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Sunday, November 27, 2016

KIKO Milano Haul ♡

Kiko Milano Haul

I bought a bunch of Kiko Milano Makeup while I was in Milan last month and upon my first visit to the store, the brand has already given me such a great first impression! When I was there, almost everything in-store was on sale, apart from their newer collections, but it didn't bothered me because their prices are already so affordable even when they're not on sale; plus, the quality is unexpectedly amazing! The lipsticks are so creamy and smooth and the other stuff are all very pigmented.

Today I am sharing with you my Kiko Milano haul. I had previously read some product reviews on the brand from European bloggers and I have always wanted to try their makeup, but the brand is not available in New Zealand; so I was very excited and Kiko Milano was the only makeup brand that I bought while I was in Europe.

Kiko Milano Haul: Rebel Bouncy Blush #04 Passion Red Wine
Kiko Milano Haul: Rebel Bouncy Blush #04 Passion Red Wine

KIKO REBEL BOUNCY BLUSH |  4.90 is described as a lightweight powder blush with an extra soft consistency that applies evenly, blendable and it creates a satin matte finish. It is available in four shades and I picked up #04 Passion Red Wine, which looks like a dark rosy pink in the pan, but once blended on the cheek it turns into a sheer, natural flush.

Kiko Milano Haul: Design Flower Enriched Bronzer #02 Couture Sienna
Kiko Milano Haul: Design Flower Enriched Bronzer #02 Couture Sienna

KIKO DESIGN FLOWER ENRICHED BRONZER | € 16.90 was the most expensive item from this haul and I probably picked up the wrong shade as the bronzer looks a little too orange on me, but no regret, because this bronzer smells gorgeous, like roses! This is a bronzer that combines two different shades into one single product, it has a fine, creamy and velvety texture that blends extremely easy. This bronzer has a lightweight formula and it creates that natural satin finish. It is available in two shades and for some reason I picked up the darker shade #02 Couture Sienna.

Kiko Milano Haul: Velvet Loose Mineral Beauty Powder "Very Light"

KIKO VELVET LOOSE MINERAL BEAUTY POWDER | € 3.90 is described as a loose, illuminating mineral powder with silky formula that gives skin a touch of radiance, it is available in four shades and I have the colour Very Light, which looks more like a blush, than a illuminator.

Kiko Milano Haul: Long Lasting Lip Maker #107 Plum & #108 Hot Pink
Kiko Milano Haul: Everlasting Colour Precision Lip Liner #403 Hazelnut

KIKO LONG LASTING LIP MAKER |  6.90 is a water-based lip product that guarantees a natural tattoo effect and a pleasant weightless feeling on lips. It claims to offer maximum comfort during application, immediate adherence and an adaptable intensity colour release. The Long Lasting Lip Maker is available in eight colours and I have #107 Plum and #108 Hot Pink. Both colours are gorgeous when swatched on hand, but they didn't leave a great impression upon lips application. I find that the liquid colour dries too fast and application was very patchy and uneven.

KIKO EVERLASTING COLOUR PRECISION LIP LINER |  6.90 is an automatic lip pencil that has a light and creamy texture with a matte finish that claims to be very long-wearing. This lip pencil features a build-in sharpener and applicator and it is available in sixteen shades. I only picked up one of these because I am usually not a fan of automatic lip liners, I got #403 Hazelnut and I love that the lip pencil applies very smoothly and it is very pigmented.

Kiko Milano Haul: Pencil Lip Gloss #00 Multicolour Ice & #12 Wine Red

KIKO PENCIL LIP GLOSS | € 3.90 has an extremely comfortable texture with a full brilliant colour selection, there's a total of fourteen shades available and I have the colours in #00 Multicolour Ice and #12 Wine Red. These are called a lip gloss, but they are actually not much difference to a lip crayon.

Kiko Milano Haul: Smart Lipsticks #924, #917, #931, #916, #909 & #934

KIKO SMART LIPSTICK | € 3.90 is described as a rich and nourishing lipstick with full colour and total comfort. These lipsticks have an ultra-silky and smooth-gliding texture that made application easy and wears comfortably throughout the day. The Smart Lipstick is available in thirty-two shades in three different textures. Currently I have the following shades: #924 Almond, #917 Mauve Pink, #931 Plum, #916 Golden Beige, #909 Red and #934 Wine.

