Kat Von D Adora Studded Kiss Lipstick ($21.00 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “metallic candy apple red.” It’s a brightened, medium red with warm, orange undertones and a matte finish with a metallic shimmer. NARS Mondore (LE, $25.00) is more muted, darker, no shimmer. Estee Lauder Emotional (140) (P, $30.00) is browner, glossier, no shimmer. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Role Play (P, $18.00) is darker. NARS Majella (P, $25.00) has no metallic shimmer. Milani Cherry Crave (P, $5.49) is brighter. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Super NSFW (P, $18.00) is warmer. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Kat Von D’s redone their lipstick formula, and it’s been repackaged with a glossy, black studded cap and base. It’s decreased slightly in size (0.11 oz. to 0.10 oz.), but the packaging is a lot sturdier than before. The packaging is quite light, though, and the plastic felt a bit thin though not to the point where it seemed fragile. I purchased a few shades when they launched earlier this week, and I was intending to review two or three at a time, but Adora lasted so long that it will probably take a day to test each shade!

Adora topped in at ten hours of wear and lasted through two meals and two cups of coffee; even at nine hours, it was only a little bit faded. It’s worth noting right away that the metallic finishes have a different texture/consistency (from what I can tell) compared to the (shimmer-free) matte finishes. The consistency has a light creaminess that keeps it from tugging on the lips, and it applied with even, opaque color coverage. The formula is vanilla-scented to me (though Sephora describes it as creme brulee) but has no discernible taste. I worried that this was going to be drying, but it seemed to maintain the state of my lips from start to finish, so it never really felt hydrating, but it wasn’t drying and my lips felt fine after wearing nothing but this for ten hours. It’s not transfer-proof, though if you blot once or twice, it is almost transfer-proof from thereon. I didn’t experience any bleeding or feathering with the richer red shade of Adora. The reformulated Adora seems slightly drier and less metallic compared to the original, though the reformulation wears a lot longer on me.

Kat Von D Adora Studded Kiss Lipstick

Kat Von D Adora Studded Kiss Lipstick

Kat Von D Adora Studded Kiss Lipstick

Kat Von D Adora Studded Kiss Lipstick

Kat Von D Adora Studded Kiss Lipstick

Kat Von D Adora Studded Kiss Lipstick

Kat Von D Adora Studded Kiss Lipstick

Kat Von D Adora Studded Kiss Lipstick

Kat Von D Adora Studded Kiss Lipstick

Kat Von D Adora Studded Kiss Lipstick

Kat Von D Adora Studded Kiss Lipstick

Kat Von D Adora Studded Kiss Lipstick