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Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipsticks Review

ByCordelia

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipsticks Review Swatches Video

I wanted to share my thoughts with you on the Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipsticks. I was very excited about these lipsticks. I follow Kat Von D on Twitter and Instagram. The pictures she shared of her revamped lipstick line blew me away. From the awesome packaging to her amazing lip swatches, I could not wait to get my hands on these lipsticks.

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipsticks Review

Kat Von D is cruelty free but their parent company is not.

Availability
Exclusively at Sephora

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipsticks Review, Swatches, Video
About the Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipsticks 
Drench your lips with bold color and unstoppable femininity. Designed to look as rock ‘n roll as its wearer, this revolutionary, hybrid lipstick is formulated with Color Cushion Technology that combines 10-hour wear, one-swipe payoff, and velvet touch comfort. This color-true lipstick leaves lips supple, and its wide color spectrum offers stunning shades, including red for every skintone, statement-making colors, and classic, everyday neutrals.

  • 10 hour wear
  • comfort
  • one swipe payoff
  • cruelty free
  • Crème Brûlée scent
  • infused with vitamins A, C, and E
  • paraben free, sulfate free, phthalate free

Price
$21 for .10 oz each

 

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipsticks in Motorhead, Bauhau5 and Lovecraft
Motorhead – Bauhau5 – Lovecraft

My Matte Shades
Lovecraft – matte mauve pink nude
Motorhead – matte black cherry
Bauhaus – matte deep raspberry

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Poe
Poe

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick Swatches

My Glitter Shades
Gothica – sparkling bronze
Wonderchilde – iridescent neon lilac
Poe – shimmer navy
Lullabye – sparkling iridescent magenta violet

Kat Von D Studded Kiss lipstick in Motorhead
Motorhead

Motorhead looks awful. It emphasized all of my dry patches. And from doing multiple lip swatches back to back my lips were not only dry, my skin also broke out.

Kat Von D Studded Kiss lipstick in Bauhau5
Bauhau5

Bauhaus did the same as Motorhead, only not quite as bad.

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lovecraft
Lovecraft

Lovecraft is really gorgeous for a neutral lip shade but I didn’t find it easy to apply either.

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Gothica
Gothica. See the tutorial.
Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Gothica
Gothica

Gothica needs either a lip pencil / lip primer or a lip brush to get the outer corners of the lips just right. Other than that, it’s beautiful.

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lullabye
Lullabye. See the tutorial.
Kat Von D Lullabye
Lullabye

Lullabye needs a lip pencil or lip brush.

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Wonderchilde
Wonderchilde. See the tutorial.
Kat Von D Wonderchilde
Wonderchilde

Wonderchilde needs a lip pencil like OCC Colour Pencil in Hoochie and it looks amazing. A Lip Primer or lip brush could help too.

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Poe
Poe
Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Poe
Poe
Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Poe
Poe

Poe needs a lip pencil or lip primer to help keep the glitter from migrating. Other than that it’s gorgeous.


If you start the video around 6:15, you can see me talk about the lipsticks and swatch them. Make sure you subscribe!

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipsticks in Poe, Gothica, Wonderchilde and Lullabye

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipsticks in Bauhaus, Lovecraft and Motorhead

First I absolutely love the packaging. The black studded tubes feel solid and look cool. This packaging sucked me in and suddenly I had 7 of these lipsticks. I purchased all of them online except Motorhead, which I purchased in store. At $21 a pop they’re not the cheapest lipsticks, but not the most expensive lipsticks I own, either.

They have a pretty good shade range of 30 colors and claim to have a red for every skintone, which I wholeheartedly believe. I especially love the darker red shades like Motorhead, Vampira and Homegirl.

I do absolutely love the names. Poe reminds me of the band as much as the writer. Bauhaus is a favorite band of my husband’s. Lovecraft, I’ve already mentioned in the past, that I love because reading Lovecraft during my formative years got me into horror fiction. Call of Cthulhu, Starspawn and more. If you ever played World of Warcraft, you saw Lovecraft’s influence in the game. He even influenced a deadmau5 song. I’ve even played the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu (though really it’s not as much fun as D&D, Vampire or Mage the Awakening.) And if anyone remembers the old Gamecube game Eternal Darkness, that was heavily influenced by Lovecraft. While he’s not scary by today’s standards, he certainly left his mark.

