I got these two products as a gift from a lovely friend Astrid which I got to know through my blog and we have actually met once in person. She was so nice to send me some makeup products and I have to say, she has great taste. I loved everything she picked out for me. Among these I was most excited for iconic Nars Orgasm blush and their red matte lipstick in shade Starwoman.

I am a huge fan of Lisa Eldridge. She is British makeup artist that has worked on many celebrities and models. She is also creative director for many huge cosmetic house brands, so I knew her lipsticks were going to be exquisite, because she has the knowledge and experience. Normally, I would never pay high end price for a lipstick, but her red mattes just appealed to me and I decided to treat myself with one.

I have never had any OPI nail polishes, but I remember this brand being very popular back in the day. It had one of the most unique nail polish shades in the time where there weren't new makeup and nail launches coming out every day. I received two shades from Lisbon collection, which was actually spring/summer collection of 2018. 

I was so glad to see Bourjois come out with new lipstick formula named ROUGE fabuleux. I haven't had many of their lipsticks in the past, but those that I had and still have, have all impressed me very much. This is what I would call more comfortable version of their Rouge Velvet The Lipsticks. 

I love a good red lipstick. Usually, warm tones are my kind of deal. But I love a good classic cool red lipstick just as well. It's especially nice for making your teeth look whiter. You'll see more matte formulas among these, because darker shades just tend to wear better matte. Plus there's less maintenance and checking in the mirror.

I've been seeing combination of purple eye makeup with red lips a lot. So I thought of doing something similar as Christmas makeup this year. Instead of using bright purples, I used mauve shades and did a bright pastel lavender in the inner corner. No Christmas makeup is complete without the signature red lip and I went for metallic option which is so on trend this year.

I realized I haven't posted any reindeer Christmas nail design on my blog, but I'm pretty sure I did it already on my nails. I had some spare time and decided it was time to do it now. The holidays are here. I call it Rudolf inspired because of the red nose. Red, gold and green is just a classic and my favorite Christmas combination. 

I once did lip design on my nails, but I never posted that manicure on the blog. So I decided to do this lip design again, but on nude base which I really enjoy these days. I got a lot of compliments on this manicure and everyone seemed to think I stamped it on, but it's actually a free hand design.

I already own three Kiko Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadows and about a year ago I got another shade. Somehow it slipped through my to do list, so here is a review of it now. These are one of the best creamy eyeshadows in the drugstore range. 

Packaging

Eyeshadows have a matte black packaging. It closes securely. On the bottom of each pen, you have a small part that is colored and shows you what color is inside. It's pretty accurate. 

In it is 1.64 grams od product and it costs 6.95€.

It's in a pen form. You just twist the bottom and the product comes out, there is no need to sharpen it. I find it really practical, because you essentially don't need any brush. Just twist it, apply and blend with fingers or a brush, if you prefer that. 

Formula

It's a very creamy formula that glides on your lids without any needed pressure. It doesn't tug, but it also stays were you apply it and is not in any way greasy. 

Pigmentation is good. It's not fully opaque in one coat, but you can build it up to that perfectly opaque look. This is the least shimmery shade out of all the others I have and because of that I feel it's not as pigmented as some more metallic shades. 

Performance

I find that these are one of the rare creamy eyeshadows that don't crease on me. They work amazing as an eyeshadow base, but you can also wear them on its own. Once the formula dries down a little, it doesn't move through the day. If you have very oily eyelids, I still advise you to use eyeshadow primer underneath it. 

It's also long lasting formula, since it almost looks the same at the end of the day. It may fade a bit and loose intensity just slightly, but it lasts.

Colors

Kiko has a wide range of about 28 shades to choose from. Some are more matte looking with a sheen and some are very shimmery to the point of being metallic.

37 Burgundy is dark burgundy red base with purple sheen. The shimmer in it is so fine that you only see that purple sheen and no visible shimmer. Purple sheen is more prominent and dominates on the lid. The name is actually misleading, since it looks just purple on me. 

I did this monochromatic all purple look. In the crease I used a matte brown transition shade and I used 37 Burgundy all over the lid. As you can see, it looks much more purple on the lid than red. I also paired it with a purple eye pencil. 

 Other Colors

As I mentioned I already own a few more shades, so I decided to swatch them side by side. Just in case anyone is deciding which shade to get. In terms of pigmentation 06 is the most pigmented, most shimmery and metallic. 37 is the least shimmery and just has a healthy looking sheen. 36 is also very shimmery, but not as much as 06 and this one is also a bit sheerer. 21 is more similar to 36 in that it doesn't have any visible shimmer and it does have a nice sheen. 

