Kiko Summer Sale Haul!

I'm a big Kiko Milano fan. Whenever we're in a European city I try and get near one so I can do a little bargain make up hauling. One of the best of those times was when we were in Rome for my birthday and Himself handed me a basket and told me to work away. That was a great present! This Summer we're saving our funds for a holiday stateside in the Winter so we haven't been to any European cities and therefore, no actual in real life Kiko store.

They do however, have a great online site where you can shop their Summer sale to your hearts content. Granted, they are good value anyway, but add in a sale and you're doing really well!

I had never tried any of their foundations or skincare so I had to give them a go, alongside my fave Kiko products; blushers and lip products. 

2 in 1 Blush/lip sticks are a big thing every Summer. I had seen similar shades from No.7 that were a bit too pricey for me so when I spotted these Tropic Heat Lips & Cheeks for €3.90 each, I had to try them. I picked up Exotic coral and Sweety Mauve. 

At the bottom of the photo there is the Urban Sheen gloss, that's a really Summery lip gloss stick in a coral shade and only €1!

These are the ideal "throw in your holiday luggage" make up. 

The BB Cream Coloured Beauty Balm is described as a "foundation treatment with moisturising active ingredients and a medium sun protection factor". It looks like a white cream but on closer inspection you can see micro-pigments that react with your skin tone to give you a natural looking finish that's super flattering. It's like your skin but better, not to be a total cliché. I really like this, it's perfect for the days where you can't be arsed putting on make-up but still need something to control the death-like pallor. This was €4.40.

The Skin Tone Hydration Foundation also has an SPF15, and is a light, smooth foundation with a radiant finish. This isn't one to wear on a night out and then for the next 42 hours straight- it's light to medium coverage only. It reminds me of Bourjois Healthy glow, it's a great option for daytime and work. This was €11.

On the end there is the Hydra Pro Mask, a moisturising intensive mask. I haven't used this yet but it's just my cup of tea- I always have a couple of dry-skin face masks on my bedside table, they're a vital part of my skincare routine! This was €6.25.

I'll always re-buy brown kohl liners- perfect for a smudged eye and black liquid pen liners when I feel like making a bit more effort. The Precision eye pencil is kind of perfect, it'll still smudge with the help of a brush and a taupe eyeshadow but it doesn't disappear when I smudge it either, like a lot of them do. This was only €2.25.

The Ultimate Pen liquid eyeliner is really good too, very dark, applies easily, lasts well. €4.85.

Just a moment for this packaging please. 

And inside! Glorious! This is the Two-tone baked bush in the shade Natural Beach. There's three versions but this pink and the bronze is really flattering on pale skin. There's great colour payoff too- one swipe and you're in pigment city! It's really lovely on and is only €8.45. Love it. 

That's that! Other good news is Kiko are also cruelty free, something I'm trying really hard to adhere to. You'd be surprised how many brands aren't. 

You can find more from the Kiko Summer sale HERE.

Have you tried anything from Kiko?

To the comments!

XX

Irish Bloggers Made Me Do It!

I'm sure that over the years since I first started blogging that I've enabled others into buying things and that's equally true of all the bloggers I know, love and follow and the effect they've had on my own poor, cowering bank account!

I love blogs and bloggers- I trust the bloggers I follow and I know if they recommend something, then it's good. That got me thinking about the things I've bought or tried recently and who enticed me to pick them up!

There's loads of other bloggers aside from those mentioned here who only need to mention something and I want it but we'd have been here forever so I've narrowed it down to recent buys! 

This is really only a small smattering of the many products I have bought thanks to my fellow Irish bloggers but these are some of my recent faves. 

Sue from Cherry Sue Doin' The Do
Sue is particularly spot on with the fancier things in life so I kept the Tartelette palette filed way in my brain after seeing her recommendation. I think Sue might have actually featured this on her instagram rather than her blog but she praised this palette from Tarte and while I was stateside I fell for it too. I haven't had a chance to review this yet but I love it. Sue was (as always) right, the shadows are buttery soft and so pigmented. Plus they smell like Kinder Bueno, so, bonus. Unfortunately for me, I got this all the way home in my case in perfect condition and then dropped it on my wooden floor at home. Typical, as I am the clumsiest person in the world. As you can see, it's not in the best condition anymore but I still use it on the regular.

Gemma from Beauty Nook
Gemma has a great eye for bargain beauty products and is always way ahead of everyone when it comes to new releases and new trends. These Cream Puff Blushes from Max Factor have been out a while now and at the time, Gemma championed them, so of course I had to try them! These are fab and feel like a much more expensive product than they are.
You can read Gemma's post HERE.

Lorraine from John, It's Only Make Up.

