Kiko Milano Neo Noir Limited Edition

I absolutely love Kiko Cosmetics and whenever I am within the vicinity of a store, be it Oxford Circus or Covent Garden, you can guarantee I am not walking past without going inside. One thing Kiko do well is collections and within those collections is usually a lipstick and this collection is just stunning.

Meet Neo Noir, a collection which is described as having well-defined corners with fluid, geometric shapes. A noir atmosphere in which white contrasts with black. The collection’s packaging is the work of the futuristic designer Ross Lovegrove. The silhouettes evoke modern, sensual extravagance. The details recall an opulent stage curtain that opens, revealing KIKONESS at center stage: the essence of elegance, sensuality, femininity, breeziness and ease. 

Within the range you will find everything from Highlighters and eyeliners to lipsticks and nail polishes in an array of shades, so there is something for everyone.

Design Flower Enriched Highlighter (£12.90) - This is a creamy highlighter with petal extracts which help to create targeted points of light. Two different shades are combined in a single product and you can use the colours alone or mix them together. The texture is really fine and creamy an it glides onto the skin effortlessly. It is also delicately perfumed with Japanese rose.

The packaging features a luminous black matte finish and an internal mirror. The compact’s external design recalls an opulent stage curtain that opens, allowing the KK logo to take the spotlight as the star of KIKONESS which is such an amazing description and the case is just stunning, not too heavy but easy to grasp and fit into your handbag.

Max Mod Mascara (£11.90) - I am a total mascara fiend and it is the one item I never leave the house without wearing. This mascara features a small brush which is designed to give maximum volume effect and definition.  The brush has slanted, elastomer bristles which allow you to reach and coat every single lash, even those really tiny ones in the corner of your eyes. The texture of the mascara is quite smooth and supple, it doesn't clump or clog and it is buildable and easy to distribute along the entire length of the lashes.

Again with the packaging, there is the luminious black matte finish and again, the lid with the KK logo recalls an opulent stage curtain that opens, allowing KIKONESS to take the spotlight as with the Highlighter.

Enigma Lip Liner (£5.90) - This long-lasting lip pencil is designed to give a vivid colour payoff as well as to emphasize the lip colour. The lip pencil colour is really pigmented and glides onto the lips effortlessly and blends like an absolute dream.  It is availble in 8 shades and is made to match the Enigma Lipstick colours.

Enigma Lipstick (11.90) - Now this is one stunning lipstick and I adore it and the shade. Described as being a volume effect lipstick, it gives amazing colour payoff that is bold and shiny.  The formula contains oil extracted from passion fruit and a mix of waxes and shiny oils to provide a long-lasting radiant and flawless finish.

The packaging is also stunning and fits into the range with a case which is luminous black matte finish. The cap again, as with other products within the Neo Noir range, recalls an opulent stage curtain that opens, allowing KIKONESS to take the spotlight.

This is such a beautiful collection from the packaging to the detail of each individual item, yet again, for me, Kiko pulls off a fantastic collection. You can find all the latest collections here from Kiko.

*this post contains PR samples/Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise

Save Money buying your wishlist!

Like most beauty bloggers I have a wishlist of products I want to try that gets longer rather than shorter and on that list is everything from eye cream and hair masks to lipsticks and cushion foundations. Whenever I see something new I quite like or have read another blog post about a product I think I will like, I save it to a list which is stored on my laptop so I don't forget about it.

I like to think I am quite a savvy when it comes to finding the best prices and do use one or two sites to try and find the best value for money, be it free delivery, 10% off or even a £10 spend off a £50 order. Sometimes just one quick search can save you money. 

Sites such as  Ministry of Deals are incredibly helpful, it lists codes from all different kinds of sources, even those that conventional discount websites do not check such as social media sites including Facebook & Twitter, newsletters from the retailers direct, plus many more. On the left hand side there is always a column to alert you t the most recent discounts and then with a big search bar, you can enter the site that you wish to purchase items from, whether that is Debenhams, Tesco or even Space NK it will search for you and bring about the latest discounts.  

What I also like is that even if there are no discounts at that time, there might very well be a timely reminder that there are other offers available such as 25% extra with a flower order (this has been very useful of late), free delivery on a certain day or that there is a clearance sale on and I had missed it. You can also search for items based on their category to cut down the number of items which might come through with or without a discount.

I use this site quite a lot and it is bookmarked as one of my favourite sites, it is easy to use without being flashy and with a billion pop-ups coming in from everywhere. There are no fancy graphics and hidden links which take you on a tour of the internet, essentially what you see is what you get and then some. It loads quickly and if you find the item you are looking for, it will take directly to the item, regardless of which store it is for sale on or in. It is stress free, hassle free bargain hunting on one screen!

