Hi my lovelies,

Sorry for the lack of posts of late, I've been uber busy now that my little one is on the move walking but I will be back with posts very soon!

In the mean time I have a great post from one of my favourite bloggers: Iqra of The Blushing Giraffe.

Sunday Swatches: Kiko Modern Tribes Collection

I cannot believe it's been a month already since my last blog post, but alas I'm back after a busy month with a review of the new Kiko Modern Tribes Limited Edition Summer Collection.

FFF: Blue and Purple makeup look

This weeks FFF is inspired by a client's dress that she will be wearing for her engagement/wedding in December.

I wanted to also update my Blue-Purple look from 2012, but for this look I used the newly acquired Kiko Evolution Must Have Palette (reviewed here) and as many drugstore/affordable products too, so here goes!

Products used:
Eyes: 
> UDPP - Eden
> NYX JEP in Black Bean
> Kiko Evolution Must Have Palette - 7 shadows - 1 (beige sparkle), 2 (pinky nude matte), 6 (bright pink), 7 (lilac matte), 8 (indigo shimmer), 9 (cream shimmer), 12 (dark blue shimmer)
> Urban Decay Smoked Palette - Freestyle and Blackout
> Kiko Double Glam Eye Liner - 100 Light Gold (& Ebony) 
> Inglot AMC eyeliner gel - 77 (black)

> Kiko Unforgettable Waterproof mascara (black)

> Ardell Professional 120 Demi lashes

> Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz and Brow Powder Duo - Ebony

> Urban Decay 24/7 concealer - ATF

Face: 

> UD concealer in ATF

> Graftobian HD creme foundation Warm Palette - Buttermilk & Mid. Marigold for contouring

> EX1 Invisiwear foundation - F200

> UD Razorsharp powder

> Sleek Contour Kit - Medium
> Kiko Essential Bronzer in 201 Sienna Melange

Lips:

> Sabaya lip pencil in 08 (pink, from Dubai)

> UD Revolution lipstick in Fiend

I started by priming the eye with Eden PP and then just on the eyelid went over with NYX JEP in Black Bean, blending upwards slightly.

I patted on the Dark Blue shimmery eyeshadow from the Kiko palette with a flat brush all over the eyelid on top of the NYX JEP.

I then highlighted the brow bone with the Cream shimmer colour and the inner corner of the eye with the beige sparkle. The matte pinky nude colour was then used under the brow bone highlight, followed by the matte lilac shadow closer to the crease and UD Blackout in the crease. The slightest hint of the bright pink shadow was used above the crease followed by UD Freestyle eyeshadow in between the colours to blend out any harsh lines.

I lined the top of the eyelid with Inglot AMC gel liner in black and followed the outer bottom lashline with an angled brush creating a slight outward flick for the bottom inner corner. I then lined the inner eye with Kiko's Double Glam Eye Liner but only using the Light Gold shade and following the outer flick on the inner bottom corner.

I went back with a wet finger and added a tiny bit of the indigo shimmer to the middle of the lids to make the colour pop even further and with a wet liner brush went underneath the eye with the same dark blue and indigo shadows, following the outer eye only.

To finish off the eye I used the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wizin Ebony and filled in the inner brow with the lighter shade of the Brow Powder Duo. 

I added the Ardell 120 Demi lashes after I finished my face and Voila!

For the rest of the face I decided to do a toned down version of that Kim K/"bridal" contouring and used both the UD 24/7 concealer pencil and Graftobian Creme foundations to do this.

Be warned, the picture below is scary looking haha

I then used a beauty blender sponge to add the EX1 Invisiwear liquid foundation in F200 all over the face, using a small concealer/foundation brush to get in the nooks and crannies around the eyes and to clean around the eyebrows.
I didn't really need to set the foundation as it dries to a semi matte finish, but dabbed a bit of UD Razorsharp powder on my T-zone anyway as shine shows with flash.
I then added powder contour with the Sleek Contour Kit in Medium using my beloved Illamasqua Blush Up Brush, highlighting the top of the cheekbones too. Kiko Essential Bronzer in Sienna Melange was also used in between the contour and highlight to give depth.
For the lips, I used Sabaya lip pencil (from Dubai) with UD Revolution Lipstick in Fiend, accessorising with a navy scarf of course and the tikka from my own wedding:

And there you have it..
I have to say I'm even more impressed with the Kiko Palette I used for this look, the colour payoff is amazing and I'm particularly loving the sparklier shades as they can be used wet to make the sparkle stand out even more. I can now say that I'd give the palette 5 lipsticks out of 5!

