Kiko Milano Active Fluo Eyeshadow Palette

I wanted to do a quick little review of this small palette that I picked up about 10 days ago because it's part of a capsule collection (the Active Fluo Collection) and won't be available for an extended period of time.

I'm happy to introduce yet another new brand to the blog- Kiko Milano.

The brand is offering a series of capsule collections in celebration of the brand's 20th birthday. The Active Fluo Collection was created in collaboration with fashion designer Arthur Arbesser, and is loaded with neons.

I'm going to quote Kiko's website:

"Neon effect make-up with pop colours. A fun, high-performance make-up. Energy, dynamism and irony.

Introducing Active Fluo, the third KIKO MILANO capsule collection, created by fashion designer Arthur Arbesser. The designer has created a unique collection that combines bold graphic motifs, patterns and colours with clean, minimalist shapes.

The make-up is vibrant and the fluo colours brimming with energy, for looks that steal the show. The passion, energy and technical performance inherent in sports are revived in specific products designed to maximize make-up hold. Comfort is at all times a must."

I have the Active Fluo Eyeshadow Palette ($16, kikocosmetics.com) to share with you today. It's neon and ridiculous in its fabulosity. The six shadows are all matte, and to be honest- I couldn't stop thinking about this little guy.

This palette will certainly pop in your drawer, and it's a cute little package. This is similar in size to the Dose of Colors palettes (ooh, spoiler alert there for upcoming posts!). It is made in Italy, and has 6 1.5g shadows. I love that the packing itself is neon- it will make it easy to find this pop of color for sure.

It's much nicer for $16 than American counterparts at that price point, just saying. These shades scream summer to me, for sure.

Now, I've got swatches in two different lighting setups. These are a bit sheer but buildable- you'll see what I mean.

First, I cranked up the studio lights and look at what we got. Ick. However, this is closer to the blended out look you can get on the eye- hence why I'd bother to show this photo.

Let's turn down those lights and show something a bit more true to the human eye, ok?

Pretty. Again, they're more watercolor neons. For true pops of color, use primer (I didn't have any on my skin) and a white base. And layer.

For $16, I think this is a pretty awesome little palette.

It did remind me of two other (far more expensive) palettes in my collection, so let's take a look.

Let's start with Kat Von D's Pastel Goth- which is what I thought of after playing with this palette for a couple of days (my initial thought was the Urban Decay Electric palette).

I will say that I prefer Kat Von D's formula- but if you missed Pastel Goth, I think you can find some similar shades here.

OK, let's take a look at a few shades from the Urban Decay Electric Palette.

I know the lighting's a bit different, but I wanted to find the shots that best represented the shades. I'm still fooling with the best setup in my beauty room.

Bottom Line: I think this is an adorable collection, and I'm glad I got this palette. At $16, I find it to be a great value; I have better quality shadows but find Kiko to be reasonably priced and good quality. This isn't my favorite formula offered by the brand, but I'm enjoying this pop of color for summer.