HUGE KIKO HAUL

I'm back baby! You may have noticed a serious lack of new posts on Bloomin' Rouge in the past few weeks. That's due to the fact that I was lucky enough to have been living it up in Europe for most of April. Truth be told I was feeling a real lack of creative energy before I left, so I'm hoping the break will have me feeling refreshed and ready for round two.

While I was in Italy I made darn tootin' sure to locate a Kiko store. I'd seen English girls talking about Kiko a lot and it looked divine. Well my friends, it was. I was like a kid in a candy store. I bought a lot of stuff. Partly because it was so cheap and everything was so beautiful, but also because that was likely my one and only chance to get my hands on Kiko in a long time. I tried to get a little bit of everything – face, lip, eyes. I was, however, particularly keen to try out the Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadows, as the shade range is incredible and the formula looked fabulous. So yeah, I went nuts there.

L-R: Infinity Eyeshadow in 226, 210

I grabbed a couple of the Infinity Eyeshadows as they were on sale and some of the colours were quite intriguing. I went for 210, a matte/satin finish warm chocolate brown, and 226, a matte coral colour that I thought might make a nice warm transition.

L-R: Stick Highlighter in 101 Rose, Kiss Balm in 04 Cherry, Lip Liner in 506 Cherry, Eye Pencil in 402 Warm Brown

As soon as I swatched it in the store, I added the Radiant Touch Creamy Stick Highlighter in 101 Rose to my bag. It reminded me of a slightly more subtle Nars Copacabana Multiple. I also got the Kiss Balm in 04 Cherry, a lovely sheer pink, and the Automatic Precision Lip Liner in 506 Cherry Red. It's less of a cherry red and more of a warm raspberry. I thought it'd make a beautiful all over lip colour. The Glamorous Eye Pencil in 402 Warm Brown (more like copper if you ask me) also called my name.

Kiko Super Colour Mascara in Plum and Nail Lacquer in 508 Rose Sand

I'd been looking for a burgundy/plum mascara for ages and never found one for a reasonable price. Not surprisingly, Kiko had the answer with their Super Colour Mascara in Plum. I'm hoping it's as beautiful on the lashes as it looks in the tube. I also tried one of their Nail Lacquers in 508 Rose Sand, which is the perfect description. You can see it a bit on my nails in the picture here. Not in the picture (but I wasn't sure where else to mention it) is the Universal Fit Hydrating Foundation. I picked this one up because it was insanely affordable and it came highly recommended by Lily Pebbles.

L-R: Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadows in 05, 06, 25, 33, 36 and 37

Finally, the Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadows. I've never been much of an eyeshadow wearer, but these sticks could change it all. I picked 05, 06, 25, 33, 36 and 37. To me, the real stand out is 05 Rosy Brown. It's a great dupe for the By Terry Ombre Black Star in Misty Rock.

So that was everything guys. Glad to be back. Tell me what's been going on in your lives!