6 Spring Picks

1. River Island Strappy Block Heeled Sandals:
   These sandals as my go to spring shoe at the moment, they are the perfect heel, a few inches tall and block making them comfortable and well, sassy! They're a black suede material that lace up from toe to ankle which is massively on trend for SS16. 
2. Bourjois Rouge Velvet - Honey Mood:
   As you well know if you've read any of my previous posts I bloomin' love these lip lacquers. They have hours of longevity as you would expect from a liquid lipstick they can be slightly drying but for me it's the colour of this lippy I'm loving. This product is a perfect highstreet dupe for Mac Vegas Volt, coral orange with a peachy pink undertone...if that doesn't describe spring/summer I don't know what does?!
3. Tartelette in Bloom Eyeshadow Pallet:
   If you read my full review from last week of this beaut you'll know it has quickly become the first palette I reach for every morning. Without repeating myself, it contains 12 shades, 3 lusters and 9 mattes. Now it surprised me how much I didn't mind the matte to shimmer ratio as I'm a lover of a glistening lid. But the 3 provided are so versatile and the mattes work and blend with them seamlessly to create unlimited combinations of beautiful looks.
4. Primark Tailored Suede Jacket- Grey:
   It appears there is a suede theme running through this post which wouldn't shout out spring summer aka less and/or lighter weight clothing however this jacket somehow works it. Obviously as it's primark it's faux suede and a complete steal at £20, because of this it doesn't weigh you down. It is a lightweight jacket and sits perfectly in the relaxed tailoring trend. It has sharp raw edges which keep it modernised nevertheless the sleek and classic cut give it the winning combination to a staple in every wardrobe.
5. Marc Jacobs Perfume- Daisy 
   This perfume is an oldie but a goodie! Marc Jacobs can do no wrong with scents, it seems every fragrance is divine and the daisy line all started here. The notes that come through with the scent are very floral  however well balanced with touches of musk and jasmine to ensure it's not too sweet. I love the description online for this perfume, it is described as 'the essence of youthful spirit: young, happy, free.' For me that is spring/summer in a nutshell therefore why wouldn't you want to spritz yourself with youth, happiness and freedom everyday? I know I do.
6. Kiko Ulimited Stylo - 02 Pearly Vintage Rose:
   Again, I don't want to repeat myself but this long lasting lipstick is high in the favourites rankings. As mentioned in my Kiko Haul they have matte finish and mid-level longevity. However similarly to the Bourjois lippy, its the colour that is my perfect pick for this time of year!!! Its a toned down coraly peach which would work for both a daytime or evening look. As said in my previous post don't be put off by the name 'pearly' as it's really not however I'd totally agree with the rest of its shade names.  

Let me know what your current spring favs are?
Catch up with me on insta.

That's all for now beauties,

Thanks for reading!

Mucho Love,
Liv
♥

Kiko Haul // First Impressions

 

Kiko is a brand I've always been fond of, it's a high street yet non-high street brand for us here in the UK as it is predominantly an online. However some cities are lucky enough to have some independent stores, my nearest being the beautiful city of Cambridge. 

I may given into my weakness and splurged (I use that word loosely as the products were so affordable) on a few new purchases. 

These pictures were taken and products tried on the same day they flew through the letterbox so I thought I'd give you my honest first impressions! 

I purchased 6 items whilst on my spree, as luckily for me Kiko had a buy 3 get 3 free promotion (try saying that 5 times) and I'd had my eye on a few products for a while... so I thought it would have been rude not to?! 

Soft Focus Concealer : Shade 01 Light

At first glance I really like this packaging, I think the mirrored effect gives the product a high brow feel, unfortunately I this didn't reflect in the product itself. 

The colour of this shade has a predominantly yellow undertone and I don't have the world's fairest skin and this shade isn't light on me at all. Moreover, I found the consistency of the formula to be thin and watery. I'm not sure if that's what they were going for when the called it soft focus, as in, no focus? I wasn't expecting a full coverage creamy concealer when I purchased this product. However, as it also features in there illuminators category, I was expecting something that would blur any imperfections and brighten the chosen area. Personally I don't feel this concealer does either of those things, let alone conceal anything. 

Rebel Bouncy Blush - Shade: Velvety Peach

This blusher is a difficult one to try and describe, don't get me wrong I totally love it. It is marketed as 'lightweight powder' yet I would describe it a creamy texture, it is really buttery to touch and literally melts onto the skin. I found applying it can work well with both fingers or a brush and as it says on the tin, the technique of bouncing the brush lightly onto the cheek using circular motions gives a seamless look. Finally it is a matte blush which isn't something I'd normally opt for but I am so glad I did. The matte finish of this gives me the option of the final outcome of the look at want to achieve and also lets me play around more with different highlighters without mixing two tones of shimmer. 

Finally can we give Kiko a round of applause for this divine packaging! Rose gold, you cannot go wrong with Rose Gold, we all know that!

Metallic Eyeshadow - Shade: Dynamic Taupe

I'm torn with this product, my first impressions were, that isn't taupe? Granted it is certainly metallic but it's not taupe. I would class this as silver. Nevertheless, I do like the colour, it's not what I thought I was buying but thankfully it's a yes from me. This is a dense product packed with colour yet it has an extremely supple texture that glides on effortlessly and due to its density has the perfect level of pigmentation for a everyday look with an extra bit of pizzaz.

Unlimited Stylelo

These lipsticks are my favourite of the whole haul and I have every intention of getting more colours to add to my collection. Unlimited Stylo lipsticks are marketed simply as long lasting lipsticks and Kiko couldn't have been more accurate. 