I hope you enjoyed this look as much as I did creating it, I have to say I love this combination of blue and purple and certainly did when I did the older version in 2012!

Would you wear this look?

 

New Store Openings Winter 2013

In the last two weeks I've been lucky enough to be invited to two lovely store cosmetic brands' store openings in London; the first being the new Bare Minerals Boutique in Canary Wharf and the second being the Kiko Cosmetics Store on Regent Street.

Kiko Regent Street
Last week Tuesday, after the excitement of the Naked 3 launch I headed to the opening of Kiko Regent Street where the brand allowed bloggers, makeup artists and press to have an exclusive browse around the shop whilst it was closed to the public!
I have to admit I felt super special amongst the other bloggers who attended knowing that we would have undivided attention of the staff if needed and all the products were untouched and pretty much new.

The store itself is a massive improvement to the much smaller stores I've been to in both Westfields (Shepherds Bush and Stratford). 
The Stratford Kiko store is my local store that I tend to pop into frequently (much to my husbands dismay if he's shopping with me!), but I love that they have offers on regularly, my favourite being the all mascaras at £3.90 (my daily waterproof mascara is by Kiko so I stock up when this offer is on!)

The only problem with my Stratford store is that it's a small store so gets fairly crowded, particularly on weekends!
This store however has no issue with overcrowding as it boasts two floors of makeup, all laid out in an array of colours for the eyes to wander over.

sneaky picture taken with my phone through the glass doors before we were let loose inside!

I did feel overwhelmed at first when stepping into the shop; "where do I start, so many colours!" were my first thoughts. Luckily I met a lovely old colleague and friend of mine who worked there (Amira, fantastic girl!) and we got chatting about where I should start and what I should look at.  

bloggers congregated upstairs at the street level floor

I decided to head downstairs as most of the bloggers were congregated at the top street level floor and the downstairs held duplicates of lips, face and nail things anyway so it was a bit easier to browse through!

much emptier downstairs and all the pretty new makeup laid out

very handy pull out mirrors next to the products!

The products are laid out in a handy colour coordinated way with the corresponding products directly above them so you can self serve in the baskets given. I liked the fact that the mirrors pull out from the stands where the products are held so that you can get a better view of yourself if you've tried the product on yourself.
Otherwise, the area for makeovers is lovely and spacious with great bright lights lined around the mirrors, giving that hollywood feel.

I picked a couple things but felt like I needed to come at another day to take the full store in and went again last Friday where I picked up a good few more things, again with the help of the lovely Amira who's worked for many brands including MAC, Benefit and Dior. She admitted she actually enjoys using Kiko and finds the products surprisingly great quality. I personally agree and find the price point for Kiko amazing considering they offer just as good quality products as higher end brands.

I love that at Kiko stores I never feel pushed into buying products as I tend to find with other brands; their relaxed approach and self service displays makes it much a much easier and better environment to shop and I hope it stays that way!

Do feel free to check out previous Kiko posts here for reviews, makeup looks and swatches.

Bare Minerals Canary Wharf
I also attended the Bare Minerals Boutique opening two weeks ago and was totally impressed by the store layout; the ones I've been to have usually been in department stores that have had small counters with the pretty but impractical rotating wheels holding eyeshadows and foundations. Though they look gorgeous all laid out in a wheel, I do tend to find them a bit messy and hard to navigate around the counters without help from an advisor for what I'm looking for.

This boutique however is much more appealing to those who like to browse for products in their own time; the outskirts of the shop hold well displayed designated areas for the eyes, lips, face and skincare where shoppers can self serve and play with products on display with ample room. 

face area on the right of the store with cute hand written notes above

lips area with self serve shelves underneath for quick purchases

The middle holds a beauty bar where the Bare Minerals advisors give foundation fittings and beauty "make-unders" as the brand like to call it!

well displayed designated self serve areas on outskirts, beauty bar in the middle

The boutique is the first of many to come in the future I hope, I have to say I'm personally a fan of this new easy-to-navigate layout and as Canary Wharf isn't far from where I live, this boutique will probably be my preferred choice of counter to go to from now on!

What are your favourite brands stores and why? What makes your makeup shopping experience better?

