Review: Ruby Kisses Xpress Liner & Shadow in Midori Sour

Kiss Colors is a brand that has always fascinated me. Their products are very inexpensive and primarily found in beauty supply stores. Most of their face products are made for deeper complexions (powders, concealers, foundations). In my city, I can only find Kiss Colors in beauty supply stores that cater primarily to African American clientele. I LOVE going to these beauty supply stores because, even though my skintone is on the fair end of the spectrum, that doesn't stop me from enjoying Kiss Colors' lovely eyeshadows, lipsticks, etc. (but oh how I envy those of you with deeper skintones because Kiss Colors concealers and foundations look amazing. I would love to try them ALL!).

But here's my issue with Kiss Colors. In addition to products that carry the "Kiss Colors" label (click here to see the complete line), they also have a line of cosmetics called Ruby Kisses (I just mentioned how much I love Ruby Kisses nail polishes yesterday) but there is no website devoted to Ruby Kisses. There are several online retailers that carry an extensive collection of Ruby Kisses products, but there is no official Ruby Kisses site (well, at least that I can find, and believe me, I've searched).

So even though I'm so excited to share this product with you, I can't refer you to a place where you can see the full collection, and I can't even find an etailer that sells these pencils (yet). I think they are very new, as the display at my local beauty supply store seemed a lot more modern than other Kiss displays (it was hot pink with zebra stripes and all the colors have fun, more modern names).

Whew! Sorry for the long intro but I just needed to vent about my search to bring you as much information as possible about Ruby Kisses. For now, all I can say is, look for Ruby Kisses at your local beauty supply stores, and don't be afraid to bust out the phone book and call around to various beauty supplies in your area. It will save you time and gas, and hopefully, if you're looking for Kiss Colors/Ruby Kisses products, you'll be able to find them without too much trouble.

Now on to the review!

Ruby Kisses Xpress Liner & Shadow in Midori Sour (retail: $1.99)

Not gonna lie: the name of this shade totally called to me. Midori Sours were my beverage of choice in college (waaay back in the early 90s...yikes!). Also, I'm a sucker for a good green eye color, so this had to be mine. Plus, I love the cute little band of zebra stripes on the lid!

But uh-oh:

When you remove the safety-seal, the cute zebra design comes off too. Darn you, Ruby Kisses!

Isn't that a gorgeous shade of shimmery green though? It kind of reminds me of Urban Decay Mildew eyeshadow. Also, I love that this is a retractable pencil, so you don't have to mess with sharpening it.

Let's take a look at some swatches:

The third swatch was taken after I blended out the color a bit. I have to say, these pencils are CREAMY. Very, very creamy, and they glide across the lids with ease. But since they're so creamy, I found that Midori Sour creased like crazy on me after just a few hours. Boo!

BUT, never one to throw in the towel, I decided to try using Midori Sour as a base, in much the same way that a lot of you use NYX Jumbo Pencils as a primer for your power shadows. Success! It works wonderfully as a base for me, and even under my least pigmented shadows, and it worked very well to keep my shadow in place longer, prevent creasing, and also pump up the color of my powder shadows.

So in other words, I think these Ruby Kisses Xpress Liner & Shadow pencils are a nice alternative to the NYX Jumbo Pencils. For just $1.99 each, I say, grab one if you see the display in your area. There were about 15-20 shades available in the display, each one prettier than the next (shimmer purples, bronzes, pinks, golds, silvers, etc.).

Are you a fan of Kiss Colors and/or Ruby Kisses? What are some of your favorites from these lines? I'd love to hear from you!