Product Review- Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo Foundation

I first got to try this product out back in March where I was part of a team of artists getting a bunch of models ready for an event at a nightclub.  Several high class liquor brands had rented out a club, and each floor had their own set of models handing out samples to the VIP members.  It was pretty cool, and I really enjoyed working on that project.  The models were all required to cover their tattoos, and since I had my airbrush machine with me, I spent quite a while covering minor tattoos on shoulder blades and the like.  Then, one model came over with her entire shoulder blade on one side done and a brand new tattoo on the other shoulder blade... plus the top of her right foot.  I knew the airbrush wasn't going to cover it.

Enter the Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo Foundation!  One of the artists had purchased a shade on the lighter end of the spectrum to try out, but the pigmentation and consistency covered the tattoos so well we decided to use it anyway as a base and then either airbrush her skin color over the top or use something else to darken it.  We ended up using a MAC pressed powder patted over the surface with a blush brush to darken it a few shades, and it blended perfectly!  We soon had a crowd of the models hovering around us as we worked, all oohin'g and aaahin'g about how amazing the coverage was.  I don't know how the foundation held up through the night with the sweat and rubbing I'm sure she experienced having to navigate crowds of VIP's in a nightclub, but the coverage was pretty amazing.

So the next day I headed to my local Sephora for a bottle in my shade to try out as a regular foundation.  I don't know what's up with the display case at Sephora, because it was almost impossible to get to the boxes of foundation in the back.  The top shelf was so low, and all the boxes were dirty from people testing out the foundation on their hands then trying to reach back for a box.  I didn't find a shade that was absolutely perfect, but I got the best option they had.  I'm fairly neutral for being so fair, so a lot of brands have the unfortunate thinking that all us fair chicks are also very pink.  Which for the record I find ridiculous.  If my face is showing pinkness, why the heck would I want to add more pink on top?  I'd want to neutralize that right?  Oh, well.  Almost every brand out there has a bottle of pale pepto colored foundation I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.  But I digress.


From the company:  

What it is:
A high-pigment foundation for full coverage with a long-lasting, beautiful finish.

What it does:
Kat created this foundation to provide exceptional coverage, without compromising a smooth, striking finish. Formulated with 21 percent pigment, this powerful formula was developed to match a broad range of skintones with bold coverage—the proprietary pigments can even effectively cover tattoos. The combination of raw materials and the best siliconic elastomers and siliconic esters provide 24-hour wear with transfer resistance. Natural polymers absorb oil for a matte, soft finish and the added emollients provide a velvety texture for perfectly smooth, hydrated skin.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Synthetic Fragrances

What else you need to know:
This foundation has been formulated to work synergistically with Kat’s Rehab Priming Elixir, Tattoo Concealer, and Lock ‘N Load Setting Mist.

My Take: 

I've used the foundation several times now, and I love how it makes my freckles just disappear!  It's so heavily pigmented, they really just disappear.  It does look best for a full face of makeup, because with that kind of coverage there's really no "I'm not wearing makeup" looks possible, but it's great for people that don't mind full coverage foundations.  It doesn't look heavy and cakey though unless you really pile it on.  I like using my dampened blender sponge, and two pumps will cover my whole face and then some.  I don't know about the whole claim of 24 hour wear, as I take my foundation off at night before bed, but it didn't settle or fade away by the end of a 12+ hour day.

You can see the color doesn't match my hand perfectly, but my face is a tad bit darker due to all my freckling.  For a heavier coverage foundation, I tend to go a bit darker to really cover them up without looking too pasty. This one is a little on the peachy side vs pinky, which is fine for me, although I'd prefer a true neutral.

Overall, I really like this for days when I want a really flawless no freckled look to my skin.  While I do like my full coverage foundations, this isn't an everyday foundation for me.  I just checked it out online, and most of the colors are out of stock.  I'd check your local Sephora ASAP if you want to get your hands on a bottle, as I'm not sure why it's so out of stock and would be worried they're going to discontinue it.  Either that or there are supply issues.  Either way, it's a great foundation for covering large areas of tattoos on the body for a professional makeup artist, and I can see me getting a few shades for my kit if they ever come back in stock online.

**Disclaimer: As with all my product reviews, I was not paid by the cosmetic company to provide feedback or review/promote their products.  All the opinions expressed in this article are my own.  These items were purchased with my own money.

IBS Makeup Haul

Just a taste of my IBS haul!

Last week in my Life Update blog, I told you about my trip to NYC to the International Beauty Show.  Well, today I'm going to share with you some of the amazing things I got on my shopping trip!

