Not gonna lie, but shopping at Kiko Make Up Milano was hella stressful.
I checked out one of the big Italian brand’s freestanding stores in Milan last month, and it was PACKED! Wall-to-wall teenagers, makeup and Japanese tourists, except for one short, brown beauty blogger and a really clueless American dude who zigzagged into the store, held up a shopping list on his phone and bellowed to no one in particular, “I need to bring all this home to my girlfriend or she’s gonna kill me.” HA HA! Seriously, I couldn’t make this sh*z up.
There wasn’t a lot of room in the store to move around because every square inch was covered with makeup (stimulus overload!). Enhancing the effect, they blasted loud techno music, so it was kinda like being in da club, or a makeup hybrid of Forever 21/Claire’s/Abercrombie and Fitch.
But the store was hopping for a reason. COLOR! It’s everywhere at Kiko, and the line is HUGE! They must have thousands of different products, everything from makeup to skin care to nail polishes, and even stuff for dudes. Better still, their products are all fairly affordable at 2-20€ apiece (about $2.50-$30).
In the short time I was there, I looked closely at some of their eyeshadows, lipsticks and polishes, and from what I saw/tried, the line compares to some of our upscale drugstore brands like Sonia Kashuk here in the US.
Which means it’s good.
Here are some overview shots of their eyeshadows and nail polishes. As you can see, the selection’s HUGE!
I didn’t have much room in my luggage to bring home very much, but a few things did make it home with me, you know, for further research. 🙂
From left: Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 10 (7 euros), Volumeyes Mascara (4 euros), Sparkle Touch Nail Lacquer (4 euros) and Double Glam Eyeliner in 05 (7 euros)
From top to bottom: Sparkle Touch Nail Lacquer, Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 10, Double Glam Eyeliner in 05 and Volumeyes Mascara
From left: Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 10, Double Glam Eyeliner in 05 and Volumeyes Mascara, Volumeyes Mascara
and Sparkle Touch Nail Lacquer
Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 10
The green side of Double Glam Eyeliner in 05
The purple side of Double Glam Eyeliner in 05
Swatches from left: Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 10, Volumeyes Mascara, green side of Double Glam Eyeliner in 05 purple side of Double Glam Eyeliner in 05
Sparkle Touch Nail Lacquer
Swatch of Sparkle Touch Nail Lacquer
Some notes on the products:
Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 10: My favorite of the bunch. Not only is it unbelievably soft and blendable, but the color’s shockingly bright yet still lasts hours before fading or creasing (it’s also somewhat waterproof, although I can’t tell if it’s classified as such). This gets an “A” for Awesome from me.
Volumeyes Mascara: Maybe not the best thickening mascara I’ve ever tried, but it separates and lengthens lashes well. Applying it atop an extra layer of a separate mascara should give it more oomph!
Double Glam Eyeliner in 05: This dual-ended pencil liner is like Kiko’s version Urban Decay’s 24/7 liners. It applies smoothly, with tons of color, and stays put once dry.
Sparkle Touch Nail Lacquer: Frak me! I should’ve checked this bottle for “freshness” at the store, because when I opened it back at home, I saw that it had clearly been used. The rim was crusty and covered in the gunk. YUCK! The polish itself is just a’ight — thick, but that may be due to the fact that it was probably sitting in someone’s bathroom for months before they decided to return it. Grr…
As far as I’ve been able to tell, the line’s currently only available at Kiko stores or through their website, kikocosmetics.com. Sadly for us and at least for now, they only ship to addresses in Italy. Hopefully that changes soon, and I suspect it will.
They do have an English version of their website, but it’s just to tease international visitors (no online purchases).
Have you ever heard of (or tried) Kiko Make Up Milano before?
A dizzying experience at the pool
The weirdest thing happened to me at the pool yesterday! And, no, thankfully it doesn’t involve public nudity or mysterious things floating in the water.
I’d spent about 10 minutes just kinda floating and doing a slow, lazy freestyle stroke back and forth in the water. Then, when I got out of the pool I swooned and almost fell to my knees. I got hit by a sudden dizzy, nauseous spell, unlike anything that’s ever happened to me before. I’ve always felt pretty comfortable in the water, so I’m not sure if the swimming had anything to do with it.