However, when I first opened the product and started to apply them I was completely thrown off course. They have a soft creamy consistency and feel like a they are going to be a nourishing creme lipstick...oh how wrong that impression was. After a few minutes (or less) on the lips this product turns into a non transferable, semi matte lipstick. Kiko claim these last for up to 8 hours, but who doesn't reapply there lipstick over an 8 hour period? I just wouldn't expect that kind of longevity from any product to be frank. I would say the finish somewhere in between a Mac matte lipstick and a Bourjois rouge velvet lip lacquer. Additionally, the colour payoff is impeccable for a product of this budget, to achieve both looks below I hand on heart only applied 1 layer of product and they produced two full coverage lip looks. 

I purchased the shades:

Shade: 02 Pearly Vintage Rose

Shade: 13 Cocoa  

And I already love both, The pearly vintage rose isn't pearly at all...thankfully matte pearly lips would be weird right? but is a lovely vintage peach tone which could easily be worn day or night. Plus I think it would work easily with any skin tone as it is a very true peach and would adapt well to lighter of darker skin. 

The second of the two isn't actually what I was expecting, online it seemed less cool toned and more of a brown toned nude. Nevertheless now I have it I'm really glad as I don't have another colour like it in my current collection. It's a cool tones brown with hues of bluey/purple running through it because of this I think it would suit fair to mid-tone skin as I really think it complements my own.

Have you tried anything you couldn't live without from Kiko?

Have you seen there new summer limited edition launch? How beautiful is it?!

Let me know thoughts and comments in the box below or catch up with me over on Instagram.

Thats all for now beauties,

Thanks for reading.

Mucho Love
Liv
 ♥

H&M Haul: Beauty Edition

About 6 months ago the beloved H&M launched their first 500+ beauty and skin care range.
Consisting of all of your makeup bag essentials such a lippy, eyeliner, eyeshadows, brushes and the makeup bag itself! We saw the skin and hair care lines launch with beautiful minimalist packaging headlining products such as, dry shampoos and texture sprays. Alongside this an array of body lotions and potions to meet your every need. Last but certainly not least they introduced an extensive nail polish collection, with a wall of nail varnishes I could only dream about- colour coordinated perfection.

So, with the above in mind I would be crazy not to snap up a few pieces!
So far I've got 3 Colour Essence eye pencils , 1 perfume, (since photographing the products) 6 nail varnishes, 1 blush and an Iphone case...which I am well aware is completely off topic but loooook- it's so pretty and it's made with real pressed flowers!!!

Colour Essence Eye Pencils:

I've got 3 lovely colours, Raw Umber (brown), Come in Third (copper) and Wildlife (earthy green). 

These eyeliners are highly pigmented and have a shimmer through them. These can be used as eyeliner, a wash of colour over the lid or even swiped through the wet line. Their consistency is super creamy and butter-like but they set quickly so you've got to be fast with your application- especially if you're wanting to blend them out. I've loved using them in the wet line and smudged out to a soft focus through the lower lash line to add a flash of colour and depth to my eye look.

Nail Varnishes:

I bloomin' love H&M nail varnishes! Since taking these snaps as I said my collection had grown (this is the trouble with working in the city and having the ease to walk to any shop on my lunch break, its great but my purse sometimes tells me off for it). I have Olive Twist, the colour I am wearing in the above pictures, Beach Bunny, Copper Penny and Glitter.
So I got the glitter just before christmas and I pretty much wore it for the whole of December and January! It's a holographic glitter so even though its main colouring is gold the holographic pigments in it give it a disco ball/pearlescent effect and I had so many compliments when wearing! The copper is a metallic polish which means it applies with ease, 1 coat will totally surfice and it dries so much quicker, so if you need a quick lunch break fix up this style of polish should be your pick. The final colour Beach Babe is a beautiful pinky-coral colour it's spring summer all over which is why I brought it a few weeks ago to wear to a wedding this weekend.

Mandarin Gold Eau De Toilette- Limited Edition:
Okay, so I'm not going to go into great depth with this perfume as when I bought it I didn't realise I was buying a limited edition product and I always get frustrated when bloggers rave over limited editions products because if they're as good as they say they are they're not going to be sitting on the shelves for long! This is a lovely scent and I can honestly say it's different to anything I've ever smelt previously. Its very rich so you literally only need a light spritz. Fortunately, they do have lots of other lovely scents and they are the perfect handbag size a great price thats easy on your purse!

Powder Blush- Golden Peach:

These blushes pack a punch! They are pretty pigmented so you really don't need to load your brush with much to get the desired effect. This particular colour has gold flecks through it so it is basically a 2 in 1 as it acts as a highlight as well. I really like the packaging of this product, not necessarily the quality of the packaging as none of this makeup is pricey so I wouldn't expect anything to blow me away. However I  love the geometric shape of the packaging and the detail of the gold edging just adds a little bit of something to the overall look. These blushes come in a range of 16 colours so there is something for every skintone, next on my wish list is the colours Rosy Brown or Apricot as I think they'll add the perfect more bronzy tone to a summer makeup look. 

That brings me to the end of my haul and so far so good H&M, round of applause!

*Clapping hands emoji*

Have you got anything from H&M beauty I'm yet to try?

Any recommendations or keep clears?

Let me know in the comments below or catch up with me on Instagram.

That's all for now beauties,

Thanks for reading!

Mucho love,

Liv

♥