Kat Von D forever & never foiled love lipstick swatches and photos

Kat Von D foiled love lipstick is a super metallic, frosty formula. It is much different from the regular lipsticks (I love) which are either matte or satin type finishes.
The packaging is also different from the regular line, it's metallic silver with white rose designs. I always love KVD packaging!

I don't really go for frosty lip colors, but this was a gift so I thought I should try it out.
Forever and never looked like it would suit me better than any of the other foiled love colors. It's described as a 'metallic golden  peach'. I would say it's an accurate description.

swatch of forever and never foiled love lipstick:

It almost has a peach/bronze duochrome look to it. It's frosty - big time. It's not extremely pigmented in one go, but 2 layers gives you rich dimensional color.

wearing forever & never :

The redness in my lips makes this look more bronze, and very warm. It was a change from my usual nude colors that I wear. I am just not loving it on me.
I'm not sure if it was just mine or if all the foiled love lipsticks have a sort of waxy old lipstick smell? None of my other KVD lipsticks have this. Maybe I just got a bad one.

What do you think about frost lipstick colors? Love them or hate them?

Kat Von D Sin-full lash mascara review

Before I do this review can I just say how much I miss blogging? Well..I am back! I have so much material to cover, so many reviews to write - ah this will be fun!

I got this sin-full lash back in the summer, I had pretty high hopes it would be amazing. 

Of course the packaging rocks, as all KVD makeup has sleek pretty designs.

 

 

Sin-full lash is supposed to make your lashes look fuller, add length and curl...everything basically.  I watched an interview where Kat says she spent a lot of time getting the formula right, and even tested it herself.

So, does it do it all? Let's see.

The main thing I noticed was that this mascara made my lashes look nice and full. It sort of fanned them out and added some volume. Nothing too dramatic, but of course you can layer it and I never had much problem with it clumping.

The formula is a nice mix between dry/wet, right in the middle. It's got a really nice black pigment, nice and dark.

The brush is a good size, not too big and not too small.

sin-full lash brush:

 

So it added nice fullness and volume to my lashes, but it didn't do much for length. That is a deal breaker for me. I like length.
I also found it gave me slight raccoon eyes within a few hours of wearing. It smudged every time I wore it.

2 coats of sin-full lash on my lashes:

The biggest problem I had with this was the tube broke after I had it for 2 weeks. I am not sure how this happened to be honest. I remember it didn't close properly after I used it last and when I went to use it again it was like this:

I gueess I am too strong for my own good? I don't know.

Needless to say, I returned it, because I only had it for 2 weeks and it broke, and started to dry out. Really not cool. I've never had this happen to a mascara tube, ever! I'm always careful with my makeup and I thought this was weird.

Overall, I say pass. It only really volumizes, but will smudge by the end of the day. There are much better mascaras out there, less expensive ones too.

Repurchase? No

Price: $23 CAD

Rating: 2/5

Kat Von D lock-it tattoo foundation review

So lately I've been experimenting with all sorts of different foundations, and after hearing KVD had a new foundation out I practically ran to Sephora to try it.
I love the way Kat's face always looks very smooth and well, perfectly covered:


Dare I say that this foundation actually makes my skin look almost as amazing as Kat's? Well, I'll let you be the judge when you see my before and after pics.

The shade I chose was the second lightest, light 44 'For fair skin with beige undertones'. It's about an NC15 in MAC..maybe more neutral (MAC runs very yellow).
Just an FYI, the lightest shade of lock-it 'light 42' is very very light. It will be an excellent match for those with very fair skin who have a hard time finding a shade light enough.

KVD tattoo foundation shade Light 44:

The packaging is amazing, very pretty like all KVD's line. I love that it comes in a tube, with a pump dispenser.

side view (pump):

What it says on the back of the box:

swatched on my hand:

Blended into my hand:

Coverage is just amazing. Well, you will see just how great it is in the before and after pics:

Before :(nothing on skin, just moisturizer)

After: (with lock-it foundation)

Pretty amazing huh? My skin is suffering some redness and a few breakouts lately, and with this stuff on it looks absolutely perfect. LOVE it.
The finish is matte, but it isn't flat like some mattifying foundations. It maintains a skin like glow on your face and actually doesn't look too heavy or cakey.