Has anything like this ever happened to you after swimming? I wonder what it could be…
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
i’ve never heard of them but it sounds awesome!! the colors are amazing and I am loving the swatches….your story of being in the store is hilarious, especially the dude who was yelling about getting it for his gf, i can just imagine that it was like a scene on a wall street trading floor! Hahahaha
Vonnie recently posted … Ill Have What Shes Got
Hi Vonnie,
It kinda felt that way! I felt sorry for the guy, LOL! The poor thing looked really confused.
I haven’t tried anything from the Kiko line but it makes me wish I’d known something about it when I was in Milan a few years ago!
And I’ve experienced something like that getting out of the pool and at the time it seemed to be heat/dehydration related. I started my day laying out by the pool with a friend earlier this summer and sweated up a bit – feeling fine – but as soon as I got into the water I started to feel really lightheaded and gross. I got right back out, drank TONS of water and had some light food to rehydrate and fuel. I ultimately felt better but I’m infinitely more careful now about how I’ve prepared myself before spending time outside.
Dana recently posted … Teaser Tuesdays 10-12
Hi Dana,
How long were you in Milan? Did you like it? I thought it was a really nice city!
Hi Karen! Indeed, Kiko is one of the most-loved brands in Italy right now, in the past 2/3 years they’ve been opening stores everywhere and putting out loads of new and improved stuff with pretty packaging at really affordable prices. Of course, not everything is great but there are a lot of little gems to be found. I particularly love their new Double Glam pencils, the blushers & bronzers, lip balms and most of the powder eyeshadows. Cream eyeshadows and concealers are not my fave, however! Glad you enjoyed the experience anyway, despite the crappy nail varnish 🙂 xx
Hi Anna,
Thanks for all these great recs. If I ever go back I’ll have to take a closer look at the blushes!
I haven’t heard of them, but I love that they have tons of color in their product line! =) Now that I moved to the grey East Coast, I appreciate color more and more!
Take care Karen….perhaps you were dehydrated or close to having aunty flo visit? That sometimes makes me dizzy.
Kajal Couture recently posted … New Look
Hi Kajal Couture,
I think dehydration played a part… it’s been really hot, and I haven’t been drinking enough water. 🙁
Anywho, how are you liking the east coast?
oh wow that eyeshadow, and eyeliner are both beautiful. I love it!
beautylogicblog recently posted … Bring Out Your Sexy With Lancome French Touch Lipstick in Cherry Kiki & New Giveaway
Hi Beautyblogicblog,
I think you’d get a kick out their textures… both are very smooth!
Sounds like it could have been a vasovagal reaction. It can happen seemingly out of nowhere — I once had one while I was sitting on the couch. I had just had a full day of work, had gone to spinning class, and had come home and showered — I felt fine one second, then the next I was pouring buckets of sweat and trying to stay conscious long enough to text my husband to hurry home. My blood pressure was low when he got home, but I was fine. It hasn’t happened again.
I hope you’re feeling okay since!
Amber recently posted … Smile now
Hi Amber,
Okay, time for me to do some googling (I can’t believe that’s now a verb). I’m feeling better now, but it took a few hours and several glasses of ginger ale.
I second that amateur diagnosis. The reaction can happen for a variety of seemingly random/mundane reasons.
Hey y’all,
Here’s a link that explains what a vasovagal reaction is, just in case you’re curious:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasovagal_response
I bought a lipstick from Kiko when I went to Sicily , my friend told me its a dupe for macs angel lipstick so i had to get it!!! It was only 2 euros and I don’t know what angel looks like since we don’t have it in Malta but this lipstick is awesome and one of my favourites . Its numbered 96 (just for future reference) doesn’t have a named unfortunately. And I swear the packaging is similar to mac 🙂
Hi Sophie,
I didn’t make it to the lip products, but I’ll keep that color in mind if I ever get to go back!
Ooh that double ended eyeliner looks awesome!
I have had that happen before, but not due to swimming. I think the problem was that my blood pressure was low. Hope you’re feeling better now!
Hi Tiffany,
I’m feeling much better, thanks! I’m starting to think it might be a number of things… maybe a combination of vertigo, not eating enough beforehand, a little bit of heat exhaustion/dehydration.
But onto more fun things. I wanna hear all about your camera! Have you tried exploring any of the manual modes yet?
Yah I’ve stayed away from the intelligent auto mode! I’ve played with the macro and trying to use the aperture priority mode to try to get pics with a short depth of field. I love pics that have really blurred backgrounds so that’s what I’m trying to learn to do first!