Kiko Milano Haul: Velvet Passion Matte Lipstick #318 Burgundy

KIKO VELVET PASSION MATTE LIPSTICK | € 10.90 is described as a creamy lipstick with an easily blended texture that gives the lips an intense matte look. It is available in twenty shades and I bought #318 Burgundy.

Kiko Milano Haul

have you tried KIKO Cosmetics?
What are your thoughts on their products?

Saturday, November 19, 2016

MECCA Beauty Gift Guides 2016 ♡ Haul + Swatches + First Impression ft. Too Faced, Urban Decay, Hourglass, Chosungah 22, NARS, Soap & Glory

NOVEMBER IS MY FAVORITE MONTH OF THE YEAR , I love November because we are that close to Christmas and the holidays, and also because it is the month that makeup companies starts bringing out to-die-for Limited Edition gift sets.

In the past years I have always shopped online from non New Zealand makeup companies for holiday gift sets, but this year I have chose to buy majority of the holiday sets from Mecca. I find that Mecca's prices has definitely gone down a lot and it is much more affordable now, plus I just found out that the Mecca in NZ now stocks cool brands like Too Faced and Urban Decay and that really excites me! ** FYI, Mecca is an Australian company, but they have a few stores in NZ **

I have recently placed two orders on Mecca and today I am sharing with you a few items that I bought from their gift guides section.

Too Faced Grande Hotel Cafe

TOO FACED Grande Hotel Cafe | NZD $78.00 
This makeup set includes three holiday coffee scented palettes that smells like peppermint mocha, gingerbread coffee and eggnog latte. There is a total of 18 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, 1 bronzer and 1 mascara. Each of the palettes are designed to be gifted individually and the set comes with a cute Grande Hotel Cafe house that is made of cardboard.

I also have last year's Le Grand Chateau Set and while I am no longer a fan of the eyeshadows included in that set, I have always been a huge fan of the packaging. I still have the dollhouse from last year's holiday set, it's been used as a room decoration and it makes me smile every time I look at it as it is so adorable.

Too Faced Grande Hotel Cafe: Gingerbread Cookie

TOO FACED GINGERBREAD COOKIE PALETTE includes 6 eyeshadows in Ginger Cream, Maple Syrup, Gingersnap, Winter Dream, Cup of Joe and Black Coffee; and 1 bronzer in Gingerbread.

The palette doesn't smell like gingerbread coffee, but it has an overpowering sweet candy scent. Compared to the other two palettes included, this one has the best quality even though some of the shades doesn't have a good pigmentation.

Ginger Cream was chalky upon arm swatches, but when applied on the eyes it was smooth and it blends nicely with hardly any fall outs. Maple Syrup has a lack of pigmentation and it didn't perform too well on the arm swatches too. Gingersnap and Winter Dream are the best shades and best qualities of all eyeshadows in this set, both are glittery, very pigmented, they applied smoothly both on arm swatch and eyes and they blends so smoothly with hardly any fall outs. Seriously impressed with Gingersnap and Winter Dream, because usually glittery shades tends to have loads of fall out and they rarely stays on the eyelid or there are usually no pigmentation when doing swatches. Cup of Joe is also another very pigmented shade, Black Coffee is the worst one in the palette as it has no pigmentation at all and Gingerbread the bronzer in the set also has no pigmentation.

Too Faced Grande Hotel Cafe: Peppermint Mocha

TOO FACED PEPPERMINT MOCHA PALETTE smells like peppermint and chocolate chip ice cream, it smells delicious! The palette includes 6 eyeshadows in Peppermint Cream, Christmas Blend, Peppermint Mocha, Candy Cane, Sprinkles and Coffee Chip; and 1 blush in Santa Baby.

Being a peppermint fan and a pink lover, I thought this would be my favourite palette; but it is disappointing to say that the qualities of the eyeshadows and the blush didn't meet my expectation at all.

