*I received these products complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster. Affiliate links used. Full disclaimer here.
Words can’t express the reaction I had when I got the box from Influenster containing the brand new Kat Von D Lock It Concealer Creme (two shades), full-size Lock It Setting Powder and two full-size brushes – Lock It Edge Concealer Brush and Lock It Setting Powder Brush. It was pure shock (if you follow me on SnapChat… you saw it first-hand). First of all, this box was probably the best Influenster box I ever received and second, the products were super generous of Kat Von D Beauty to provide. I love some of these products dramatically more than others and since they’ve been spotted all over social media lately, I wanted to share my thoughts.
*If you don’t know, Influenster is a website/company that is totally free to join and open to anyone. You fill out your profile and if you stay active on the site by sharing product reviews from a plethora of categories, you occasionally get sent free things that suit your lifestyle. Join here using my referral link if you’re interested (no, I don’t get paid – I just get ‘points’), otherwise, let’s get to my review of the Kat Von D Lock It stuff!*
What it says it does
Being described as a creamy, full coverage product with 24-hour wear, this multi-tasking concealer does it all. It is said to do an equally amazing job at covering your dark circles and brightening them without appearing dry/flaky but also disguising your pesky blemishes without adding a heavy coat of cake-face.
It’s also advertised as something you can use to highlight and contour your face while also doing the ‘baking method‘ for you. Pick a dark shade to contour and a light shade to highlight – Kat even includes a pure white shade so you can custom-mix your perfect color out of the 20+ shade options.
What it actually does
I received shades Medium 17/Warm and Light 9/Neutral. While Medium 17 is a perfect match to conceal and brighten, Light 9 is simply too ashy for my skin tone, so I cannot attest to the contour/highlight capabilities. However, the concealer works AMAZING on me! It’s not too drying or too hydrating on my combo/oily (mostly oily right now) skin and it blends in seamlessly. It works as it says it does regarding brightening/concealing under eye circles and provides buildable yet natural coverage on blemishes.
My absolute favorite part of this concealer is the applicator, though. It’s this triangle-shaped doe-foot applicator with a little flexibility to it… which makes it excellent when fitting certain contours of the face. I also would have to agree about the baking functionality. It definitely has an inherent ‘setting’ technology once you apply it to your face that dries down to a natural/satin finish fairly quickly.
The formula reminds me a lot of NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in that it’s creamy, full-coverage and has a natural finish. Kat Von D’s has a better applicator, wider shade range, longer-wearing and is a couple of bucks cheaper. Kat Von D Lock It Concealer Creme retails for $26 on Sephora.com and in-stores. Pick it up here.
What it says it does
Described as being weightless and blurring on the skin, Lock It Setting Powder is simply a translucent loose powder to set your foundation and/or concealer. Competing with brands like Make Up For Ever HD Powder, Laura Mercier’s Translucent Powder and the budget-buy RCMA No Color and/or Translucent Powder; Kat Von D’s product is said to contain a proprietary ‘Weightless Micro-Blurring Technology’ to provide a flawless finish.
The main ingredient in Kat’s powder is mica instead of the popular (and super inexpensive/controversial talc), which reduces the product’s total weight by 30% (e.g.: weightless). However, don’t be completely fooled – there’s still talc in this product. It’s listed right after mica on the packaging. Make Up For Ever’s HD powder is made of mostly microfine silica. Laura Mercier’s powder is made of mostly talc and some corn starch. RCMA’s is mostly talc (hence the 1/4th the price).
What it actually does
Everyone LOVES THEM SOME BAKING these days, so naturally, it makes sense for Kat Von D to provide an option in her line – particularly because her cosmetics are known for their full coverage, high pigment, no-budge formulas. You NEED some bake there. For me, I didn’t get along too well with this powder because it has little oil-absorbing properties. Since I’m a hot oil slick lately with high humidity in Texas, I would need to apply an oil-absorbing powder to set my face and then use this on top… which is just entirely too much powder for 110-degree heat.
I tried this with a few different foundations in varying levels of oil control and it didn’t even hold up with my Mother-Of-All-Oil-Control, Estee Lauder Double Wear. I’m going to hold on to this powder for the fall/winter months because it was very finely milled, slightly blurring (VERY slightly… we’re not talking pores-be-gone here) and you get quite a bit of product in the packaging. If you have oily skin, my advice is to avoid it. If you’re dry-normal, this may be the perfect baking/setting powder for you to use because I never once saw any dry patches exacerbated when using it.
Pick up the Kat Von D Lock It Setting Powder for $30 at Sephora.com or in-stores. Get it here.
What they say they’ll do
The concealer brush is said to be a high-performance, exclusively shaped brush designed to fit the contours of the face to seamlessly blend concealer with expert coverage instantly. The powder brush was tested against dozens of competitor brushes to provide a soft, diffused veil of powder evenly to the face.
What they actually do
The blunt-cut V-shape of the concealer brush was interesting at first, but after using it just once I realized how awesome it was. This brush wouldn’t be as awesome if it wasn’t so incredibly soft and gentle on my skin. The angled edges are perfect for getting right underneath the eye and inner corners, just as well as tapping/blending any blemish-concealing. Kat also makes a larger version of this brush for foundation and I bet it’s even MORE awesome! I love this brush and have used it daily since getting the box.
The setting powder brush is also extremely soft and the handle makes it comfortable to hold when lightly applying powder. It’s lovely and works well, but it didn’t do anything particularly life-changing for me. But it’s soft… so definitely go touch it when you’re in Sephora next time because it *is* delightful. 🙂
The Kat Von D Lock It Edge Concealer Brush retails for $24 and the Lock It Setting Powder Brush retails for $38 at Sephora or Sephora.com. Pick up the concealer brush here and the powder brush here.
Have you tried any of these items yet and if so, what have you thought? If not, which do you think sound perfect for you? Tell me in the comments and let’s chat about it!
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Happy Locking It,
-Steffanie