Kat Von D claims that the lipsticks have 10 hour wear, they’re comfortable and one swipe payoff. This is where I feel things start to go wrong, very wrong. While I’ve certainly gotten the long wear wear and they’ve been comfortable once I’ve got them on, getting these lipsticks on can be tricky. I disagree with the one swipe payoff.

Gothica, Wonderchilde and Poe are the 3 easiest shades to apply, with Lullabye right behind them. The glitter formula is heads and tails easier to work with than the matte formula. You definitely need to prep your lips by exfoliating, moisturizing and then lining your lips. You may or may not need a lip brush with the glitters, but the pencil really makes a difference. I love Gothica and Wonderchild to bits. Poe is really pretty and Lullabye is nice.

Next, we’ve got the mattes. This is where things are troublesome. I cannot get the mattes to apply nicely. Bauhaus was the easiest of the mattes to work with, and you still need a lip pencil and a lip brush to make it apply nicely. Lovecraft was next. I was really disappointed in Lovecraft because I wanted it to be a swipe and go color, but it’s not. It needs a lip pencil and a lip brush to look right.

However, the absolute worst for me is Motorhead. It’s awful no matter how I try to apply it. It just doesn’t want to adhere to my lips even with a lip pencil and lip brush, yet it clings to my dry patches and emphasizes them like crazy.

Once you can get the colors on they look great and they do wear forever. I fell asleep in Bauhaus and wore it for at least 12 hours without issue.

Without a lip primer or lip pencil I found the glitters migrated on me, so I definitely recommend using one or the other.

How I would recommend applying these

  1. Prep your lips by exfoliating them.
  2. Moisturize your lips.
  3. Apply Too Faced Lip Insurance.
  4. Apply a lip pencil or lip liner that matches the lipstick.
  5. Apply the lipstick from the tube.
  6. Use a lip brush as needed to edge your lips.

I really expected more from these lipsticks. I expected that they would indeed be swipe and go with color. Instead, they take a lot of work. Between having to make sure your lips are properly prepped, then using a lip primer or lip pencil, then a lip brush for some shades, they’re  not the easiest things in the world. I really don’t recommend the matte shades. Since the glitters are easier to apply, I do recommend them. I’m really happy with the 4 glitter shades.

KVD Lovecraft - Limnit Swept Away - KVD Bauhaus - Limnit Olly Olly Oxen Free - KVD Poe - Ardency Inn Black is Blue Bottom - Limnit Bewitching Hour
L to R – KVD Lovecraft – Limnit Swept Away – KVD Bauhaus – Limnit Olly Olly Oxen Free – KVD Poe – Ardency Inn Black is Blue
Bottom Right – Limnit Bewitching Hour

I did try to pull out some similar shades in my collection. I picked up Swept Away and Olly Olly Oxen Free from Limnit Lipsticks to see how close they would be to KVD Lovecraft and Bauhaus. The Limnit shades I have are in the mini jars, so they have to be applied with a lip brush, but they apply easily  and they’v got a creamier formula. They don’t wear as long as the Kat Von D, but they are vegan.

Like I told my friend J, Wonderchilde, Gothica and Poe are must haves. Lullabye is a maybe. I feel like the glitters are unique in my lipstick stash. The finish is so neat, like a matte with glitter worked in, rather than being frosty. Though I feel Lullabye verges on frosty for me which is why I don’t like it as well. The mattes I’d skip. If you’re looking at picking up any of the glittery shades, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. I’d think long and hard before I picked up any of the mattes because they’re such a pain to work with.

Edit: I ended up returning my mattes. I wasn’t happy with them no matter what I did.

What do you think of the Kat Von D Studded Kiss lipsticks? Are there any shades you have to have? Any shades you’re skipping?

Pros

  • Cruelty free
  • Long wearing
  • Good range of colors
  • The glitters are nice and some of them are unique in my collection

Cons

  • The formula varies greatly from color to color
  • Hard to apply
  • Requires a lot of prep work, no swipe and go color

 

Cordelia Frost is the creative force behind Phyrra, a treasure trove for cruelty-free indie and goth makeup enthusiasts. She's the author of the game-changing 'Hooded Eyes Makeup Manual' a must-read for hooded eyes makeup.

Cordelia's world is a kaleidoscope of alternative beauty, gothic fashion, and life-enhancing tips, making every visit to Phyrra a journey into a more colorful and inspired self.

