This year KIKO have put a different spin on their Valentine’s collection focusing on ‘Best Friends Forever’. For me of course the jewels in the collection are the lipsticks, available in six shades and typical unique KIKO packaging. Emblazoned with a heart in a colour matching the lipstick shade, it opens to reveal a heart-shaped bullet that is easier to apply than it looks. Passion Plum is a pigmented mid-tone plum shade with a gold shimmer frost that would actually be perfect for autumn/winter. Yes I know it’s February but well, there’s nothing wrong with being prepared is there? Plus the finish is quite unusual to find in less expensive brands, and as the collection is limited edition I couldn’t resist picking one up.
Valentine’s Day is a funny one. I can’t quite decide whether I like it as a bit of fun or completely loathe all the financial obligations of cards/flowers/jewellery/choc/etc. All the emphasis on relationships can also sometimes give off the implication that if you’re single there must be something wrong with you, which is absolutely, utterly, 100% not the case whether you’re on your own by choice or not. Still, I thought I’d demonstrate a little bit of romantic cheer by showing you the makeup I’d wear for a Valentine’s date with an S/O or the gals. Alternatively this lipstick also looks gorgeous wrapped around a ladle of Ben & Jerry’s, if that’s more your Valentine’s style…;)
In the photo below i’ve tried to capture the gorgeous sheen of Mary Lou-Manizer on my cheekbones, but as ever highlighters are a nightmare to capture on camera!
Knock-out satin finish red with blue undertones and amazing formula. The most expensive one out of the five, but worth it. (*note I’ve shown the mini size of this in the above image, the bullets aren’t that small usually!)
This looks seriously orange-toned in the above pic but in reality it’s much more similar in colour to the other shades shown. The Unlimited Stylos are quite a strange formula in that they’re very different to any other lipstick I’ve tried – more like a liquid lipstick in a bullet. When you first apply them there’s a lot of slip, almost too much as they can be difficult to apply (I’d recommend a liner just to give your lips some shape), but they soon dry down to a long wearing finish. Odd, but I like it.
The formula of these is almost as strange as the KIKO lipsticks, but in a completely different way. The Moisture Stains have a thick-ish gel texture that goes on quite patchy/blotchy at first, but evens out as it warms up on your lips. There can be a little bit of bleeding, but if you’re looking for a glossy red that will see you through a few nibbles it’s quite good for the money.
Rimmel 107 has long been a blogger favourite, and after discovering it recently I am slightly obsessed too. It’s definitely a purpley/berry red that’s the darkest out of the five here, but it’s not in any way vampy or scary to wear. At just £5.50 it’s genuinely amazing – I may have already bought a spare to keep in my handbag…If you buy one lipstick from this post, make it Rimmel 107.
Of course I couldn’t resist putting a lipstick with a name like Flirtatious in to a Valentine’s Day themed post! I’m not a big fan of the Revlon Lacquer Balms as a whole if I’m honest, but this one is a nice spring/summer pinky red with a hint of shimmer. If you’re a bit intimidated by red lipstick, colours like these are a great way to rock red without the commitment as they’re essentially one step up from a tinted lip balm.
La Roche Posay’s original Cicaplast balm is a cult fave remedy for everything from sunburn to eczema, so I had high hopes for the lip balm version. I tend to really suffer from dry skin in the winter due to a combination of battering winds and moisture-sapping central heating, and it’s always my lips that end up in the worst state.
Cicaplast Lips promises to repair any cracks or chapping (chapped-ness? chap? who knows) whilst forming a protective barrier. It leaves a comfortable, semi-matte finish on the lips that is unique to any other lip balm I own and a good alternative to those of us who hate the look/feel of greasy, sticky gloss balms.
It moisturised well, but if I’m honest I expected more. I’m such a big fan of La Roche Posay in general so maybe my hopes for this were just a little too high, but I wouldn’t repurchase it again. It’s a nice product, sure, and I’ll finish the tube, but I wanted more than nice. I wanted great, and this is above average at best. The search for the perfect lip balm goes on…
Angellec Makeup 