Brand Obsession: Kiko

Some people know this already, but I might as well make it public: I'm kinda obsessed with Kiko.

Over the past couple of weeks I've more or less purposely stumbled into the Kiko store on Regent St. quite a few times.
In all honesty, there wasn't something I desperately needed, make-up wise, because as us beauty bloggers know, you don't really need half of what's in your collection, but you buy more anyway. 

Well, Kiko is kind of the ultimate encouragement to buy more stuff you don't absolutely need because they have SO many things to pick from, the prices are almost too good to be true and the quality is borderline unbelievable. 
I will tell you now, I like their lipsticks more than I like the MAC ones. (You may select to throw things at me at this point).

Not being a red lipstick person, I found that their Smart Lip Pencils are perfect for trying out colours without actually having to buy a lipstick. Not to mention that for clumsy people like me, a lip pencil used as lipstick has the perfect staying power. It's great as a first try because it stays in place, doesn't smudge and doesn't make you panic each time something comes close to your lips. 
After being totally convinced by its red greatness I went ahead and purchased a deep berry one today (shade 710). The red I love is shade 705 and I will do a post with swatches for them if you want.
Also, did I mention that these pencils currently cost 1.90£ ? Let that sink in.

Speaking of lip stuff, they have such a perfect array of shades that I always seem to find a shade that looks good on me. Like the very natural looking nude in 900 and the pinky coral in 902 , above. Corals look so awkward on me 90% of the time, but when I tried that on, it was instant love.

I'm probably the most fussy mascara picker and the fact that I have found a mascara that is non-fiber and that looks like it would be, makes me immensely jolly. Cue Kiko Volumeyes+ Mascara. One word: fantastic!

And lastly, the bane of my existence: concealers.
I am now pretty confident that my concealer problem is solved. I will keep you updated since I've only tried their Full Coverage Concealer once, but already am pretty positive that we will be friends. Good ones.
Usually it's either too creamy, too dry, too agitated (aka moves like it's nobody's business), too flaky or simply has not enough coverage. I'm looking at you Erase Paste!
This one, on the other hand is the perfect mix and the perfect coverage. Rarely do I get excited about something as I do about a good concealer.

Basically, what I am trying to say is: I love Kiko!  There is not one product that I have tried that I have not been impressed with. I'm not even sure how that's possible but good heavens, it seems to be!




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Maybelline Fit Me Concealer Swatch and Review

If I were to run out of the house, I'd still throw some concealer on me. And that is simply because whenever I'm tired or worn out, the first place it shows are my eyes. They're an indicator of everything: how much I've slept, how tired I am, how much I've been staring at a screen. You can even check my mood.

That's why, the best investment for me is in concealers. I'm not a fan of heavy concealers that make you look photoshopped more than anything and feel just as fake. I like the light ones that get the job done while leaving you looking naturally fresh.

Well, this is one of them.      

                      

Initially, I didn't know if the color would be right, as I picked it up in Sand, and it did seem more yellow than anything,but the good news is, it actually "fits me". Which means, a dab here and a blend there and it looks like you were born with it. And that,was unintentional. I just now realized that Maybelline have that "maybe she was born with it" line.... The subconscious works well.

In any case, I like how light it is and how you need such a small amount to cover up so much! 

That's another bonus, it has really good coverage. Like I said, I like my coverage to look natural and this does the job very well.

As you can see, it even blends with my somewhat pinkish hand. In the beginning I would slap it on in industrial quantities, until I realized it really just needs a dab to cover up nicely.

I also like that it doesn't crease, especially on my dry skin, and not even when I use oil underneath. So I suppose, even with oily skin, you'd be fine.

And the formula, well that's just a great one. Super light and not at all powdery or flakey. Really one of the best ones I've tried.

All In All: Definitely a repurchase!

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Catrice Allround Concealer

While I was in the drugstore being pleasantly surprised that I found This Lovely Cream Blush , I also spotted a concealer palette from Catrice. I liked that there were a number of options in that palette for what seem to be all your concealing needs.

It comes with green,pink and three beige tones.

The Beige covers imperfections
The Pink conceals dark circles
The Green neutralises redness

I don't have much use for the green, but I figured I'd give good ol' pink a try

 The bad thing is that it doesn't come with a brush or applicator of any sort, but I used a small,flat make-up brush to apply it and it worked perfectly.

To my surprise, the pink did a great job in covering dark circles. I wore it all day and even by the end of it, there was much less darkness in sight than usual.
Of course, you can't just use the pink, because you will look like you might have a highly contagious disease (although for Halloween it works just fine). I combined it with the lightest of beiges, the one closest to you in this picture.

They combined very well and I really liked how long it lasted. It is a more dry product that I'm used to from my concealer of choice, which is THIS One . The concealer I use is more creamy and more liquid, thus much more natural looking on the skin, this one is matte and dry so it has a tendency of looking a bit flakey if you haven't moisturized before applying it.

