Xmas 2015 / Buon Natale from Kiko Milano

Kiko Milano does Christmas BIG style! The Cosmic Starlets Holiday Collection includes holiday gifts, holiday single make up items and also skincare & fragrances.

All the products come packaged in a festive red & silver design with bows and bespoken cases. 

Part of the Cosmic Starlets make-up range - Kiko Milano Cosmic Glam Kajal-Eyeliner Duo is a double ended pen with a bright kajal on one side and bold liquid eyeliner on the other.

03 Denim Blue* has a bright shimmer light blue teamed with an intense royal blue. The kajal is super smooth and easy to blend as an eyeshadow on the whole eyelid; the eyeliner applicator is easy to use, steady and doesn't drag on the skin. You can also use the kajal just to rim the eye and create a smokey look.

Kiko Milano Dazzling Highlighter is a cream, illuminating stick; it comes in 03 Pure Gold* and 04 Bright Rose* and they are both beautiful - I couldn't pick a favourite. They are subtly different but they are different!

The added radiance to the cheeks is guaranteed with a effortless swipe of the product, directly on the skin. 

They have high-reflecting pearls and the formula contains natural waxes, jojoba oil and rice oil giving it a silky soft feel. 

top - bottom: bright rose, pure gold

The gift sets are even more amazing!
The Kiko Milano Angel Kiss Set contains a jar of exfoliating scrub for the lips and a lip balm in matching colours.
Cranberry Crumble is in a purple hue - both name & colour ideal for autumn/winter season.
The scrub contains sugar crystals to soften and smooth the lips whilst the lip balm moisturises and soothes the skin; it leaves just an hint of colour with a glossy finish.

Kiko Milano Twin Stars Nail Lacquer & Lipstick is another well thought present; the elegant gift package is in the cute shape of a tree ornament and contains a matte lipstick with matching nail polish.

You can choose between 4 shades but you certainly can't go wrong with 04 Uniquely Red*!

Although matte, the lipstick is creamy and nourishing and with a great colour pay-off; the nail polish has a glossy finish and opaque with one application.

... and of course, I saved the best for last!

Even if you're not a nail polish super-fan, I dare you not to drool in front of this mini-vault.

The Kiko Milano Dream Wish Nail Lacquer Set* comes with 7 beautiful colours and a glittery top coat.

The shades are all beautiful and suitable for every skintone: from a milky pinky nude, to a bright coral, to a (rediscovered) warm brown.

The finish is super shiny and the formula contains resins that give the polish a gel effect and longevity, without the need of a UV lamp.

This is truly a winner collection - affordable and of impact!
What are you wishing for to find under the tree?

Must Have / Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in pearl is my favourite highlighter.

It's very moisturizing and got SPF20 so it can be used also as all-over healthy glow, mixed with your foundation or tinted moisturizer. 

Although I love the dewy look, I think this way is too much so I just use it as an 'ordinary' highlighter on the top of my cheeks, temples, bridge nose and cupid's bow.

It's quite pricey at over £30 but you really need the tiniest amount so this bottle will last you a lifetime!

The quality is just superior to any other highlighter that I own: the shimmer is so fine that it creates a beautiful radiance and it's imperceptible on the skin.

I have such an high opinion of it that I choose to use it on my wedding day, too. :)

I also have the shade opal, which is a peachy rose gold colour and just as beautiful but more suitable for summer months, for my skintone.

Have you tried any Becca product? What's your favourite highlighter?

Mac Mineralize SkinFinish in Soft And Gentle

I've quite an addiction for highlighters, I must confess!

 I believe that they can really make your look comes together - they add that extra sophisticated touch, that 'je ne sais quoi' that makes other women comment on your make up.

I already have quite a collection of highlighters but they are all liquid/cream products and just when I thought I didn't need anymore, I realized that I don't have any powder highlighter, actually.

I like cream cheek products in the summer especially, as they work well with a dewy look and - although I still like a glowy look in winter - I think powders work better with the cold weather.

So, I decided to invest in a powder highlighter and I chose Mac Mineralize SkinFinish in Soft And Gentle. 

I've read countless raves about this product and I've been considering buying it for a long time but for some reason, I have always pushed it at the bottom of the list (probably because I do have already too many highlighters - dah!)... but you know, you get to a point where the next review just pushes you off the edge and YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT!!!

Well, it's beautiful and, as soon as I received it in the post, I couldn't wait to wear it.

It's a very fine powder, easy to apply and with a pretty high frosty finish; I don't normally go for such a 'bang-in-your-face' effect but the powder blends so well that it looks beautiful on the skin.

It is a rosy/peachy colour that can double as a blusher on my skin and I'm very happy with my choice! :)

I got to say that I'm disappointed with the price, tho: in my opinion, £21.50 is too much especially for such a cr*p packaging.