 

Holiday 2013 Products and Sets - FrootiBeauty's Picks

Seeing as it's the 1st of December, I figured it would be helpful to write a post on gift ideas for those of you struggling to find ideas this year.. not that it's needed though as it seems every brand has gone all out this year with their holiday sets and palettes!

(Note: very long post and fairly picture heavy! I was going to split this post but decided against it as I felt it's better all in one post.. feel free to skim read/skip to brands you're interested in!)

I've been feeling seriously overwhelmed by the different brands' products this Christmas 2013; if you're not busy buying a gift for someone, you may as well fling your wallets and cash at these brands and keep the products for yourselves! Not to mention a lot are limited edition which means you have to buy it.. right there and then.

The ones I have managed to get my hands on have been so gorgeous I've barely wanted to touch them; you'd think owning the amount of makeup I do, I wouldn't want any more, but then another brand will release and show off their new set or product and there goes my eyes again, wanting what I know I shouldn't.

I've updated my wishlist on the blog (above tab) and will leave them there in the hope I'm gifted them and I can stop spending money I should be saving!

Anyway, I've picked my favourite brands' Holiday sets and products that have caught my eye so far, some of the products that I do have I'll be posting reviews and swatches of as much as possible, so keep an eye out over the coming weeks!

Urban Decay
Of course, following my last couple posts, you'll know that 
a) I have a certain closeness to this brand and 
b) the Naked 3 palette will be released this month (review here and makeup look here), which will undoubtedly sell out.

If however you are looking for other more colourful and special products and ideas, the products that I recommend (and couldn't resist!) include the Vice 2 palette (limited edition), the Stockpile lip set (limited edition) and the Shattered palette.
Vice 2 Palette:

The Vice 1 was released last year and once sold out proved hard to get hold of as it was limited edition, just like this years Vice 2 Palette; so it makes a great unique gift if looking for something that's not available at all times. With 20 new eyeshadow shades that vary from brights to neutrals, mattes to shimmers and of course some smokey colours included the Vice 2 makes a great value gift for £42!
Available at the following retailers (whilst stocks last!): Debenhams, House of Fraser, LookFantastic and HQhair
 
The Stockpile:

I wasn't going to suggest this beauty of a product for the ultimate lip fan in this post as it is sold out online at the time of writing this, however after posting the picture on Instagram I've had a lot of interest and thought I'd post a review later with swatches anyway as the lip products are available to buy individually.
The Stockpile lip set (£140) hasn't been advertised widely at all, in fact I stumbled across it by chance whilst shopping in House Of Fraser a few weeks back and had to buy it. As far as I know, it is only available at House Of Fraser.
The store I bought my set from (Oxford Street, London) has also sold out as far as I know but if you were to phone House Of Fraser directly you may be able to find the set. 

Shattered Palette:

As reviewed earlier on the blog (click here for full review with swatches), I think this limited edition palette would make a great gift as it encompasses products for the eyes, lips and face, but the set can also make a perfect gift for a frequent traveller or those that like to carry multitasking products with them at all times. 
Priced at £30, the palette can be bought at the following retailers:
Debenhams, House Of Fraser, HQhair and Look Fantastic.

Illamasqua
As another brand close to my heart, Illamasqua have released some gorgeous single Christmas products and the lovely Perfect Pout Lipstick Set with 6 lipsticks for only £60, which is a great gift for lipstick lovers!

Fatale Palette & Sculpting Powder Duo:
The two key products that have caught my eye from the Christmas collection have to be the Fatale Palette and the Sculpting Powder Duo:

Sculpting Powder Duo and Fatale Palette with Intense Lipgloss in Maiden and Nail Varnish in Blizzard

The Sculpting Powder Duo (£26) would be great for those who are in love with contouring products, particularly for fairer skintones.
The Fatale Palette (£34) is a gorgeous quad of powder eyeshadows with festive colours including gold and cranberry; they can be worn separately or beautifully together for a lovely festive look!
All Illamasqua products are available to buy instore or online at Illamasqua or Debenhams.


Kiko Cosmetics/ Kiko Milano
Kiko is a more affordable alternative colour cosmetic brand but with great quality too.

Evolution Must Have Eyeshadow Palette:
My pick would have to be the Evolution Must Have Eyeshadow Palette which features a range of 16 eyeshadows in various colours and finishes:

At £34.90, the palette can be bought online or at Kiko Stores in Westfield Stratford, White City or the new store on Regent Street. You can read the full review with swatches (here).


