January 2018 Favorites & Empties Recap

It's been a couple of months since I've done a monthly favorites post. While this will be considered January's favorites and fails, this is really more like a "mid-Winter favorites" edition.


First, a quick note about my utter failure of the brand focus for January. You'll see the best of the best reflected here, but the concept is one I'm not loving. It turns out that the brand that I picked for January (Smashbox) doesn't excite me. I found a few new loves, but my new favorite product out of the bunch was a CCO pick which is discontinued.


Primers, Foundations, and Concealers:

1- Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer (a new discovery), 2- Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Pore Minimizing (rivals Benefit's Porefessional), 3- L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base (does the job that I hope someday soon injectibles will take over), 4- Makeup Revolution Conceal & Define Concealer (a lovely drugstore concealer I've been reaching for), 5- Smashbox Studio Skin 24 Hour Waterproof Concealer (a fantastic discovery), 6- Guerlain L'Or Primer (is a HG, especially when paired with) 7- La Mer The Soft Fluid Foundation (I do love this, despite the price), 8- Kiko Skin Tone Concealer (is my favorite color corrector, sorry to see the local store closed), 9- Lancome Teint Idole Foundation (is too much on its own, but I've found an ideal mate in), 10- Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Oil (too much on its own but my new favorite mixing oil), 11- Too Faced Hangover Rx 3-in-1 Replenishing Primer and Setting Spray (perfect for winter), 12- Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer- Radiance (one of my new favorite discoveries, I just wish I didn't have so many radiance primers at the moment), 13- ColourPop No Filter Concealer (quite nice, just oxidizes a bit)


Powders:

1- Maybelline Fit Me! Loose Finishing Powder 05 Fair (the raves were real), 2- CoverFx Illuminating Setting Powder (is part of my project pan but I do like it under my eyes as it turns out), 3- Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light (my HG undereye powder), 4- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (my new HG)


Bronzer, Contour, and Brows:

1- Too Faced Sweet Peach Glow (the bronzer is outstanding on my pale complexion), 2- MAC Studio Sculpt Defning Bronzing Powder in Delicates (a new cool-toned favorite), 3- ELF Brow Kit in Light (multitasker-- I use the pomade on my brows and love the powder as a contour), 4- Benefit Browvo! Conditioning Primer (is something I love when I'm using it but always forget to repurchase), 5- Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Whiz in Medium Brown (no words necessary)


Blush:

1- Too Faced Sweet Peach Glow (has a lovely peach blush that leaves a healthy glow), 2- Smashbox Soft Lights in Prism (my absolute new favorite discovery and I'm gutted that the brand was foolish enough to discontinue it), 3- Physicians Formula Butter Blush in Plum Rose (a lovely nude blush only for fair complexions), 4- Clinique Cheek Pop in Nude Pop (one of my all-time favorites), 5- Chantecaille Cheek Shade in Blush (it's back in the philanthropy collection!)


Highlighter:

1- theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer (I'm sadly very late to this party), 2- Laura Geller Baked Highlighter in French Vanilla (a true favorite), 3- NYX Love You So Mochi Arcade Glam (a shockingly wonderful new discovery)

Eye Primers, Liners, and Mascaras:

1- Too Faced Glitter Glue (my go-to for glitters and shimmers), 2- Smashbox 24 hour Shadow Primer & Photo Finish Lid Primer (a wonderful duo of primers- one new, one an old favorite- that I've been enjoying), 3- Inglot AMC Gel Eyeliners in 77 & 78 (love these eyeliners and have been loving a teeny wing lately), 4- NYX Slide On, Glide On Eyeliner in Jewel (love this on the lower lash line with pinky looks), 5- NYX Metallic Eyeliner in Rose Gold (a great new Spring 2018 release), 6- Anastasia Beverly Hills Darkside Eyeliner (how did I ever live without this?), 7- Anastasia Beverly Hills Metallic Luster Liners in Liquid Silver and Liquid Gold (so lovely to use on a daily basis), 8- Urban Decay Subversion Lash Primer (my favorite lash primer to date), 9-Chanel Le Volume Mascara in Ultra Black (I'm so sorry to see my final tube done and gone. I love this so much)


Eyeshadow Palettes:

1- NARS Wanted Palette (Admittedly, this was an impulse purchase but the roses and pinks just called my name. Look for a full review from me soon), 2- LORAC California Dreaming Palette (this is new to me- I put it away, unused when I was able to nab it on sale. This seemed to be the perfect month to pull it out, and I'm thrilled), 3- NYX Love You So Mochi Palettes (these are the shocker of the spring for me so far. So, so good!), 4- Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette (I've been feeling rosy looks, so this came out to join the mix)

