Kiko Water Eyeshadow Review

Kiko Water Eyeshadow (Shade 209)

Finally trying out a brand that you've been eyeing up for a while is always great - more so if you end up loving the product that you pick out. Which is exactly what has happened here (hurrah!) so I thought I'd share with you my thoughts on this gorgeous green eyeshadow from Kiko.

Kiko's Water Eyeshadows (usually £8.90, currently on offer at £4.40) can be used wet or dry and are available in 32 shades. I went for 209 Olive Green, a gorgeous green shade which I absolutely love.  I found from testing it that the colour easily transferred to my brush and to my eyelids, plus it stayed on very well throughout the day. The product is unusually shaped in the pan, it looks a bit like a fingerprint but is absolutely gorgeous.  I discovered from swatching that it is slightly more intense in colour when used wet:

(swatches taken in natural light)

The eyeshadow gives a more even colour when wet and fades much more slowly than when dry. It could be used to give a more subtle effect when used dry if that's what you prefer. Kiko themselves say that it has "a highly adjustable finish, for an effect ranging from sheer to full and intense" which I would agree with - you could easily apply it slightly differently in order to alter your eye make up look.

Although I mostly wanted to talk about the formula as shade colour is more of a personal choice I will say that this is a very pretty shade that gives a pop of colour whilst still being fairly neutral (I find this a lot with green - my theory is that the Naked 4 will be made up of mostly green/mossy shades). If you're looking to buy one of these shadows I would highly recommend this shade, but I did also like 203 Burgundy, 205 Chocolate and 229 Pearly Gray.

I am very pleased with this purchase and am looking forward to trying the other product I got (a shadow stick - also green - which I might do a review of once I try it) so am very excited to try more of Kiko's range in the future!

Thanks for reading,
Eleanor xx

bloglovin'//instagram//twitter

Brown VS Pink: Battle of the Neutrals

I'm definitely a neutral eyeshadow girl, unless I'm going for something dramatic my eyes don't tend to stray far outside of my typical comfort zone. I own countless neutral palettes yet having recently tried a vaguely pink eyeshadow from Urban Decay's Naked on the Run set and having also tried the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pink Gold I can't help but think I've been missing out on a whole world of neutral that I'd never even considered.

Maybelline Color Tattoo (Pink Gold)

Brown, bronze and beige eyeshadows are extremely popular and almost always look good - it's very hard to go wrong with these colours. But pink, in my opinion, actually looks even more subtle than brown whilst still looking special. It can look tacky, no doubt about it. It can also be completely gorgeous.

Obviously shade choice is key - anything too pink can be a bit much - but most of the pink shadows I've seen are amazing beyond belief. The Naked 3 palette (not something I own, sadly) contains some great shades, even if it isn't the most popular of the Nakeds.

So I think I'm going to be trying out various pink eyeshadows for a while. Might even purchase the Naked 3. Who knows?

What do you think about pink eyeshadow? Any shade recommendations? Let me know!
Thanks for reading,
Eleanor xx

bloglovin'//instagram//twitter

PS: I have a £20 MAC voucher to spend - any suggestions?

Make Up Revolution Redemption Palettes

L-R: Make Up Revolution Redemption Iconic 1 Palette, Redemption Acid Brights Palette

Make Up Revolution is a brand that a lot of bloggers have been talking about and something I was keen to try as soon as I saw the prices. They sell 12 palettes for £4 (£4!) and lipsticks for only £1! While I am yet to try the lipsticks I hear that they are actually very good so I'll be sure to try them when I can - Make Up Revolution isn't stocked in the Superdrug near me, unfortunately.

So when in another Superdrug I decided to pick up 2 eyeshadow palettes from the 'Redemption' range, Iconic 1 and Acid Brights. They're really quite the opposite of each other - neutrals and the most insanely bright colours ever.

Some of the colours in Acid Brights are literal highlighter colours. Have you ever seen highlighter yellow eyeshadow? I hadn't. Not sure quite how much use I'll get from the palette but it does look super pretty and there are a few wearable shades - a silver shimmery shade could be quite useful and moss green isn't impossible to work with. Also these colours would be pretty good for fancy dress parties or even stage make up.

In contrast, it has been said that Iconic 1 is a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked palette. While I am yet to try the Naked palette I have seen comparison pictures and they are almost identical. For the price the quality of the eyeshadows is amazing and they do last a long time - at 33p (ish) per eyeshadow you can't really complain. The colours are great, the palette looks nice, it can be used to create a wide variety of looks. I would highly recommend buying it!

Thanks for reading,
Eleanor xx

bloglovin'//instagram//twitter

Overcoming A Fear Of Cream Products

I don't know what it is about cream products but I've always been afraid of them. I'm not sure whether it's simply because I'm not used to them or whether it's something else entirely but I seem to avoid any make up product with the word cream written on it, no matter how good the reviews are.

So trying the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 Hour range was something I hadn't planned to do until I was in Boots and saw just how pretty the colours were. The range is so goregous and as I've heard pretty much nothing but good things I knew that I had to take advantage of the 3 for 2 offer on at Boots.

