Review - Kat von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lolita

I was super excited to see that Sephora put out a mini duo set of the Kat von D Studded Lipstick in Lolita and the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Berlin on Black Friday. I was even more excited when I was able to check out in my cart with it, since I knew it would sell out quickly! (Of course, I saw it in store at like 3 PM the next day, so I need not have worried - I was still excited. Ebates!) Since the mini is only available in sets that are now long gone, I'll provide pricing and amount information for the full size below. The mini is 0.04 oz, and I guess in my set, is $5!

Kat von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lolita 

Wrist swatch of Lolita

I know a lot of people dislike minis, but I happen to like them, especially for lipsticks. I have never finished a lipstick, and with my ever growing collection of them, I doubt I ever will finish a lipstick. If I do, I'm sure I will throw myself a huge party, where I end up buying myself five more lipsticks to celebrate. That being said, this one is so tiny and cute! It's about 2.5-3" tall overall, and the case is a very lightweight black plastic. The non studded parts show fingerprints pretty easily, since it's black.

Lolita is described as a "matte dusty rose" - dusty rose is definitely apt here, but on my lips it pulled a tiny bit mauvey nude. In the swatch, there's a small bit of a satiny sheen to the finish, but after applying the the lips, it's matte. It isn't as matte as the liquid lipsticks in the Kat von D line, so if your lips can't handle the whole "matte as fuck," thing, this may be the kind of matte you need. Application was decently smooth, pigmentation was good, I did not need more than one swipe. These lipsticks are known to be very fragile, so I applied with a caution, and even so, mine bent a tiny bit and hit the side of the tube - I didn't even turn it up that much! This is true for both the minis and the full size, so buyer beware. There is a light vanilla scent that dissipates after application.

I was able to have my morning cup of tea without much transfer at all. I paired this with a lip liner (Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip liner in 14 C) and a lip primer, and experienced no feathering or bleeding. The formula did highlight some dry flakes as the day progressed, but my lips themselves did not dry out, but I have a feeling this was thanks to the lip primer. I also exfoliated my lips beforehand. I did not notice any fading on the inner lip or any color gathering into the lip lines.

I happen to like this little lipstick, so I may go and pick up another one or two of the regular size to see how they fare - I've heard they're pretty hit or miss, though. I'm happy I have a mini at least!

Pros:

• Good pigmentation
• Not OVERLY matte
• Little to no transfer

Cons:

• Fragile in the tube
• Highlights flakes
• Potentially drying

Kat von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lolita - $21.00 for 0.10 oz (full size)

Review 3.5/5