the bottom lid without closing in the eye too much. What do you think?

2 Gifts or 10 Gifts - Smashbox Holiday Gift Ideas

I have professed my love for Smashbox makeup sets in the past, so I was super excited to try out some of the brand's holiday offerings: the Life is Your Set Holiday Pencil Kit and the Snap You're Fab Holiday Lip Gloss Set:

Top-Bottom: Sapphire, Espresso, Emerald, Black, and Gold

L-R: Lip Enhancing Gloss in Radiant, Pout, Luster, Infamous, Pink Sugar, and It Girl

Since I am an eyeliner-aholic, I was really excited to try out the pencil kit, until I read and re-read the box to find out that the liners in the set are NOT the Limitless Eye Liners that Smashbox is famous for. These are just regular pencil eyeliners. Still, the colors are gorgeous and highly pigmented:

Natural Light L-R: Sapphire, Espresso, Emerald, Black, and Gold

Sue Devitt Eye Intensifier Pencil in Action

Hello! How are ya? I know it has been awhile since I last posted. I was traveling and spending time with my family for Thanksgiving. How was your Thanksgiving? Did you go Black Friday shopping?

In a recent post I reviewed Sue Devitt's Eye Intensifier Pencil in the shade Kenya. A few readers requested that I show a full face shot so here it is:

In this photo I am wearing Kenya all over the lid and smudged in the crease. I also smudged the pencil in to my lower lash line to add a bit of definition. I am not wearing any other eye product except for mascara. Here is a full face breakdown:

A New Staple in My Makeup Bag - Sue Devitt's Eye Intensifier Pencil

I have an affinity for pencil products, lip stick pencils, gloss pencils, shadow pencils...basically anything that is pencil-like and easy to travel with. So when I received a Sue Devitt Eye Intensifier Pencil and read that it is a long-lasting, waterproof pencil that can be used both as a liner and as a shadow, I was excited to review it for you.

This pencil is neat because one side is the actual product and the other is a smudger, that is actually decent quality...meaning, I wouldn't mind using it on my eyes. Sometimes the smudger that is attached to liners can be so stiff that I prefer using a separate brush to smudge the color.

I tried out the shade Kenya, which is a gorgeous bronzy, dark brown. Unfortunately, when I first tried applying the product to my eye, the tip broke off.

MAC Holiday 2011 Faves

It's that time again....MAC Holiday time!!

I recently stopped by my local MAC to check out the holiday collection and I was drooling over the new face kits. These kits are exclusive to MAC stores and online, but I hear that Nordstrom has an exclusive kit too but with different shades. Each kit includes a full size lipstick, full size lipgloss, 3 special edition brushes - 129 SE cheek brush, 275 SE shadow brush, and 266 SE brow/liner brush - and a palette that has 4 shadows and a blush, all for $59.50.



Here are swatches of the warm kit:

L-R: Seasonal Appeal blush, Mellowarm lipstick (top), Join the Party lipglass (bottom), shadows top-bottom: Golden Flurry, Soft Brown, Omega, Carbon

Here are swatches of the cool kit:

L-R: Mocha blush, Hot Gossip lipstick (top), Emancipation Lipgloss (bottom), shadows top-bottom: Phloof!, Dance in the Dark, Quarry, Brun

My MAC didn't have all the kits on display, but they did have the color collection out. I swatched the mineralize shadows, and though they were the smoothest mineralize shadows I have swtached, the colors weren't amazing and nothing I couldn't dupe. I did like Let's Skate Paint Pot, but it was more glitter than color, so I doubt I will be picking it up. 

Smashbox Luxe Metallics Glambox Swatches and Review

Smashbox does it again! Remember how much I loved the Smashbox Studio Stash set? I may have found another set I like even more! The Smashbox Luxe Metallics Glambox!! Smashbox releases a glambox set a couple times a year and they literally come in a cubed box:

This Luxe Metallics Glambox has 7 products in it:

- Fusion Soft Lights in Luster

- Blush Rush in Surge

- Eyelights Quad in Luxe

- Full Exposure Mascara Mini in Jet Black (the one pictured above is the full size because I misplaced the mini one that came with this set)

- Jet Set Waterprrof Eye Liner in Vamp

- Arced Liner Brush #21 (full size)

- Lip Enhancing Gloss in Gilded Nude

- Lip Enhancing Gloss in Rose Quartz

 Fusion Soft Lights in Luster and Blush Rush in Surge

L-R: Surge blush, Luster Fusion Soft Lights (the 3 individual shades, then all swirled) 

Eyelights Quad in Luxe and Full Exposure Mascara 

Eyelights Quad in Luxe

 

Jet Set Waterprrof Eye Liner in Vamp and Arced Liner Brush #21

Lip Enhancing Gloss in Gilded Nude and Rose Quartz

L-R: Jet Set Waterprrof Eye Liner in Vamp, Gilded Nude gloss and Rose Quartz gloss

The kit also includes a pamphlet with instructions on how to create a Bronze Glow look and a Metallic Smoke look:

My fave of the two looks is the Metallic Smoke look, so I tried that look first. I followed the instructions exactly, using only my own foundation, concealer, and brushes.

What I was most excited about in this kit was the Arced Liner Brush #21. I have been wanting a bent liner brush like this for a long time. I have only used it a few times but so far I like it. It is SO much easier to use than a regular liner brush that has a similar brush head but is not bent. However, since I have been using an angled brush (the MAC 208 is my fave) to apply gel/cream liner for many years, this is going to take some getting used to. I was also excited to try out the Blush Rush formula. I was a bit hesitant of the color because it appeared so bright on my hand, but when blended well, it adds a soft pink flush to the cheeks. 

Overall I really like this kit and will be using these products a lot, especially as Fall and the holiday season approach. Speaking of, this would make a great Christmas present! Or if you are like me and have no patience, a great anytime present to yourself! =)

Disclaimer: The products in this post were provided by PR for consideration. Please read my disclaimer for additional information.