Too Faced 
Too Faced are a brand I've dipped into a fair few times and loved the quality of every time. They remind me strongly of my beloved favourite brand Urban Decay, but in a daintier way (aside from the products' raunchy names at times!).

Return Of Sexy Eye Collection Palette
My favourite all time product of Too Faced has to be the Return Of Sexy Eye Collection palette (£38.50) which includes 15 gorgeous glitzy eyeshadows and a full size black waterproof pencil. 
I've used this palette on my brides (see here for a bride I've used this palette on) and also on myself, the shades are gorgeous!

Available to buy at: Boots, Debenhams and LookFantastic.

Pop-Out Makeup Palette and Phone Case
If you wanted a lovely stocking filler gift and know someone who is obsessed with their iPhone as well as makeup, you may want to buy the Pop-Out Makeup Palette and Phone Case from the new Jingle All The Way holiday collection:

The palette is ideal again for travelling as it holds 11 eyeshadows, a bronzer and a blush in a handy slim palette that pops out from a gorgeous iPhone 5 case; how cute!
I would also recommend looking at the rest of the Too Faced holiday collections/sets as they make great gifts for those who love girly looking fantastic quality products.. I sure would add some more sets to my gift list!
Priced at £20 the Pop Out Makeup Palette is available to buy at Boots and Debenhams. 


MAC
This year's holiday collection from MAC did kind of blow me away. I fell in love with the luxurious black and gold theme and caved when I walked into my local MAC store when the collection was released.
My picks have to be the following:
The Divine Night lipsticks:

The Nocturnals pigment sets:

The Stroke Of Midnight Eye Bag sets:

The lipsticks are priced at £16.50 each, the Pigment Sets are £25.50 each and the Eye Bags are priced at £39.50 each.
Available at MAC Cosmetics, Debenhams, House Of Fraser and Selfridges whilst stocks last.

Hope you've found this post informative, these are just my picks of the collections I've seen so far, I'll be sure to post some more festive suggestions when I come across them!

Which holiday products or collections have caught your eye this year? And which are on your wishlist?

 

Sunday Swatches: Kiko Colour Evolution Must Have Eyeshadow Palette

Now that palette name is a mouthful in itself!

This weeks Sunday Swatches post is a requested one after I put up a picture and video of the palette on my Instagram.

Back in December 2011, I bought another colourful holiday palette by Kiko (blog post here) and was impressed with the quality back then and not much has changed since then, but in fact my opinion of Kiko is higher now. Scroll further for this year's Holiday eyeshadow palette from Kiko and swatches.

Evolution Must Have Eyeshadow Palette

This limited edition palette boasts 16 shades of baked eyeshadows in a range of finishes, from pearly, to matte, to sparkly and metallic.

Swatches

Packaging: These gorgeous baked shadows are encased in their square sturdy two-tone case which looks pinky-white in different lights and a holographic round circle design in the middle. Inside the lid is a full mirror which is handy.

Colour & Pigmentation: The shadows are much less powdery than the Light Impulse eyeshadow palette as the baked texture means they have more intense pigmentation. They can be used wet or dry, however I used them dry to swatch them above and they were still pretty pigmented (some were swiped twice).
Some shades are more pigmented than others; generally matte shadows are less pigmented usually but these are all fairly decent, including the matte shades.

Texture: The texture isn't as powdery as the Light Impulse palette but still not as soft/buttery as Urban Decay shadows of course.. Some shades were more silky/smooth than others within the palette.

Longevity: Baked products generally last longer when worn on the skin so I'd say these would last, particularly if worn with an eyeshadow primer. Baked products also hold together better in the packaging which means you use less product and it lasts longer!

Price: At £34.90 it works out as around £2.20 per eyeshadow which is a bargain in my books.

FrootiFactor: I'd give this palette a 4 out of 5 as I feel like it has a great mix of neutrals, brights and mattes and of course the value of the product is worth it considering how long the product would last in your makeup wardrobe!

Overall, I'd say its a great palette to get for yourself or as a present this Christmas as it has a good mix of shades and finishes.

Kiko have a few different Holiday gift sets available, including for the nails, lips, eyes, face and brushes, so it's definitely worth having a look at your nearest Kiko store and online at www.kikocosmetics.com

Have you ever tried any Kiko products? What are your thoughts on the brand?