Good for you for trying out the different functions. Aperture priority is one of my favorite modes to shoot in to get that effect (it’s called bokeh).
You can also cheat it by putting your subject a good distance away from the background. 🙂
Ooh, good to know – I’ve never even heard of that term before!
LOL, it’s a fancy term for “blurred background.”
So, does your camera allow you to switch out lenses?
It’s good to know terminology! Yah, I can switch out lenses. I have my eye on a 20mm pancake lens because it looks great for travel, but I don’t know much about the different lenses. Except that they are expensive! What’s your fave type of lens?
My fave is the Canon Nifty Fifty. I use it ALL THE TIME!
It’s flexible, light, zippy and is fabulous for bokeh:
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-1-8-Camera-Lens/dp/B00007E7JU
my camera uses the micro 4/3 lenses. so I would think I would want one that (like your canon lens) has a really low f/ number? the pancake lens I was looking at is f/1.7. I wonder if that would be good for bokeh?
Yeah, 1.7 should do some nice bokeh. 🙂
Here’s a site you might like:
http://www.borrowlenses.com/
They rent lenses… how cool is that?
oh wow, that is cool! I had heard that some camera shops will let you rent out lenses. what a great idea!
Isn’t that awesome? Lenses are so expensive, and it sucks to buy one you don’t like.
Karen, you TEASE!! Between Fred Farrugia and now Kiko….I’m salivating to get my mitts on some and can’t! UGHHHH!!!!
I’ve experienced something similar after swimming in the ocean……I ended up in the ER with water plugged in my inner ear. That’s what throws off your equalibrium and makes you nauseous and light-headed. Hope that helps you……
Hi Donna,
I wonder if that’s what’s going on. Maybe I need to get my ear looked at, sigh…
As for the makeup, I’m gonna keep my fingers crossed and hope that these brands cross over to our shores soon!
Anywho, how’s your day going? Anything new to report?
Nothing new here…..the next month is pretty quiet until 11/9, which is the day of the BIG ultrasound……we’ll hopefully find out if we’ve got a boy or a new fan of MAKEUP AND BEAUTY !! Can you tell, I’m hoping for a girl ……….
How exciting! 🙂 Either way, I can’t wait for you to get that baby into some cute outfits! Kids clothes have gotten exponentially cooler over the last few years.
Yes, that happens to me every time I step out from a pool….and I used to be a swimmer, go figure. When I was a teenager after every single training session I would ven get out of the pool with this annoying headache that faded away within an hour. I am in my 30’s now and I only get dizzy after doing laps in the swimming pool.
I love the nailpolish!
Hi Lucia,
Interesting. I was trying to do “laps” (in a lame out-of-shape kind of way). Do you find that the dizziness goes away? Or is it always there?
Yes, the dizziness should go away after 5-10 min. I am kind of used to that. Probably you should get check if this is the only time you have experienced. My vagus also gets stimulated very randomly so I guess I am a sensitive person???..don’t know. I used to go to physical therapy for cranio-sacral releases (one hand in my belly, the other in my back while in my back), and they always had to stop half way in because I will get extremely nauseous…
Hmm. Mine stuck around for a few hours. I’m thinking it might be an inner ear thing…
Anywho, I’m so glad we’re halfway through the week! Got any plans yet for the weekend?
It sounds like you might have had a little bout of Vertigo. It’s an inner ear thing and can happen whenever you change positions (such as sitting to standing) quickly. I don’t know a lot about it, but a couple of women in my pilates class have issues with it and I don’t think it’s uncommon. I’m glad your feeling better though 🙂
Hi Alex,
Oh, that might be it. I had something similar happen a few weeks earlier, but I just chalked it up to being jet-lagged and tired.
How long have you been doing pilates? I’ve heard it’s fantastic for the abs. I’ve seen classes where they use that machine thing-a-ma-bobber… looks hard, but fun!
Wow! The liner and shadow stick look FAB. I hope they’re available in Canada/the US soon ^^
2nd what Alex said about vertigo, but it also could have been a temperature thing — I know when I get out of a pool that’s a little too cold or a little too warm (aka any hot tub, waah!) my head feels like it’s splitting open and my stomach wants to crawl up out of my throat. Bleh!
