Kiko Makeup Milano Eyeshadow in 139 Pearly Salmon

The Kiko Eyeshadow in 139 Pearly Salmon is pretty much what it says on the tin. The peachy pink eyeshadow is jammed packed with shimmer and fine glitters. You get 0.1oz of product in a decent size compact. The lid is frosted clear plastic, allowing you to see the colour through the top but I would prefer the top to be flat to allow for stacking in my storage solution. If you don't have a stupid amount of eyeshadow singles, then the packaging would probably be perfect for you.

It claims to hold for 12 hours and be heavily pigmented. While I agree with the pigmented statements made by the company, I found that these lasted about 6 hours before creasing on me. I have "normal" lids, so shadows normally last pretty well on me, so if you have oily lids or find shadows crease easily on you, I would suggest using a primer to get these to stick. 

My only issue with this shadow sits with the shimmer in the shadow. Because the shimmer is more like glitter, there is some fall out and it can be quite chunky when you use it. I found that some of the other Kiko shadows I tried in store were smooth but this one, while it is gorgeous, is a bit more chunky and prone to falling out all over your cheeks. Tapping off the excess and using a sticky base helps, but I would suggest doing foundation/concealer after your eyeshadow look with this product. 
 
It is also now on sale for just £2.90 instead of the RRP of £4.90 online here  and they also have a ton of other colours in their sale. If you want to try these in store they now have a store on Regent Street and in Westfield Staford.

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Look Beauty Loud Lips Lip Liner in Toffee Cup

 Toffee Cup is just 1 of 8 shades offered by Look Beauty. It matches up with their Loud Lipstick in the same shade, helping to create a long lasting lip look. Toffee Cup is the nude offering of the bunch alongside brighter shades of red, pink and coral. 



It falls on the peachy side of nude, meaning it gives a nude look to the lips without making you look dead or ill. It works well with my complexion (pink toned and very pale) and I can also see it looking great on someone with a tan. 



 The product goes onto the lips really well. It doesn't drag to much but there are creamy liners out there. I actually prefer this over the creamy options because it means it stays put longer and stays in the place you want it to. I gives the lipstick something the cling to and keeps the lipstick on your lips. It does need a balm underneath if you have drier lips, but I find that with any lip liner. 

The liner itself is pink with the colour shown on the end of the pencil. It's not quite true to the actual colour of the product but it gives you some idea. It is a simple sharpen pencil which is fine but I sharpeners come to my flat to  die so I never have one on hand to sharpen this bad boy. There is a reason I tend to go for automatic pencils. 


Toffee Cup Lip Liner is half price on Look Beauty at the moment, costing only £2 instead of the RRP of £4. I'm not sure if that offer applies in store, or whether Look Beauty is a brand still available in Superdrug stores anymore. 

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Crown Brush Review: Eyeshadow, Face and Brows

 

Quite a while a go I made an order from Crown Brush. I've been on the look out for affordable makeup brushes (that aren't Real Techniques) for quite some time, and thought Crown Brush was a good place to start. I'd heard great things about the company and for the price they offer their brushes for I thought it would be worth a try. I picked up 9 brushes in total, most of which for the eyes. I don't think I paid over £5 for any one brush and some were as cheaper as £1. 

The first brush I added to my cart is called the C152 Medium Chisel Fluff. From the website it looked like a basic flat shadow brush. I thought that because it was described as fluff I could use it to place shadow down and to blend if I needed to. Sadly, this brush was a big fail for me. It didn't realize quite how small it was until I opened my mail. It is about the size of those little IKEA or Argos pencils and the bristles aren't all that soft. It was cheap so no major loss are here but still I expected a little more. You can pick it up here for £2.49.

The CLC500 Angle Blender is my "meh" brush of the haul. I love the idea of this, I love how it looks but it sheds on me. The handle is a nice size and the silver hardware is great! The shape of the brush is great for creating a nice outer "c" on the eye but the shedding stops me using it. After washing it is a little better so I think after a few more washes it will be a bit more usable. Unfortunately this is no longer available on the  Crown Brush website.

The CLS160 1/4 Angle Liner is a great brow brush. I brought this in hopes that I could use it with my beloved Maybelline Gel Liner but because of the size it's a bit to hard to get a nice precise line on the upper lash line. The synthetic bristles means it is great for both cream and powder products, meaning I found this great for the ELF eyebrow kit. It use the brush for both the wax and the powder to create a defined, yet natural brow look. Unfortunately this is no longer available on the  Crown Brush website.

The C441 Pro Blending Crease Brush is a basic blending brush that everyone needs in their collection. The tapered bristles allow you to blend colours our over the eyes, and also allows you to use the brush to place some colour down in the crease area or to highlight the brow in a subtle manner. It's often compared to the MAC 217, which I cannot afford. At only £3.99 it's a great way to get your hands on this kind of brush. You can pick it up here.