Peppermint Cream is very pigmented and creamy, but it applies chalky, Christmas Blend is a shimmery champagne shade that is perfect if used as a highlighter, Peppermint Mocha has a creamy texture, but it has no pigmentation, Candy Cane is pasty and chalky, Sprinkles has a lack of pigmentation, Coffee Chip applies patchy and Santa Baby the blush has no pigmentation at all!

Too Faced Grande Hotel Cafe: Eggnog Latte

TOO FACED EGGNOG LATTE PALETTE also has an overpowering sweet candy scent and it includes 6 eyeshadows in Frosty Nog, Eggnog Latte, Iced Coffee, Shinny Latte, Cold Brew and Central Perk; and 1 blush in Peach Cobbler.

I thought the shades included in this palette is not so wearable on a daily basis, and that is just my personal preference. I like the green shade and the copper too and I thought that it fits the Christmas theme, but overall it's not for me.

The quality of these eyeshadows are also not great, most of them has no pigmentation and the ones that I have mentioned above that has no pigmentation were swatched many many times for the colours to show up in photos.

Frosty Nog is surprisingly not chalky at all, it blends beautifully and it has a sheer pigmentation, Eggnog Latte has a subtle shimmer that can be worn as a face highlighter as well, Iced Coffee has a creamy texture, it blends smoothly and it has a good pigmentation, Shinny Latte isn't too pigmented, Cold Brew is the best shade in this palette, it's a glittery shade and it performs as good as Gingersnap and Winter Dream in the Gingerbread Cookie palette, Central Perk is creamy in texture, but it lacks the pigmentation and Peach Cobbler the blush also doesn't have a good pigmentation.

Chosungah 22 Dong Gong Minn Brow Maker

CHOSUNGAH 22 Dong Gong Minn Brow Maker 
Black Brown | NZD $34.00
Dong Gong Minn Brow Maker is described as a waterproof, two-in-one brow perfector, it features a tinted brow gel and sponge applicator to create and fill in the perfect arch. Brows are claimed to be fuller, thicker and more defined after use.

Chosungah 22 Dong Gong Minn Brow Maker

I have always wanted to try the Chosungah 22 brow gel as I have been so curious about the application with the sponge applicator. Well, I have tried it today and I definitely struggled with the applicator. I used the sponge applicator to fill in the brows, firstly it applies uneven, then when I brush through the arch, it made the tail thicker which I ended up have to wipe off some. Then when I tried to brush through the brow gel with the spoolie, the sponge applicator always get in the way!

Soap & Glory Pink Twice Set

SOAP & GLORY Pink Twice Set | NZD $10.00
The Pink Twice Set includes 1 x 50ml Hand Food Hydrating Hand Cream and 1 x 50ml Heel Genius Foot Cream. These are Soap & Glory cult favorites and I can definitely see why.

Soap & Glory Heel Genius Foot Cream has been on my wishlist for awhile now, I had previously tried a few other foot creams and I felt that their formulas are either too thick or they take too long to absorb into the skin; and finally I get to try the Soap & Glory one and I love that a little goes a long way and the creams aren't too thick so they absorb into the skin pretty quickly. There's just one thing that I am not too excited about and that is the scent, hard to describe, but it smells so weird.


URBAN DECAY All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray
Mini-Sized | NZD $25.00
Have only T-Zone? No problem! This setting spray will keep your makeup on all day! I love this so much and have re-purchased this many many times! I have oily skin, not just an only T-Zone, and I also wear glasses on a daily basis, so my foundation tends to slip and disappear throughout the day, especially around the nose area; but when I use this setting spray after makeup application, it literally helps lock my makeup in place all day! This time I bought a mini sized so I could carry with me in my handbag, but I really didn't expect it to be so slim and small lol!

 Too Faced Merry Kissmas The Ultimate Liquified Lipstick Set
Too Faced Merry Kissmas The Ultimate Liquified Lipstick Set

TOO FACED Merry Kissmas
The Ultimate Liquified Lipstick Set | NZD 39.00
This cute little Too Faced Lipstick Set includes four deluxe-sized best sellingMelted Liquidfied Lipsticks in Chocolate Honey (Melted Chocolate), Lady Balls (Melted Matte), Fig and Chihuahua (both Melted Original).

