Non-greasy sunscreen: KIKO City Filter Sunscreen Primer SPF50 Review

If you've been searching for a facial sunscreen that doesn't leave a greasy, white film all over your face, then look no further. I picked up the KIKO City Filter Sunscreen Primer SPF50 recently and it has become my holy grail facial sunscreen, not to mention that it also doubles as a primer! Win.
But seriously though, win. Who has time to put on facial moisturiser, sunscreen, facial primer, and then finally foundation? I know some people use daytime moisturisers with SPF in them but I've had a look around and they always seem to have really low SPF, like SPF15.

Sunscreens in the past have always left my face feel greasy, shiny, and white. Then again I've only ever bought drugstore branded sunscreens, so maybe that would not be the case if I tried sunscreens from higher-ended brands. I did try a MAC SPF primer years ago but that one left my face feeling really greasy and oily as well. I also have the Soap & Glory Sunshield Superfluid SPF50 but that leaves my face feeling sticky and tight.

The KIKO City Filter Sunscreen primer is lightweight, sinks in really well, and doesn't leave a white film on your face. It hydrates your skin without feeling oily. And best of all - it was only €12.90!

 Half a pump of the sunscreen primer..

 spread out a bit with my fingers..

and finally rubbed in.

Pretty amazing performance for something that only cost €12.90!

I can confirm that it really does protect your face from the sun as I wore this the other day and went sunbathing in 30˚C weather, and when I came home I was not sunburnt or red/pink at all.

I can't really say if it makes your foundation last longer compared to other primers as I have only used this with the KIKO 3D lifting foundation (which I bought on the same day I bought the sunscreen primer), but I think for the sunscreen alone it's a winner. It hasn't done anything bad to my base is all I can say, and it hasn't broken me out. 

The only downside to this product is that it's not fragrance-free, and while the fragrance smells quite nice, it is still unnecessary and may be a deal-breaker for people with sensitive skin. Thankfully my skin is not super sensitive and I have had no problems with the fragrance, and the smell disappears pretty quickly after you apply it.

Let me know what your favourite sunscreens are :)

Scalloped Tan Suede Skirt

I've finally broken out of my style rut. My wardrobe for the past 3 or so years has consisted of monochrome, denim and floral dresses. Not that there is anything wrong with that, and I will definitely keep sticking to the monochromes during colder weather but now that summer is here I really felt like my wardrobe needed an update. 70s inspired clothing is really big this season and I've been loving the laid-back, earthy, slightly-bohemian-but-not-full-on-hippie feel of it.

I ordered this scalloped faux suede skirt by a brand called 'First and I' from ASOS and I am absolutely in love with it. I'd been on the hunt for a tan suede skirt for a while but didn't want to pay large amounts for one made out of real suede as it is just a skirt. This one is faux suede so it is much more affordable. What's even better is the scalloped edging, which just gives it even more uniqueness and femininity. I love pairing it with white tops, and the one I'm wearing here is from Zara.

Top: Zara

Skirt: First and I (purchased through ASOS)

Shoes: Forever 21

I chose to toughen the look up today with some black flatform sandals from Forever 21 but I also love wearing this look with some white or brown lace-up sandals to further the whole 70s vibe.

DIY Tree Necklace Hanger

After purchasing some new necklaces recently,  I realised that I had nowhere to hang them. I didn't want to nail any more holes into the walls or pay for an elaborate jewellery stand so I decided to go on Pinterest and look for a DIY solution. The results mostly consisted of projects that required nailing something into the wall but after a bit of scrolling I found a DIY solution that used small tree branches! The picture I saw looked so pretty and whimsical as well so I decided to do it. I went outside my apartment and looked around on the ground like a crazy person, and I found some branches within a few minutes. 

I used an old pasta sauce jar as the "vase", and painted it using copper acrylic paint I got for 3€. I put packaging peanuts in the vase to support the tree branches so they would stand upright. You can also use coffee beans. As you can see, most of my necklaces are quite short (apart from the one hanging on the wall, that's why it's hanging on the wall haha), so I didn't need big or long tree branches, but if you have long necklaces then you'll probably need to find something a bit more substantial than what I found. But I'm really loving this DIY necklace hanger - it was incredibly easy, quick to do, and cheap!

Vagabond "Dioon" Dupes!

As I was browsing Urban Outfitters in London a couple of months ago, I spotted a beautiful pair of black chunky boots. Black chunky boots always catch my eye, even if I already own several pairs. They grunge up any outfit, and add a few inches to my measly 5 foot 3 frame.

However!

These were different. They had a specific characteristic that I had never seen on any boot before! A rose gold zip.

Big whoop, some may say. But to me, it's all about the details.

Like many, I drool over rose gold items. But it's always been watches, jewellery, homeware, and maybe the odd iPhone cover. Never did I think I would see it on a pair of boots!

I tried them on, and to my delight and surprise, the soles were generously padded/cushioned, therefore incredibly comfortable! So I flipped the boots over to see the price, and my heart sank. £100.

Vagabond Dioon Zip-front Boots

£100 isn't a crazy expensive price for a comfortable pair of real leather boots, but I'd gone a bit crazy at the Topshop flagship store the previous day, so the bank account really couldn't take another blow..

A few weeks later, I was browsing the H&M website when I came across a pair of boots that looked identical to the Vagabond ones, but for only 39,99€! I went into the store to have a look at them in person, and they weren't as shiny or nice to touch because they weren't real leather, but I really didn't mind for the price tag. The soles didn't have much padding or cushioning either, but that is a problem that can be easily solved with some gel pads.

