Clio Art Highlighter in Pearl White

I love pretty packaging. That sure can be a problem sometimes especially when shopping for makeup! I fell for this highlighter from Clio because of how beautiful the compact looks. Adding more pretty things to your makeup drawer is okay right..especially if it is a highlighter 😉

Clio Art Highlighter

The compact is plastic but looks and feels sturdy. The art work is printed on it and also on the outer box. I didn’t have the heart to throw away the outer box since the print looks like a water color painting.

There are 3 shades of this highlighter available. 01 pearl white is the one I picked up. The other 2 shades are gold toned and rosy toned. Having a medium color skin tone, I kind of shy away from white based highlighter since they can look frosty on my skin coloring. I decided to take a chance with this one and am happy I did!

Clio Art highlighter in 01 Pearl White

As you can see it is a baked product and gives a lovely sheen to the skin. It is not a chunky highlighter nor is it the very intense type of highlighter people seem to like these days. This is a soft and subtle highlighter like the Bobbie brown shimmer bricks can be. It looks lovely when buffed into the skin.

The compact comes with a nice mirror and also a brush which feels really nice. I have not used the brush but I am sure it will work fine in a pinch.

Swatch of 01 Pearl White

As you can see, this highlighter lets your skin peak thru a bit when it is buffed into the skin ( I swatched the highlighter with a brush) and that makes it look a bit more natural. I love the glow it imparts and it stays put all day too.

Overall, I am extremely happy to own this highlighter. I might just go ahead and pick up the other shades too some time soon 😀

Until next time, ciao!!!

 

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Kiko Milano Unlimited Lip Stylo in Number 17 Tulip Red

Hello folks! I am a big fan of Kiko Makeup products and have reviewed quite a few of their makeup items on my blog. Most of the time I end up buying stuff from their gorgeous limited edition collections. They have great prices (especially on sale) and pretty packaging – enough to get my attention 🙂 So far everything I have tried from the brand have been hits.

I decided to try out the Unlimited lip stylo in number 17 from their permanent line. The lipstick is described as being creamy with a semi matte finish. This also promises high pigment and a long lasting finish. The packaging as you can see is on point! It looks like a gun metal pill and has the color printed on. Now, the color is not 100% accurate but it is quite close. The lipstick also has some weight to it so it feels more expensive than it really is.

Kiko Milano Unlimited Lip stylo in No.17 Tulip Red

The color is best described as a bright red with orange undertones in the tube. Once applied on the lips however, the orange doesn’t come thru so much and it looks like a nice warm red. The lipstick bullet shape is quite nice too and gives  good coverage with a single sweep.

Kiko Unlimited lip stylo in Tulip Red

Everything so far sounds great, but the formula is where I kind of went meh! The lipstick is described as being creamy but I found that this drags a bit over the lips especially if I tried wearing this with no lip balm underneath. It is a bit waxy in texture. I was disappointed since I absolutely love the formula of their matte lipstick from the Rebel Romantic Collection (REVIEWED HERE). The formula on that lipstick is amazing..it is creamy, matte, pigmented and comfortable.

Swatch of the Kiko Unlimited lip stylo in number 17

They do deliver on the promise of intense pigmentation! The color is quite vivid on the lips and it does stay put on the lips for an entire work day. This particular color does stain my lips a bit so I always have some color on my lips at the end of the day ( in a good way!)

Overall, this isn’t a bad lipstick. The formula is so so. I have tried better products from the brand before, so this is my first average product from Kiko.

What are your favorite Kiko products?

Until next time, ciao!!!

 

Golden Rose Velvet Matte Lipstick

Hello folks! I always like to pick up local makeup products when I travel and Golden Rose was a brand that caught my eye when I went on a trip to Turkey a while back. Golden Rose is an affordable Turkish brand and I found their products in most drugstores. I picked up this Velvet matte lipstick from their stand alone store which had an impressive array of products.

