Kiko Colour Sphere Eyeshadow (£5.90 from kikocosmetics.com)
In their words: 'Baked silk effect eyeshadow, brilliant and easy to blend. Rich in illuminating pigments and multifaceted pearls for a special effects texture. May be used wet or dry to adjust the intensity from transparent to intense.'
In my words: Hmm, not quite 'brilliant'. These shadows are quite the harsh mistress - they can look incredible, but they take substantial work. Let's take a look at the nitty gritty.
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Formula: The formula is quite typical of a baked product - the power itself is silky soft, but it's stiff in the pan, and as such requires a real 'rub' to yield any sort of good pigment. Once swatched, it can tend to fade quickly as you blend, and doesn't seem to really adhere well to skin. As such, a primer is an absolute must, and I would even recommend a base on top of that to really seal the colour. Without a primer, these tend to become very patchy and are frustrating to use for that reason; blending is essential with these as they are prone to rough edges due to being so metallic and sparkly, but as soon as you blend the colour disappears and you have to pack it back on again. I found when I tried to do an elaborate eye look with these it took wayyyy longer than usual, as I constantly lost intensity and had to reapply. That said, the finished look is stunning - especially if you use them wet, they are very sparkly and dimensional.
Pigmentation: Pigmentation ranges from semi-sheer to pretty opaque, depending on if you use them dry or wet. A dry application will give you a soft, satin wash of colour - these only really become vibrant when used wet, this is also when the micro-sparkle becomes prominent, too.
Longevity: It's not looking good, ladies. Without a primer, these start to patch off and fade after a few hours. I don't have particularly oily eyelids either - usually, eyeshadow lasts a good seven hours before I notice fading. This was very disappointing, but can be remedied with a good primer and base.
Ease of use: As mentioned above, these are quite frustrating to use, as you have to constantly reapply and you can't achieve a flawless eye look unless you really put time and effort in.
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Swatches
25 - Pearly Periwinkle
Pearl Periwinkle is a cool medium-toned lilac. This was the worst performer out of the colours I bought - as you can see from the eye swatch, it had already started creasing (and I had it on for probably a minute before I took the picture!!).
35 - Malachite Green
Malachite Green is (not a green at all) a cool icey blue. It had good pigmentation both wet and dry, but unfortunately was still quite patchy.
23 - Emerald Green
Emerald Green is, as described, a metallic emerald green. This was my favourite colour out of the bunch, as it applied a lot smoother and pigmentation was very good both dry and wet.
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To conclude...
If you're looking for a metallic, sparkly eyeshadow and are willing to work for that dazzling, eye-catching look, these may be for you. As stated above, these CAN be really stunning, and all of the problems can be remedied with a little more effort and some help from our good friend primer. However, if you're someone who doesn't have a lot of time to spend on their make-up and prefers a more minimalist look, these aren't for you. The shade range is good (Kiko also offer neutrals in this range) but unfortunately, as a one and done product, these jewel tones are just missing the mark slightly.
RATING: C
- Soph
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