Do you use money saving sites?

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Fabled by Marie Claire

A few weeks ago I was luck enough to attend the launch party of Fabled by Marie Claire, a store that is so exciting, I just wanted to run around and touch everything, think of a child's reaction in Toy R Us, well that was me in Fabled. Why is it called Fabled? Well put simply Fables are stories that have withstood the test of time and been passed from generation to generation. Marie Claire has 27 years’ experience in telling great beauty stories and Fabled is here to inspire, educate and advise you. 

A stunning store which can be found on Tottenham Court Road here in London, inside is a store, filled with so many amazing brands you dont quite know where to start. Full to the brim with amazing brands such as Benefit, Urban Decay Bare Minerals, Bobbi Brown, Lancome, Living Proof, NARS, Estee Lauder, Lipstick Queen,Foreo, GHD, Tom Ford and YSL to name just a few. But you don't have to worry if you don't live here in London, because you can order online and have items delivered to you and even better than that, items are delivered to suit you. So just like you order your food shopping online, you choose a time to suit you, Fabled has the exact same process and it is just so easy to use.

One of my favourite parts about the site and instore is the Marie Claire Edit which shows you the latest looks, trends, techniques and has articles on insider knowledge, all of which has been selected by Beauty Experts and curated by Marie Claire. So if you want some advice on a new concealer or want to read all about Urban Decay and their Vice lipsticks, you will find it all here and it is such a great read.

I was kindly gifted with a voucher code to test out how good the online service was and was able to pick a few products of my choice.  I think I could quite happily fill my basket ten times over I was so undecided as to what it was I really wanted to try and thankfully I do always have a wishlist saved to my computer which is usually for other peoples benefit, this time it was for mine. Emma Hardie is a brand I don't know that such about other than a few sample sachets I have had, so that was my first choice and this Amazing Face Starter Kit which was only £25 and an absolute bargain. I am constantly told by other blogger friends I need to try the Moringa Cleansing Balm (50ml) because it is so good, well now I can and this kit also comes with an accompanying Professional Dual-Action Cleansing Cloth, Age Support Face Cream (15ml) and it is nestled inside an Emma Hardie pouch which is a nice little extra. 

Next I was drawn to lipsticks, I can't help it, I am obsessed with them and this time decided to go for a brand I haven't tried before but this particular lipstick caught my attention at the launch party and it is Lancôme Rouge In Love Lipstick and it is 379n Rose Sulfureuse and it is just stunning. 

The final item again is something I am obsessed with it and that is Facemasks and I went for The Skin Lounge Deep Hydrating Single Cellulose Mask which isf ormulated with hyaluronic acid, trehalose and natural extracts of aloe vera and hamamelis virginiana, this mask acts as a powerful antioxidant and water retainer, hydrating the skin and protecting it from the exposure to harsh and changing environments. Your skin will look smoother and hydrated.

Products at Fabled are clearly labelled on the homepage to make them easier to locate and bandied under heading such as skincare, makeup, hands, feet & nails, bath & body, haircare, fragrance, wellness, men's add gifts.  Those categories are then broken down further to help with your search and the item you wish to find.  The other option is to search for the item directly or you can browse through the brands available to you.  What I found was a site which loads incredibly quickly and is set out so everything you need to know about the product, including what its purpose is and how much it costs, is all laid in front of you.

So with a basket brimming with products I couldn't wait to receive them. I quickly made an account filling in my name, address and usual information that is required and was then taken to the time slot page to choose the slot which was best for me.  Again these slots are one hour time slots and like your shopping, you select it, decide where your package is to be delivered and wait for it to arrive.  The day your package is to arrive, I was sent a text which served as a reminder and it also gave me the name of the driver - Gary in my case and he was due to arrived between 10am and 11am and details of the delivery van.  Gary is clearly a punctual fellow as he was right on the dot of 10am, super polite and told me to enjoy my package and have a nice day, a little touch which made me smile.  

For me Fabled is a website that a delight to use, easy to navigate around and makes my wishlist grow my the second.  It is as informative as it is easy to use and given it ha articles that help you form opinions and get advice, it is more than worth a look and to encourage you to do so, I have a Voucher code for you lovely lot which entitles you to 15% off and it doesn't expire until 26/10/2016 and all you need to do is use VOU386121199 at the checkout stage. Happy Shopping!

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise