Kat Von D Comes To Cardiff

A few weeks ago, my brother and I decided it was time to go to Cardiff. Admittedly we didn't head there with the intention of going shopping, we went there to do a little bit of Pokemon hunting, as yes we are some of the only people who still play it. However when we were wondering around I noticed a lady with a Kat Von D top on. I found this very odd as I thought the only counter in the UK was in the Oxford Street Debenhams. After giving up on finding Pokemon we took to the shops, seeking out Debenhams to see if there really was a counter. As I walked past I could see the signage and the counter was close to the back of the store but it was there. I couldn't believe it so I went straight towards it to see what they had.

The counter was huge and there were lots of girls working on it, probably too many but of course I went straight to the Liquid Lipsticks. I've spoken about them hundreds of times as they are my favourite liquid lipstick formula. A few months ago they launched quite a few new shades on to Sephora, this was after they launched the nude range. For the longest time I have been waiting for Lovecraft to become available in the UK. I knew if it was out, the best place to look would be on counter. This was when I was intercepted by the sales assistant. She was very helpful but she had never even heard of the colour so that gave me every indication that it wasn't out. The sales assistant suggested I followed the counters Instagram so I can see when new products come out. I decided whilst I was at the counter I might as well treat myself so I picked up another Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks in the shade Bow N Arrow which I have been meaning to buy since I saw it when I was in the states last year but I hadn't got round to it.

For those of you who have tried the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick I know I don't need to tell you how good they are. However for those of you who don't know, I will give a quick summary. I've tried a lot of liquid lipsticks in my time, ranging from high end to the bottom of the drugstore but the Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks have managed to maintain the title of my favourite liquid lipstick since I tried Lolita last year. If you are looking for a liquid lipstick that dries completely matte but doesn't feel like a dry cakey mess on your lips, this should be your next purchase. Obviously it is the nature of a matte liquid lipstick that it is going to be slightly drying but these are the most comfortable ones I have found. They dry down and then they stay put for most of the day. They are super pigmented and they do not look patchy. I've spoken about these before so I will link the post below but these are seriously good. If I could only have one liquid lipstick in the world, it would probably be Lolita from this range because I love it that much.

In terms of shade, I had seen Bow N Arrow whilst I was on holiday in America last year and I almost bought it at the time but I realised my credit card bill was already a mile long so decided to see what I thought of Lolita. When they launched 6 new nude shades at the end of last year I was instantly taken by a few shades and Ludwig was one of them. I ended up getting it in a Sephora haul I made for my Birthday. So when I was in Cardiff I saw it as the perfect opportunity to expand my collection. Bow N Arrow is a fawn nude, similar to Ludwig, just a little bit deeper. The sales assistant had it on and it looked amazing on her so I just decided to go for it.

When I got home and put it on, it came across a lot darker on me. I liked it when I initially put it on but when I topped it up at lunch time it ended up having a grey tint so it resembled Daddy from Jeffree Star Cosmetics which is way too dark for me and makes me look like I died 20 years ago. This is sort of sad because I had spent so long wanting this shade but I think the key to it is going to be using it just the once and not topping up throughout the day, not that this lipstick really needs it. Unfortunately this shade will not be one of my favourites but the formula is still on point and I will still use it.

(L-R: Bow N Arrow, Ludwig, Lolita)

After committing myself to buying something, the sales assistant very kindly showed me some of the other products in hopes I would buy them. I actually found it quite interesting seeing all of the products as I haven't used much from the brand and previously I had only really seen it online. I couldn't help but notice they had some of the Alchemist Holographic Palettes in stock. This is pretty much permanently out of stock online and until I saw it in person I wasn't interested in buying it. This all changed when it was placed in front of me. From the pictures I had seen online I imagined the palette would be so much bigger than it is but it is a dinky little palette. The shades are quite unusual and I thought it would be something slightly different for me to play with. The lady told me that these were some of the last ones available as it is a limited edition product and that was it, it was in my basket.