There were several nail polish companies there, and I was super excited to see Essie was one of them!  They were only $4 a bottle, and when you bought 5 bottles you got a sixth free.  It was a no brainer to give everyone convenient six bottle boxes to hold their purchases in.  Not all of my colors are shown in the photo, and I plan on doing a separate blog with individual swatches, but it was mostly pinks/purples and fun summery colors.  China Glaze was there as well for even cheaper, and I got two Textured colors, a Holographic color, and a Crackle among the regular colors.

There were very few makeup companies there.  IBS is really more about hair than anything else, and since I haven't started cosmetology school yet, I didn't want to spend too much money on hair products that I can't use to their full potential.  I do a fair job at styling my clients for their boudoir shoots, but next year I'm looking forward to buying some really nice shears and salon equipment for my in home set up.

Just a small sample of the stuff I got from Stila!

However, Stila was there, and they had so many good deals I just couldn't say no to! There convertible colors were 5 for $55!  I mean, really?!  Who could walk away from that?!  I had never tried them, so I was excited to pick up five beautiful colors.  I've used them at a couple of shoots already, and they are so nice.  I love that you can use them for lips and cheeks.  I've got a more in depth review coming up next week on them with some nice swatches, too.  Also in my bag were four more of their stay all day lipcolors, a lip and cheek stain (that I realized after one use I'm allergic to!), and some eye liners.  I love everything from Stila, and could have totally spent a couple hundred more buying one of everything, but I have to save some for The Makeup Show coming up in two weeks!

I also got some lipstick palettes for work from Mehron and some individual pans of my favorite colors for myself in some beautiful bright shades.   I'm one of those customers the people at the booths love.  I walk right up, rattle off all the specific things I need, and just hand them a credit card.  I shop from Mehron once a year, so refilling my favs is always a necessity by the time the shows roll around in the spring.

I can't wait to show you some swatches next week of some loose pigment stacks I got from Color Revolution.  They are so gorgeous!  You can see three of the four stacks I got standing up in the back.

There were lots of booths selling cute beauty industry related jewelry, and I loved this little lipstick necklace so much I couldn't walk away.  Next year I'll be sure to have a bigger budget for the "fun" stuff vs the "work" stuff. 

I'm such a sucker to a live demonstration on myself.  If you can get me to sit down in a chair to show me how your works, I'm already 90% sold.  I barely make eye contact with the people at the kiosks in the mall who want to buff my nails or straighten my hair blah blah blah.  I'm just not interested.  But at big trade shows, I'm there to shop for the best new products for my beauty arsenal, so you've got a pretty good chance of selling me a flat iron so long as it doesn't burn my hair off. And that's totally what happened.  I'm the proud new owner of yet another flat iron! haha.  But this was a fancy one that didn't cost only $19.99 at Target, so maybe I'll actually use it on myself for once.

Another random buy- a ring cleaning kit.  I've bought the solution from a bridal show before, so I know that the nice "professional" stuff is way better than the crap I usually pick up from Walmart's jewelry department, and this set was only $30.  Oh, and it was pink.  It came with a polishing paste, cloth, small basket for soaking, and a large bottle of the solution.

Not shown but also purchased were lots of makeup brushes (like I need anymore... I own over 300 already), a roll up makeup organizer, lash extensions supplies, some skincare from HydroPeptide, and other various makeup supplies like spatulas and metal mixing palettes. 

I got a new bag for my boudoir makeup kit, and after needing to carry it up the six flights of stairs to the studio this past week, and I can tell you it was worth every penny!  Best buy of the show, hands down!

Overall, it was a very successful trip, and I'm so thankful this year I brought a rolling suitcase.  It was a really long day.  I had to be up super early to catch the bus out of Arlington for the four and a half hour ride there, and then didn't get back until after 11 pm that night.  But the deals were totally worth it.  There's very little on my list that I need to purchase at the Makeup Show next month, but I'll still probably bring a suitcase with me anyway.  Inglot is going to be there, and I'm already thinking of the rainbow in my head of colors I want to grab...

Product Review- Stila Long Wear Liquid Lip Color

I'm all about the product reviews this week I guess!  Time to do another one, and this time it's about lip color!  The newest product on my lips I'm loving is the Stila Long Wear Liquid Lip Color, specifically in Caprice.

Copyright Stila Cosmetics.  Image from their website.

I bought a set of four colors back in November when they had their holiday sets out, and if you shop through their website, www.Stilacosmetics.com, you can still find it.  I hope it sticks around for longer so that more people can snatch these up.  They've pre-launched three colors in their Stay All Day formula, but none of the colors they have or are intending to have match the ones in this particular set.  I'm looking forward to trying them out on April 6th at IMATS in NYC.  I've got my fingers crossed that they'll have all of their colors there for me to play with and purchase.

