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Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Grey Pearl Dupe? Kiko Long Lasting Eyeshadow Stick no. 25

Oh, my never ending obsession with cream eyeshadow sticks - I don't even know myself what I'm looking for anymore, because I've sure already found more than enough stellar formulas. But somehow I felt compelled to get a Kiko Milano Long Lasting Stick 8 Hour No Transfer Eyeshadow ($12 for 1.64g/ 0.05 oz) in the shade number 25, one of the most popular products from the brand. At the time of purchase at the Kiko store in Queens, my thinking was that 25 seemed very similar to one of my all-time favorite eyeshadow crayons, the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Grey Pearl, reviewed here, but at less than half the price. So... is it all that similar?
Shade-wise, no. Formula-wise, it comes pretty close. Starting with the packaging, the Laura Mercier and Kiko twist-up pencils are nearly identical; the plastic on the Kiko's stick is more of a matte finish and feels maybe a touch less expensive, but that's about it. The texture of the Kiko's cream eyeshadow is very smooth and creamy, although compared to Laura Mercier's Grey Pearl, it seems a bit thicker, but just as easy to blend out. The level of pigmentation and staying power on my oily lids (both pencils are waterproof) are about the same. Mind you, not all Laura Mercier's Caviar Sticks share the same texture; for example, the shade Sugar Frost is more glittery and less opaque than my Grey Pearl - also, from what I remember swatching at the Kiko store, there was some textural variation between these Long Lasting Sticks as well.
As for the shade, it turns out that no. 25 and Grey Pearl are actually quite a bit different; which is a good thing for me personally, because I'm a bit tired of purchasing the same shades over and over again. No. 25 is a more matte/ subtle satin finish than Grey Pearl, which almost has a slight duochrome shift of silvery grey over a light taupe base. In my close-up photo of Kiko's no. 25, you can see that this shade isn't pure matte either, but on the eyes, you can barely see any shimmer.
L-R: Kiko Long Lasting Stick no. 25, Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Grey Pearl.
Kiko's no. 25 is actually much more a true grey shade than Laura Mercier's Grey Pearl, and it's also significantly lighter in depth. In practice, when worn on the eyes, Kiko's eyeshadow pretty much matches my fair skintone. I wasn't expecting that result at all when I purchased this shade, but I'm not mad at it - I have a lot of veins and sometimes redness on my eyelids, and a staple neutralizing base is always welcome in my stash. In the photo below, I'm wearing no. 25 on the lid, blended out with Rouge Bunny Rouge Sweet Dust Seriema in the crease, and the light blue shade from Shiseido's Static trio in the inner corners of my eyes. While the undertone of no. 25 is more cool and suits these cooler eyeshadow looks well, I think it should work with lots of neutral eyeshadows in my collection as well.
I'd definitely recommend you to check out these Kiko Eyeshadow Sticks when you get the chance; although I have noticed that Kiko's retail prices in USD are slightly higher than the equivalent in Euros or pounds. I may look into these again when I travel to Italy later this year; after all, when in Rome...

Have you tried any make-up from Kiko Milano? What are your favorite products?

12 comments:

  1. Hey Monika, I have a real soft spot for stick eyeshadows as well so it's nice to see this here! I've heard great things about Kiko ones, but the brand is not available in Belgium. This particular shade might be too grey and a bit too light on me, but it's pretty on you! Definitely look into the line-up when you are in Italy :)

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    1. I think Kiko is just beginning to expand worldwide; if they're in the UK and Italy, maybe they'll start opening stores in other European countries as well? They had lots of warmer golden and bronzy shades in those pencils too, I'm sure you'd find a shade you like :D

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  2. Weird fact : I have 2 LM Grey Pearl (yes, I confess, I repurchased it because I didn't remember I already had it - but at least I'm coherent with my own choices). Well, they don't look the same when you swatch them side by side. One is more duochrome than the other, and one looks a bit more like your Kiko one.

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    1. Hahaha, well, you have a back-up in that case! It's funny how in my memory, Grey Pearl was a lot more grey, and then when I swatched them side by side, they turned out to be quite different from one another!

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  3. Love the soft grey of the KIKO on you, Monika. LM Grey Pearl is one of my favorite easy wash shades!

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    1. Thank you Belly! Eh, Grey Pearl is just hard to beat, isn't it? :)

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  4. You are preaching to the choir, Monika. I SOO want to try out Kiko, esp the shadow stick ever since Kate mentioned it in her blog a long time ago. Do you know if the store is willing to ship to the U.S?

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    1. Claire, you could always call one of the stores here on the East Coast and ask if they would take a phone order (I went to the store in Queens Center; their phone # is (718) 271-1810. Or next time I'm there, I could pick something up for you and mail it :) I'm not in that neck of the woods terribly often, but I'll let you know when I go!

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  5. I actually prefer the Kiko one! :) Great comparison!

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  6. I've never heard of this brand, but I just wanted to say that you look absolutely flawless!

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  7. A Kiko is opening up near me, and I'm excited to check out things that I've only read about online. This eyeshadow stick looks promising and I'm surprised at how natural it looks.

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