Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick Review + Swatches of My Collection

Running a little late on this one. My schedule got thrown out of whack but I’m back in the saddle and everything is okay. I posted a quick update here of what has been going on and why things are a little crazy around here at the moment. All is good now and it’s time for another review!

Today, I have a review of the Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick. I actually have quite a few of these in my collection to swatch. I feel like I have a good mix of finishes to give you a good overview of the line. So let’s jump in.

The Packaging

Let’s take a minute to talk about the packaging because it’s freaking awesome. Pyramid studded lipstick.  It’s bad ass looking. Depending on if the shade is limited edition, they may come in different finishes other than the traditional black. Like Gold Blooded in a white casing, and Mother which is in a silver tube.

Can you tell, I like minis? I do. I like to buy the sample sets with tons of shades so I can try a bunch in one go. I never use a lipstick up so it’s a good value for me as well.

The Breakdown

One of the biggest appeals to this range is the shades, 39 to be exact. You have a full rainbow of colors and for the most part, they perform well.

Like the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick, these are not consistent across the board. Some are better than others which is a draw back. The good ones are fucking fantastic but the bad ones are really bad in my opinion.

The formula on the mattes tends to be thick. Which for the most part gives good color pay off and long wear time but they can also look heavy and not the most flattering on the lips but this varies shade to shade.

The metallics all seem to be lovely, however, some have glitter or micro glitter which can feel gritty. Some of the glittery ones are amazing, some suck.

I find all these perform best with a liner, I usually use a liner anyway. Some as a top coat. You’ll see what I mean as we look at swatches.

The Swatches

Let’s get into some swatches and we can really get into the good the bad and the ugly.

Coven

First up is Coven. This shade is really unique but I hate it. LOL. It’s one of the most unflattering lipsticks I have ever used. Not just the shade but the formula. It just looks like ass on my lips. I’m just going to let the lips swatch speak for itself.  That is me trying to make it look good. If I had the matching liner I think it could look better and you could also make some cool ombre lips with this one.

Noble

I have a love hate with Noble (Petal Pink Nude), I love the shade, but I run into some of the same formula issues as I do with Coven where it’s just not super flattering. However, with a liner, it can look great. These are swatched without liners btw.  The shade is one of those perfect peachy pale nudes. Give me 1960’s vibes.

Lovecraft

Lovecraft is by far my favorite. The formula is perfect, the shade is perfect. Described as a Matte Mauve Nude. It’s one of my go to shades. I actually need this one is a full size. And of course, the shade name speaks to my soul as H.P. Lovecraft is my favorite writer of all time. I swear Kat made this one for me. LOL!

Sexer

While Sexer (Iridescent Fluorescent Pink) isn’t my cup of tea as far as shades go. The formula on this one is fantastic. The iridescent finish is beautiful. If you are on the hunt for a vibrant fluorescent blue based pink, here you go. The pigmentation of this one is amazing, and the subtle blue shift is lovely. This is 1980’s in a lipstick.

Bachelorette

This is the kind of bright lipstick I like. Bachelorette (Matte Reddish Fushia) is a vibrant warm pink and like Sexer, the formula is on point. I love this shade for summer.

I also have it in the Everlasting Liquid and it’s fantastic as well.

Bauhaus

Bauhaus is my preferred bright blue based pink shade. Again the formula here is perfect. Bauhaus is described as a Matte Deep Raspberry, on me, it’s a bit brighter than it appears in the tube. I also don’t feel like it’s fully matte. I see a slight metallic sheen in it but still a great shade and is in my opinion more wearable than Sexer.

Side note, Bauhaus is also an excellent goth/newwave/darkwave band from the 80’s. Love the references in Kat’s shade names.

Archangel

Archangel (Matte Burnt Red)  is my ideal red. I love a warm toned red. This one is another with a great formula and pigmentation. This one is a favorite for fall. It’s a wearable red that you can pull of day or night.

Gold Blooded

Gold Blooded was a limited Edition shade from Christmas time. It’s a fiery bright red with gold glitter through out. The pigmentation is amazing and I love the hint of gold glitter. I won’t talk much about this one as it is limited. You might find it on Glambot or Posh Mark though. It’s a perfect holiday lipstick.

Wolvesmouth

I love Wolvesmouth (Metallic Berry) It’s a deeper more metallic version of Bauhaus. Super wearable and great formula. It has a really cool blue shifting metallic finish over a warm berry tone.

Homegirl

This one is a dud. I was so excited about getting Homegirl (Matte Black Berry) but its formula is awful. It’s patchy as hell. Even with a lip liner, it looks like shit which sucks because I love the shade. This makes me weary of all the deep dark shades in the range. I tried my damnest to get a good lip swatch. The only use I get out of this one is deepening up a liquid lipstick.

Nayeon

Nayeon is a pretty cool shade. A black with gunmetal glitter throughout. Worn alone is not ideal, however, It’s super patchy and not opaque but over a lipliner or liquid black lipstick, it’s awesome. A great lip topper.

Halo

I don’t have a product picture of this one because I passed it on to my sister-in-law but I had swatched it some time ago. Halo (Neon Clementine) is a really cool orange metallic shade with a golden shift. This shade looks amazing on her but not on me. The formula is great though and pigmentation is one point.

The Verdict

As a whole, the Studded Kiss Lipsticks are great, there are some misses in the pale shades and deepest shades but the good shades are really good and worth the investment.

The lipsticks all have a good wear time, but can feel a bit heavy and drying but nothing like a liquid lipstick. They retail for $21 at Sephora and Kat Von D’s website but Sephora always has value packs where you can get a great deal on a bunch of shades in one go so definitely check those out.

That’s all for me, I’ll see you guys back here Wednesday for what I am thinking will be a tutorial. Depends if I can get everything done in time.

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