36 Golden Mauve

21 Passion Fruit

06 Golden Brown

If you're searching for good creamy eyeshadows in a useful pen form, try these. They have a wide range of colors, are well pigmented, last well and don't crease. These are also amazing as an eyeshadow bases, if you want to intensify the color on top of it. I have nothing bad to say about the formula, it's just great for a creamy product. 

I'm not doing a lot of nail designs lately, because my hands are just so dry, but I got an idea for cute Christmas inspired mani with yellow stars and red tips, so I decided to document and post it here. It's a simple almost that negative space manicure with must have red color and some yellow stars to pop out. I think it looks cute and a slight upgrade from basic red nails with glitters.

I started doing this manicure by leaving my base clean and just dabbing shimmery red nail polish on the tips of my nails using a sponge. For that I went over my natural tip line, because this manicure doesn't have any base color and I wanted to extend the design a bit.

I used transparent based nail polish with small golden glitter to give some sparkle to that clean base. Just little something something. 

I used small striping brush to draw on stars with a pale yellow nail polish. This might be tricky for some, so you can definitely just stamp stars on your nails, if you have any stamping plate with stars. Optionally, you can also just use stars stickers. I did it freehand and every star doesn't look perfect, but I think imperfection makes it look nicer. Then I used double sided dotting tool and dotted on a few smaller and bigger dots. But I decided that I won't go up to the base of the nail with those dots, not to overpower it. 

I used the same red nail polish again and intensified tips by applying another coat of nail polish with that same sponge technique. It gave me more of an ombre effect and almost covered my natural tips. 

I also did my other non dominant hand, although it was a struggle. Less stars on my right hand and concentrating more on the dots, which are a lot easier to do, was a good solution. If you struggle with the other hand, just do dots or maybe ask someone else to do it. 

I was inspired by a lot of kawaii nail manicures that I find on Pinterest. Their nail designs usually look super cute and more minimalistic. I chose red color, because it symbolizes Christmas for me and I did yellow stars, because gold would look too plain and unnoticeable on my transparent base. Would you wear something like this or is it too cutesy for you?

Avon is one of those brands that loves to upgrade their range every once in a while. Recently, they've added a new Luxe Shape Sensation lipsticks to their luxurious Luxe range. I tested out one shade.

It comes in a gorgeous shiny gold plastic packaging with Avon logo on it and matte LUXE sign. You know I'm all about gold, so I am loving it. On the bottom it has a sticker with the color that's inside and a name. 

In it is 3.6 grams of product and the regular price is 8€ (currently on offer for 6.90€/Slovenia). 

This is a lipstick infused with a collagen layer in the middle. As you can see the bullet has a transparent gel core that's supposedly collagen for plumping the lips. Around it it's a regular creamy lipstick formula. This lipstick should give your lips volume, moisturization and perfect color.

I have a shade called Incredible. In the range is 5 colors from apricot, tangerine, pink, red and purple. A very basic color selection. 

Incredible is a true cool toned medium red.

It's a creamy almost gel like formula. Regular creamy lipsticks are thicker, but this one is very lightweight and sheerer. It gives your lips a lovely shine.

The formula glides on the lips with utter ease. First layer may seem a bit sheer, so go over it at least twice to get an even and opaque color. But keep in mind that the collagen core feels like a transparent gel, so it's obvious you don't get that very pigmented base at first. It's so lightweight that it almost feels like a light lip balm. It reminds me a lot of the Catrice Supreme Fusion Lipcolor + Care (070 Remarry Berry) formula, but that one is less pigmented and doesn't look as even. It also feels a bit more waxy. 

As soon as I started applying it, I smelled menthol scent and my lips started to tingle. Avon says that the core is made out of collagen, but I assume there must be menthol in it too. That is your volume part that they describe. It's basically a tingling of your lips that make you feel like they're getting bigger. I don't notice much of a difference and the menthol vanishes after about 5 minutes. Then it becomes a lovely wearable formula that sits so comfortably on the lips and doesn't dry them out. I really wish, they wouldn't put in that menthol, because it ruins a great formula. At least for me and my dry lips, menthol can be irritating. So I use this lipstick sparingly, on those days that my lips feel fine. 

Pigmentation is good. You do need at least two swipes to get it even, because of the transparent core. 

Because it's a formula with shine, it's obviously not long lasting. It stays on the lips for about 2 hours before you'll see it vanish from the inner rim of the lips and you'll need to reapply. The same thing happens, if you eat or drink. For such a creamy formula, it also wears nice. It doesn't bleed too much outside of the lines. Just here and there, but nothing too visible. I always wear it without a lip liner, but if you have a more mature skin, you might need to use a lip liner in order to avoid it getting into small cracks. It also has a nice stain, if you leave it on for a really long time and the shine mostly vanishes away.