Golden Rose Velvet Matte Lipstick

According to the salesperson who helped me, their lipsticks are very good dupes of MAC lipsticks. Now, I can’t vouch for that since I own one MAC lipstick and am not a MAC lip junkie. I picked up the shade number 19 (no name on the tube unfortunately) which is a beautiful Strawberry red or maybe a watermelon red…depending on the lighting 😀

Golden Rose Velvet Matte in number 19

The lipstick bullet is shaped in a nice fashion. It hugs the lips as you glide it over and gives a nice even coat of color in a single swipe. The formula is also really impressive! It is a very comfortable matte and it does not tug at the lips nor does it dry the lips. The pigmentation is intense and the color is still quite visible at the end of a long working day. Formula wise, this is very similar to the Maybelline matte lipsticks.

Golden Rose Velvet matte in number 19 swatched

Looking at the swatch above I am sure you would agree with me on the fact that this is perfect for summer!

I have seen Golden Rose products in Dubai and maybe Spain too..where have you spotted their goodies? I am looking forward to trying more of their stuff 🙂

Until next time, ciao!!

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Bahama

Hello everyone! I have been wanting to review the NARS Velvet lip pencil for ages. I got this as a gift well over a year ago and it was love at first swipe! The formula is amazing!

NARS Velvet Lip Pencil in Bahama

Usually I shy away from matte lip products since I have dry lips and don’t feel like torturing them any further. This one however feels like nothing on the lips and when you press your lips together there is no dry feeling either. I do still use a lip balm before applying this since that is the way I roll with any lip product 🙂

The wear time is pretty decent. I don’t find it as long lasting as many of the other matte lip products but I guess that is the price you have to pay for comfort! The plus side is that it fades away evenly and can survive some light snacking and drinking.

Well used Lip Pencil 🙂

The picture above is the how my lip pencil looks like right now 😉 When it was brand new it had a pointed tip like an actual pencil. Now the main gripe I have with this product is that it needs to be sharpened and when I am in a hurry (which is most days) I have no time to hunt down my sharper and sharpen the pencil. For the price of this lip pencil I feel I should have gotten a twist up with a sharpener attached to the other end of the pencil to maintain the tip! Mine looks so busted right now 😀

The shade Bahama is a Brown nude and pulls a bit darker than my actual lip color. It would be a perfect nude for anyone above an NC30 skintone. Take a look at the swatch below:

NARS Velvet matte lip pencil in Bahama swatched

I am not a huge fan of the packaging of this product. The lid which has that rubberized feel to touch, does not stay put securely unless you carefully place it. Just a pointer to keep in mind if you plan to carry this around in your purse!

Overall I really like the formula and will try out some more shades. Do you have any shade recommendations in this line?

Until next time, ciao!!

 

Benefit Cosmetics Get the Pretty Started Palette

Hello folks!

I have a small confession to make..despite being a makeup junkie, I have till date tried nothing from Benefit Cosmetics. What! How come you may ask? Well the main attraction for me has always been the box powders from the brand. I just could never decide which ones to get. All their holiday kits which have an array of their box powders get mixed reviews every year, plus they come in bulky packaging. However, this past holiday season I spotted the Get the Pretty Started palette which had the sleekest packaging I have seen from Benefit till date 🙂

Get the Pretty Started Palette

Its so pretty to look at! This compact travel friendly palette comes with 2 of their hit powder products ; Hoola Bronzer and Galifornia Blush. The highlighter included in this face palette is the Watts Up highlighter which is a cream product. I am not a fan of palettes that contain cream and powder products together, but in this case I was willing to over look that detail because the price tag was 20$ 🙂 The pan sizes are generous and overall its an awesome way to sample some of their products without breaking the bank.

Hoola Bronzer, Galifornia Blush and Watts Up Highlighter

The texture of both Hoola and Galifornia can be best described as being buttery soft. They do kick up powder if you go on a stabbing spree with your brush so I like to gently tap my brush in the pans. Both, Hoola and Galifornia blend really well on the skin. I like the undertone of Hoola ..not too red not too ashy..I now understand why it is so popular 🙂 Galifornia is a pretty blush but I don’t find it unique enough to spend 28$ on the full size. I found it quite similar to some of the other blushes I own. Both the powders are scented and I was surprised that I actually like the scent 😀 I usually hate scented makeup products.

