January 17, 2015

Kat Von D Lock-it Featherweight Primer

Brand spankin' new in the Kat Von D line is the Lock-It Featherweight Primer. The packaging claims it is "hydrating, water based, weightless fragrance free, and oil free."



Product:  I've been using this for a few days now and I can't tell whether I like this or not.  It's initially hydrating, but it doesn't lock moisture into my skin for all-day comfort (i have dry skin.  If you have more oily skin, you may feel differently about this).  I have large pores and some fine lines happening under my eyes and on the sides of my mouth; and, this helped delay creasing in my lines, but it did nothing to fill in or blur my pores.  This was a better companion to my powder foundation then it was to my liquid foundation(s).




Packaging: Like the Lock-It Foundation, the primer has sort of packaging-within-packaging.  This has a pretty peacock feather design on the inner packaging. You can easily control how much comes out of the pump by how much you depress the button., This packaging has something I wish that the foundation had: a fancy stopper!

I'm sorry for this terrible picture.

Price: $32 for 1 oz.

All in all, I'm on the fence about this.  It's not amazing, and it's not terrible.  I'm going to continue to use this, and will update this post if I come to a more definitive conclusion about this.

Of course,  you don't have to take my word!  Kat von D's Lock-It Featherweight Primer is available now at Sephora.





January 11, 2015

Look of the day 1/11/2015

I got inspired by a Venus Palette Dupe post on Reddit since I had two of the mentioned colors, so I came up with this look.


Face: Featherweight primer
Lock it foundation in L45 mixed with an old tattoo concealer equivalent to L42
Lock it powder foundation in L45 (all by Kat Von D)
OCC skin conceal in Y0
Tease from the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette to contour

Eye brows: Tarte EmphasEYES high definition eyebrow pencil in Rich Brown
Blinc eyebrow mousse in Dark Brown

Eyes: Cleopatra from the Kat Von D Ladybird palette
Bootycall from Naked 2 for the highlight
Fixated from the Melt Cosmetics Love Sick Stack in lower lash line/outer corner
Hourglass Film Noir Mascara

Illamasqua lip pencil in Severity

Bite Lip Lab Creme Deluxe Lipstick: 01/15


For 2015, the folks at the Bite Beauty Lip Lab (which is in SoHo if you're in NYC) are doing a Sephora-exclusive run of twelve exclusive lipsticks.  A new one will release each month, then disappears into the ether. I guess.  Sephora describes January's release as a "deep burgundy with red undertone" and is Bite's creme deluxe formula, which is described as "luxurious pearl, silk, and champagne" (and costs $48 if you create a lipstick in this formula at the Bite Lip Lab).



Pigmentation: I'd say this was decently pigmented, but it needed a few strokes from the tube to get there.
Maybe not as deep as described, but I think a red-toned burgundy is a pretty accurate description.

Product: Upon initial application, this had a glossy finish, but dried down to a satin. Has a lot of slip that doesn't seem to go away as it dries down, making it move around when I pressed my lips together. For the life of me, I could not get this to make a crisp edge straight from the tube, so a lip liner or brush will be crucial for future applications. (Illamasqua's Severity pencil is a perfect match FYI)  Can't put my finger on what the scent is, but it's faint, pleasant and doesn't stick around long.
I applied this on unprimed dry lips and, at first the formula was super comfortable to wear, but as I write this post I'm three hours in and it's pretty drying.  01/15 also settled into my lip lines after about two hours.


Packaging: The tube has a slanted cap and is plastic with a rubberized finish. 

Price: $36 for .15oz

Truthfully, I had high hopes for this lipstick and I'm really let down. For the price and knowing the normally high quality of Bite's products, this fell short of so many marks. I personally will be keeping it because I don't mind having to do the prepwork prior to wearing or re-applying, but I'm definitely turned off to seeing what's ahead for the rest of the year.

Update: I wore this the next day and it's SO high maintenance I've decided to return it. Or maybe take it to Bite's Lip Lab, dupe the color in a different formula, and then return it.