Kiko is one of those brands that tends to do a lot of good products at a more affordable prices. I feel like they are trying to copy quality of high end brands, but still make the prices affordable. When I saw their Radiant Fusion Baked Powders on the internet and heard some say that they look similar to Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders, I was intrigued. It definitely looked similar. Because I liked powder so much, I also bought bronzer. To be honest, I have very little powders and bronzer, so I easily justified the purchase.
Kiko Radiant Fusion Baked Powder - 01 Ivory
Packaging is very elegant and can easily match up to high end brands. It has a silver plastic packaging that has a mirrored look. It has magnetic closing which is so satisfying. I don't know if it's just me, but magnetic closing screams luxury to me. I admit I've been playing with it, opening and closing it. Don't judge!
In it is 10 grams of product and it costs 12.90€. You can choose among 6 different shades.
It's a mineral baked formula with a luminous finish. You would think that it has a very dry formula, but it actually feels slightly wet. Especially when you apply it on the skin with fingers, you get almost a bit creamy feeling.
If you look really closely, you'll see that it has tiny shimmer in the formula. This gives the powder a lovely luminous feel. It doesn't look shiny in any way, it just gives you a very slight sheen to the skin. I'd say it's a satin like luminous finish.
Kiko Flawless Fusion Bronzer Powder - 01 Natural Tan
Bronzer has the same plastic silver packaging with magnetic closing. The only difference is that this packaging is flatter, because it's not a baked product and it doesn't have that 3D look. That's why the packaging is also a bit flatter.
In it is 12 grams of product and it costs 10.90€. They have a range of 6 shades to choose from.
They call it bronzer for an even-looking complexion. This is again one of those not too dry, but also not wet formulas. It has a bit of wetness to it.
The finish is satin. It doesn't look flat out matte, because it has just a bit of that natural sheen. I actually like that. Matte can look very powdery and flat and I also don't like shimmery bronzers - only for the summer.
I chose both products in their lightest shades - 01. Usually, I am in the lightest shades anyway and I did tried the shades in the store. Some say that powder oxidizes and that you should get a lighter shade. It definitely doesn't look as fair on the skin as it does on the swatch, so take this into consideration when buying. It might just be that it settles in your foundation and kind of disappears. Which is true in my case.
Radiant Fusion Baked Powder in 01 Ivory is very light, almost transparent kind of shade. It has just a tiny bit of yellow tone to it. I don't think this will play a huge role on cool skin tones, but if you have a lot of pink in your skin, you might want to try it out in the store first. I am really happy with this shade. It's perfect for my skin tone in cooler months and it blends well with my foundations.
Flawless Fusion Bronzer Powder in 01 Natural Tan looks sort of neutral in the pan, but on me it's actually very warm toned with yellow undertone. The more you apply, the warmer it looks. If you have cool skin tone, stay away from this shade. You'd be better with a bit pinkier or redish undertones.
I compared Kiko powder to Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder in 001 Transparent. They are both very light, but Rimmel is slightly lighter and more white based. Kiko's has a bit of yellow undertone. It's not too visible on the face, but it does look strong on my heavy swatch. It's just slightly warm toned.
Kiko bronzer I compared to my second favorite - Essence LE Light of Orient Bronzer in 01 Sunkissed Beauty. Essence's has visible satin sheen to it, while Kiko's doesn't seem to be as shiny, but it's also not completely matte. Essence's is also slightly more red toned and even a bit more greyish, while Kiko's is definitely yellow warm toned and more on the orange side. But if you apply it lightly, it's not too warm. theBalm Betty-Lou Manizer is the darkest of these all and obviously the most shimmery and shiny. It's also really warm toned and very much orange like.
I also wanted to show you how these look like on the skin. Here is my face with foundation and concealer.
You can see that this powder sets foundation and takes off a bit of that shine, but doesn't look too flat. It doesn't mattify the skin though the day, it's just for setting. Shade is lighter than most of my foundations, but it sort of acts as a transparent powder and blends with my foundation. I didn't notice it becoming darker, but it also isn't as light on the face as in the packaging. It has a satin luminous finish and feels a bit powdery, so I wouldn't pile it on, because it can look cakey. I don't find it to be long lasting. It fades through the day.
It's perfect for those of you who just want to set foundation, but don't want to matte it down. It will still give you a very natural luminous look to the skin. Since I have combination skin, I love this powder for colder months, because then my skin gets a lot drier. I absolutely adore this sheen that it gives to the skin. In the summer this looks very dewy and almost greasy on me, because I have a lot oilier skin.
Here you can see how it looks like applied all over my face.
It also doesn't seem to emphasize my pores and it doesn't look flat. As you can see, you also don't get any visible shimmer.
Here I lightly applied bronzer. It's on the sheerer side, but it's buildable. You can really go from a very light application and light color to a more intense and darker looking bronzer. It has a satin finish which looks really natural. The staying power is weak. It fades through the day and doesn't have the same intensity on my face at the end of the day. It may even totally disappear by the evening.
Here is me with powder and bronzer.
And that is how the whole look looks like after I've applied blush, highlighter and lipsticks.
Packaging of both is just stunning and feels luxurious. Powder does in fact give you a radiant, lovely luminous, finish to the skin. It's perfect for those of you with drier skin or those of you who don't want powders to look matte on top of your foundations. If you're oily, you'll probably hate it.
I love the shade of bronzer and the fact that you can build it up from a very sheer and light shade to a more intense look. If you have very cool skin tone, stay away from it, because it's pretty warm toned. Staying power is weak and it might be the only downside for both of these products. But textures are lovely and it looks good, so I sort of forgive it.