Hope you’re back to 100% health now 😉
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Hi Rae,
Come to think of it the pool was a touch cold. Usually it’s not an issue for me (once I get moving everything’s fine), but maybe it was just too much for my body to handle.
Anyway, I really do hope a few of these groovy Italian lines head over to our side of the ocean!
Hope you’re having a lovely Tuesday.
Hi Karen
My dad is a regular swimmer and he gets those symptoms often if he has water in is inner ear. Hopefully that helps 🙂
Hi Dani,
Thanks for letting me know! I might call the doc to get it checked out if it happens again.
How’s your day been? Good, I hope!
Oh man. I don’t know how you didn’t walk away with a shopping bag full of eye shadow. That’s what I would have done. If I was rich and somehow made it to Milan.
Hi Trisha,
It was hard to not go nuts, but already knew my bag was gonna be stuffed to limit!
oh wow — affordable color. me likey A LOT!!!
Hi Nina,
Me too! It sounds like they’re expanding across Europe. Hopefully that means they’ll be in the US soon!!
I hope so too! 🙂 Cant wait for that!
I would have to mentally prepare myself to shop there, though. The amount of product made it VERY overwhelming.
Ah! Funny you should talk about Kiko Cosmetics now. I discovered the brand by pure chance a few days ago as I walked past a store that opened that very day (in a french mall). It was sooo packed that I couldn’t stay. Anyway, your swatches and reviews are very helpful. Thanks! 🙂
Hi Marie,
Lucky you! You’ll have to let me know if you find any other goodies of note.
Oh, and when you go back, be sure to play with the Stick Eyeshadows! They’re really very good.
Hi!
Actually, I found the store when I was visiting my sister. It seems Kiko opened their first two french stores in early october a little outside of Paris. But sure thing, when I’ll go visit her again, I’ll definitely check out the Stick eyeshadows! And if I find something of interest, I’ll let you know. 🙂
Cool! 🙂 What’s your sis doing in Paris? Is she a student?
She’s working in Disneyland Paris. ^^
WOW!!! Okay, so I love Disneyland and think that’s the coolest thing ever!
Maybe you are pregnant 🙂
LOL… Tabs would probably be thrilled to have a sibling!
OMG *droolll* i cud spent a whole week in there and still not get enough! and its reasonable too! OMG *makeupoverloadfaintss*
Kelley recently posted … Aisha 2010
Hi Kelley,
There’s a TON of stuff to look at. I didn’t even make it to the lipsticks and glosses…
I felt so overwhelmed when I first walked into the Boots flagship store in London. It was beauty overload for sure. That’s why i had to go back two more times. 🙂
Since you were floating on your back, maybe you got up too quickly and it messed with your inner ear.
marisol recently posted … Monday Weigh In – Week 3
LOL! I never made it to that store when I was in London a few years ago… if I ever go back it’s on my list!!
Oh la la makeup galore! I love the turquoise eyeliner and eyeshadow pencil you picked.
amy recently posted … Beauty of the Day NARS Vintage Nail Lacquer 2010 Midnight Express and Full Metal Jacket
Both of those are so bright but I love ’em!
Yay!! So excited that you reviewed Kiko because I bought tons of stuff from them when I was there. I remember being overwhelmed by the selection but did score a few GREAT products. The majority of my purchase though was “high end drugstore” like you described. I do wish they had one here in the U.S. though because the products are really affordable.. even with the euro/USD conversion.
The Double Glam eyeliners look like MAC Pearlglides!! I want!
I hope you’re feeling better from the pool -it sounds like Vertigo but that usually lasts longer.. I think? Or maybe you were dehydrated?! Well hope everything’s better!! =)
Hi Kali,
Yeah, I’m feeling better, thanks!
And yes… the Double Glams are very similar to the MAC Pearlglides. The MAC ones are smoother, but these are pretty nice too!
Why is it Rome was devoid of anything resembling makeup stores?! I saw (and came home) with nothing! These look cute and pretty affordable all things considered. As for your dizzy experience at the pool, might it be due to a drop in blood sugar levels? It happens to me sometimes when I’m exercising on an empty stomach – a sweet or sugary drink usually helps immediately.
Really? I always assumed Rome would have more stuff!
Kiko was the name of my cat so of course I love this line! Or maybe it is the amazing range of color that calls to me.
I have had a swooning after swimming incident, but it was after going in the Dead Sea. I was so amazed by it, I stayed far too long. With that much salt you get dehydrated. It was a crazy hot day so I probably went in a bit dehydrated.