Wear time was pretty good, after about 12 hours I got a bit of patchiness where my skin was getting a bit dry.
This would not hold out for 24 hours as claimed, but why would you need a foundation to last that long anyways?

Overall this is what I think of it:

Pros:

- great color selection
- beautiful packaging
- long lasting
- superior coverage
- controls oil

Cons:

- smells sort of nasty..can't really compare to anything but I don't like it
- can make your skin feel dry
- doesn't live up to the 24 hr claim
- expensive

I need to mention that I have recently used Make up forever's matte + velvet foundation and it is very similar to this. The coverage is not quite as good, but it doesn't dry out my skin like lock-it does.
The only one that comes close to lock-it in terms of coverage is Estee Lauder maximum coverage camouflage. Will do a review on that one at some point too.


I think that if you are looking for a true full coverage foundation you need to try this.

Repurchase? No. I found it to be too drying for my skin.

Price: $41 CAD

Rating: 4/5

My top 11 beauty picks of 2011

I hope everyone is having a good start to 2012. I meant to edit and post this weeks ago but better late than never right?
I don't want to say these are my 2011 'absolute favorites', because I literally have too many favorites to list right now. I'm calling these 11 products my 'top picks' because they are the most used products of the year out of all my stash. They are ones that I reach for every day or close to it.

Also, all of these products perform extremely well, and last all day long through work - which is most likely why I find myself using them most often.

Sorry for the not so great photos :/ I got a new camera and it didn't work out well so I'm back to using my glitchy crappy old one for the time being.


In no particular order, here is my list:

Make up forever HD invisible cover high definition foundation ~ Medium coverage water based foundation that looks so natural I can't believe it. In the summer 115 ivory matched my skin perfectly, but now that winter is here and my skin is totally white - it's a little bit too dark. It has a lovely flawless finish that makes me feel really confident about my skin while I'm wearing it.

Kat Von D painted love lipstick in lovecraft ~ My most used lipstick of this year. It's perfect for everyday wear, goes with pretty well any color of eyeshadow or blush. It also stays on really well, about 4 hours before I need to reapply. See swatches and photos of lovecraft here.

MAC paint pot in rubenesque ~ I grab this when I am in a rush but still want to add a little pop to my eyes. The golden peach color really brightens up everything, without being too bright. It also lasts all day long and still looks fresh when I take it off at night!

L'oreal HIP kohl in navy ~ Ever since I tried this I've been hooked. The smoky look you get from loose kohl liners is so unique and sexy. These are like Guerlain loose kohls without the hefty price tag. The navy color brightens the whites of my eyes and lasts all day on my waterline! Sadly, I think these have been discontinued :(

Bobbi Brown rich color gloss in naked ~ One of the best glosses I think I've ever used. It's so pigmented, it goes on like a glossy lipstick. Doesn't feel sticky at all. Lasts a decent amount of time, without drying out my lips. Naked is the perfect neutral nude, and it makes my lips look so plump! What's not to love?

Cover Girl lash blast 24 hr mascara ~ A really nice surprise, since I've tried all cover girl's mascaras in the past and didn't care much for any of them. This one is a real winner. It holds curl so well, better than anything I've used before. My lashes are long and defined all day without a smudge in sight. Removal can be a pain, but at least it really does last up to 24 hrs!

MAC her own devices beauty powder ~ My most reached for 'blush'. It's a barely there color, just gives my cheeks a little pop and glow without screaming 'your wearing blush!'. I've used it a lot, yet I've barely put a dent in it. This will last a long time! See photos and swatches of her own devices here.

MAC play it proper beauty powder ~ My new favorite highlighter! It's a light pink with silver pearl - really brightens up the face. It adds a little shimmer and sheen to my cheekbones but isn't too bright or glittery. I've literally been using this daily since I got it. It is LE but it's being repromoted in March with MAC's new collection by Chen Man.

Sleek oh so special palette ~ I love the unique color combos I can get from this palette. It has a great mix of shimmers and mattes. It's quite unique and I reach for it all the time! See more pics and EOTD's using oh so special here.

Kat Von D ludwig palette ~ This palette is such good quality! I used this for like 2 months straight and barely put a dent in any of the colors - all you need to use is a tiny bit since the shadows are all so pigmented. Love the colors, however now that I have the naked palette and wet n wild comfort zone I don't reach for it as much since there are so many dupes. Still, this is an awesome palette.