The BK38 Deluxe Crease Brush is very similar to my ELF Essentials Blending Brush. It's a tightly packed brush with shorter than average bristles for a crease/blending brush. It is great for placing colour in the crease and on the outer corner and it does offer a little bit of blending functionality at the same time. It is also a complete bargain at only £3.69. You can pick it up here.

The C100 Mini Tapered Blush Brush is a small tapered brush perfect for traveling. The small size is great for precise blush application but I prefer to use this for highlighting the cheeks and nose. It is sable and goat hair, soft and washes up well. You can pick it up here for £4.89. 

 

The SS025 Syntho Brow Duo Brush is a dual ended brush intended for creating beautiful brows. The mascara wand end of the brush is perfect for brushing through the brows and taming them. A little spritz hairspray on it makes it great for taming, and alone it works great for brushing though the brows after the you have put down colour to ensure it looks natural. The angled brush end is great for placing down cream or powder products. The short bristles make it perfect for getting precise lines for the brows. You can pick it up here for £3.99

The CLC501 Round Crease Brush is very similar to the Urban Decay Karma crease brush. The thin brush is great for blending and placing colour in the crease. the Synthetic bristles mean this is what I grab when I want to blend out cream products. It is nice quality for the price and really does help give shadows a nice blended edge.  Unfortunately this is no longer available on the  Crown Brush website.

The CLC502 Short Handled Blending Crease Brush is a great brush for traveling. It's small in length (but not to small) yet still performs well. The bristle are long, mostly soft and it doesn't shed. The only issue I have with this is that the glue, holding the bristles together goes further up the bristles than it is meant to meaning at the base of the brush (where it meets the silver bit) is hard and harsh on the skin. Used lightly you can avoid that part touching the skin.  Unfortunately this is no longer available on the  Crown Brush website.

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Real Techniques Stippling Brush

 

 

The Stippling Brush is one of the single brush offerings from Real Techniques (brush range from Pixiwoo sister Samantha Chapman). I won this in a giveaway on THIS blog, and I love it. I am so glad to have a second one in my collection because I use this for quite a few things. 



The first use I found for this brush is to buff in foundation. The shorter bristles and shape make it perfect for getting a really nice even finishes when buffing in the foundation. I would imagine that it would work for mineral foundation but I've only tried it with liquid or cream foundation. It works really well, and I have one kept aside for just foundation. 

Cream blush and highlighter are how I use my other Real Techniques Stippling brush. The duo fiber nature of the brush means it picks up just the right amount of product, places it on the skin and blends it beautifully. I particularly like it for the NYX Rouge Cream Blushes and the Topshop cream blushes.



Overall, I really love this blush and am glad to have two. The multiple uses and cheap price make it a great investment. They are cruelty free which gives them another point in their favor and you can see them in use on the Real Techniques youtube page. 

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*giveaway prize

The Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom Shower Gel

I recently? (maybe 6 months ago) signed up for my second body shop loyalty card. For just a fiver, you can get 10% off for the year, get some nice birthday perks (I think it's a fiver off something) and you get a gift every 5th time you spend over £10 in store.

I think it's worth it if you like the stuff in the body shop, and being a body butter addict I knew I just had to have one. When I signed up, I got a free shower gel (sadly not as good as the gifts the week before and the week after). The shower gel itself is £6 so in fact I got the card for free and saved a £1 on a shower gel.  Out of the selection of scents (flavors?)  I picked up Japanese Cherry Blossom and fell in love a little. 

I can't compare it to one of my all time favourite body shop scent, lychee blossom if your interested but it is a close runner up. Lychee Blossom is sadly no longer available so this has taken its spot. 

I can't tell you if it smells exactly like Japanese Cherry Blossoms nor will I even attempt to try and describe the scent. I will just say go it and give it a whiff. It's really nice and unique. It lathers up really well in the shower and the scent does linger for a little while after.  If you really like the scent, they offer a whole range with the scent so you can layer it up for all day perfume on your skin.

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2013 Blog Highlights

2013 was a great year for my blog. It has grown beyond my wildest expectations and given me opportunities that I never thought I would have.  I reached 480 GFC followers and over 500 bloglovin followers. I have a giveaway planned for the new year and for the milestones I've hit over the last few months.  I also have had over 100,000 page views. 



 I have also started a blog dedicated to books. They are another passion of mine. It's just starting up now, but I hope in 2014 I can grow that blog just like this one.  



The two meet ups I've been to were great and it was brilliant to met fellow bloggers. The #LDNBBMeet, arranged by Tattooed Tea Lady aka Sophia, was the first meet up I attended and it really helped me start to get over my social anxiety. 

 

The second was arranged by Meet The Millards aka Emma and A Bit of This and That aka Clare. The secret santa meet up idea was brilliant, I meet some great bloggers and got some great gifts that are in use at the moment.

These are just a few highlights of this year and I hope 2014 brings things just as 2013 did. 

 

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