Kiko Liquid Second Skin Foundation Review

Kiko Liquid Second Skin Foundation Review

Price: HKD209
Volume: 30ml
Shade: Warm Beige 15
Made in Italy

When I first put this foundation in my shopping basket, I couldn’t help but wonder how it would compare with my Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation (note: the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation is a little thicker than the Kiko one, and it’s delivered via a pump, not a dropper) or the Bobbi brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation, Sephora Teint Infusion Ethereal Natural Finish (note: I never bought the latter products; I just did quick swatches of them at their respective counters some time back and remembered their consistencies), or any other foundation that is delivered via a dropper and is supposed to be lightweight but buildable coverage.

As the name suggests, this is a fairly sheer, liquid but definitely buildable foundation; I used two to three drops at a time on my face and smoothed it on with my fingers to create the right layers. This resulted in a dewy look where yes, you’ll need near-perfect skin to get away with no concealer, but us regular earthlings are going to need proper concealer over the pesky scars, spots, dark circles and whatnot. I don’t feel that this looked cakey at all even with two layers of it on my face; the result was still very natural, imperfect even. I did, however, need undereye and spot concealers for my complexion. I find that at the end of the day, this formula darkens with my face; as such, combined with the Kiko powder, my complexion looked…too warm, especially compared to my neck. For fair skinned ladies, I definitely suggest that you try out the lightest foundation within each line and colour family first, and decide which one you would be comfortable with because…now, this will have to be relegated for my summer, tanned-tone.

In terms of packaging, I liked how this was in a sturdy glass dropper bottle and I didn’t have to worry about digging my fingers into a pot or needing to use a spatula or something. I will be taking this with me along to my trip back home this winter in my carry-on just to test run it in a (much) colder and drier environment to see how my skin/makeup holds up 🙂 I must say though, depending on the type of primer/base used, I didn’t feel that it made my skin any greasier than it normally would be in all its combination-dry glory; on the other hand, oily skin ladies might want to do a quick swatch at the store first because frankly, when I used the foundation on its own on my skin without a primer and with a primer (i.e. Bobbi Brown CC Cream, Bobbi Brown SPF 50 Protective Base and Kiko Skintone Corrector), the foundation itself wasn’t mattifying in any way; in fact, it melted into my skin with my natural oils (and the primers as well, for the sake of this argument) and it gave me a dewier look than usual. If you’re not a fan of the dewy look, approach with caution or try it on with your favorite mattifying base…or even better, check out the other foundations that Kiko has which have varying degrees of hydration.

Personally, I would reserve this for good skin days, and general romping around with friends or doing something or going somewhere casual; I’d bust out the slightly heavier duty foundations in my cabinet for work or special occasions. I will, however, continue to purchase this until they (hopefully never) discontinue this as my makeup looked so dewy and natural; I received so many compliments on my skin whenever I put this on at work or when I was out and about! 🙂 For the price point and the fact that it is made in Italy — the magical land of beautiful leather, luxurious goods and excellent coffee — there’s no doubt in my mind that this will be a favorite of mine and many for time to come ❤