What is your favourite highlighter? :)

Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Makeup Spf15 Foundation

I picked up this sample in House of Fraser a couple of weeks ago and I'M IN LOVE!!!

I literally can't stop using it, I have quite a selection of foundations that I can choose from but this is the only one I've been wanting to use.

I can't say it's my absolute favourite just yet - my number one remains Nars Sheer Glow and the dewy look it gives - but this is a close second right now.

Man, I need to try and get another sample as I think this won't last much longer - I was matched with shade 4.

This month Magazine Freebies:

I got L'Occitane Hand Cream in Date Bouquet with Marie Claire.

I'm a big fan of L'Occitane Hand Creams... and actually anything L'Occitane really so I had to pick up a tube of these; other fragrances available are the original, Rose Petal and Mango Flower (which I may need to buy too as it's too good to miss) and remember, these are limited edition scents.

I got Cha Cha Tint and Sun Beam with InStyle.

I'm so glad I didn't buy Cha Cha when it came out and I wanted it so badly (I remember thinking I would see it as a free sample soon... and there you go!). I got the Posie Tint as a sample too and It's still going strong and lasting ages.

I also bough the Sun Beam as I can't say no to an highlighter and really wanted to see how it compares with my beloved Moon Beam.

l-r: Cha Cha, Sun Beam

Below is the comparison with Moon Beam:

I got to say I thought they would be more similar, actually. Moon Beam is more of champagne highlighter whilst Sun Beam has more bronze in it; personally, I still prefer the pearlessence of Moon Beam but they're discontinuing it, apparently.

l-r: Moon Beam, Sun Beam

Finally, I asked my sister to bring me some Kiko mascaras from Italy.

I donated 1 to the giveaway (you can enter here) and kept the other 2 to try myself:

The first one is a white base coat - I read it is comparable to the Dior one so I have high hopes for it.
I like the wand - it looks flexible and soft.

The other one is a fibre mascara, in fact you can see the filament in the photo below; I haven't tried a fibre mascara yet and I'm very intrigued to see the effect I can achieve. Also, I'm a fan of the 'ball brush' so It looks very promising in my eyes all round.

I shall let you know what I think. :)
xx

St Tropez at the Oscars

St. Tropez has been collaborating with international, first class events for many years; only recently, it was present for the sixth season in a row to London Fashion Week, making models glow on both at Roksanda Ilincic and Erdem catwalks.

Personally, I got a soft spot for the glamour-ness of Hollywood and I was thrilled to discover that the hottest starlets received custom skin finishing treatments for the red carpet, courtesy of St. Tropez!

It's the fourth year that St. Tropez Light, Camera, Glow! treatment helps these celebrities achieve flawless, glowing skin for the biggest night of the year.

We have the Contemporary Tan seen on Penelope Cruz - the Luxe Tan chosen by Gwyneth Paltrow - or the Pastel Tan as rocked by Emma Stone.

Personally, I chose to try the Vintage Tan: "1940s rich and creamy skin meets a soft 1950s glow"

To master this look, I'm using Gradual Tan Firming Lotion everyday; I start brushing my skin before showing and then apply the lotion on clean, dry skin at night time.

I'm, genuinely, loving this product: what's selling it to me is the fact that it also tone my skin. I, rarely, use a 'simple moisturizer' but always reach for toning, cellulite-fighting ingredients too.

It's, truly, gradual as I started to see some colour after 4/5 days and you don't risk to become too dark too quickly. I'm concentrating on my arms and decollete and I'll keep using it until the wedding to get a bit of colour.

Also, it has a beautiful scent and it never develop to the 'biscuit smell' of many of these tanning products.

The second step consists of Violet Skin Illuminator, strategically applied to get a dusky romantic complexion.

This product is very easy to blend on the skin and because it's used on the red carpet, it's guaranteed to photography well, too - you should concentrate on shoulder and collarbone but it can also be used on the face: cheekbones, bridge of the nose to add instant luminosity!

I chose the violet version which is suitable of every skintone but there's also a rose illuminator (for pink undertone) and gold (for yellow undertone). 

Which is your St. Tropez favourite product?

*pr sample*

FOTN

Few days ago I went to the cinema to watch Red State; it was followed by Q&A with Kevin Smith - yes! my fiancé is a geek; to be fair the guy is pretty funny! :) - anyway, this is what I 'wore' for the date in the dark.

I'm having major hair drama lately!! :((

FACE

Revlon PhotoReady in 007 Cool Beige

Benefit Erase Paste in medium

Benefit Moon Beam

Clinique Fresh Bloom Blush in Peony

EYES

Ellis Faas Milky Eyes E204

Ellis Faas mascara E401

Max Factor Liquid Effect Pencil in Black Fire 

LIPS

Mac Overjoyed lipstick

Mac Sheer Vision gloss

(both from Intriguing Scarlet: 3 Cool Pink Lips palette)