Sharing my honest thoughts (and swatches) of the limited edition Kylie x Balmain Collection. Scroll down for all the info!
It was late 2015 when Kylie launched her first set of Lip Kits. Back then they sold out in minutes and I remember stalking the website just so I could get my hands on a few different lip kits so I could see what all the fuss was about. Koko K and Candy K became my new favorite liquid lipsticks that winter.
Since then, her brand has obviously expanded into so many more shades, products and even skincare. Sidebar: you can read my mini review of Kylie Skin here. And her line is available to shop at Ulta.
I also know Kylie Cosmetics isn’t a favorite among my friends or readers.
My friend Crystal summed it up like this: “I’ve heard [Kylie Cosmetics] is really good! I just feel like it’s this cult I can’t be part of.”
To that point, I totally get it. My beauty style has always leaned towards “less is more” and the Kylie Cosmetics is on the opposite end of the spectrum. It feels a little out of my element to have splurged on this collab.
I can’t really explain it but when I first saw the Kylie x Balmain collab something dared me to step out of my comfort zone and splurge on the entire bundle. Ok, maybe the “Paris” theme was a factor too. Always trying to tap into my inner Parisian!
The eyeshadow palette contains the following shades:
Close the Show (metallic shimmering peach with fuchsia shimmer)
Model Type (metallic pewter silver glitter)
Attitude (matte warm lilac)
Main Event (matte neutral soft brown)
City of Love (metallic mint green with silver shimmer)
Night Out (metallic sweet pink with violet shimmer)
Top Model (matte warm rose)
Catwalk (metallic dusty rose mauve with silver shimmer)
PPW (metallic royal purple with pink and aqua blue shimmer)
I’m usually more drawn to warm matte neutrals and honestly, more basic every day shadows but that’s exactly why I wanted to get this palette. It’s totally out of my comfort zone and I desperately wanted to add more glitter and shimmery shades to my collection. The good news: upon opening and swatching this palette, every shade felt smooth and buttery, even some of the glitters, with very little fallout. The matte lilac, metallic pink and purple and the mint green shades are my favorite.
Also random thought: this palette kind of reminds me of Taylor Swift’s new album, Lover. The colors, no? I just realized some of these shades really compliment my Taylor x Stella merch collab.
Let’s talk about the Kylie x Balmain Lip Bundle.
The Paris Matte Lip Kit consists of a warm blush pink with a matte finish and a chocolate colored lip liner. Together, they look nice but I’m wasn’t sure if I could pull off the dark lip liner look. I decided to take a chance while I was hiding out in my apartment all day Sunday. Layered underneath the Paris liquid lipstick, it actually looked really beautiful – a very subtle pinky nude, something I could definitely wear to work. When I tried the liquid lipstick alone, without liner, it was a much more vibrant pink.
Model Behavior is a cotton candy pink lip gloss with a pearly glitter. This reminds me of my Glossier Holographic Lip Gloss so did I really need this? No, but it is really pretty when I wear it alone or on top of the Paris liquid lipstick.
Have you tried anything from Kylie Cosmetics? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for sharing! I had the collection in my cart to buy and review for my blog — but then thought better of it. Like you said, it’s not a brand my readers usually enjoy and I myself have been disappointed by what I tried from her. Then I thought about how this collection in general seemed kind of gimmicky and not like something I’d actually wear. That said, I was still very much interested to see how people would like it and appreciate you sharing these beautiful photos and thoughts!
It seems like while targeted to a younger audience, the products are actually of nice quality. Kudos to Kylie on that!
xoxo – Kelly
http://www.dreaminlace.com
I understand what you mean by the gimmicky part! I’ve heard rumors that her products are manufactured in the same factory as ColourPop and their products are very affordable so it’s no question customers are just paying for the name. I agree though, the products I tried are good quality. Thanks so much for sharing your honest thoughts and for reading this post!
xo
Kara