I bought the colours 'On And On Bronze' and 'Metallic Pomegranate' and I think they are absolutely gorgeous! I'm definitely the sort of person who goes for more neutral shades so the bronze colour was my first choice, and I grabbed Metallic Pomegranate because it was just such a pretty purple shade which I think would be great for a more dramatic look.

Since purchasing I have tried both of these colours and the effect is stunning. Many people use them as an eye shadow base but I prefer to use them as an all over the lid colour. They were surprisingly easy to apply, I used my fingers to pat the eyeshadow in, and stayed on for a long time. I'm not sure they'd last 24 hours as the name suggests, but they did stay on my eyelids all day so that makes them a winner in my eyes!

Using these eyeshadows has really inspired me to try more cream products - I'll probably go for blush next. If anyone has any recommendations I'd love to hear them!
Thanks for reading,
Eleanor xx

bloglovin'//instagram//twitter

MAC Autumn Neutrals Quad

I love Autumn (or Fall, if you prefer) and I'm also a fan of the make up that comes with. Recently I've been LOVING neutral eyeshadows instead of brights, I find that they look a lot better if you you have a darker lip. So with that in mind, I decided to splash out in some MAC eyeshadows. I adore MAC eyeshadows but until recently I was only in possession of three. A quad was an ideal choice for me as it will fit in a small space and didn't take too much commitment to fill!
The colours I opted for were Naked Lunch, Satin Taupe, Antiqued and Woodwinked.

Naked Lunch

Satin Taupe

Antiqued

Woodwinked

Top left to right: Naked Lunch, Satin Taupe
Bottom left to right: Antiqued, Woodwinked

Even though I wouldn't say Antiqued is that neutral as such I do think it has a very autumnal theme as it is a slightly reddish brown (reminiscent of Autumn trees, perhaps?) but it also isn't so bright that it distracts from the rest of the make up look. Naked Lunch is a great light champagne pink all over the lid colour and the other three would be great for blending or alternatively they could be lid colours too if you wanted a slightly darker eye look. Satin Taupe is a really nice colour although I feel as though it will get the least use as I tend to prefer warmer colours. Woodwinked is a lovely golden shadow and I think it will quickly become one of my firm favourites. Next stop, Urban Decay Naked Palette! Definitely need to get one of those. 

Does anyone have any MAC eyeshadows that they recommend? I always find the selection very overwhelming, although I think I've decided that my next purchase will be Sumptuous Olive.

Thanks for reading,

Eleanor xx

twitter//instagram//bloglovin

Mini Make Up Haul

This past weekend I went out to Boots and Superdrug and got a few things, having recently had a birthday and been given some money it seemed to make sense. I only got a few things as I'm going to a MAC counter soon (and might have a look at Nars - bit more expensive though!) but I thought I'd share the products on my blog as I felt that they were actually very good quality.

Top: Sleek Eyeshadow Palette
Bottom: Collection Eyebrow Kit, Sleek Blush

Sleek MakeUP i-Divine Palette (Au Naturel 601); Superdrug; £7.99; 12x1.1g

Having heard good things about the eyeshadow palettes from this brand I thought I'd pick up their neutrals palette as I do tend to opt for more neutral eyes for everyday make up.  I really love the colours in this palette (although I may avoid the yellow and the orange) and when I tried a few of the shades I was actually really impressed with the quality! While they do not match the quality of some eyeshadows - like MAC, for example - they are really good and 12 for £7.99 is such amazing value. They're very pigmented and they apply very easily and evenly. I would definitely repurchase and I'm considering getting another palette from Sleek. The foam brush isn't that great and wasn't really necessary in my opinion but overall I think it's the best palette you can get for less than £10.

Collection Work The Colour Eyebrow Kit; Boots; £3.99; 3x1g (powders) + 2ml (brow mascara)

When I was in Boots I picked up this little kit as I was in desperate need for something for my eyebrows as I really struggle with them (dark eyebrows on pale skin can be a tricky one!). I found that it was really good and worked very nicely for my eyebrows. I used the middle shade even though my eyebrows are probably closer in colour to the dark - makes me look a bit less crazed if I go for lighter colours! The little brush is super useful, especially the angled end and the Clear Brow Mascara helps it to stay on a bit longer which is always great.

Sleek MakeUP Blush (Rose Gold 926); Superdrug; £4.49; 8g

Again, a Sleek product. I was also very impressed with this blush - I'm surprised that I hadn't heard of Sleek until a few weeks ago! The packaging of both products was hard plastic that feels like it's really durable - it's never good when the packaging starts falling apart! This blush is reasonably pigmented and is just a lovely colour. The actual shade of the rosy pink looks fairly natural on my cheeks (may vary for others depending on skin tone) but there is also gold shimmer to it which adds an extra effect. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a new blush that is great value for money. I'm definitely looking forward to using this blush quite a lot and I think it may become one of my go to blushes.

Hope you enjoyed this post and if you have any questions about the products just let me know in a comment!

Eleanor xx

twitter//instagram//bloglovin'