Urban Decay naked palette ~ I'm not going to lie, I use this palette a lot. It's just perfect for work. The shadows are all nicely pigmented, smooth and last all day. I know there is a lot of hype around it but I really do think it's a good investment if you wear a lot of neutrals.

Thats my 11 top picks :) Anything in this list you already have or want to try?

Here is what I want to try in 2012:

- MAC face and body foundation
- Urban Decay Naked 2 palette
- Kat Von D saint palette
- Make up forever smoky lash

What new products do you want to try in 2012?

Kat Von D lolita lipstick photos and swatches

I love my KVD painted love lipsticks. They are perfectly formulated to stay on nicely and they don't dry my lips out one bit.

Lolita is on the creamy side, not matte at all. More like a MAC amplified cream finish.
The color is described as 'dusty rose'. I am slightly put off because on me, this is absolutely not dusty rose.


Lolita lipstick is more ' light warm red' than anything. Very warm. In the container, it looks more pink than it is.
If you want dusty rose, I'd say lovecraft lipstick is closer to that color, it's my absolute favorite from the line.

swatch of Lolita:

It's pretty, just not the color I expected :/ I don't like overly warm colors on my skin tone.

Wearing lolita:

I now need to track down KVD Mi Vida Loca lipstick, which is a brown beige. It's discontinued, any help finding it would be appreciated :)

Some slytherin green EOTD looks using Kat Von D gypsy palette

I have some pics to share from before my camera croaked, in salutation to Harry Potter I present my slytherin green eyeshadow looks.
These were all done with Kat Von D's amazing gypsy palette. Sadly this is one of the only palettes that is really hard to find now because it was limited edition.

I hope to inspire those that own the gypsy palette to play with the different colors and try new looks.
If you don't have the gypsy palette well I assure you there are dupes of these colors out there.

To dupe the colors in gypsy try MAC carbon, club, trax and bitter eyeshadows as well as true chartreuse pigment. Also try NARS night porter eyeshadow and The body shop 08 emerald eye shimmer shadow to create the same effects seen below.
Sorry I don't have a dupe for the cream eyeshadow, as it was pretty dried up when I got this palette :/

true love palette gypsy:

Here is my most recent dark smokey green EOTD that I wore to see harry potter and the deathly hollows part 2:

Full slytherin face:

Another lighter green EOTD:

And here I used all the colors on the right side of the gypsy palette. I adored this look.

Thank you for looking! And to my fellow Harry Potter fans, what did you think of the movie?

Kat Von D true love palette EOTD

I had a lot of EOTD pic's I did with this palette saved on my computer, but they somehow got deleted. I only managed to find one look that I did- and I can't even remember exactly which colors I used. oops!

I really like this palette, but I don't love it. I'm not really a fan of purples, but if you like them then I'd say you need to get it.
There are four different purple shades (including a white/purple duochrome) and some really pretty neutrals (which I tend to go for).

What I use most and adore about this palette is the cream eyeshadow! It's called benji and it's this awesome warm toned coppery color. I am sad because it's just starting to dry out and I need to find something that's similar to it. Any reccomendations?

Here is my EOTD using Benji and some of the purples:

I guess I love the copper color because it really seems to make the green in my eyes stand out.
Help me find a replacement!

Kat Von D lovecraft lipstick photos and swatches

I've wanted this lipstick so bad since I first saw it on Sephora's website. I am a huge fan of H.P. Lovecraft's work so naturally I needed this lipstick in my stash.

Like all KVD cosmetics the quality is superb. This particular color is very rich and creamy in texture. Very pigmented as well.
It's a dusty mauvy pink that adds just enough color to my lips when I want a more casual look. This is pretty much a YLBB color. ('your lips but better')

swatch of lovecraft:

wearing lovecraft :

It's very flattering and perfect for work. It lasts a while without any touch ups, a few hours at least. I use this more during the week and nude colors like celebutard on the weekends when I do heavier eye makeup.

After doing these swatches I noticed that lovecraft looks very similar to MAC faux satin lipstick. They are super similar, but since lovecraft is matte and more pigmented I much prefer it over faux. Faux is really pretty but being a satin formula from MAC I find it dries out my lips really bad.
Yet another winner from Kat Von D, I can't wait to try out more of her line.

What's your favorite YLBB colored lipstick?