I would love to swim in the Dead Sea some day. How was the water? Was it clear? Warm? I’m salivating at the thought of it…
Anyway, I love that this line and your kitteh share the same name. 🙂
Going in the Dead Sea was a dream come true for a water nerd like me. It was so cool. They told us to wear flip flops in because the bottom can scrape your feet but as soon as you took your first step they floated off you. You could just lift your feet and float vertically.
The water was clear — almost blindingly bright because instead of sandy bottom there is salt and there is pretty much nothing living in it to cloud it. It was also bathwater warm because it was August and close to 100 degrees.
So much color!
Perhaps you were dehydrated or hypoglycemic? I know it happens to be me when I workout too hard or if I haven’t eaten much all day. Or perhaps something else? 😉
Christy recently posted … FOTD- MAC Venomous Villains Cruella De Vil Darkly My Dear
LOL… I think I was dehydrated!
Hi Karen, I love swimming and had some dizzy spells – usually when I overdo it and/or hadn’t anything for breakfast (I swim late in the morning), so probably you don’t have to worry if it happened only once. When I get out of the water I always try to relax a bit before doing anything else – once I was collapsing in the shower!
And don’t worry for the “used” NP, either: here in Italy once makeup is sold, it’s sold: no returns. Your bottle was probably used as a tester on site by some frenzied teenager (it happens quite often and gets the sales girls mad!!)
Kiko stores are always a chaos – the best time to visit is during school hours! ;). But many of their products have a good price/quality ratio and they often have promo sales, so it’s always a tempting stop when shopping…
Hi Leo,
I’ll try relaxing before I get out of the water next time. 🙂
Are you a Kiko nail polish kinda girl?
I was, before discovering The Mighty Internet!! 😉
Kiko was the first, in Italy, to offer “unusual” colours. Now I do buy Kiko polish from time to time – I must have about 20 of theirs – and stock up clear and neutrals for frankening when they are on sale.
The quality isn’t bad, when used with a good base and top coat!
KIKO has arrived in Germany a while ago. Very nice value for the price I think.
I also have the double glam eyeliner. The emerald side is a MAC Undercurrent dupe. Not only the color but also the ingredients (I compared them in a video / on my blog). OK, MAC is going to re-promoted the popular shade, but it’s still the better deal. Unfortunately my caps don’t stay on the pencil so I expect them to dry out. What a pitty.
I recommend their slim lipsticks from the collections. They have a great texture and last quite long for a glossy lipstick.
Hi Magi,
Thanks for the lipstick recs! I didn’t have time to take a close look at the lip products but it’s nice to know there’s some good stuff there.
KIKO has great products, doesn’t it?!
I love their nail polishes. They have a huge range of colors, colors that maybe you can’t find anywhere else. And the eye productsare fabulous. I have a ColorSphere eyeshadow, the dark-blue sparkle one and it’s amazing. I’m planning to get more (stick eyeshadow is a priority LOL) as soon as I can.
Hi Eleonora,
You gotta snag a few Stick Eyeshadows, for sure!!
I just been to kiko 4 days ago!
I only bought the nailpolish 220.
I love it! I also have the gold and grey one.
Last year in Milano I bought the duo eyeshadow, thats on the left on your picture!
For my friends birthday i bought her a taupe eyeshadow and a mascara 🙂 My mother bought the dubble eyeliner. But in blue.
I have to say that I realy love kiko, and I wish that I could buy it here in Holland.
But Im lucky in a way….the kiko shop in germany is only a one hour drive 🙂
Hi Tina,
That’s cool! Now you have an excuse to go to Germany to stock up on some lovely makeup. 🙂
hi karen!
i’m glad you liked the products, they’re quite popular here and we all love them as well 🙂 so sorry to hear about the used nail polish! must have been some nice customer eh =_= it happened to me too, some people still don’t know what testers are made for.
anyways, i don’t wanna spam or anything, but i have lots of products and i did post about them on my blog, with pictures and stuff. maybe it will be useful for next time, who knows 🙂
thanks for the lovely post!
xo
miki recently posted … Pupa 1
Hi Miki,
Nice to meet another Kiko fan!
