Kiko Modern Tribes

There are few things quite as exciting as a new Kiko collection as they are just so blimin’ good at putting together edits of gorgeous products to get very, very excited about.  Kiko Modern Tribes is another stonker that’s perfectly named – the shades and packaging all work brilliantly within the “modern tribes” theme, with earthy woody tones contrasted with pops of vibrant colour – it’s all so good!

As is usually the case with Kiko, they don’t muck about with their collections so Modern Tribes is just as jam-packed as previous launches, therefore this is going to be a bit of a long post.  I’ll start with the product getting most people excited, which is the Tri-Bal Soul Baked Blush.  If ever there was an argument for collecting make-up, this stunningly presented blusher is it.  It’s a wood, boxed blusher with a magnetised lid that houses a mirror.

The blush itself contains three shades sits on the lower wood slat that comes completely apart from the lid.  There are three shades in total and I have Mysterious Earth which is a very neutral shade and I’m guessing the most versatile of the three since it can work for bronzing and highlighting too, although the finish – rather interestingly – is matte, yet it still leaves a glow.

It’s gorgeous in every sense of the word and if you have a thing for beauty, you’re going to want one of these.  It works alongside the Modern Tribe Face Brush which can be used for sculpting and blending all forms of powder products.  It’s an interesting one; I haven’t used it for long enough to decide whether it’s a gimmick or not, so the jury remains out for the time-being.

Other products in the face range include the Sunproof Cream Foundation SPF15, the Sunproof Powder Foundation SPF15, the Sunproof BB Cream SPF30 and the Essential Bronzer, the latter of which comes in two shades.  The Tri-Bal Soul Baked Blush is £14.90 and the Modern Tribe Face Brush is also £14.90.

Sticking with face products, the Free Spirit Lips & Cheeks pencils are probably my favourite of the collection as I do love a good lip pencil.  These shades are really interesting as they’re relatively strong, Summer colours, but they still manage to stay quite earthy.  There are six shades in total and I have Hearty Peach and Unique Camellia.

These are quite matte in finish (I think the whole vibe of the collection is kind of a matte glow) which makes them fine for lips, but quite tricky to blend on the cheeks – I found applying a good swatch on my hand and warming with my fingers before dotting on to be the best way to apply, but I don’t think I’ll use them as blushers again.  I like them very much as lippies though, especially the Unique Camellia shade.  These are £8.90 each.

Finally on to eyes starting with the Dawn to Dusk Volume Mascara which was much better than I expected – I’m such a fusspot with mascara generally, so I wasn’t expecting much from this, but it was very easy to apply, gave plenty of volume, didn’t smudge and washed off easily too.  It’s a good all-rounder and well-priced at £8.90.

The Graphic Ritual Kajal Eyeliners are lovely and come in at a very close second in my favourites.  They’re extremely creamy, meaning you can use them along the waterline, to tight-line or just as regular liners, yet once in place they stay there.  They’re also really pigmented and comfortable to use.

There are six shades available in total and I have Talisman Gold and Masai Blue – interestingly out of the six shade line-up, three fall under the blue colour spectrum, the others being a deep grey and a lovely rich green.  Masai Blue looks a lot better once swatched, so I might have to give this shade a go and see if I can pull it off!  These are a total bargain at £6.90 a pop.

The other products in the range are a Sahara Glow Highlighter – a lovely looking pot of highlighting pearls for the body, plus a small fragrance range.  I love the idea of a fragrance line to match a make-up collection so you end up really absorbed in the tribal vibe.  In the above picture (recovering from a reaction to a product, hence the broken-out skin) I’m wearing Talisman Gold from the liners along the top lash line, one coat of the mascara, the baked blush all over the cheek area (applied using the brush) with Unique Camellia on the apples of the cheeks and lips.  I added a little lip balm as my lips were quite dry, hence the glossy finish.  I would never have thought to pair a gold eye with a deep orchid lip, but I really like it as a simple, summery look.  The whole Kiko Modern Tribes collection is available now here.

*PR Samples