If Avon would cut out the menthol or collagen part in the middle, this probably wouldn't be as lightweight and gel like anymore. But it is a concern for my dry lips, as it irritates them. Menthol feel fades away, but it's still an unnecessary addition in my mind. The formula itself is lovely, very lightweight, creamy and has lovely shine. I think it looks especially nice over drier lips. For those that want super pigmentation with a very long lasting result, this is not for you. 

*Product was sent to me.

Avon je ena izmed znamk, ki konstantno nadgrajuje ponudbo svojih izdelkov. Pred kratkim so dodali novo linijo šmink imenovano Luxe Shape Sensation. Luxe je njihova bolj luksuzna znamka. Sama sem testirala enega izmed odtenkov.

Šminka ima čudovito zlato sijočo plastično embalažo z Avon logotipom in mat LUXE znakom. Verjetno veste, da obožujem zlato in mi je zato ta dizajn izredno všeč. Na spodnji strani šminke je etiketa z odtenkom šminke in napisom imena. 

V embalaži je 3.6 gramov izdelka in redna cena je 8€ (trenutno jo lahko dobite za 6.90€ tukaj).

Šminka ima v sredini oddan kolagen. Na sredini šminke je prozoren gel, ki naj bi bil kolagen. Kolagen naj bi povečal volumen ustnic. Okrog tega gela je navadna kremasta barvna formula šminke. Ta šminka naj bi na ustnicah ustvarila volumen, vlago in popolno barvo. 

Jaz imam odtenek Incredible. V kolekciji je na voljo 5 različnih odtenkov od marelične, koralne, roza, rdeče in vijolične. Zelo osnovna barvna paleta.

Incredible je srednje hladno rdeč odtenke z modrim podtonom.

Ima kremasto skoraj gelu podobno teksturo. Navadne šminke so gostejše. Ta je zelo lahkotna in bolj prosojna. Ustnicam da čudovit sijaj. 

Formula z lahkoto drsi po ustnicah. Prvi sloj je rahlo bolj prosojen, zato morate nanesti vsaj dva sloja, da dobite enakomerno intenzivnost odtenka. Verjetno tudi zaradi tega, ker je sredina s kolagenom dejansko prozorna. Zato seveda pigmentacija ni tako očitna s prvim potegom. Je zelo lahkotna in daje občutek lahkotnega balzama za ustnice. Spominja me na formulo Catrice Supreme Fusion Lipcolor + Care (979 Remarry Berry), čeprav je ta manj pigmentirana in ne izgleda tako enakomerno. Ima pa podoben občutek na ustnicah, vendar je rahlo bolj voskasta. 

Takoj ko sem jo začela nanašati, sem zavohala mentol in ustnice so me začele ščemeti. Avon pravi, da je v sredini šminke kolagen, ampak jaz sem prepričana, da je dodan tudi mentol. Od tod torej volumen na ustnicah. Mentol povzroči ščemenje ustnic in daje občutek večjih ustnic, čeprav ni opaziti neke viden razlike. Občutek mentola izgine po 5 minutah. Takrat postane nosljiva formula, ki udobno sedi na ustnicah in jih ne izsuši. Res si želim, da ne bi vsebovala mentola, ker zame ta uniči odlično formulo. Moje suhe ustnice ne marajo mentola, ker jih razdraži. Zato to šminko uporabljam bolj redko, takrat ko vem, da so ustnice v dobrem stanju. 

Pigmentacija je dobra. Potrebujete vsaj dva nanosa, da dobite enakomeren izgled, zaradi prozornega gela v sredini šminke. 

Ker gre za sijočo formulo, seveda ni dolgo obstojna. Na ustnicah se obdrži približno dve urni, preden začne izginjati iz notranjih kotičkov ustnic in jo morate ponovno nanesti. Enako se zgodi, če jeste ali pijete. Glede na to, da je formula izredno kremna, se zelo lepo nosi. Nisem opazila, da bi preveč uhajala v gubice okrog ustnic. Samo včasih je zdrsnila v kakšno razpoko. Če imate bolj zrelo kožo, vam priporočam, da prej nanesete svinčnik za ustnice in se izognete morebitim problemom z uhajanjem v razpoke. Sama jo vedno nosim brez svinčnika za ustnice. Če jo imate na ustnicah dlje časa, dobite lep rdeč madež, ki ostane še nekaj časa po tem, ko sijaj že izgine. 

Če bi Avon ukinil mentol v šminki, verjetno ta ne bi bila več tako lahkotna zaradi prozornega gela v sredini. Vseeno je mentol neželen dodatek v šminkah za moje suhe ustnice. Čeprav čez nekaj časa občutek ščemenja izgine, bi mi bilo ljubše, če ga šminka ne bi vsebovala. Formula je čudovita, zelo lahkotna, kremasta in ima lep sijaj. Še posebej lepo izgleda na bolj suhih ustnicah. Za tiste, ki želijo odlično pigmentacijo in zelo dolgo obstojno formulo, te šminke ne bodo. 

