KIKO are a new brand for me but as they’ve been getting a lot of attention I thought I’d better get with the programme and find out what they are all about!
In fact KIKO, an Italian brand founded in 1997, are relatively new to the UK market but they’ve been very busy opening new shops all over the country as well as selling online. Luckily for me they are currently running a 5 products for £10 offer which is an amazing bargain and a great way to discover a selection of products from a new brand so I did this as well as getting a couple of other things that weren’t in the promotion. Here are my first impressions and some swatches at the bottom of the post.

What was in my shopping bag?

Long Lasting Stick Eye Shadow
In shades 21 ‘ Passionfruit’, 36 ‘Golden Mauve’ and 42 ‘Lavender’.
I can certainly believe that these are long lasting as the swatches on the back of my hand didn’t budge for the rest of the day and took some time to remove later on in the bath! The Lavender is a slightly paler shade than I expected based on the website representation but still very nice, I particularly like the Golden Mauve as it’s unusual and totally unlike any other stick shadow I have.

Mixing Solution
A solution for use with loose pigments and powder shadows which can be used to create a creamy mixture or to dip your brush in prior to application to help them adhere. Not something I’ve come across before and thought I’d give it a whirl! Have any of you tried this product?

Smart Lipstick
In shade 926 ‘Marsala’.
Lovely shade and seems like a nice formula but the tube doesn’t seem too well put together – I worried I was going to break it when I swatched it on the back of my hand as the product leaned backwards into it’s own packaging. There’s now a nice mark in the back of the lipstick and lipstick on the edge of the tube. If it’s that vulnerable when it’s solid and cold I dread to think what might happen if it gets warm! I can see this being depotted. You can see on my swatch where I smudged slightly due to the unexpected give.

Kiss Balm
In shade 06 ‘Blackberry’. A tinted lip balm, it swatches a lot stronger on the hand than it appears on the lip for me at least. Still it feels very comfortable and looks quite natural, it would work well with a very minimalistic make-up look. I probably won’t be using it too often though as it is mainly petroleum (think vaseline) based.

High Pigment Eye Shadow
In shade 11 ‘Pearly Marsala’
When KIKO say ‘high pigment’ it seems they mean it! This shadow really packs a punch and I haven’t even tried using it wet yet. If these pass the longevity test I can see me adding quite a few of them to my collection as the pigment really is good. This is quite a browny version of marsala and I think it will be fairly versatile.

Water Eye Shadow
In shade 203 ‘Burgundy’
This shadow is also really packing in the pigment very well and is very pretty to look at to boot. This one is apparently specially designed to be easier to use when used wet and that is where the textured design comes in.
I did my swatches for all of the KIKO shadows with a single swipe, there was no need to go back in for a second one.

Artist Mineral Loose Eye Shadow
In shades 04 ‘Abstract Burgundy’ and 05 ‘Skill Blue’.
These are gorgeous glittery loose shadows I particularly like the burgundy one. I seem to have a bit of burgundy/plum thing going on recently! The pots themselves have one of those funny little fabric sifters which are very easy to use.

The Swatches

Long Lasting Stick Eye Shadow 21, 36 & 42	Smart Lipstick 926 & Kiss Balm 06
Water Eye Shadow in 203 & High Pigment Eye Shadow in 11	The Artist Loose Eye Shadows in 05 and 04

I post larger version of all my swatch pictures over on my Flickr page if you want a closer look at any of them.

Have you tried any KIKO make-up? Is there anything I really need to try out?