First of all, I am glad that Too Faced didn't include a Melted Peony in their holiday set this year! It's not that I dislike the shade or anything, I actually love Melted Peony and it's one of my favourite lip products, but because it's one of the best selling shades of the Melted Liquid Lipsticks range, Too Faced always made it part of any holiday sets that they have created... Until now you could have imagine how many deluxe-sized Melted Peony I have?! Too many to count!

I already have Melted Fig and Melted Chihuahua and I love both, the colours are gorgeous and the formula is one of the best in lips makeup! I have always wanted to try Chocolate Honey, or any shades from the Melted Chocolate range as they all have that delicious chocolate scent, also I was really looking forward to trying the Melted Matte range as it is claimed to be one of the best liquid lipsticks on the market.

 Too Faced Merry Kissmas The Ultimate Liquified Lipstick Set: Chocolate Honey
Too Faced Merry Kissmas The Ultimate Liquified Lipstick Set / NARS Velvet Lip Glide: Playpen
NARS Velvet Lip Glide: Playpen

NARS Velvet Lip Glide | Playpen | NZD $41.00
NARS Velvet Lip Glide is described as a highly saturated lip colour that glides on like a gloss with a semi-matte finish that is long lasting, non drying and wears comfortably throughout the day or night. I have heard nothing but great reviews on this product, it was so tempting as all the reviews I have read online screams "BUY ME!", so I did, I bought Playpen, it's a pink coral that is absolutely gorgeous for everyday wear. I have added this into my "safe" list, like when there is an important meeting to attend, this is one of those product that I can grab and go and not mess up.

Hourglass Mini Ambient Lighting Bronzer: Luminous Bronze Light

HOURGLASS Mini Ambient Lighting Bronzer 
Luminous Bronze Light | NZD $37.00
Hourglass Luminous Bronze Light Bronzer is described as a medium tan shade fused with Luminous Light and it is suitable for fair to light complexion. This bronzer features bronze pigments that claims to deliver a natural-looking, sun kissed glow while flaunting depth and dimension.

I have tried this bronzer when it first released on the market and at the time I bought a shade too dark and it looked so shimmery and orangey on me, which lead to leaving me with a not so good impression on this product. This time I bought the mini-sized because it's so cute, and also I want to give it another try, maybe this time I will like it.

Too Faced Sweethearts Baked Luminous Glow Bronzer

TOO FACED Sweethearts Baked 
Luminous Glow Bronzer | NZD $47.00
This is a baked heart-shaped buildable bronzer that claims to deliver a brighter, luminous glow and a healthy look. I won't lie, I bought this purely for its' packaging! I love the heart-shaped and I love that the bronzer is divided into one darker shade and one lighter shade. The bronzer shades can be used individually or swirl together for a natural glow.

NARS Blush: Taos

NARS Blush | TAOS | NZD $47.00
NARS Blush, do I even need to explain further?! This is one of the best makeup products on the market, I have a few Limited Edition NARS blush palettes and I love every single one of them! NARS blush is well-known for their excellent quality and beautiful range of colour.

I spot the shade TAOS when I was in Spain, I walked past the NARS counter and TAOS instantly caught my eyes! The shade is described as a desert rose with shimmer, it has full pigmentation and a little goes a long way.

I am a heavy handed person when it comes to blushes, I prefer a blush that has a sheer formula, that I can build up to my desire pigmentation and usually I wouldn't bother buying a blush with full pigmentation like TAOS because I know I would always turn myself into a clown. I bought TAOS anyway because the name reminds me of one of my favourite singer!

Too Faced Luminous Glow Bronzer / Hourglass Luminous Bronze Light / NARS Taos Blush
Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner: Midnight Blue

STILA Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner 
Midnight Blue | NZD $34.00
Last but not least, this Stila eye liner was a gift for spending over a certain amount. The Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner is described as a highly-pigmented eye liner that provides bold colour and intense staying power. It has a soft and creamy texture that glides on smoothly and it doesn't require sharpening as it is an auto wind up type pencil.

