KIKO Ultra Glossy Stylo 803

I finally gave in to my curiosity and stepped foot inside the KIKO store on Via del Corso the other day, lured in by the SALDI (Sale) signs plastered all over the windows. I'm not too familiar with Italian makeup brands, as I have found that profumerie stock regular drugstore products such as Rimmel, Maybelline, and L'Oreal (though their selection is a bit different from the US, as they carry more products I have seen UK bloggers mention), but KIKO is one of the few that I had heard mentioned a couple times before. Most recently, Fleur de Force mentioned one of their palettes in her favorites video which made me keen on trying something out while I'm in Italy.

There were displays of colorful eyeshadows, different tinted foundations and moisturizers, racks of nail polish, rows of lippies and boxes of reduced price items in the tiny hole-in-the-wall joint that was way over-glitzed for the minimal available space. I almost took out some chatty Italian women and a few of the employees with my book bag but was able to take a loop around the store and ended up in the lip section. I don't know what it is, but I have this odd attraction to lip products even though I don't venture out of my comfort zone in terms of color selection and usually end up just reverting back to using chapstick because I'm too lazy to reapply. However, I loved how Zoella's makeup looked in her most recent video and realized I didn't really bring anything light and glossy for the spring so justified one sneaky little purchase (plus at only €3.50, who could pass this up).

I decided to pick up the Ultra Glossy Stylo Rouge A Lèvres in the shade 803. It is a glossy pink medium between a lipstick and a gloss. It reminds me a lot of the Revlon Lip Butters but maybe leaning a bit more towards a lipstick than those in consistency. The texture is lovely - it's smooth and slightly sheer, and smells like vanilla (mmm!). I think it's a perfect everyday, no-fuss color that will work well year-round! It's a very versatile color that will match virtually anything which is also important because I'm planning on traveling light on makeup over the next few days and but will need a pop of color as I brave the winter weather of northern Europe. Overall I will say I am very pleased with the quality of this product and am tempted to do a little more research and pick up a few more bits while I'm here (I'm on the market for a peach blush so perhaps I can snag something along those lines before spring arrives)!