After three months in Florence, Italy, I thought I should review the cosmetic products I got and used there. This doesn't mean that they are by Italian companies; they are just products I associate with my stay there.
My first favorite is, actually, a brand.
Kiko makeup have a great range of products and colors for incredibly cheap: 4€ for a mascara, 1.50€ for a nail polish, etc. Of course, limited edition collections are a little more expensive, but still inexpensive compared to other brands.
Kiko do sell skin care, but I haven't tried enough things to have a good opinion of it.
What I personally like is that Kiko don't have the same cheap packaging as many drugstore brands. Their packaging is simple, yet classy, which could have an impact on the low pricing. For the limited edition collections, the packaging is more worked on, more thought about.
Kiko makeup is very pigmented, something that made me happily surprised (at that low cost), but wears off easily. The eyeshadows crease like nothing I've ever experienced before. But then, as I said, at that cost, you can't expect anything other.
Kiko makeup is perfect if you are intending to wear it for four hours at a time; it is after that that it starts wearing off/creasing.
Although I prefer natural products or products of quality, Kiko is a dream for a poor student, or just anyone who didn't have a makeup-budget.
Next up are two products by the Italian brand I Provenzali.
I discovered the brand when the Italian cometic-store Limoni. I liked that they not only were inexpensive, but also had great company values: they were supporters of the WWF, they work against animal testing, they use recycled plastic for their packaging, they use "green energy", etc.
The first product I tried was a hair mask with flaxseed oil. It is lightweight of a creamy, almost gel-like consistency.
It had a pleasant, natural and soft scent. It was rather weak (good for people sensitive to strong scents), but for some amazing reason lingered in my hair.
The mask made my hair very soft, smooth and easy to detangle. I do have problems with frizz and tangly hair (yes, even if my hair is straight), but this did a good job to make every day a good hair day for me.
The second product I tried (which I bought weeks after the first) was a shea butter shampoo. Just as the flaxseed mask, this has a very weak sent (the typical shea butter scent).
It was very, very runny, so you have to be careful when dosing it into your hand (there might be some going to waste). It did lather rather ok in my hair, though it was a little hard to work with it due to the consistency.
Overall, for the great price, these products were well worth the money, especially due to the great values of the company.
Next up is my favorite shower gel: Ginger Burst by Origins. I got this, plus the Ginger Essence, by my dad for my birthday. Since I didn't want to finish it too quickly, I only used it when I felt tired or just a little down. The scent is great, well, it smells of ginger (I like it, you might not). It is easy to work it up into a generous, soft lather.
Out of the shower, this shower gel leaves my skin soft, and yes, the scent lingers on the skin!
I'll soon update you on the products I did not like from Florence!
Ciao Belle e Belli!