Miki, have you used their face cleaning / moisturising products and foundations? What do you think if you have? emma
hey emma 🙂
i’ve used their eye cream, pretty thick but i find it very moisturising and it seemed to me that my skin looked a lot better after a while. i also have 3 of their foundations (omg this is gonna be a LONG reply haha):
– skin evolution: my fave! it’s creamy, gives light to medium coverage (at least on me, i don’t use a lot). i sometimes use a primer so it goes on smoother. my colour is 01, it’s for fair skin. maybe the smallest amount of yellow in it would make it perfect, but it’s ok 😀
has spf12, there are 12 shades and they say it’s ok for all skin types (i have combination to oily skin in some areas)
– ultra durable: wrong colour (01) because i could not test it at the store (i didn’t have one where i live at that time), too yellow. this one has spf20 and is meant to be for very dry or combination skin types. you get to choose among 8 shades here, instead of 12. only need a small amount, goes on smoothly…same old story 😀 it’s also no transfer, which in my opinion isn’t true about any foundations lol
good coverage too!
these 2 i need to set with powder.
– all day mat: 6 shades, again wrong colour but this one is too pink lol so yeah, i’m gonna test them at the store now that i have one here! good thing is they’re cheap and i can mix the colours 😉 spf10 and it’s very liquidy. the packaging is different as you can see but don’t worry, there’s a pump 😀 great for combo to oily skin, it really does make them look matte. love that.
that’s it, i haven’t used any cleaning products yet but i’ve heard some are very good. i have the hand wipes and i love them! they smell sooooo good *_*
hope this helped 😀
miki recently posted … Pupa 1
Thanks Miki, that’s very informative. I appreciate it!
you’re very welcome ^^
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This is all very impressive! LOL at the guy! Ooh, looks like they have a store in Malaga, I might have to get my friend to check it out when she visits home in a few weeks! 🙂
I’m no doctor, so I won’t try to diagnose you, but I hope you’re feeling better! I’ve had an upset stomach recently which has led to dehydration so I’m suffering similar things. Gonna try and head into town in a bit to buy some ‘rehydration sachets’ to see if they help
I wanted to give the poor dude a hug! He looked really confused!
Hopefully your friend can hook you up with some Stick Shadows. 🙂
Well it’s impossible that you bought a polish that someone returned it because here in Italy we can’t return anything after buying it lol! Maybe someone tried it thinking it was the tester!
And also you went in the most known kiko store, because it is so central!
You missed some treasure out here, but maybe it’s a good excuse to came back here!
Sorry for your experience at the pool!
Yes, Kiko cosmetics are very good, especially the stick eyeshadows (I have many) and the lip products. Furthermore, they are cheap! 😉 Glad to hear that you’re better now.. every now and then I need something sweet because the level of glucose in my blood goes down and I feel dizzy..
Ciao Karen xoxo
Hi Ida,
The Stick Eyeshadows are GREAT! What is your fave color?
I have number 4 that is a chocolate brown, number 17 that is a midnight blue and number 18 that is a gray with silver sparkles and my favourite one is the grey one ’cause it suits perfectly with my greyish eyes! ciao karen xoxo
Hmm. I’m guessing someone got excited about the bottle and decided to do an on-the-spot mani!
Hopefully I’ll come back soon! Milan rocks.
hi! i’m from italy! we have a lot of kiko stores in our country…they have beautiful things and the eyeshadows are awsome and of a good quality!
Hi Claudia,
Nice to meet you! I never realized so many lovely Italian ladies hit up the site. 🙂
i am italian and i just go to kiko EVERY TIME i go for a walk on the city center! i have many many of their eyeshadows…
Hi Martina,
Cool! Do you have their powder shadows? I wish I picked up a pan…
eheh i have sooo many… the flat ones and the “sphere” ones… i think they changed the formula recently, cause the first ones that i picked up weren’t very pigmented, expecially the sphere eyeshadows… but now they are gorgeous! colorful, very pigmented!
I think I would have been paralyzed with sensory overload if I’d walked into that store! 🙂 I’m so bummed for you about the polish. I was very excited when I saw it!
I’m glad you’re feeling better. I get dizzy spells a lot when I stand up (low blood pressure), but I tend to agree that it may have been a combination of empty stomach, slight dehydration and the smell of chlorine for you. If it was inner ear related (vertigo), you’d be getting it a lot. Although, I did initially wonder the same thing as Misshold. 😉 Oh, and I’m not a doctor, I just play one in the blog comments. hee hee!
