I recently discovered this make-up brand when I was shopping in Nice Cap 3000 at Christmas. I was desperately looking to replace some make-up items and had no idea what the mall had to offer as I had never been to this one before. I had never heard of KIKO or read anything online about this brand. The store instantly caught my eye as I thought 'Is that a MAC store'?! It looked very similar. Very striking, professional and full of cosmetics. Sold.
KIKO MILANO is an Italian brand of professional cosmetics that offers a wide range of make-up products aswell as face & body treatments. High quality and designed to suit people of all ages.
As you can see the stores really do look great and the layout is really simple so you can see all the products as you walk around and access them instantly with no need to ask a sales assistant to find you all the things you want to buy.
The most astonishing thing was the price. I had to double check I wasn't being stupid and that the marked prices were actually in fact real? €3 for a lipstick? €5 for an eyeshadow? Ok whats the catch?! I was very skeptical, working in the cosmetics industry for over 12 years my initial thought was probably like most peoples, 'must be cheap and cheerful' but after swatching many eyeshadows, many lipsticks and a few bronzers the quality felt was impressive.
The colour selection of lipsticks, lipgloss, eyeshadows, nail polish, eyeliners etc is quite vast, perfect if you want to be different and try something new without spending lots of cash. There is also a wide variety of skincare which looked great.
This is what I purchased for myself, although I had to hold back from buying more but thought I best be good as I can always re-visit!
 | ||
| Left to Right: Frozen Nail Lacquer 05 €2.40, Hologram Nail Lacquer 354 €3.90, Nail Lacquer 326 Graphite Grey €3.90.  Nail Care Base Coat 104 €4.90.
|
I am a massive OPI nail fan so I wasn't sure if I was going to like the quality of these as much as OPI but the colours are beautiful. I found the normal nail lacquer as opposed to the frozen & hologram polishes, was far more longer lasting on the nail and more opaque so less coats were needed. My least favourite was the frozen polish as I loved the colour but it chipped very easily.
I love the base coat as it does help to harden the nail and provides a good smooth base for your nail colour. I also love the silver sparkly nail lacquer 271 as a topcoat over a nail colour rather than wearing it alone.
Left to Right:Super gloss 105 Pearly Salmon Pink €4.90
Super gloss 118 Pearly Fuchsia €4.90.
 |
| Swatches: Super gloss No.105 & 118 |
The superglosses I chose were more glittery than glossy, so if you don't like a slippery lipgloss than you shall love these as they are more of a shine. You can feel the glitter particles on your lips, which personally I am not a fan of but for the price its a nice simple glitter lipgoss.
I love retractable kohl pencil. I always buy kohl eyeliners as I like to wear them inside the waterline and they are soft enough to glide on with ease. This is a matte deep brown shade and very opaque so the colour stays true on the eyelid and inside the waterline. Again amazing price and a product I would definitely recommend and re-purchase again.
 | ||
Swatches: Kohl 172 Wood Brown
|
 |
Top: No27 swatches with a primer, Bottom: without primer.
|
As you can see from the above swatches using an eye primer under the shadow makes a massive difference to the colour pay off. If you want a true colour then you shall need to use one (I used Urban Decay Primer Potion) but I am sure Kiko make one. It shall ensure that the eyeshadow stays put all day/night as I found this did stay in place.
I adore the colour, beautiful texture and no fall out when applied to the eyelid. I shall certainly be investing in a few more shades!
 |
| All Over Light:Face & Body Highlighter 06 Pink €7.50. |
 |
| Swatch: Highlighter 06 Pink. |
I am a massive fan of highlighters as I love my skin to look radiant and glowing. I went for a pink shade as I am very fair so this gives me a more natural looking glow to my skin. It does have a silvery glitter pigment to it so bear that in mind if you don't like glitter. This on the cheekbones and brow bone for a night out looks beautiful. Also on the body it makes a suntan really stand out and you only need a little as you can see it is very dewy looking.
So a KIKO thumbs up!
Fantastic brand, highly professional, good quality products and an excellent price tag. I thoroughly recommend you go try this brand out as it really rivals some of the more high end make-up brands.
A great make-up brand if you are new to make-up and you want to experiment or find out what suits you as you can get a lot for your money. Also a great way to top up your make-up collection with new colours and limited edition products. I am sure there shall be some products in this line that may not live up to expectations but I think thats true with most brands hence why I like to use many brands and not just stick to one. Thats too boring!
KIKO is also available online and good news, there is now a KIKO Make-Up store at the new Westfields Shopping Centre in London, UK so go check it out!
What are your thoughts on KIKO?