Wearing: Too Faced Ginger Cream, Maple Syrup & Winter Dream eyeshadows from the Gingerbread Cookie Palette, Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Midnight Blue, Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara in Black; and Chosungah22 Dong Gong Ming Brow Maker in Black Brown
Stila Smudge Liner: Midnight Blue / Chosungah 22 Brow Gel: Black Brown / Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara: Black


have you tried any of the products mentioned in this haul?
which makeup brand do you think that makes the best holiday sets?


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Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Jeffree Star Beautylish Summer Delight Lip Box ♡ First Impression + Swatches

Ever since I returned from my Europe trip two weeks ago, I have been feeling not as motivated as I should be towards my blog; I am going through that "I'm so busy with life and I can't be bothered" phase again and I don't want to just give up as I have put my all into this blog. 

I have to constantly remind myself why I started this blog and I am trying to bring back motivation. 

Today I will be sharing with you the swatches and first impression of the Jeffree Star Beautylish Summer Delight Lip Box

Jeffree Star Beautylish Summer Delight Lip Box

Before I share my first impression with you, I just want to say that I am aware of the Jeffree Star drama and I think everyone has a past and people can change.

As always, I review beauty products based on the quality and performance of the item and I won't be judging the products based on the creators or their personal life.

I have tried a few of the Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipsticks in the past, including the Limited Edition Dirty Money grey-toned green liquid lipstick that I have reviewed here. My feelings toward these liquid lipstick is confusing, sometimes I absolutely adore them and sometimes it's so meh ~ I think it all depends on the colors, most of them are very long wearing and conformable during wear, and some of them are just so drying that the products starts peeling off during wear.

Jeffree Star Beautylish Summer Delight Lip Box
Jeffree Star Beautylish Summer Delight Lip Box

The Jeffree Star Beautylish Summer Delight Lip Box includes three of the newest liquid lipsticks from the Summer 2016 Collection, these are Limited Edition products and they are packaged in a neon yellow and pink packaging.

I bought the Summer Delight Lip Box mainly for the packaging, as I love the designed on the box; and also I had my eyes on the shade Watermelon Soda, but I wasn't able to buy it on its' own as it is a popular shade and it was sold out before I could reach for it.

Jeffree Star Beautylish Summer Delight Lip Box

The Summer Delight Lip Box includes Velour Liquid Lipstick shades in Watermelon Soda, Nude Beach and Virginity and these liquid lipsticks claims to goes on opaque, dries completely matte and stay on for hours. I agree to all except that they forgot to mention both Nude Beach and Virginity will only suit those with very pale skin tones.

Jeffree Star Beautylish Summer Delight Lip Box
Jeffree Star Beautylish Summer Delight Lip Box

JEFFREE STAR WATERMELON SODA is a neon pink red that looked absolutely gorgeous in online promotion photos and hand swatches, but it didn't look as good on me, (non of the colors from this set looked good on me, hence no lip swatches). The color has an opaque finish, but it was also streaky upon application. Apart from the bad applications and looking weird on me, I actually really liked Watermelon Soda as it was lightweight during wear, transfer-proof and it does not feathered.

Jeffree Star Beautylish Summer Delight Lip Box
Jeffree Star Beautylish Summer Delight Lip Box

JEFFREE STAR NUDE BEACH is described as a unique nude that claims to look really cool on different skin tones; sorry Jeffree, I disagree to your claim as it looked horrible on me! Nude Beach was the hardest to apply out of all three shades, it was very streaky and it takes three to four layers to cover the whole lips, once I am done applying the product, it then felt very heavy and when it dries down it starts to crack. The color was also the worst out of the three, it looked like a pale, dirty yellow when completely dried matte.

Jeffree Star Beautylish Summer Delight Lip Box
Jeffree Star Beautylish Summer Delight Lip Box

JEFFREE STAR VIRGINITY is a pasty lavender that made me looked very pale and looked as if I was unhealthy. I can just imagine how beautiful it would look on people with a lighter skin tone. Virginity isn't as opaque as the darker shades and it takes more than two layers of application to cover the whole lips. I find that it was drying and not so lightweight during wear, not sure on its' longevity as the longest I have worn it was half an hour.