I've got a video up on my YouTube channel with my review of this product, too.  So be sure to stop by and check it out.  Be sure to subscribe my channel and like the video while you're there, too!  It's free, and I'd appreciate the support!

But moving back to the product....  After filming a tutorial on Looking More Awake, I took a quick Instagram pic of my makeup look and uploaded it to my personal Facebook.  I've never had a photo get so many likes (on Facebook at least) from my friends and family.  They LOVED the bright fuschia shade on me, and I've worn it almost every day since.

There is a downside to this product though.  It's so intensely pigmented that if you put it on straight from the wand without wiping some of it off, it will look really cakey and almost chalkey on your lips.  I have to put on a sheer layer of it, and that's still no where even within the definition of "sheer" in terms of color payout.  It does dry down to a matte finish, and I'm a fan of glossy looks, so i prefer to wear it with some Revlon gloss over the top.  It does mean that it doesn't actually wear that long.  Every time I took a sip of something to drink there was lip color on my glass.  But the pigment stained my lips and stayed bright for hours, so it's a trade off.  It didn't dry out my lips at all, and the smell is just divine.

Overall, I give this product a huge thumbs up, and I'm hoping that the new formula is just as awesome.  The other colors in the kit are nice, too.  The Muse shade is a gorgeous soft rose color, and I'm fairly certain I'll be wearing it a bunch this spring, so keep an eye out for it in my tutorials.


Disclaimer: As with all my product reviews, I was not paid by the cosmetic company to provide feedback or review/promote their products.  All the opinions expressed in this article are my own.

Tarte Smooth Operator Illuminating Serum

Being a professional makeup artist sure has its perks.  First, I get a tax write off on all the makeup I buy as business supplies, so it gives me the opportunity to try out all sorts of new stuff.  Second, with as much makeup as I have to buy to simply replace the makeup in my kit I use on shoots and weddings, I rack up a lot of membership points at Sephora and Ulta.  Sephora has a program called V.I.B., Very Important Beauty (Insider).  I get exclusive emails with discounts and promotions, and every year on my (Free) renewal date, I get a coupon for 10% off.  With this year's discount, I bought a set of "Sephora's Favorites- Glizt & Glam Collection" and in it got a lot of great kit-sized products to test out.  I tried a few of them out this weekend at a wedding and was super impressed by Tarte's Smooth Operator Illuminating Serum, an new product that's only available right now as a part of the set or as a part of Tarte's Radiant & Rested Luminous Complexion Collection.  It's so smooth and silky feeling, and it has a bit of a tint to it,so it really helps to even out skin tone either alone or under foundation.  It says there's a bit of a glow to it, but I didn't really see much pearly glow as an evening of the skin.  I think it's best for clients with fair skin, as on darker skins it might look chalky.  But it made a super amazing base for a client with a large red cluster birthmark on her right cheekbone above her eye.  It helped grip the concealor and added a bit of coverage on it's own. Then with the airbrush over the top, you couldn't even see it any more.  I just ordered the R&R complexion set with my Sephora Friends and Family discount code (Available from now until Nov 3, use promo code FF2010 for 20% off!) for the full size product.  I'm also excited to try the EmphasEYES eye brightener for the inner rim that comes in the set, too.

Copyright Tarte Cosmetics.  Photo from the Sephora website.

Another product from the Sephora Glitz & Glam collection that I fell in love with is the Lorac Perfectly Lit in Spotlight.  It's a tan bronzer like product that has a bit of shimmer to it that adds a beautiful glow for sculpting the cheekbones on fair skins.  I brushed it on the back of the cheekbones and up to the temples and then used a very sheer bright pink on the apples of the cheeks to help them "pop".  It was a beautiful combination that gave them a gorgeous glow without looking like they were wearing a ton of blush. 

Since I'm going on and on about the great stuff I got from Sephora recently (and that I tried out at the wedding this Saturday) I'll also let you know about Tarte's Good As Gold Lipgloss Collection (for only $29!!!!!).  It is absolutely going to become a staple in my kit.  The glosses are the perfect size, the price is amazing, and the colors are to die for.  I used some of the brighter pinks on the lips blended over a brownish nude lipliner, and it was the perfect compliment to the bronze/pink cheeks of the bridesmaids.  Paired with shimmery nude and chocolate colored eyeshadow and glitzy copper liner, it was a soft romantic effect that went perfectly with the deep chocolate colored bridesmaids dresses.

I ordered a few more collections from Sephora with my discount today, and I can't wait to get them in and tell you all about the awesome products inside!