*Izdelek mi je bil poslan.

I have a fair skin tone, but once I go on vacation to the sea, the sun always tans me a bit. I reapply SPF often and use SPF 30 on my body, but somehow still get pretty tanned. My face stays almost the same color as I use SPF 50 and wear a hat. This is the only time in the whole year that I have a chance to try out darker foundations and really play up that bronzed makeup look that I love so much. So I decided to do just that, another bronzy makeup look. I just love these shades so much.

I applied the same mixture of matte browns around the lower lash line. In the inner corner I used a champagne light gold shimmer shade, which I also used as a highlighter on the face. I also used brown mascara to keep the look in that warm softer scheme.

The eye makeup is warm and it reflects that sun glow from the summer. It looks simple, yet dimensional. 

When you have a natural tan and you're trying to mimic this on your face, use a bronzer that has a slight redish undertone. I mixed one more greyish redish toned bronzer with a shimmery yellow toned bronzer to get that perfect natural sun tanned look. If you keep it completely matte, it won't look as natural, so use a bronzer that has a bit of natural sheen to it. Highlighter will look amazing on darker complexion and I applied it on tops of the cheeks, above the brow arch, on the center of the nose and on my upper lip. I chose a champagne golden color with small shimmer. For this look I skipped blush, because I wanted it to look very natural glowy and bronzed. Blush would distract from that bronzy look. But if you have a more redish fresh sunburn, then incorporate a bit of natural pink blush to make it look more realistic. 

To bring this look out and make it really vibrant for that summer feel, I used a bright orange toned red. You can choose which ever bright red shade suits you most. To keep the look more effortless looking, I applied lipstick with my finger and almost made it look smudged. Keeping the outer line softer will make you look more modern and playful.

Gold and orange are my favorite colors and this makeup reflects the kind of makeup colors that I like the most. It compliments sun kissed tan and makes you look naturally glowy. 

Kiko is one of my favorite makeup brands. Their products are affordable and usually of great quality. I just wish we had it in our country. Whenever I got to Graz, I tend to stop by Kiko and pick some new products. This time Limited Editions didn't impress me, but I did saw colorful lip pencils and decided on two colorful shades.

Smart Fusion Lip Pencils come in matte black pencil form with a black plastic top. I really like the fact that the top is rectangular, which prevents the pencil from rolling down the desk. It sits better this way. It's also easier to take photos of. If you're a blogger, you know what I mean.

In each is 0.9 grams of product and the price is 2.50€ for each. It's not as affordable as for example Essence lip liners, but the price is still good.

I chose two very bright shades, because I usually just have a lot of red and nude lip liners. Sometimes you also need something colorful to use with lipsticks that have unique colors. It's also the cheapest way of trying out bold colors, because lip liners cost a lot less than a whole lipstick. 

Formula of these is actually really smooth. They glide on the lips with such ease. That being said they are not buttery feeling nor moisturizing. Finish is completely matte, but they are just so easy to apply. Usually matte lip colors tug on the lips or can look heavy. Not these.

The pigmentation is good. You will need to go over a few times to get it opaque as a lipsticks, if you want to wear them on their own. 

I usually wear them on their own, because they are enough pigmented and I love the shades as they are. I need to reapply it in the center after about 2 to 3 hours, which isn't really long lasting. But I prefer that, because it means that they don't dry out my lips and don't look heavy.

They feel just slightly sticky at first, but lightweight and they wear quite comfortably. These will emphasize dry patches like most matte lip products. 

513 Red Papaya

This is by far my favorite medium orange red shade that I own so far. It looks more muted on the photos, but in real life this almost looks a bit neon. It's a really vibrant shade. It lifts up the complexion immediately and makes for a perfect summer lip.

524 Peony Violet

It's one of those light pops of colors. Light cool toned bright fuchsia that has a bit of blue undertone. It's also a unique shade in my collection and it's the perfect pop of color for the spring. I love these kind of shades, even though I don't wear them as much. 

Here is also a comparison with some of the other shades. MAC in Lady Danger is a more red shade and also darker. CBI Colorbox in 06 Lip Stick (from Born Pretty Store) is very similar in shade. It's just slightly darker, less vibrant and has a shiny finish. 

Avon True Colour Perfectly Matte lipsticks in Ideal Lilac is a more pink toned fuchsia. It's as light as Kiko's lip pencil, but doesn't have that obvious blue violet undertone. 

I am head over hills over these shades. That's why I can forgive the fact that they are not ultra long lasting. The formula is so smooth to apply, pigmentation is good and it has lovely matte finish that isn't drying. If you're on a look out for bright lip shades, look no further. Kiko has a whooping selection of 36 shades. You'll also find nudes among the selection, as well as bright ones as these.