my husband was away to europe last december and i wanted to make sure that he got me things that i couldn't get here in decent price. so i read his itinerary carefully and found out that he probably could get me essence, catrice, and kiko milano products though i was hoping he could get some makeup revolution, but apparently he couldn't. but i'm excited since he could get both water eyeshadow and the eyeshadow stick from kiko milano. in this post i will review the water eyeshadow first and i will talk about the eyeshadow stick in other post.
this is the description from their website: revolutionary eyeshadow from immediate color release with double dry and wet use. a blend of spherical powders of last generation for an exceptional chromatic effect, able to combine extreme writing, pure luminosity and very long hold. the soft and creamy texture allows you to create a makeup with a multi-dimensional effect, for a color with "lively" volume and extraordinary purity. the particular processing of powders gives this kiko eyeshadow a high degree of shading and an immediate and perfectly homogenous color release, in the face of dual use, dry and wet. the unique three-dimensional shape, with a special ergonomic design, suggests the picking gesture, making eye makeup easy and fast. enriched with moisturizing and smoothing active ingredients, water eyeshadow remains light and imperceptible on the eyelids.
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| the outer box |
the packaging: it comes in ordinary black box. you can read the shade name and number on top of it. when you pull the product out, you can find black doff plastic compact with just the brand name at the front and at the back you can see the shade name and number. when you open the compact, you can see tiny mirror there. i don't think you can use it for applying the eyeshadow since it's too small, but perhaps if you're in a rush or travelling, then you can use it although it's not going to be ideal. there's a plastic separator to keep the texture of the eyeshadow intact. the lid is quite sturdy. at first i had difficulty opening it, and it chipped my nail paint couple times. but then my husband found a trick to open it from the side, and it works better. i don't have to worry about chipped nail anymore.
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| shade number on top |
the product: the eyeshadow is very pretty. it has this pattern like fingerprint and it looks like you push your finger to the pan and make it that way, with all its hill and slope. if you're using it as eyeshadow and you use your finger to do it, then it will be okay since the slope is perfect to place my finger on it and then swipe the pan to get the color. but since i use this mostly as highlighter, the slope is too small for my brush to get the color. but i can manage. as both eyeshadow and highlighter, it's super pigmented and buttery and soft to touch. although i have to say if you pick it up using a brush, it might give you a little kick off. a bit powdery, but if you're using on your lid, it doesn't give much fallout. personally, if i would use it as eyeshadow, i would use my finger since it will show the color better that way.
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| the compact |
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left: 208 - light gold
right: 200 - champagne |
the shade: mine is #200 (champagne) and #208 (light gold). i don't think champagne is dupe for anything else, but light gold is being called as dupe for laura geller gilded honey or mac whisper of gilt. now, i don't own any of those two, so i can't say whether it's true or not.
#200: on pan it looks rosy silvery shade, but on swatch it looks a bit brownish. on my cheek it looks silvery champagne with glitters.
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| close up look: plastic film to cover the pan and mirror inside |
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| close up on the pattern |
#208: this is less complicated. both on pan and on swatch it looks true to the name, light gold. it also has micro glitter, but it's less obvious than the champagne one.
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| close up look on 208 |
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| again, gorgeous pattern |
the result: as eyeshadow, both colors look pretty and stunning on my lid, even when being used dry. i haven't tried it wet yet, but i bet it will make the color even more bold. as highlighter, the light gold is more forgiving on pores when being used on my cheekbones. but i have to be careful to do it light-handedly since too much of it will look like yellow gold streak on my cheekbones. but for medium to dark skin, this will be a great highlighter. it lasts decently too. usually i only put my makeup for about 5 hours, but today i got stuck outside for about 9 hours and it still holds well. i also have combination skin and this one sticks better, but if you have quite oily skin, it might vanish quicker.
the champagne one is tricky too. if i put too much, it will look like silver streak on my cheekbones. it's also not that forgiving on my pores when i use it on my cheekbones. again, the durability is decent, pretty much the same as the light gold one.
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| arm swatch |
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on my cheekbones
both applied dry |
obviously this is a good purchase. both shades work well for me and i can use it as eyeshadow and as highlighter, which is super good, but i mostly use it as highlighter. i like how it gives shiny glow without being too much, just the way i like about my highlighter. not too subtle, but not blinding either. if you're using this as eyeshadow, then you will get massive color options since this one comes in 22 shades. some of them can be used as highlighter and even blush too, so if you're into multi tasking product, this eyeshadow might serve you well. as for price point, it might be cheap in the US or in europe, but here... there aren't many online shop that sells this, so the price is quite expensive for a single eyeshadow. but considering this is a multi tasking product, it's worth the buy. as for me, since i want to try other powder highlighter, i probably wouldn't repurchase it soon. but i do recommend it. i can see why it's such a best seller.