Lips:

1- NARS Audacious Lipstick in Anita (I was on a pinky nude kick this month and happy to pull this old favorite out), 2- Clinique Pop Lip Color- Nude Pop (this is in promo packaging but this is a lovely nude for daily wear), 3- Shea Moisture Luscious Lipstick in Tea Rose (one of my all-time cool-toned MLBB favorites), 4- Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Primrose (my best discovery of the month), 5- Butter London Sheer Wisdom Lip Oils (Ballet Blush pictured but several shades are stunning), 6- By Terry Baume de Rose (any version- I used the original potted, original gloss, and tinted glosses), 7- Hourglass GIRL Stylo in Creator (another lovely pink), 8- NYX Butter Lipstick in Root Beer Float (my favorite discovery from the Holiday 2017 kit), 9- bareMinerals GenNude Liquid Lipsticks in Smooch and Slay (my two favorite shades of the line, this shows the types of colors I'm into this time of year), 10- NudeStix Intense Matte Lip & Cheek Pencil in Belle (finally, a great discovery from the Macy's box!), 11- Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Babe Alert (my favorite of the line), 12- Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in Fenty Glow (this ended up on my lips just about every day. I'm obsessed)




Now, a quick note on my empties. I've been tracking my personal Project Pan on Instagram, but here's some analysis on the regular products I've used up- and the dollar value.

This didn't include any decluttered items, so it's shocking to see my monthly total over $900. I've decided to track these stats this year with the hopes of making my future spending conform with it. I know the bath/body will diminish once it gets warmer.

What have you loved or used up?

Kiko Arctic Holiday Collection: Holographic Highlighter in 01 White Snowflake, Metal Eyeshadow in 03 Mysterious Blue, and Eyeliner in 03

First, a giant warning and scolding: I am aware that these products aren't holo- their boxes are. I'm using the product name that's provided by the brand.

I know my holo, ok?

I picked up three products from the Kiko Arctic Holiday Collection- but I wanted everything. I've got the Holographic Highlighter 01 White Snowflake, Metal Eyeshadow 03 Mysterious Blue, and Eyeliner 03 today.

Let's start with the Holographic Highlighter.

The box is the only holo thing, but that doesn't mean this highlighter isn't pretty!

These weigh in at 3.5g/0.12oz and retail for $18. There are two shades- Shade 02 is a gold that'd be gorgeous on deep skintones so I didn't pick it up. White Snowflake was made for me though.

This stunner has a real purple shift that's made it one of my favorites.

Let's go to the swatch- this swatch and all others in this post are finger swatches as opposed to my usual brush method due to the texture and pan designs:

I've only tested this once because I can't force myself to put another highlighter down. I am looking forwarding to playing with this once it gets cooler- I see this as a true winter product for me.

One of the things you may not know about me is that purple highlighters are my weakness. I'm so very happy that Becca has stealth repromoted two of my favorite shades this holiday (Rose Quartz and Prismatic Amethyst- don't those tell you my comfort zone?) and I'll be snagging a backup of Prismatic Amethyst. Since the Kiko highlighter in question appears to be selling fast, here are a few comparison swatches.

L-R (reviews linked when they exist): Kat Von D Ultra Violet, Becca Prismatic Amethyst, Kiko White Snowflake, Ulta Fairy, Anastasia Beverly Hills Purple Horseshoe, ABH Spectra

To the naked eye, it's closest to ABH Spectra from the Aurora palette- but they're different enough to justify owning both. The Kiko's got more obvious sparkle. Sad thing is I didn't swatch one powder and two other liquid purple highlighters. I told you, they're a thing for me.



Next up, the single Metal Eyeshadow ($14) that I picked up.

There are four of these in the collection, and at first, I had them all in my bag. I selected 03 Mysterious Blue because it's unique in my collection.

This eyeshadow contains 2.5g/0.08oz of product.

This is a darkened blue glitter with a black base. But this pan? It's just lovely.

Take a look at the swatch, under two different light conditions.

The left side is under natural lighting, the right side is under artificial lighting to pull out the sparkle.

Now, a quick note on the other shades. I managed this sneaky swatch pic here:

I debated the cream eyeshadow sticks ($12), but passed. I liked the metallic lipsticks ($12) but the shade I wanted was out of stock. When they say limited, my store had 2-5 of each item!