68 Comments

  1. These have such great colours and packaging, it’s too bad that some of them are so hard to apply.

  2. Supposedly, the Painted Love line is being reformulated, to be more longwearing (this was from one of the SAs at Sephora, so I’m not sure how true it is.) I’d like to try some of the matte colors when that line comes back out (though I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a few years until that happens…) Maybe they can incorporate the feedback from these Studded Kiss lipsticks, and make a lipstick that maybe doesn’t last quite as long, but nearly…and that applies much better, especially in the case of the matte colors!

  5. Swatched Poe and hated it. I was expecting a richer and more opaque color, plus the shade is way too similar to Disciple from Illamasqua which I already have and LOVE. I was very excited too with these KvD lipsticks but after swatching a few colors I ended up not buying anything.

  10. The colors are beautiful, but wow, Motorhead really doesn’t do your lips any justice.

  12. I need Poe, Gothica, and Wonderchilde from this line but…I also need lip liner! These shades are so unique that finding a good match (or something close) might be challenging. I LOVE Wonderchilde paired with Hoochie! They look gorgeous together! I was wondering if one of the OCC pencils would work with Gothica but I’m not sure (Trick? Pennyroyal?). I’d love to know if you found any lip liners that work well with Poe and Gothica.

    Thank you so much for your in depth review. It’s sad to see the mattes performing so poorly, especially when there are so many beautiful colors. Motorhead is stunning in the tube but I’ve seen so many disappointing swatches of it. I am still super excited for the sparkly colors though! I am ready with primer, my beloved OCC 010 Precision Lip Brush, and some patience with application! 🙂 The only thing I’m missing is liners to match (or somewhat match).

  13. I bought Lolita, Cathedral, and Gothica. I wore Lolita and Cathedral over a lip balm or lip Primer and had a beautiful, long lasting payoff. Went on easy and even and lasted for hours with no touch up. I haven’t worn Gothica yet.

  14. Shame about the mattes, especially Motorhead as the actual colour is gorgeous. I have to have Wonderchilde and Poe. Thank you for the review, you saved me some heartache.

  16. Thanks for your review, I’m skipping this. I like the packaging when I saw this online. Motorhead is a bummer!

  17. Hi Phyrra, do you know any online places that sell KVD internationally? I live in Australia =( I would love to have one of these shades.. esp. Poe or Gothica

    1. Hi Heidi! As far as I know, Kat Von D is sold exclusively at Sephora inside the USA. Maybe check reddit or facebook makeup groups to see if you can arrange a cp or swap?

  19. I just bought 5 of these and I can’t wait for them to arrive! I am glad I grabbed wonderchilde and lullaby for sure!

  20. The packaging is awesome – and so is the pix of you with the lippie in your mouth! lol. I love the matte colors, but if you can’t get them to work, there’s no way I will be able to. When you find a dupe for Motorhead in a better formula, please let me know!!

    1. I feel like the Too Faced Lip Primer works much better than the Urban Decay Lip Primer. The UD is like a balm, but the Too Faced is like a liquid and it just seemed to help things stick better.

  25. That pic of Poe in your mouth is just gorgeous!! Love the shot! ok, these are some unique shades and finishes. I like most of them, but it’s too bad they are somewhat finicky. The swatches are great and always appreciate the honest review! <3

  37. I love the look of Lovecraft and Gothica, but you have reinforced the reviews I read previously about these lippies being dry. Too bad, isn’t it

    1. I think because they have a lot of pigmentation and they are long wearing, some of the shades suffer because they just don’t apply well.

  39. I bought Wolvesmouth this morning. I swatched a few onto my hand and it went really well. I often apply Jack Black Lip Balm, do all my makeup, kiss off the balm onto my hand, then apply lipstick. If this method doesn’t work for the Kat von D matte formula, I might have to reconsider and return. I adore the packaging and the shade range!

    1. Let me know how Wolvesmouth works for you when you try to wear it. It could be that I got bad tubes, because all of mine except for Motorhead I got in the mail. But I found the glitters infinitely easier to use than the mattes, which surprised me.

  42. I want Poe more than ever now!!!! Sucks that it’s sold out online and in store around me. Hopefully they’ll restock by the end of the weeks ’cause I need me some Poe. And Wonderchilde and Lullaby. Lovecraft looks like a perfect nude for me but one step at a time lol. Great post as usual, Phyrra!

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