Kiko Intensive Lip Mask

Kiko Intensive Lip Mask!

A few weeks ago when I was in Reading meeting up with the lovely Lisa from United Cakedom, we decided to pop into Kiko and see what they had around. At the time they had a bit of a clearance sale happening and they were offering 5 items (from the clearance section) for £10. That was an opportunity that I simply couldn't pass up.

Kiko January Sales Haul

So it feels like it's been an age since I purchased these products and they have been sitting in their lovely bright red Kiko bag, waiting to have their pictures taken so they could feature on the blog. So I finally got my bum in gear, and managed to snap everything that I bought from Kiko around the time of the January sales. Not all of these products were on sale, some of them just caught my attention and had to be bought. I also had a £30 voucher for the Oracle in Reading, so I knew that I just had to spend it all in Kiko. So let's take a closer look at what I ended up getting.

Cosmic Starlets Double Glam Liner: 117

 My first purchase was this double ended eyeliner which I had been looking at ever since the Oracle Blogger Event that I went to in November. This particular one caught my eye because it has the perfect dark colour for doing your waterline/lash line, but then it also has this really pretty shimmery shade which is amazing for doing your inner corner highlight, or even a brow bone highlight. The formula of these eyeliners is really creamy, meaning you don't have to press too hard to get a good colour pay off, which is always a bonus with products you use around the eyes, because of the area's sensitive nature. This eyeliner came from the Cosmic Starlets collection, which was Kiko's Christmas 2015 collection, and was reduced down to only £4.80, which is a bargain for two eyeliners.

 Mat Base Corrector Primer, Full Coverage Concealer in 01

The next two items I purchased are all year round products, and were things that I was in desperate need of at the time of purchase. The first item is the Mat Base Corrector Primer, which I picked up because of how oily my skin is recently. Currently whenever I wear make up it just seems to slide off of my face, particularly around my T-zone, and then I get very shiny. So I thought a matte primer would be the perfect solution. This particular one is very thick and tacky, making it perfect for my foundation to grip onto, and it was only £8.90. The second item on my 'basics' list was a new concealer, particularly for my under-eye area. As I have such big eyes, I tend to get massive dark circles underneath them, and I really struggle to cover them up. I have tried many a concealer, including Benefit's Boi-ing Concealer and none seem to do the trick. With that in mind I thought I would see what Kiko had to offer and I came across their Full Coverage Concealer. After a quick swatch on the back of my hand it certainly seemed to give a good coverage, so I popped one in my basket to give a go, at £7.50 I thought it was probably worth a try.

 Rebel Romantic Metallic Shine Eyeshadows in 01, 02, and 04

The next items that caught my eye were these Rebel Romantic Metallic Shine Eyeshadows. I am a big sucker for anything shiny, and these eyeshadows are certainly that. When I dipped my finger in the tester pots I was surprised at how velvety they felt, unlike any other kind of eyeshadow I had ever tried. Then I knew I had to have one, and when I say one, I mean one of all the colours that caught my eye, and I settled on 01, 02 and 04. 01 is a lovely silvery and yet creamy shade which is another perfect brow bone highlight, or even for just a small shimmer on the centre of the eyelid. 02 is a lovely pink champagne kind of colour, which I thought went beautifully with 01, and could easily be put in the same eye look. Then finally I settled on 04, which is a deep navy blue which almost appears black. Blue being my favourite colour I knew that I couldn't leave this one behind, and these little gems were reduced to £3.40 each.

Campus Idol Double Match Lipstick & Liners in Cool Rose and Strawberry Pop, Campus Idol Double Dare Eyeshadow & Liner in Copper and Chocolate

Finally whilst in the store I managed to stumble across Kiko's latest cosmetic collection, Campus Idol. The packaging is very bright, and mainly in primary colours, and each box has their own Kiko crest on them which makes them seem even more preppy. It was the Double Match Lipsticks that initially caught my eye, because not only do you get the lipstick, but you also get a matching lip liner in the other end, making these the perfect lip product to slip in your handbag on a night out. I was immediately drawn to the Cool Rose colour, as this seems like it would make a great nude colour for someone as pale as myself. Then my eye was drawn to Strawberry pop, which is a beautiful bright pink colour, with a hint of red in it. I was trying to chose between the two considering everything else that I had already picked up, but in the end I just couldn't decide, so I picked up both for £7.90 each. Finally I came across the Double Dare Eyeshadow and Eyeliner sticks, and after swatching a few I fell head over heels for the Copper eyeshadow, which comes with a chocolate coloured eyeliner, which I honestly don't normally wear, but for that copper eyeshadow I knew I would give it a go, and at £7.90 I knew I couldn't leave the copper behind.

So there is everything that I bought in the January sales, did you manage to get to Kiko in time for the sales? Let me know in the comments what your favourite item of my haul is?