Let's talk about the Metal Eyeshadows for a minute. My impulse was to buy all four, but here's why I only brought home one. 01 Frozen Gold is gorgeous but I have so many other pretty shades similar to it. I bought Natasha Denona Aeris the day before I went to the Kiko store, so that's why I passed on 02 Burgundy Aurora. I literally was testing the burgundy shade from Aeris so I swatched the tester on my hand, walked over to the mirror, and held it up near my eye. Done. I would've picked up 04 Nordic Graphite if I hadn't just bought MAC Starry, Starry Night.

I'm also so happy that I passed on the blue pigment from the Fall 2.0 collection-so this is truly unique in my collection!

I haven't been able to give this a true wear test because it's a weekend color- and I'm doing a look every night for #ProjectUseThemALL. I did test it along my lower lash line for a pop of color and it hung in well. It's also looked lovely the time that I tried it for a 3-hour stint. Normally I'd hold a review until I had a full wear test in, but these are limited edition and I wanted to get up a review ASAP. I have this in my travel bag and have it with me right now- I'll comment down below on my thoughts if I wear it while visiting family.

Now, let's talk about the final item I picked up, a double-ended liner ($9)

This has both a deep red side

And a soft, green, sparkling end.

I was really unhappy when I broke the tip on the green side just swatching:

So be warned, that shade is hella soft.

So, here's how the eyeliner looks, swatched:

I think these are really nice shades, and if I didn't have a ton of eyeliners I'd look at picking up the others.

Bottom Line: I have a feeling this is just round one of several for this collection. I'm really a huge fan of Kiko's releases- and I love the general vibe of this collection. Check back soon for the probable Round 2.

Kiko Milano Fall 2.0 Magnetic Eyeshadows & Eye Mask

After falling in love with the one Kiko Magnetic Eyeshadow that I initially purchased, I went back for more. Truthfully, it was the stunning performance with primer that made me think that I needed more of these.

There are a total of six shadows in this collection; my purchase means that I own half of the collection. These contain 0.7g/0.02oz each and retail for $16. I selected shades 04 Purple Mind and 06 Thinking Green to add to my collection.

In case you're interested, the remaining three shades were a deep copper, royal blue, and dark brown.

Let's start out with 04 Purple Mind.

I went back and forth on this shade, but decided that it was unique. I love the packaging- and think that having the bottom sticker match the shadow is a perfect touch.

04 Purple Mind is a sparkly, warm-toned purple. It's unlike anything else I have in my stash. And that's saying something. I normally go for the cool purples, but this screamed fall to me.

I love these magnetic loose pigments- they're so silky smooth. This shade also swatches like a dream.

That's one swipe, without any primer. When I tested this with primer, it still looked pristine when I removed it at the 14 hour mark. The performance of these shadows makes me wish I'd invested in the MAC Spellbinders last year. Oh, well.

Next up, 06 Thinking Green.

I'm so into green shadows right now, even though they're not necessarily the most flattering against my light blue eyes. It's all green everything though- this reminds me of a sweater I just bought. This... this is holiday.

It reminds me of a spruce green- just a tad of blue undertones to the forest green.

Just looking at how much was on the inner lid, I had a feeling this was different when I first opened it. I wish I hadn't been right.

But don't worry, this has a happy ending.  Just stay with me.

Here's the one-coat swatch, no primer. Go ahead and grimace with me.

WTF, right? The good news is that it builds up nicely. The following swatch is still no primer- but I patted 1-2 additional coats and built it up. This still doesn't exactly show how beautiful it really is.

So, I decided to get out Too Faced Glitter Glue.  And if I'm going to show you just how much of a difference the base makes, why not get out all three of these babies.

Behold the sparkly goodness.

What a difference, right? Now there's my beautiful shadows and the performance I'm used to. I think this shows why I'm quite smitten with these. With the 36M shelf life, I can actually see these getting used.


Now, I have a little bonus review to wrap up the post today. I noticed that there's an eye mask that pairs with this collection for a cool $6.

It's a black lace mask- this is the only in-action photo you'll see. I had a hard time with it being really large on me.  And yes, I do have a tiny, faint freckle/mole on my eyelid there.

It's not my favorite eye mask, and I didn't find it to be extremely hydrating. It was fun to try it once, but I wouldn't repurchase. There weren't any long-lasting benefits.