Originally I didn't want to want this palette as realistically I had no idea when I was going to use this. The idea of a green, blue and UV highlight is wonderful but is it practical? This didn't really matter to me when i saw it. I thought the packaging was a work of art and the highlight I swatched looked stunning! As someone who only does make up on myself and most certainly is not an expert, any form of colour alarms me as i never know what to do with it but i thought this palette was a comfortable medium. When I got this home and sat down to use it I realised what I had done. I was sucked in and I had a mild panic as to when I was actually going to use it but it turns out I have used it every day since I bought it. My two favourite shades are probably the easiest to use which are Amethyst and Opal. These two I can wear on there own and not look strange however I do like to wear Amethyst with Eclipse by Jeffree Star Cosmetics as that reigns in the purple a little bit. I have been wearing it with my Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette on my eyes and the combination of the rusts and purples on my eyes and the purple highlight makes it look very autumnal and I love it.

I must admit Emerald and Saphyre are the ones that I don't think i will be using that much. Used as a top coat I can see Saphyre being really pretty and I like combining it with the Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Tutu by MAC but Emerald is definitely beyond me. I don't know when a green highlight is ever appropriate, maybe St. Patricks Day? Despite the shades, these powders are truly some of the most incredible highlighters I have ever used. They are so finely milled that they are literally unclockable on the face, they just look like a aura. If Kat Von D did the same formula in a pale champagne or did a softer version of Opal I would 1000% be all over that. A little goes a long way as well so even though these pans are quite small they will last a long old time.

For £25 I thought the Alchemist palette was very reasonably priced. Yes it is smaller than it looks in pictures but you do get 4 different shades and they are very versatile. I have used them as eye shadows as well as a highlight and I've even used them on my lips to get a metallic finish. You can use these powders in any way you like which is why I think it is so amazing. The colour/pigment is very vivid but would you expect anything else from Kat Von D? On the Instagram for the Cardiff counter one of the girls used this as a liner topper and it looked incredible, I would love to try that for a night out. I do use this everyday but I think this palette would really come into its own if you were to use it for a festival. The shades are a little bit out there but they are also beautiful and perfectly formulated. Looking at the shades this does remind me of the Moon Child palette from Anastasia Beverly Hills so if you wanted that palette but don't want to spend all that money, this is a wonderful alternative.

Taking it away from make up for a second, whilst I was looking at all of the Kat Von D products, I noticed they had the perfumes which were recently launched. If you have read my blog before you will know one of my passions in life is perfume, I love it. I could probably talk about perfume all day so when I was shown the Kat Von D Saint + Sinner perfumes I was very excited to see what they smelt like. The packaging for both perfumes is very distinctive and I really like it. It reminds me of gothic architecture in the way that the pattern winds around the bottle. I hoped the scents would be as striking but unfortunately I didn't like either of them. Saint reminded me of Marc Jacobs fragrances, very sweet, quite fresh and youthful. It was pleasant but I didn't think it was anything new. I was slightly more intrigued by Sinner, it didn't have the sweet sugary scent that let down Saint but it was sort of what I expect, it is spicy with a slightly woody note. It reminded me slightly of Pomegranate Noir from Jo Malone London but not quite as rich and definitely not as spicy. I was left disappointed by both the scents as I have seen quite a lot of blog coverage about them. After I explained my disappointment I was taken to the till.

Of course the two items I bought were a lipstick and a highlighting palette, could I be anymore predictable. Overall I thought the counter was stunning, exactly like the London counter if you have visited it. I couldn't be more thrilled that there is a counter in Cardiff and I really hope that one will eventually make its way to Bristol. The sales assistant said there were lots of exciting launches coming from next month so I will definitely be keeping my eye out for those. Also if you are looking for a brand with amazing ethics, Kat Von D is a good one. Not only are the formulas meticulously worked on but they prove a very handy list on her website to let you know what products are vegan. If that is something you look for in your make up products Kat Von D is worth looking at.

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