My Thoughts Corner

Occasionally I come close some of the products that miss the mark. Although I tend to make considered purchased, there are some bits and bobs that don’t live up the hype or let me be more specific, they don’t live up to MY expectations. Once again, in these kind of posts, I emphasize that the products didn’t work for me only but they aren’t necessarily bad and might be HG for others. 

Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer in Bronzer | This is a product that has been well hyped and everyone seem to go nuts for it except few and I’m one of those. I first had to purchase it online as it wasn’t available in UAE or if it was, the price was 3 or 4 times more. Not only it took forever to reach but also it was shredded. I let you guess my frustration… I took a deep breath though and was hoping that the bronzer will blow my mind and make me overcome my first letdown but since it’s mentioned in this post, it didn’t. It is a smooth powder that’s bordering a cream, gives a warm glow, the smell takes you to a tropical island and all that jazz. BUT it did translate into nothing on my light skin tone, seriously nothing! The packaging, despite the lovely print, is too bulky. The Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Bronzer is a good product but only for a niche skin tone, being the pale gals. 

Max Factor Creme Puff Pressed Powder | Max Factor, founded by the man who invented the word “make up”, is a brand I haven’t tried much from. Recently, I have read a touching history about their pressed powder; Creme Puff. It’s a product that has been passed down generations. It’s even mentioned somewhere that it was the only pressed powder back then, unfortunately I’ve got nothing on hand to affirm the said, yet I honestly can’t seem to get how such product survived all these years. The powder is an old-fashioned formula that has a quite rough texture at touch, which perfectly explains the heaviness on the skin once on. It literally felt like an air blocking layer on top and looked chalky and cakey on my skin. The strong baby powder scent it has, was another disappointment adding to it the very dark shade range for a pressed powder. Sadly, the Max Factor Crème Puff Pressed Powder doesn’t meet my makeup concerns at no level.  

Catrice AllRound Contouring Palette | As a contour lover, I have been on the lookout for the best cream contour product for quite some time. Still I have to admit that I enjoy the Maybelline Master Contour V Shape Duo Stick, talked about here, however the more I got to the bottom the harder it gets to apply. Having spotted the Catrice Contouring Palette and for just few bucks, I could only help myself get it and I regret it. The packaging is great; very sleek and travel friendly. Nevertheless, the creams are not soft as a cream product is supposed to be and are truly hard to work with. The pigmentation is again very opaque letting the shades blend into nothing. With this I guess my quest for the perfect cream contour is still on. 

I Heart Chocolate Bronze And Glow | Unusually, this is no dupe. As we all know, the I Heart Makeup rocked the packaging of the chocolate palette range. For a matter of fact, I picked this one for its packaging. The powders are soft creamy yet a lot of fallout is noteworthy. Not to mention that the bronzer is not even visible on my light complexion even when I tried to build it up. Regrettably, the Bonze And Glow palette comes in one shade and would only thrill the pale skin folks. 

Kiko Eyebrow Fibers Coloured Mascara | I picked this product in the hope to find and affordable dupe to my beloved Benefit Gimme Brow but I didn’t. It is quite pigmented I’ve got to admit and has a liquid-y formula which ain’t practical as well as the huge wand as I always end up having some product on my forehead that I have to clean while I prefer a small wand to target the small hair without making a mess. Another drawback is the longevity; the Kiko Eyebrow Fibers held my brows in place but as long as the benefit one does. 

Catrice Re-Touch Light-Reflecting Concealer | My experience with this one was terrible. Simply it’s none of what it claims. It’s way too thick for an under eye, too drying and heavy. In fact, it accentuated my fine lines like no other concealer. The twist was also a nightmare; I kept turning for too long and once the product popped it was way too much. 

This is it for this day.

Here is a post I have been meaning to do since I started this blog but somehow it kept slipping my to-do list. I know I might be the last person to review the Kiko Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadows but I just had to shine a light on them in my blog. 

It is widely said that they are pretty similar to the big boy brands eyeshadow sticks such as By Terry, Lauria Mercia or Bobbi Brown, but I’m sure as we would all love to own some of those, we can’t afford five times the price when the Kiko ones are marginally cheaper and just as good!>

I have to say that I have overindulged myself with these, and haven’t finished as I’m still missing three or four more shades… Yes, they are that good!!! For a matter of fact, Kiko offers a huge array of colors on those including matte, metallic and metallic shimmery finishes. 

I love the idea of a retractable pen type-like. Just twist, apply, blend and off to the doors. Meaning no sharpening needed, very practical and hassle free. The bottom features the color of each eyeshadow stick hence; no problems as well identifying these in your makeup bag. 

It is crucial to mention that the pigmentation and the texture are up a notch. They’re creamy, glide on smoothly without feeling heavy or even sticky wet on the lid. The colors, for some, could be not very opaque but they are easily buildable. Be warned though that they do dry real quick and it’s best to apply on one eye at a time, as eventually they set to complete no “budgeness”; no flaking, no creasing nor smudging. At ALL for the whole day!! … For a suspiciously cheap price, the least to say is impressive!!!

Kiko Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadows are such an effortless product that’s perfect for every day when you’re on the run and you just want some color over the lid. They are great on their own or as a base, not to mention how much these will save you compared to more popular brands. It’s a no brainer, I’m 100% taken by these little gems. 

I leave you with the swatches.

I’m finally back after not showing up for a whole month. September was a busy one but mainly exciting especially that I’ve been in Paris and enjoyed the wonderful city, weather, family and friends and that the comeback very hard but…. C’est la vie!

Whilst in Paris, I obviously did some shopping however I didn’t go crazy as I focused on things I can’t get (or get easily) here in Dubai despite the fact that I was quite restrained as the price of the French pharmacy are extremely cheap across abroad.

I’ve decided to divide this post into two parts to give me more time to chat about all products. I’ve got to say that I haven’t tried any of these except for 2 or 3 items, however I’ll take you through each product and specify what made it interesting to me.

The first beauty shop that was on my way was KIKO which is known for their good quality products at an affordable price. I start off with the In The Shade Eyeshadow And Kajal (€5) in 01 and 05 and are from the limited edition collection for 2016. These are double ended pencils with an intense color payoff and extreme hold. I always loved the idea of eye shadow pencils especially when travelling or when I am short on time in the mornings. The colors are beautiful and perfect for everyday wear with a soft and creamy texture.

Next up is another limited edition product; the Strobe & Sculpt Cream Contour Palette (€14.90) in 02 medium to dark. I’m not into cream contouring as much as powder which made my collection in that category narrow and that’s what made me go for this one. This is one of those I haven’t tried yet however when swatched; the colors are subtle and the texture is creamy.

My last purchase from Kiko is their pencil lip gloss (€3.90) in 10, which is a nude dark rose shade; nothing surprising here. It is very comfortable and easy to apply. In fact, I wish I picked other shades but unfortunately there weren’t many left in the store I was in.

The last product for this first round of the haul is the Maybelline Instant Anti-Age L’Effaceur Fond De Teint which I believe is the Instant Age Rewind Eraser Treatment Makeup. I couldn’t resist picking up this foundation, hoping that it will be as good as the age rewind concealer which happens to be one of my holy grail concealers. Keeping my fingers crossed!!

So that sums up my first round of Paris Beauty Haul. I’ll be posting my second part in tomorrow’s post so stay tuned for that.