Brush Swatches

Above are heavy brush swatches of the 3 products in the palette. I really like the cream highlighter. I usually shy away from cream products since I find them a bit bothersome to use but the Watts Up highighter is so gorgeous I feel like taking the extra effort 😀 It is the perfect highlighter for no makeup makeup days.

Overall, I think this palette is a steal for 20$. I do reach for this palette quite often ever since I got my hands on it. I see it still listed on Sephora, so do grab this palette if you’ve always wanted to try some of the powders from Benefit. The cream highlighter is a lovely bonus. It would be nice to see benefit come out with more sleek palettes like this!

Are you a fan of Benefit Cosmetics? What else do you recommend from the brand?

Until next time, ciao!!

Essence Silky Touch Blush in Kissable

Hello everyone! Essence is a really good drugstore brand with great pricing! I have tried their lip products mostly and they are fantastic for the price. After trying out their blush in Heatwave from the Blush up line and loving it (Reviewed HERE) I decided to try something from the Silky Touch range. Long story short- I love this blush too! 🙂

Essence Silky Touch Blush in Kissable

When I initially got on my hands on this blush, I thought it looked really similar to MAC Sunbasque which is a long time favorite of mine. On comparing them side by side I figured they are not dupes. Sunbasque is lighter in the pan and pulls more peachy brown whereas Kissable has a slight hint of berry thrown in. The blush has tiny bits of gold shimmer and the blush overall translates into a beautiful sheen on the cheeks. It gives the perfect sunkissed look if you are very fair. On medium to darker skin tones this will look like a natural flush to the cheeks.

As the name suggests , the powder is very silky to touch since it is finely milled. I am really impressed with the overall quality of the powder. The blush lasts a whole working day for me with no fading. The performance is as good as some of the high end blushes I have tried.

The blush is pigmented and it is not so overly pigmented that application becomes hard. The color can be easily build up or you can wear it toned down too.

Brush Swatch of Kissable

Overall, I love the formula and color of this blush! They have several other shades in the Silky Touch range . Essence has also come out with a new range of blushes called Satin Matte which have received good reviews too. I cant wait to try a blush or 2 from that range next. Have you tried any of the Satin Matte blushes?

Until next time, ciao!!

Sleek Makeup Goodnight Sweetheart Palette

Hello folks!! It has been a while since I blogged …I knew life will never be the same once a baby arrives but no one told me it would be THIS hectic!! 🙂 I have been wanting to talk about the Goodnight Sweetheart eyeshadow palette for ages! It was a limited edition release in late 2016, but is still available on the Sleek website. I fell in love with the shade selection and since I’ve always wanted to try one of the Sleek eyeshadow palettes I decided to bite the bullet and get this one.

The box which houses the palette looks so pretty! Unfortunately the actual palette is their classic sleek black packaging. The packaging is great for storage. This palette is a fall palette but if you’re like me and enjoy burgundy and taupe shades all year round, this one is a winner!! Take a look at the shades below…they are so gorgeous!

The Goodnight Sweetheart Palette

The Palette comes with 12 shadows, out of which there are 2 matte shades. Here is a closer look at the first 6 shadows. The 2 matte shades, Romance and Hold me Tight pair well with the rest of the shadows to pull off simple looks. All the swatches below are with a brush since I find that to be a better representation of how it will perform on the eyes 🙂

Although Seduction looks great in the swatch, I experienced a bit of fall out from this shade. I think its because of the chunkier glitter particles. Velvet Wrap looks gorgeous on the lid.

Here is a closer look at the next set of 6 eye shadows from the palette.

My camera could not capture the true beauty of the shade Lingerie. It is whitish peachy shade with fine golden shimmer. It works well as a good brow bone highlight. Snuggle is a lovely statement shade which is similar to MAC blue brown , again my camera failed to capture its true essence. My least favorite shade is Sleeping Beauty It just does not pull off well on my medium skin tone. I also found it to be slightly chunky with lots of fall out.

The color payoff from these shadows is excellent considering the price! I have found these shadows to last really well throughout the day. I do have dry lids though and always wear a primer with my eyeshadows. Overall, these shadows get an A+ from me 🙂 If these colors speak to you pick up the palette from the Sleek website before they discontinue it. I am not sure if Ulta carries this particular palette since I ordered this off the UK website.

Until next time, ciao!!!