I love Lorraine. She's super witty and make up looks gorgeous on her, with some of the credit for that owing to her extensive skincare knowledge. It's because of Lorraine that I bought NYX Taupe Blush and The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% & HA Spheres 2% (HERE). Granted, I had been aware of the cult following that that particular blush has when used as a contour for pale skin, but it was only when I saw it on Lorraine's blog (HERE) that I added it to the list. I'm still not sure how I feel about that Vit C suspension but Lorraine introduced me to the brand and has more posts on what to try from them HERE and HERE. 

Sinéad from The Beautiful Truth
Sinéad is a blogger, a mum and a teacher so when she recommended Moxi Eye Catcher Cleasnsing & Correcting Buds on TV3 for when you're on the go, I had to try them for myself and I love them! My eye make up is usually pretty smudged after an 8 hour day in work so if I'm on my way somewhere at that stage, I have a few of these ready to go in my bag! If you don't know much about them, they're essentially cotton buds that when activated (snapping the top), they release make up remover to one side, which you can then use to clean off any smudges or mistakes. You can find these in Penneys.

Sera from The Style Guide
Sera is an absolute gem for finding niche products that I didn't know I needed til she tells us all about them! I could spend hours reading her blog- her writing is just the best. After seeing her post on face masks, I had to buy a 10 pack of these bargain-tastic under eye collagen gold masks from eBay. I love them, they're packed with serum that leaves my skin really soft. Plus, they make me look like a superhero. Win-win.
HERE's her review.

Emma from Ol' Green Eyes
Anything Emma puts on her face instantly makes me want to go out and buy it- she's a stunner! I had been debating buying Charlotte Tilbury's Pillow Talk lipstick and then I saw it on Emma and sure, that was that. And I love it!
There's a review from Emma HERE and my own HERE if you're interested in seeing it for yourself. I also want a pair of Emma's tassel earrings but that's another matter..

Karen from Lovely Girlie Bits

I had seen the Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita palette on Karen's blog long before I bought it (as a getting-out-of-hospital-present for myself) and it was seeing what that bronze shade did to her irises that made me want it. This is a perfect little palette- great for the blue or green eyed amongst us. As Karen would say, you need this on your eyeballs, stat! (I added the 'stat' part myself). 

You can see it in action on Karen's face, HERE. 

I'll probably make this a series cause there's really no end to the brilliant Irish bloggers that are out there who influence all of my purchases!

If in the meantime you need more ideas, check out Andreea of Your Beauty, Yavanna of Make Up Monster, Edel from The Pharmer's Journal, and Siobhán from Beautylymin, to name but a very few. 

So, Confession time! 

What have you bought because of an Irish blogger and which of my purchases here have you tried?

To the comments!

XX

Pixi + Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse | Review

You have by now, more than likely heard about the collaboration between makeup/skincare brand Pixi & beauty blogger/skincare lover, Caroline Hirons. 

Hirons knows her stuff when it comes to skincare and her thing is the double cleanse; that is, the use of an oil based cleanser to remove the obvious layer of make up from your face and another cleanse after that with a cream or liquid based cleanser to remove what's left. 

This has been a big seller for cult US brand Pixi so it was only a matter of time before I gave it a go myself.

As you can see, you get two sections for your cleanse; a solid oil that melts when warmed on your fingers/face and following that, a cleansing cream to clean your actual skin, now that the make up has been removed. If you think that sounds like a lot of faffing and believe me, that is EXACTLY what I thought, it's well worth giving this a go. 

If you are also thinking- why not just use one if they're both such great cleansers? Well, Caroline (I feel like we should be on first name terms as I watch her giving out to her sons on her Insta-stories all the time), says that the oil part is really just for loosening and removing makeup and SPF, while the cream cleanser has more beneficial ingredients to properly clean and massage your skin.

Caroline also says that they've done their best to make this product as user friendly to as many skin types as possible, so there's no mineral oil or Shea butter in there (not great for oily skins) and instead there's camellia oil and evening primrose oil. She's also made both cleansers scent free, so if you're of a sensitive disposition, that'll sit well with you too. As for my own dry skin, I really like it. The oil is very comfortable on and removes all my make up, even from my eyes with no stinging or discomfort, along with a muslin cloth soaked in warm water. The temptation to stop there and go put on serum and moisturiser is strong, especially when tired but the cream cleanser is lovely too and leaves my skin nice and soft with that super clean feeling.

So basically, it's thumbs up from me. It's very handy to have both cleansers in the one tub and it would be great for travel, if you were that committed to your double cleanse. I can't say I am but then, I tend to bring miniatures away with me when travelling to afford more weight for all the shite I then buy in the likes of Sephora etc. Sure look, it's why we're all here!

If you're looking to try a double cleanse for yourself, you can find Pixi online from Cloud 10 Beauty or in the beauty hall in Marks and Spencers.

Are you a fan of the double cleanse? Have you tried this offering from Pixi and Caroline Hirons?

To the comments!

xx