One more thing that's on the minus side, is the time it takes to apply it.
Because you need to combine it, and apply each color, it takes a bit more til you're done.Unlike the Rimmel Match Perfection , but I'd dare to say it has even better coverage than that one, because in the end you will be left with a custom made color that probably matches your skin tone better than any prefabricated shade.

Here's how my eyes looked before and after.

All in all

I was quite surprised by it to be honest. Especially for 3.99€ ! 
It covered well, and I'm a fan of making your own shade, which is very possible here. 
Also, I think the pink really works well and the fact that you can just slap on as much as you need is a plus point.
Sure, it's dry and takes a bit more to put on that I'm used to, but if I run out of concealer this is definitely one I will turn to gladly!


Have you ever tried something like this? And what is your favorite concealer?






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Benefit Concealers Revealed

How great was that title?Huh?

Leaving my masters degree in Wordsmith behind, let’s proceed to comparing and analyzing these two.

Stay Don’t Stray and Boi-ing

Stay Don’t Stray

This is only a primer for the concealer that is going to be applied, but I was impressed with it. I think it can stand alone easy as it’s better at concealing than a lot of products specifically designed for that.

It really has amazing coverage and with a tiny drop, everything disappears. It needs a bit of blending as it is quite bright, but it doesn’t get any minus points for that.
I really liked what it does in terms of making dark circles go away!

Boi-ing

For an “industrial strength” concealer, I didn’t seem that powerful. I was surprised to see it cover less than the Stay Don’t Stray Primer. That one left no indication of something dark being underneath it, the Boi-ing on the other hand…kinda did.

I don’t think it was a bad choice of shade, as I had the brightest, so in theory it should have been comparable to the primer, if not even better.

BUT using the Boi-ing over the Stay Don’t Stray  primer will probably give you a beautiful result!

What I’ve been told great things about is the Erase Paste, also from Benefit. I have yet to try it,  but I have high hopes and if anything can replace my current concealer, I will praise it from here to the tips of the trees. So stay tuned, you might hear miracles being told about!

My problem with both of them is that they dry out on my face and give me wrinkles by creasing in a very weird manner. I mean, I know my face and I know I’m at least 10 years too young for wrinkles, especially under my eyes.

The dryness might have something to do with the fact that I never use foundation so I just applied it on my bare skin, but then my question is, was it just created to be put on a foundation or primer base? It’s a bit discriminatory towards people like me who chose not to or well…don’t really need the base. Not trying to sound patronizing, but I just need concealer as my skin is quite good in its natural state and I’d like to keep it free for as long as my genes allow me.

But that was my only complain, the texture just didn’t fit my skin or my routine. I think because I’m used to the texture and blending behavior of my Rimmel Concealer, I expect it from others too. I think I’ll just stick to that one though.

If I’d have to pick a favorite, it would be Stay Don’t Stray for sure. It really covered up nicely and it’s just a concealer base. I personally would use it alone as it does a great job in hiding things. Not to mention that you can use it on a number of areas, seen as it is indeed a primer. The concealer part is my personal opinion on how you can use it, because I was really impressed by its coverage.

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Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer and Highlighter

As I've mentioned in my post about my favorite products in July, I have had a very long and fruitful relationship with the Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer and Highlighter.

I first found it about 3 years ago and have been using it ever since. Nothing else has managed to convince me that it might be better.
The great thing about it is that it is not only a concealer,but also a highlighter and because it is from the Match Perfection series, it is made to adapt to your skin tone even more.
The highlighter part has saved my life on a number of occasions,as you can use it pretty much anywhere you feel the need for some extra "awake" effect.

Before it, I had used a mix of tinted moisturizer and cover stick,to adapt the color to my skin and make it look ok.
But I think you too know that the texture of a cover stick isn't the most natural looking,nor is it too light and comfortable to wear.

The Rimmel Concealer on the other hand kinda disappears and blends in almost unnoticed.For me,it's important that things like concealer,blush or mascara look and feel natural. I hate feeling like "there's something on my face!" or for my face to look like I've plastered colors on it.

I also like the application: it comes with a brush tip and in a squeeze tube,which makes it that much easier for you to dose the amount you put on your skin and to get all of it out of the tube.

BUT, like with any brush that deals with the area around your eyes,keep it clean and change it every couple of months because you really don't want bacteria to get there!
Same thing goes with mascaras.

I use 030, Classic Beige. My skin is now a bit tanned,but as far as I've seen,the Classic Beige works well on most skin colors.It still does its job well though, even with a tan.

Here you have the Before and After

On the left  I'm wearing my just woken up face and on the right I'm wearing the Rimmel Concealer.
The lighting is different because I moved to the right of the mirror a bit and stopped having the glare from the window light behind me.

And a TIP: When you apply,pat the concealer it in,don't smear it around. By patting it,you lose less product, it stays in place and you can control its application much better.