Apart from maybe the lack of shine, you really can't tell that these aren't the Vagabond ones!

Click here for the link to the H&M boots.

These boots probably won't last years and years, but hey, hopefully by the time they're all worn out I'll have enough money for some Vagabonds. (:

Vienna Photo Diary

The advantage of living in Europe is that it is so easy to hop on a train and be in a different country within a matter of hours. Big difference from living in New Zealand and having to sit on a plane for a minimum of 3 hours just to get to Australia. I once read somewhere that the distance between Auckland and Sydney is around the same as London to Moscow.

Last week, my S.O. and I went to Vienna for 3 days. It was definitely a lot more touristy and international than Munich, and more expensive. I'm a bit of a bargain hunter and I always compare prices of similar products when I go to a new country. Austria has a lot of the same brands and products as Germany, and it was surprising to see some personal care products of the same brand being sold for almost double the price in Vienna. Definitely makes me grateful for the prices I pay in Munich though, haha.

As I mentioned before, Vienna is quite touristy. Horse-drawn carriage rides seem to be a popular tourist attraction; there were a line of horses and carriages, standing and waiting for their next customers in the city centre near St Stephen's cathedral. Every few metres you'll walk past a tourist asking for directions, and on every other street you'll see tourists sitting on a horse-drawn carriage.

I'm so glad we came in autumn. Just look at all those leaves!

We found a cafe in Vienna that serves flat whites! Looks a lot different to what you get in NZ though, but delicious nonetheless :)

I will never get sick of cute European buildings :)

Mini H&M Home Haul

My pineapple obsession lay dormant for a while, but after seeing various blog posts and Pinterest boards related to interior decoration, my pineapple obsession sprang back to life and I just had to have this "pineapple shaped vessel" (lolz google translate). It's affordable, looks more expensive than it actually is, and you can store stuff inside! Win.

And being the shopaholic that I am, I obviously couldn't just buy one item, so here are the other items I picked up:

I got this vase which might not look that exciting on the website, but it looks gorgeous as a makeup brush holder..

I was pretty happy to find this copper basket as I'm a sucker for anything copper/rose gold toned.

I'll be honest, this would probably look a lot cuter if it was filled with Lush bath bombs or similarly pretty items, but hey, sometimes you just need somewhere to put practical necessities such as laundry detergent and envelopes with laundry tokens (because you don't have your own washing machine therefore you've got to use the communal one which only takes tokens. Bleurgh.)

And if talking about laundry wasn't exciting enough, here's the last thing from my H&M home order: a towel! 

BUT LOOK IT'S MINT GREEN

(I've clearly saved the best item for last)

That's the end of my haul! I thought four items wasn't a crazy amount, so I called it a mini haul :)

Eyeliner Astonishment

If you knew me in high school, you would have gasped if you saw me in public without heavy raccoon eyeliner. I think I did that one time and my friend asked me what was wrong, haha.

My relationship with eyeliner has been steady and unfaltering, but thankfully my eyeliner skills have evolved from using unsharpened kohl for that smoky, punched in the face look, to a groomed, sharply liquid lined cat-eye.

Anyway, that was just a bit of my eyeliner background explanation as I am about to do a bit of an  eyeliner review and comparison!


These are the eyeliners I currently own: (I'm not including pencils as I do not use those for cat eyes)

1. Soap & Glory Supercat £6/8€ 

2. L'oreal Superliner Carbon Gloss approx 8€

3. Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner 25€

4. Essence Liquid Eyeliner Waterproof approx 2,50€

The most important factor for me when judging an eyeliner is staying power. I have oily, hooded lids and so many eyeliners that I have tried over the years have all smudged on me.

Now out of all these eyeliners, you'd probably think that the Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner would have the best staying power. After all, they pretty much released a makeup remover just for removing this eyeliner. Also, you'd have pretty high expectations if you're forking out 25€ for an eyeliner.

But to my disappointment, the Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner smudged after a few hours of wear! (I guess that's just how oily my lids are =/) I tried putting primer and powder on my eyelids but to no avail. It is such a shame because the packaging is beautiful, and I love the "Accuflex" tip. It really does hug your lashes. The gel is super pigmented too. Very matte and black.

So who won the staying power challenge? It was actually #4, the Essence eyeliner, which is also the cheapest out of the four. Whaaaaat?
I've tried splashing my face with water, rubbing my eyes (gently) and it still did not budge. I don't need to prime or powder my lids either.
I used to pay NZD$40 (around 25€) when I lived in Auckland for the MAC Superslick liquid eyeliner because it was the only one I could find that didn't smudge, and I can honestly say that somehow, this 2,50€ eyeliner performed just as well as the MAC eyeliner for a tenth of the price. Insanity.

The one con that I can think of with this eyeliner is that the felt tip is probably the hardest to work with out of the four eyeliners above. It's not horrible, but you definitely need some practice to get a clean line. If you're not worried about smudging that much and just want an eyeliner that's super easy to use, I would recommend the Soap & Glory Supercat (#1). It's basically a sharpie! However for staying power, the Essence one is amazing, especially for the price. But obviously with eyeliners that have extensive staying power, you'll need a good waterproof makeup remover. I use the Sephora Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover. Like the MAC Superslick liquid eyeliner, the Essence one flakes off upon removal, which makes me think that they pretty much have the same formula!

Lastly, don't get me wrong, the other 3 eyeliners aren't rubbish. I've actually been using the L'oreal one a lot recently because the felt tip is a lot easier to work with compared with the Essence one. But the staying power of the Essence eyeliner baffles me, hence the need to write a blog post about it.

If you'd like me to review any of the other eyeliners, let me know!