I thought it would be fun to review another Kiko product for you. Kiko Milano is one of my favorite drugstore priced brands. It has some stunning products that I love, many from their ‘fusion’ line. From the powder, the bronzer to their blush and highlighter, I love them all but I hadn’t tried many of their limited edition stuff. Now how limited is something if a year down the line you can still buy it, but at a discount? I’m not sure, so with Kiko LE stuff, I definitely recommend waiting for the hype to die down and see if the products are still around because this is still available at 50% off.
Review: Kiko Milano Fruit Explosion highlighter 03 Lost in Rose
One thing I love about Kiko is the fact that their products are just stunning. They aren’t always quite right for me but overall I have yet to try a true dud by them. Their quality is amazing and they do some fun collections as well. Is it the most groundbreaking most innovative makeup on the market? No. But they are a solid brand with solid products that stand the test of time. This highlighter is now on sale at 50% off and only retails for €4.99 on the Kiko website.
What does this highlighter have to offer?
I was very curious after the Fruit Explosion collection when it launched. But then I spotted the actual products and I wasn’t as impressed. The idea was cute: a fruit inspired makeup collection with lots of different products. The products themselves weren’t that great though. Not as in quality wise, but the shades were very far off from the fun, bright packaging this comes in. The highlighter I am showing you here is a stunner of a highlighter, but also not for the faint of heart as you will see below.
What does this highlighter look like?
Can it get any more stunning than this? This highlighter is gorgeous: a rose gold warm toned goodness that has some berries stamped into it. The packaging made me think this would be more watermelon themed though so it was a tad confusing perhaps. This highlighter comes in three different shades and I picked mine up in store. I don’t remember whether the other shades were there but in the store’s bright lighting it looked as if this may be a good fit for me. Sadly as you will see below, I was wrong, but it is a good one nonetheless.
What does this highlighter look like in a swatch?
Because come on! How can you say no to this?! This highlighter is smooth, buttery and intense. I mean if you want to glow from space you should opt for this one, because this baby shines like there is no tomorrow. But you can also see that it has quite a dark base shade and that’s why this isn’t perfect for me. But more about that in a minute. What I love about this one is that it has great pigmentation and while it may not work as a highlighter this is intense enough that you can use it as an eyeshadow for sure.
How does this highlighter apply to the cheeks?
I hope this picture shows you why this highlighter isn’t quite right for me. It just sits on the skin and doesn’t do much highlighting. It is so intense that it emphasizes my fine lines as well and it just looks like a dark stripe against my fair skin. If you have the right skin tone though, this is a stunner of a product. It is not quite what I am looking for as I am no longer into these nearly liquid looking powders, but if you love your highlighters intense this is a good one.
My final thoughts
The Kiko Fruit Explosion highlighter is a great product indeed. It is totally on my head that I bought a shade that is far too dark for me to make it work. In terms of quality it is a good one as it has an amzingly smooth formula that glides onto the skin like a liquid, but this is a cream to powder formula. It has a lovely intense pigment and I really like the rose gold shade. If I were more into rose gold shadow like I was a few years ago, this might have made it into my single eyeshadow collection because I think it could double as a great eyeshadow as well.
Would I recommend the Kiko Fruit Explosion highlighter?
I definitely recommend the formula. It is by far one of the smoothest formulas I have tried in a loooong time! The highlighter in terms of quality, longevity and wearability is just an overall ace in the hole. What wasn’t quite right for me was the shade and that is a problem I have with many Kiko products. Much of it is very warm toned and too deep for me, which is why I don’t try that many of their products as most just doesn’t work. But if you have a deeper and warmer complexion than I do, this is great.