Luxuriously Cheap: Kiko Milano Luscious Cream Lipstick no. 502 Review

Lately, I've been able to gauge rather accurately my true feelings about a product I'm testing by my enthusiasm for posting about it on the blog. Case in point: this incredibly inexpensive Kiko Luscious Cream Lipstick in the shade 502 ($9 for 0.12 oz/ 3.5 g, currently on sale for $3.90 - I purchased it on sale in Poland for 15 PLN). I've had it lingering in my 'to try' pile for a couple months, and when I finally cracked it open, it promptly got transferred into another pile of stuff I like to call 'tried but not excited about'.

First things first: for your mere couple of bucks, you're getting a luxuriously packaged lipstick in metallic tube with an innovative opening/ closing design: you push from the top and the lipstick pops out on the bottom, and then you can pull it completely open. A little bit similar to the mechanism in Chanel Rouge Allures, but slightly less smooth/ easy to click in and out. The bullet itself is a bit slimmer than that of a standard lipstick, comes embossed with the KIKO logo, and smells faintly of vanilla/ cake - a bit different than MAC lipsticks, but very pleasant still.

Kiko claims that the Luscious Creams are 'creamy lipsticks with pure, intense color' and that they are enriched with 'K2 Repulp', which contains Hyaluronic Acid and has a moisturizing, plumping, revitalizing and anti-aging effect. Quite a big claim for such a small lipstick, don't you think?

Curiously, I can't see Hyaluronic Acid or Sodium Hyaluronate or anything like that in the INCI on my box.

And when it boils down to it, I think my Luscious Cream is a perfectly nice lipstick, but I'm not completely over the moon. It does have a smooth glide, and the texture is somewhat thinner than most of my cream finish lipsticks - more lightweight and less slippery on, the exact opposite of the old NYX Round lipsticks, if you've ever had one of those (which I disliked the formula of). It's also nicely pigmented, although I wouldn't call it intense, and the finish is satin (no shimmer but not as glossy as some 'cream' lipsticks). Now here comes the clou of this review: because of that thinner texture, this Kiko lipstick does nothing for my vertical lip lines. There's no plumping or 'increased fullness' (as per their website), you can clearly see all the puckering on my... uhm, pucker?

The Luscious Cream lipstick feels comfortable on my lips initially, although 2-3 hours into the wear, they start feeling a bit dry and I need another layer to get some of that creaminess back. The lipstick feels comfortable longer, and my lip lines are diminished, if I layer a lip gloss on top; in fact, it's a perfect formula for wearing alongside a lip gloss, because even with that extra shine on top, the combo still stays put and does not smear all over the face. So if you enjoy layering lipsticks with glosses, the thinness of this formula may be a big plus for you; I normally don't layer, but I enjoy it with this particular lipstick.

L-R: Kiko Luscious Cream in 502, Maybelline Warm Me Up, Red Apple Lipstick Audrey. Swatches below in the same order.

The shade 502 is a pinky nude with some mauve undertones - a fantastic nude shade for cooler skintones that compliments just about any eyeshadow look or blush shade. I don't have another lipstick that comes close - Maybelline Color Sensational in Warm Me Up is warmer and deeper (more in the 'My Lips But Better' category), Red Apple Lipstick Audrey is deeper and rosier.

I would recommend this lipstick formula if you actively dislike overly creamy lipsticks, or don't have issues with vertical lip lines/ other texture on the lips, and/ or like layering glosses on top of lipsticks - I mean, it's pretty nice, especially considering the sale price. But if you're looking for a smoothing, hydrating go-to lipstick, it may fall a bit short for you. Have you tried any lipsticks from Kiko? What is your favorite drugstore lipstick brand?