Kiko Haul

I literally squealed with excitement whilst I was out shopping in Birmingham with my friend Alison and discovered that now had a Kiko store - I had no idea it was there! I'd never tried anything from the brand but had been so deperate to pick something up for a long time, after seeing all of the amazing reviews online. The store was really crowded - it was at Saturday in the cnetre of Birmingham after all - so I didn't get a chance to look at everything I wanted to, but I did manage to pick up a few bits to try. Admittedly, I have had these products for a while now - these pictures were taken before I took my last blogging break - but I still wanted to share with you what I bought, and now I've had a real chance to try everything out, I can share my thoughts a little more.


So far, first impressions of Kiko are great. I'm really loving all of the products I bought. The first thing I gravitated towards was the lipsticks, naturally, and the Velvet Mat Lipsticks were the first to catch my eye. The packaging is like nothing I've seen from such an affordable brand before, they could easily be mistaken for a high end product. The bullet itself is housed within an outer gold casing, and you push down the lid to pop the bottom of the lipstick out - all very fancy! I picked up the shade 614, which is quite a deep berry shade. I have no idea why I picked up such a colour as we were heading into spring, but all of the nude shades I liked the look of were unavailable and I really wanted to try one! Due to the rather foolish shade choice, I've not given this lipstick as much wear as I should, but of course I've given it a road test and I really like it. I'd say the finish is more of a satin feel rather than a true matte - it's a lot more comfortable to wear. It glides onto the lips really nicely, so application is really smooth, and the colour is really pigmented.

The next items I picked up were the High Pigment Wet & Dry eyeshadows. I knew as soon as I swatched these in the store that I was going to love them, as they were so pigmented. There were some lovely colours available, but I went for the safe nude options and picked up 16, a gorgeous champagne shade, and 04, a light browny-taupe shade. I've been wearing these non stop ever since I bought them, as they make a great everyday combo that are so easy to apply. The magnetic closing on the packaging is so satisfying too!

I don't think my swatch photo does the Cream Crush eyeshadow justice. It's so insanely glittery, but not in a teenage throwback kind of way, just a nice metallic shimmer to your eyes. It is such a beautiful eyeshadow - a light brown with flecks of silver glitter (shade number 05 if you're wondering) - which looks absolutely stunning in the light. It's definitely not one for an everyday look, but looks gorgeous over the top of the 04 eyeshadow for more of an intense evening eye look. It lasts really well for a cream shadow and doesn't crease.

l-r: High Pigments in 04 & 16, Cream Crush in 05, Velvet Mat Lipstick in 614

So my first venture into the world of Kiko makeup has been a successful one. The products are such good value for money - I'm pretty sure all of this lot came to less than £30 which is brilliant. I can't wait to go back to Birmingham again soon (my husband has hinted at a trip at the end of the month for our anniversary, eeek!) and pick up some more products. Top of my list are some more Velvet Mat Lipsticks and some cheek products.