Jeffree Star Beautylish Summer Delight Lip Box

JEFFREE STAR SUMMER DELIGHT LIP BOX has given me a not-so-great first impression, but I can't really complaint as I did expect it to be not-so-great prior to placing my order. I knew that the colors included would be either too neon or too light for me, but I still wanted to buy this because of the packaging of the box and also the watermelon scent of this product.

The watermelon scent was especially made for the Summer 2016 Collection, but it was a disappointment too as it smells like chemical.

Forget the negatives, there are some positive thoughts on the Summer Delight lip Box too. The colors swatched beautifully on hand and Watermelon Soda is the best shade out of the three. As mentioned, I love the design of the box and I adore the neon yellow packaging with the pink stars.


what are your thoughts on the
Jeffree Star Summer 2016 Collection?

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Kylie Lip Kit Mary Jo K ♡ Review + Swatches

Kylie Lip Kit Mary Jo K
Kylie Lip Kit Mary Jo K
Kylie Lip Kit Mary Jo K

Kylie Cosmetics' liquid lipstick is by far my favourite liquid matte lipstick formula, I love that they are long wearing and moisturizing during wear and it has a delicious vanilla cupcake scent that I cannot resist.

I have already reviewed a few Kylie Lip Kits and I love them all, except Kourt K which I find the formula is very patchy. I remember someone on YouTube has mentioned that darker lip colours are harder to work with, therefore, darker liquid lipstick's formula tends to be patchy and applies uneven.

Anyway, today I am sharing with you my review and swatches of the Kylie Lip Kit in Mary Jo K. I rarely wear red lipsticks and I bought Mary Jo K because I wanted to collect every single shades that is available in the Kylie Lip Kits collection. I absolutely adore this colour, it is definitely out of my comfort zone and it's probably a lip colour that I would only wear once a month, but I love it and I am excited to share with you my thoughts.

Kylie Lip Kit Mary Jo K
Kylie Lip Kit Mary Jo K

 KYLIE LIP KIT contains one matte liquid lipstick and a matching lip liner. The liquid matte lipstick claims to be extremely long wearing and it has a high intensive pigmentation that includes moisturizing ingredients to ensure a comfortable and a silky feel during wear; and the pencil lip liner has a creamy texture that glides on the lips easily with a comfortable application.

As mentioned, I am a huge fan of the liquid matte lipstick formula, but I am no way a fan of their pencil lip liners. I must say that they are what they claimed to be, extremely creamy and it glides on the lips with an easy application; but that is the problem (for me), when a lip pencil is too creamy, it doesn't apply with a clean, sharp line around the lips, instead it smears and make the whole application messy if not careful.

Kylie Lip Kit Mary Jo K
Kylie Lip Kit Mary Jo K
Kylie Lip Kit Mary Jo K
Kylie Lip Kit Mary Jo K

 MARY JO K is described as a true blue red, the colour is so flattering that it makes me feel like a million bucks every time I wear this lip kit!

 THE TEXTURE & THE FORMULA is amazing for this one, unlike Kourt K, Mary Jo K is very pigmented and it glides on smoothly and evenly. I love that it does not feel drying at all during wear and on days that I had a careful lunch (meaning: no oily or messy food), it seemed to stay on the lips much longer.

#StoryTime: I once wore Mary Jo K and had quite an oily dinner, and I remember that I ate carefully that night, no pig-out like I usually do and I thought that it has probably just smeared around the edges, but when I checked in the mirror after dinner, I was shocked to see that Mary Jo K had smeared all-over, even on my chin, and it literally looked like I had just make-out with someone, while wearing a red lipstick.

Kylie Lip Kit Mary Jo K
Kylie Lip Kit Mary Jo K

 THINGS I LOVE: sweet vanilla cupcake scent, very pigmented and long wearing, feels lightweight and moisturizing during wear, the formula dries matte within seconds of application, no need to re-apply during the day unless if had lunch, absolutely gorgeous true red shade that suits every skin tone, smooth and velvety texture that glides on evenly and smoothly.

 THINGS I DISLIKE: do not have oily or messy meal while wearing Mary Jo K, incase it needs re-application, the texture tends to thicken a little and the weight isn't so weightless anymore, although it doesn't flakes and cracks upon second application.