LOL! “Dr. Kim is in!”
The store was WAY stimulating. Every inch of it was covered in product!
Im italian to!
But I live in holland 🙂
I love the look of those products. I checked out the website and I’m really keen to try the face care as I need a new regime as everything that I use has been discontinued! I hope my Mum will go to Italy, Spain or Germany (where the website says they’re sold) when she’s in Athens next year. I also love the eye and nail colours!
Ooh girl you did good. I love those liners, and those spherical eyeshadows looked cool 🙂
Aww…why aren’t they in the US?? This line looks nice. That stick eyeshadow in 10 is sooo pretty! I love the eyeliners too! Thx for the post 🙂
Stacey recently posted … MAC Venoumous Villians Collection- Mini Haul w- swatches
i went to kiko in venice and loved it! i swear the prices were cheaper there though :S like i bought that nail varnish and it was 1.90 euros for me and the long wear eyeshadow stick which i also bought the same as you! was 4.90 i believe… and i also bought the gold eyeshadow cream and the black nail varnish and a lipstick. 🙂
those were offers 😀
they sell nail colours for half the price from time to time and always have sale items! right now there’s mascaras for half their price ^_^
if you’re gonna buy any, please check out these 3: luxurious, ultratech (NOT the waterproof one because it’s a pain to get off your lashes), top coat concentrate. that’s my top 3.
also the long lasting stick e/s were on sale. i don’t know why they only did this for 4-5 colours though. i bet they could become the new mac shadesticks 😛 there, i said that 😀
miki recently posted … Pupa 1
What a neat store! We need a store like this in the U.S., and I’m not talking about the drugstore! 🙂
I have heard of Kiko, but I have never used, but I do love me some Nouba though!!!
I’ve heard of this brand before, but I didn’t know they had sooooo many products!!! The pictures are heaven, thank you so much for posting them!! 🙂
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Awww!!! i liked the stick eye shadow a lot and the double eye pencil also… y the hell all these stores are not there in India ya 🙁 🙁 🙁
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Kiko Is my dog’s name… i would totally love to get my hands on this.. a trip to italy perhaps… 😀
I propose starting a campaign to the company to get them to do international shipping (or even better open stores in the countries that they’re yet to enter).
On the english version of the site there’s a contact us page. I went on there, chose company info and sent them an email, citing this website, saying what a good reputation they have and asking if they’re going to offer international shipping sometime. Maybe if enough of us do that they’ll take us seriously and we’ll be able to get Kiko in countries outside of Europe 🙂
Emma x
they’re going to open 3 stores in france soon and i believe there are a few in germany and spain too. so…i guess you guys just need to let them know! 😀
we have a facebook fan page here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/KIKO-COSMETICS-Fanpage/37162040735
and here’s the official page: http://www.facebook.com/KIKO.MAKEUP.MILANO?v=wall
hope this helped 😉
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Love your haul form KIKO. The green eyeshadow stick and the Double Glam Eyeliner are gorgeous! The shades are so bright, and some of my favorites too…purple and green!
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I’m Italian and I have tons of products from Kiko, so I’ll tell you a thing or two about it =) First of all, the Long Lasting Stick eyeshadow is meant to be waterproof and it really stays on forever! Other than that, the nailpolish you picked up was on display? Because rude people keep on using them even when they are not tester (I don’t think you bought the tester itself, because they take away the price from them). I always ask for a nailpolish bottle who was in the drawers under the counter.
Anyway, I love Kiko colours, if you have the opportunity buy their powder eyeshadows, they are highly pigmented and last for several hours (like, 6 hours without a primer?)
where can I buy it online?
I love Kiko makeup!! i brought a bunch of products on our way through Berlin – we found the store purely by fluke! i brought an amazing luminous purple long lasting eyeshadow – and today my dog ATE it. i am so devastated – it was my most prized piece of makeup in my kit – and i cant find a shopping online option anywhere 🙁 can anyone help me? does anyone know any possible way to purchase the brand online – anywhere?
Thank you 🙁
hey brooke 🙂
they only ship to italy right now :/ so sorry :/
there are a few stores in germany and spain at the moment. 3 new stores will be opening in france soon. but no international shipping…YET 🙂
miki recently posted … Collistar – Avant Gard- Collezione Autunno Inverno 2010
Yes, there are stores in Madrid (Spain) and it is becoming quite popular here as the prices are so good. There are some products that are interesting, others not so much, the quality of the product depends a lot. We do not have the option of online shipping (like we don´t have it here with MAC) but I suggest trying before buying with this brand as there some differences in quality that you only notice at the store swatching the products.
