AitU♔

Kat Von D's newest palette release is a stunning selection of jewel tones inspired by Egypt. It's a beautiful modern interpretation of ancient beauty; glittering gold, jade green, blood red, and more. Not only is the palette of amazing quality, but is also cruelty free and vegan. Kat's palettes are always highly anticipated and treasured, and this one is no exception.


The packaging is a unique shape; both longer and taller than any other palettes I have, giving it a hefty (and yes, a bit coffin-like) feel. It's the standard pressed cardboard with a strong magnetic closure and a sizeable mirror. The loose shade, Prophet, can be pulled out with a little muscle, is not glued in or attached, and is a regular circular plastic jar with a sifter insert. The shadow pans seem to be the same size as the Mi Vida Loca palette pans. Adding a brush would have made everything too big and bulky, and considering KVD has a line of brushes, isn't needed.


The box design and palette design is pretty much identical, showing the shades on the back.



All of the shades are types of metallics, other than Bloodmilk and Venom. On my eyes, Bloodmilk was a little chalky at first but was fine with some blending. I haven't used Venom yet as of the moment but it was fairly difficult to swatch. Every other shade was very easy to use. Their textures vary; Ankh has thicker glitter chunks in a more so matte base, and Nile feels more velvety and less metallic than the others. Scarab has a bit of a two-tone reflect. Hieroglyph is a little thinner of a texture, but still buttery and pigmented. Prophet is a "thick" sort of loose shadow, and swatched very pigmented and soft, a more yellow-gold than Medusa. It was very interesting to feel the slight texture differences among metallics.

This is a beautiful, quality palette whether you already enjoy non-neutral colors or are fairly new to them. The jewel tones aren't too bright or unnatural, making them great for day to day wear as well as use in every season, and especially stunning for holidays. Medusa, Ankh, and Prophet are the palette's neutral shades; they could be worn alone or together for a natural look, or paired with one or two jewel tones.


Worth The Hype?

Absolutely! The quality is even beyond previous KVD palettes, and the range of colors is tasteful and clever. At $45 it isn't on the cheap side of palettes, but I feel it is definitely worth it for eight excellent pressed shadows and a loose shadow. The palette is limited edition, so if you are interested in it, definitely grab it up during Sephora's next restock.


xx,
       Charity

Nothing is more in style in beauty this decade than liquid lipsticks- other than maybe Instagram Brows. However, the formulas can be very tricky, and sit differently on everyone. Dry lips, beware: you'll need a good round of lip scrubbing and moisturizing before giving them a go.

   I actually really enjoy the doe foot applicators commonly used in liquid lipsticks, like lipglosses. They allow you to fill in lip corners and bows with more detail than a lipstick bullet, and have more control than a lip brush. They take a bit of getting used to, but once you do, you may end up really liking them.

  The formulas of liquid lipsticks themselves are very unique: going on like a creamy lipgloss, and often drying partially or completely depending on the finish. A good formula will last most of the day with needing only small touch-ups, and won't flake off or cake up.

  This past year I've tried several different kinds to see what I like best. I myself have dry lips, so very dry formulas can be difficult. Here's what I have so far, swatches, and mini reviews.