Kiko Dazzling Highlighter

A few months back I went to an event at The Oracle in Reading and one of the stores we got to visit for the event was Kiko. If you want to read more of what we got up to then please read that post here. At the time of the event I didn't have a lot of money, but there were so many products that I wanted to buy, and I knew I couldn't leave empty handed to I chose one product to take away with me.

That product was the Dazzling Highlighter in Bright Rose from the Cosmic Starlets collection, which I believe was their 2015 Christmas collection. At the time I purchased the highlighter it cost me £6.90, which I personally don't think is that much for such a pretty product. Although these highlighters were put into the January sale, on the website they are not currently available but you still may be able to get your paws on one of these if you pop into your local Kiko store, no guarantee's though as they seem to have been really popular.

I must report that my highlighter is actually broken... I kept it to where on Christmas day, and I opened it on Christmas morning and the product literally fell out of the stick, which I was not best pleased about. I did try and take this back to exchange when I went to Kiko in January, but they had already sold out by that time. So instead of getting a refund I decided I liked the product enough to forgive them and keep it, it was only £6.90. The above swatch really doesn't do the colour justice, it's a lovely pale pink colour, and is so shimmery. The formula itself is really creamy and you don't have to press to hard to make the product glide onto your face. It also blends really nicely, which I would love to have gotten a picture of, but I was worried my camera wouldn't pick it up, seeing as it had problems with the swatch!

I really wish I had written about this product at the time I bought it, to give you all a chance to go and buy it, because it really is beautiful, and is definitely my favourite highlighter that I own.

Let me know in the comments what your favourite highlighter is, I'd love some more recommendations to try!

The Oracle Christmas Event

A few weeks ago an email landed in my inbox that made me very excited. I was invited to a special Christmas event at the Oracle in Reading exclusively for bloggers. As soon as I saw what was in store for us, I knew that I had to go, so on a very rainy Tuesday I trekked into Reading to meet up with some fellow bloggers.

First stop for us was Browns Bar and Brasserie, which I had honestly never heard of before this event. Nestled on the Riverside in the Oracle this bar is very stylish, I walked in an immediately felt like I was in a Bar in New York. The other girls arrived, including our guide for the evening, Hayley. Bubbly was provided, which I unfortunately no longer drink, so I myself had an orange juice. Shortly after everyone arrive some canapés were provided, which were amazing! We had chicken and bacon croquettes, crackers and cheese, and my absolute favourite of the evening, home made pork scratchings that were very crunchy and unbelievably moreish. After getting to know each other a little bit and demolishing the nibbles we moved onto the next stop... Topshop.

When we arrived at Topshop we were shown their Christmas Party wear at the front of the store on the mannequins, and talked through the major trends for the season. Then we were shown into an exclusive area in the changing rooms and shown some pieces that they had pulled for us to have a look at. There was a great range of styles for us to look at, from interesting furs, to metallic knitwear, and even beautiful jewel tones. The lovely staff member from Topshop told us that one of the biggest trends this season is a mix and match of embellishments, such as buckles and sequins. I personally don't normally buy from Topshop, because I am always worried that they won't have anything that will fit me. However I did absolutely fall in love with one of their textiles which was a metallic gold knit, that honestly felt like it was a fine chain-mail... that's the only way I can think of to describe it. I just wish Topshop had clothing in my size because I would buy something made of that in a heartbeat. Once we were done in the fitting rooms we got too have a wander around the store and I did find a few more pieces that I was dying to add to my wardrobe, but again was disappointed to find that my size was not catered for. 

The final stop was at Kiko, a makeup brand that I know very little about, but after my experience with the girls in store, desperately want to get to know more. I had actually made a visit to the Kiko store before, back in February when I was looking for makeup for my finals with DFMA, and I purchased some eye-shadows but didn't venture too much further into the store. However when we walked in we were greeted by the sight of their beautiful Christmas range that the girls talked us through. I was honestly so impressed and I don't think I have ever seen such a large Christmas range from one brand. They had everything from fragrances, to lipsticks and nail polishes. All in lovely gift sets, just the right size to give to someone special for the holiday season. My personal favourite from the collection was the lipstick and lip-liner set priced at £10.90, perfect for someone who loves lipstick, or even someone who wants to start wearing more lipstick. Once the lovely staff had finished showing us the range they asked if any of us wanted to see any of the products more close up and in depth, and some of the girls leaped at the chance and got to have their makeup done. I couldn't resist getting some snaps of this, and I also couldn't resist swatching lipsticks on the back of my hand! I didn't end up buying a lipstick though and instead bought a lovely pink highlighter stick from the Christmas range for £6.90, as soon as I swatched it, I fell in love and just had to have it. Having had a proper look in Kiko now I know that as soon as I get some Christmas money I am on my way into reading to have a bit of a splurge!

All in all it was so lovely to meet some old and new faces and spend an evening in one of my favourite towns. Thanks to Frank PR for inviting me along, and Browns, Topshop and Kiko for deciding to host us. I already can't wait for my next trip into Reading.