 

Kiko Colours In The World Spring '13 swatches and review

Hello my lovelies!

I thought I'd do a quick post on some of the new Kiko Milano cosmetics Spring 13 collection.
Kiko is an Italian brand that can be found in both Westfields in London and is another one of my favourite brands, but one that is priced in between a drugstore brand and higher end brands.

The Colours in the World collection encompasses a selection of face, eyes, lips and nail products as well as brushes and is limited edition. If you saw my post on the Light Impulse palette, you'll know they do great limited edition products, but here are my thoughts on the Colours in the World collection.

Long Lasting Lipstick - 05
The Long Lasting Lipstick in 05 is named "Red Orchid" and is available in 6 shades.
Colour & Pigmentation: 05 Red Orchid is a beautiful deep burgundy sort of colour; like Viva Glam 1 but with more of a raspberry note. Pigmentation is great!
Texture: This lippy goes on smooth and creamy and feels very comfortable to wear, then dries to a matte finish.
Longevity: As it dries to a matte finish, it's pretty long lasting and remains after drinking!
Scent: Smells just like MAC lipsticks - vanilla yum!
Packaging: Metallic looking, long twist up stick. Looks sleek until you get fingerprints on it.
Price: At £6.90 it's just slightly higher priced than a drugstore brand but less than a more high end brand. 

FrootiFactor: For me, this lipstick ticks all the right boxes; I love how although it has a matte finish, it doesn't go on dry at all and the colour looks quite gorgeous too. I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5

Vivid Eyes Kajal & Eyeliner - 04
The Vivid Eyes Kajal & Eyeliner consist of one black "kajal" end and one coloured pencil end, perfect for highlighting or adding a pop of colour to the eye other than black. I have 04 - "Green Apple/Black" which is a sort of Teal shade with shimmer. Available in 4 shades.
Colour & Pigmentation: The black in the duo is fairly pigmented and the Green Apple shade is slightly less but still enough to get a good amount of colour on the eyes.
Texture: Not as creamy/smooth as other liners I'm used to.
Longevity: The black shade lasts longer than the teal shade, but the packaging doesn't actually state "long lasting" or "waterproof" so I'd imagine these are not the best to cry in!
Price: £7.90 each.

FrootiFactor: All in all, I'd give the Vivid Eyes Kajal eyeliner a 2 out of 5 max; simply because I prefer softer textures and definitely waterproof ones!

Pigment Loose Eyeshadow - 29
The Pigment Loose Eyeshadow is a highly pigmented loose eyeshadow in a fairly generous pot of 6g (MAC pigment is 4.5g). 29 is named "Breezy Azure".
Colour & Pigmentation: 29 Breezy Azure is a bright, vivid blue colour and is fairly pigmented.
Texture: The texture is fairly smooth but a bit grainy; it would work better with a mixing medium/solution or primer rather than bare skin.
Packaging: The pigment comes with a plastic plug that stops the shadow from spilling but no filter or sifting type of dispenser, just an open jar which can be messy!
Price: At £5.90 it's just a little more than a drugstore brand but again not half as much as a higher end brand, so still worth it, particularly for the weight.

FrootiFactor: I'd give the pigment a 3.5 out of 5 purely because I'm more of a pressed powder eyeshadow fan for most shadows (unless glittery pigments), but also because I feel it wasn't as pigmented/soft as I'd like.

Celebration Nail Lacquer - 422
I've tried Kiko polishes before and have been impressed with the creaminess of the polish. This shade (422- Mint Green) is gorgeous for Spring and as I only have one other mint green colour by Barry M but the consistency is very thin.
Colour & Consistency: This 422 Mint Green polish is slightly thinner than my other mustard coloured Kiko polish, however still creamier than my mint Barry M one; 2 coats needed max for full effect.
Longevity: The polish lasts a few days (3-5) and I like that it dries fast and has nail strenghening/hardening properties.
Price: Priced at £4.90 each, they are reasonably priced for the quality you're getting (not to mention the selection of usual shades!)

FrootiFactor: I'd give this polish a 4 out of 5, simply because it's a great colour for Spring and is still quite creamy and has great nail strengthening properties:

 
All in all, I personally will be looking at more of the Long Lasting Lipsticks as I love how it actually does last but feels non-drying on the lips and maybe a few of the polishes too as they have so many shades!

Have you checked out Kiko cosmetics before? Will you be buying anything from the new Colours in the World range?