Finding the perfect makeup can be a life-long search.  As a self-proclaimed health nut, I find it difficult to find a decent, health conscious makeup brand.  I also lead a pretty crazy lifestyle as a painter/ ceramic and glass designer, and it’s all very hands on work (that’s right, fires burning at thousands of degrees, dust flying everywhere, hot glass shards being tossed around like paperwork in an office).

That being said, I look for a makeup that will stay put, even beyond the sweat and the grime.  Alright, so I lead a pretty grueling career- can’t a girl look pretty doing it? Is that so hard to ask?!  So, all things included, I’ve got a pretty high standard when it comes to makeup- healthy, green, natural looking, and strong enough to put up a fight.  I thought I may never find the answer… and then a friend suggested Kat Von D.  I have to admit, I was skeptical, but after doing some research, I actually felt a bit excited to test it out.  When I finally did, I was blown away.

Not only did the makeup itself meet all of my requirements, but the company also has a huge selection of all vegan makeup- and none of their makeup is tested on animals! So all that being said, I want to get down to the nitty gritty details about some of Kat Von D’s specific collections- check it out!

Kat Von D Beauty History And Company Explained

Kat Von D.

One of the most exciting parts of this discovery for me was Kat Von D herself.  Kat is a tattoo artist, musician, TV personality and entrepreneur; basically, I became her biggest fan overnight.  As I mentioned before, I’m a working girl.

Finding a makeup brand pretty much hand designed by a woman mainly known for her tattoo work automatically crossed all that prissy, no sweat stuff off from my list.  For goodness sake, the woman never lets herself be seen without makeup (and I mean never) and she deals with blood and ink all day, every day.

In tribute to her tattooing career, Kat hand designs all of the packaging and covers for her makeup.  She draws and redraws the traditional tattoo rose and thorns for each separate cover, to “tie the piece together perfectly.”

https://twitter.com/thekatvond/status/999833169246371840

When Kat first launched her brand with Sephora, she began searching for the four perfect shades of red lipstick.  I suppose she must have found them pretty quickly, considering her dozens of colors and collections to date.  The company’s goal?  To create and express.  As Kat herself said, “Art is one of humanity’s most powerfully redeeming qualities. If I can continue to come up with these tools that inspire people to create, I am more than happy to do so.”

Kat Von D Product Overview

As I mentioned before, Kat’s overall product diversity is astounding.  They have everything you could want and more for lips, eyes, combination sets, tools, and complexion.  Although they do have a wider range of products, the products that I’m going to discuss are:

• Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick Swatches
• Kat Von D Eyeliner
• Kat Von D Lock It Foundation and Concealer
• Kat Von D Monarch Palette

These are all pretty great, but it’s the lip colors and eyeshadow combinations that collect the ongoing rave reviews.

Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick Swatches

There are colors to cover every shade of the rainbow- and that’s not an exaggeration.

You could really see Kat’s connection to tattooing in her diverse palette of vibrant colors.  There are colors to cover every shade of the rainbow- and that’s not an exaggeration.  Now, even though I’m an artist and value self-expression through external means, blue lipstick is still a tad bit out there for me.  Don’t get me wrong, to each his own (and I kind of envy those who have the backbone to wear it).  Anyway, my point is that the colors are explosive and varied.  The most popular type by far is the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick.  This one was definitely my favorite.

There are 46 shades as of now, in both matte and shine.  Each color is ordained with a name like “Exorcism” or “Double Dare”.  The product is applied with a gloss brush, and it swipes on smooth as butter- and then stays put.  I wore “Dagger” to the studio last week and only had to reapply once!

The one downside is the price.  A .22 oz bottle is sold at twenty bucks a pop.  On the other hand, you definitely get what you pay for!  The lipsticks have added vitamins A, vitamins C, and vitamins E for hydration, and I definitely felt it.  Even after a full day, there was none of that nasty peeling feeling that lower quality lipsticks tend to come with. All in all, it was a great feeling to be able to get my hands dirty at the studio and not have a single makeup related distraction.

Kat Von D Eyeliner

Ever the true artist, Kat Von D only offers paint-on eyeliner, which honestly has always presented a bit of a challenge for me.  The brand offers two choices of eyeliners, “Tattoo Liner,” which comes in two colors, and “Ink Liner,” in ten. The Ink Liner ranges in deep, subdued colors, all in the deep green to light blue/ grey range.  There’s even a white liner for the divas out there.  The felt tip made for a super easily controlled application (even after my past traumatic experiences with liquid liners.)  The liner looks very much like a felt pen, so it feels natural to apply.  Syncing with the pen-like look and feel, the colors are named after different writers and philosophers like Hemingway and Nietzsche.

The Tatto Liner is a bit more classic, only coming in brown and black.  The prices of both are a bit less than the lipsticks, coming in at twenty dollars for .27 oz.  The liners are both water proof, with 24-hour wear, so they’re good for those weepy emotional situations (like weddings) where you can let go without being worried of leaving with the look of a tipsy clown!

Kat Von D Lock It Foundation and Concealer

Lock it and foundation and concealer.

I always feel like the complexion products are where you can really see the effectiveness of any makeup brand.  It’s not an easy thing to lock down the complexity of human skin in a tiny little container!  That being said, it wasn’t difficult for me to find my color (53 Medium- Warm Undertone, for the record), but the coverage was a bit heavy for my liking.  This would be great for full coverage, but I very rarely use skin makeup as I find that together with glass work it can pretty much lead to full on suffocation.

However, it covered fantastically, without feeling sticky or overdone, and it’s water-proof, fade-proof, and transfer resistant.  I think it may be indestructible.  It’s also paraben, sulfate and phthalate free, which is a huge relief to my holistic-obsessive self.  Same goes for the concealer, which I tend to use more than a full-on foundation in any case.

The concealer comes in two types, Lock-It Concealer Crème and Lock-It Concealer.  The cream comes in twenty-one super blend able, creamy colors. I liked this one very much, as it can be used with foundation to cover those annoying blemishes and under-eye circles.  I found that it stayed on well and looked really natural!  The Lock-It Concealer, meanwhile, only comes in nine colors (all warm undertones- sorry, people), and it was a tad heavier, although very effective.

Kat Von D Monarch Palette

One of the customer favorites, the Monarch Palette is a collection of eyeshadows ranging from the whitest of the whites to a black so black it blends in with the palette itself.  There are twelve colors included, with gold, warm browns, and light pinks.  Eyeshadow is where I usually have my fun, and this shadow did not disappoint!  It has a tendency to be on the soft side, which is great because there’s none of that back and forth between brush to face to get enough color.

The texture works specifically well with a primer.  When I wore it to the studio they came off within six hours, although I’ve heard others say that they stay on for ten (the copious amounts of sweat probably just got to them…) I really love the color options here.  There’s a ton of room for color experimentation, and endless combinations for a classic look or a dramatic one.  They also use the same trick for the eyeshadow as they do for the lipstick, adding vitamins A, C and E for hydration and durability.

Is Kat Von D Cruelty Free?

Kat Von D is, thankfully, cruelty-free! Their products are not tested on animals and they are paraben-, sulfate-, and phthalate-free.  Kat has made her concern for nature and the environment known and is proud of her company’s cruelty-free status.

Conclusion

There’s a time and a place for natural beauty, of course, but this makeup for any color enthusiast is a must.  From the basics to the finishes, the colors and stay are flawless. Even the packaging is an eye-opener, seeing as Kat draws the designs herself.  They are health-conscious, green, creative, and bold.  I imagine that I’ve found my makeup calling- and there’s no going back.