Overall, I continue to be impressed with Kiko's offerings. I'm writing this before the Holiday collection launches, but by the time that this goes live I will have made my way to my store to check it out. I'm only sorry that I didn't explore this brand earlier- it's consistently great products. The Magnetic eyeshadows are so good that I'm keeping these in my drawer for the month. That's saying something! I hope that additional shades are released in the future- I'd love a champagne.

Have you tried anything from the collection?

Kiko Trick and Treat Mask

Happy Halloween!

A recent trip into my local Kiko store yielded this awesome discovery- the Kiko Trick and Treat Mask ($4).

I probably should've reviewed this before now so that you could pick it up before the holiday, but I picked it up way too late to do so.



This is a hydrating mask with a twist- it's shaped like a bat!

Looking at the ingredients, the actives are supposed to include chamomile, carrot, cucumber, and hyaluronic acid. They're at the tail end of the ingredient list, so I'd just call this more of a "feel-good" novelty item than a serious treatment.

I found this to be a cute little treat and won't hesitate to pick up a future holiday-themed mask. It worked well and I enjoyed the experience.

Trick or Treat!

Kiko Milano Fall 2.0 Magnetic Shadow in 01 Over the Taupe

Remember MAC Spellbinder Eyeshadows? Those magnetic, shimmery pigments?

Kiko has brought out a version of them in their Fall 2.0 Collection. Although I've collected two more since I bought this one, I wanted to roll out this review while working my way through a stack of holiday releases. This is more of a quick overview than a real review- look for that when I go through the other 2 shades.

Say Hello to 01 Over the Taupe.

This is a cool-toned shimmer with a crazy glitter. It's pretty pigmented, although you have to pat and blend carefully to make sure it's even.


For $16, you receive 0.7g/0.02oz of product in a frosted glass container- with a 36M shelf life. After my initial experience with these, I think this is a product I'll use up in that time.

In lieu of a swatch, how about I just show this in action?

Whoa, right?

You're seeing it over Glitter Glue- and that's it for a base. I recently tested this (rather unwittingly) for 17 hours. My foundation was a wreck, I looked like a mess.. aside from eyes. They were bangin' at the end of the day.

I was so impressed that I scooped up two more shades after that!

If you have a Kiko store nearby, you should go try these. If you don't, you may want to consider adding these to an online order. They're that good. I'm thrilled to have three of the six shades to incorporate in my collection.

Kiko Cream Lipstick in 02 Cool Rose

Today I'll be bringing you a very small Kiko review.

I picked up the Creamy Lipstick over the 4th of July weekend for a cool $2.90 on sale because, well, who can resist? Normally I'd be leery of inexpensive lipstick, but I recently purchased an amazing sheer lipstick at Kiko for $1.

The sales associate also sold me by telling me these were new, and had come in on sale. Then, I swatched. The Creamy lipstick line was available in four shades in-store but online, it comes in six shades. It's also listed online as being a new formula.


Just like other Kiko reviews, let's go straight to their own product description:

"Creamy, full-shade lipstick.

Its creamy, enveloping texture leaves lips with a feeling of ultra long-lasting softness and comfort. 

Glides on smoothly. Immediate colour pay-off. 

Available in six colours.

Dermatologically tested."

I picked up shade 02- Cool Rose to test.

I used to favor these types of pinks, but I don't wear them often these days. Admittedly, it's because I haven't purchased one in awhile and I loved the texture that I selected this.

I find Kiko's simple, clean tubes to be nice. They're not luxurious, but they're nice to pop in your purse:

I had a hard time accurately capturing the color of the lipstick with my camera, but I have a feeling the comparison swatches will give you a better idea.

See what I mean?  The next shot is the most accurate.

So no, not a unique color. But it's a lovely color that I find to be flattering.

Let's talk formula for a minute- it's luscious. Just like its name suggests, it's creamy. It's also pigmented and lovely.

Here it is, swatched under photography lights:

And under warm ambient light:

Now, the real test: would it cover my pigmented lips?

Yes.

Now that's a pretty, flattering cool pink. It's shiny and glossy and I would've loved to have had it this past spring.

As I mentioned, I used to really love shades like this. I reached into my stash to grab two of my favorites- one of which has a similar formula to the Kiko (the Lancome):

So color-wise, it's close to MAC Snob. Formula-wise it's like the Lancome.

Bottom Line: If you're able to get your hands on one of these, I'd pick the color that calls to you- albeit I'd recommend a lighter shade with an emollient formula. For a bargain price, I've added a real gem to my collection.