And yes, the colour offer is a bit too much, but that is part of its success
Hi, can you tell me where in Europe (besides Italy) I can buy this brand? I live in Czech Republic travelling occasionally around Europe.. Thank you.
hey renata 🙂
they just opened new stores in spain, france and portugal. and germany too i guess?
just go to the website and take a look to see where the stores are located 🙂
also…if anybody gets the chance to buy some stuff, they recently came out with a new LE nail polish collection 😀 i got most of the colours, sooo pretty 🙂 maybe not unique, but good quality and cheap 😛
thanks again karen for this post! i like to come back and check it out from time to time lol
xx
miki
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Hi I went to milan two weeks ago for my husbands birthday and I brought quite a lot of make up from kiko I absouloutley love it! Can I not order it from london?? I’m dissapointed there aren’t any stores over here 🙁
nope :/ at least not yet. they’re opening stores here and there but still need some time :/
Hello! I was wondering if there’s anyway to get it here, from the website or any sites online that will ship it to the US? I just returned from Italy and I bought a few products but now I want more and I can’t seem to figure out how or where to purchase it. Any advice?!
hi…..just returned from Firenze with a bunch of stuff from the Kiko store……wish I’d known we can’t get it here……I probably would have bought twice as much………hope they see the tremendous market they’d have in the US!!!
hiya,
i brought some kiko products and its amazing! for the right price aswel. the precision eyeliner, well lets just say that i wish i got there earlier.
will be going there back soon.
I visited the Kiko shop in Parma – italy and bought a few items for friends etc. The staff were really friendly and helpful and it is great make up and VERY cheap. following my trip from Parma my make up bag was stolen which contained all my Kiko make up but then recently discovered they have opened a Kiko shop in Westfield London. the prices are slightly higher in this branch but it’s worth it. I highly recommend this make up if you like to experiment with different colours or if you like to use cheaper make up for day-to-day use.
I have just come back from Italy and had been into the shop and bought some makeup there. I absolutely love it! I live in Australia and definitely would have bought more if I’d realised how much I was going to like it and the fact that I can’t purchase on line. 🙁 I think I may be able to but some things through ebay, but it’s just not the same! and the range is nowhere near what you can buy in store.
I just returned from my vacation in Italy. I went to the Kiko store in Florence (actually had to go back a second time to buy more!)and fell in love with the makeup and skincare products I purchased. Now I only wish that they sold online, or better yet, opened some stores in the US!
Loved the Kiko brand, but very disappointed that it can’t be purchased on line and shipped to Australia! How about opening a store, or 2, or 3, maybe more, here in Sydney, australia? 🙂 I’m sure it would do very well
I was in Italy a few days ago and I saw this shop. It wasn’t as packed with people, maybe because I was in a less densely populated place. Anyway, I bought a few pieces and I love them! I got 6 pieces for just €32 and I love every single piece! I should have got more as we don’t have this in local drug stores here in Ireland! When I go back to Italy, I will definitely be purchasing some more from Kiko! So worth it, and excellent quality, I find that my skin also suits this brand better than my MAC as MAC’s ingredients gave my skin an allergic reaction.
Urgh! I live in Australia and cannot get Kiko!!! I wish they’d come out here! Those swatches look amazing!
From a medical perspective (I’m a doctor), it sounds like you had a vasovagal event – typical symptoms include dizziness, feeling like you’re going to faint, sweatiness, going pale and nausea. Probably due to a combination of being a bit dehydrated then going from a flat to a standing position. When you suddenly change posture, the blood that was evenly distributed throughout your body pools in the feet, thus dropping your blood pressure. When your brain is inadequately perfused, you get the above symptoms. Tricks to avoid it in the future include sitting on the edge of the pool for a couple of minutes to allow your blood volume to distribute before standing (and also keeping well hydrated).
I know this reply is 5 years late and I dont know if anyone is still out there ! but I have just found KIKO website and it was on sale so I saved even more money. The prices were amazing and all the colours awesome and I love that I can build my own colour palettes. havent had the product’s yet but if they live up to the reviews I will be a very happy and regular customer