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Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick Review, Photos, Swatches

Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick
Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick

Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick ($21.00 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “matte lavender.” It’s a light-medium, cool-toned lavender purple with a matte finish. Melt Cosmetics By Starlight (P, $19.00) is much, much darker. MAC Dodgy Girl (LE, $16.00) is pinker. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Rollergirl (P, $18.00) Illamasqua Posture (P, $24.00) is pinker, lighter. MAC Fresh Amour (LE, $16.00) is lighter. See comparison swatches
view dupes.

This shade was a lot less impressive compared to the other two shades I’ve reviewed so far. It was the first of the matte finish shades I tried, so fingers crossed some of the other hues are better quality! The consistency was dry and stiff, so the lipstick dragged and tugged on the lips during application, which led to a rather uneven appearance. Even on my arm, when I was swatching, it was difficult to drag across the skin, and it didn’t seem to like being layered, as the product would clump in places. I could easily see this catching on any dryness or imperfections on the lips, and it would be imperative to exfoliate prior to application as it is unforgiving. It lasted for six hours on me before it was noticeably faded in the center, and it was fairly drying over time. It’s far cry from “bold color, 10-hour wear, and luxe comfort,” as described. So far, I feel like there’s some variation in quality in the range, depending on color and finish, but I’ll keep working my way through ’em and posting reviews so we can find out together.

Coven

DCDiscontinued. $21.00.
D+
D+
5.8
Product
8.3
Pigmentation
6
Texture
7
Longevity
3.5
Application
68%
Total

Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick
Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick

Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick
Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick

Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick
Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick

Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick
Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick

Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick
Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick

Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick
Kat Von D Coven Studded Lipstick

Makeup Look
On face:
  • Giorgio Armani Maestro Foundation
  • Urban Decay Naked Loose Finishing Powder
  • Chanel Dentelle Precieuse Illuminating Powder

123 Comments

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Chanel Avatar

Seems like lavender lipsticks are starting to be made by more and more brands and that’s just awesome ! But i’m sad to hear that it was so dry and stiff because the color is beautiful. It looks patchy as well.

Jacquelyn Avatar

It’s a shame that this one didn’t perform very well! Pastel lips are not such a hard color to come by anymore, so you’d imagine that brands would be able to at least shell out “C” grade ones! Haha. Glad to see that such a color is in a permanent range regardless.

meganlisa Avatar

With some of the mattes (that I got…haven’t tried them all) I got a ring/lining around my lips which I had to smooth out. I also found that they applied better if I totally blotted my lips first then applied them very carefully. A pain…but when you have colors that are so different from natural lips I actually prefer the stiffer formula as it often gives more opaque coverage. But it takes work.
Skipped this one. Looking at the patchiness in the application on you I’m so glad I did!!!
Thanks for the review.

Brandi Avatar

I’ve definitely heard mixed things about this one. I usually put a balm under matte lipsticks so I’ve rarely had dryness problems, and this is what I really wanted Dodgy Girl to be so I’ll probably pick it up, but this is definitely a your-mileage-may-vary shade!

Wednesday Avatar

I almost almost ordered this one and then when I went to put the pin in..it was sold out.. Phew! This didn’t translate the way I thought it would and so your review has saved me. I like the concept of the colour, but the finish would be even more disastrous on me, I suspect, as my lips probably run drier than yours. I picked up a couple of other shades instead just to test the water and see how these work out on me.

xamyx Avatar

I had a feeling this shade would end up being a bit streaky/patchy… Still, I think I’ll end up leaving it on my “list”, as I think it may work as a “layering” shade to mix with another color.

xamyx Avatar

I was thinking either an iridescent gloss, or even a sheer black one. Also, a balm underneath might help… At $21, it’ll be a while before I indulge, so perhaps some of the kinks will be worked out?

Ginny Avatar

Ouch, that looks dry. Hopefully the other mattes are better! I’m eyeing a few of the reds. Did you happen to buy any matte reds to review? 😀

Adhishree Avatar

Oh god.. the texture looks like chalk on your lips. Not a fun look to sport! Shame, because the colour is stunning. I’m quite surprised as Kat posted a picture of this on Instagram and it looked really creamy and nice. False marketing.

Jane Avatar

That’s a relief! I ordered Wonderchilde on the strength of the positive reviews I’d been seeing here for the other shades. I would have been bummed if it turned out like this one instead.

fuji Avatar

I guess these pale pastel colors are just difficult to make. Plus they are not natural lip colors so it’s important to have nice and non-drying full coverage to get the right shade coz there’s simply not much room for mistake. These two factors might be the biggest obstacle here.

I’m also wondering if OCC lip tar has similar shades? They seem always deliver good job in pigmentation and texture.

Anyway, glad manufacturers are trying. It will get better.

Christine Avatar

I like that brands are experimenting, but if they can’t deliver a good product or if it’s not in line with the quality of their other products, I’d rather they go back to the drawing board and keep it in house – rather than charging $21 for an experiment!

Andrew Avatar

Oh my god, I’ve never been happier for a product to have been out of stock when I placed an order! As soon as this launched I knew I HAD to have it, but I’ve been trying to contain my spending lately. Well, then Givenchy launched their LE Fall products and I figured I’d throw this in, too . . . but it was sold out (the only shade sold out, in fact). I ended up getting Lovecraft instead since it seems to be another good MLBB shade, so I hope it fairs better when it arrives tomorrow!

I have a feeling that Sephora and KVD are going to have some majorly upset customers considering how quickly this shade sold out. Bummer.

Andrew Avatar

Well on a good note, I received Lovecraft today (which is also the matte formula) and it is wonderful so far. Even application, no tugging, great pigmentation. I’m thinking that this may have been a single-shade instance that doesn’t apply to the formula as a whole.

Lindsey Avatar

I think it’s pretty close to being a dupe for Darling by Melt Cosmetics. I applied a Nyx Lip Primer pencil prior to applying Coven and had better luck with even pigmentation placement and no tugging, just decreased it’s wear time. Too bad, this color is beautiful.

Karen Avatar

The grade this got is so sad to me, I feel so disappointed in the quality of this lipstick. I had my hopes up so high for this one. My dreams feel crushed. It was such a unique colour too!

rotem Avatar

Thank you
I really like lavender so I actually added this to my wish list. This review saved me.
Any good lavender lipstick (prefer cruelty free brands like too faced urbane decay etc.)

Elspeth Avatar

I have this one and it works fantastically for me. My coworker also bought it and had similar problems to yours. It’s weird cause they’ve got to all be the same batch number.

Rachael Avatar

I’m surprised u didn’t compare this to darling by melt! That seems to be the closest, no? I love darling I red recommend that to anyone that likes the shade and def love for matte lips is needed.

Helene Avatar

Having looked close at the photos, I must say I don’t think anything could have saved this from the low grade. No balm would make it apply more evenly, nor would a lip brush. At least that is my experience with lipsticks that apply as unevenly as this.
It is an interesting colour, though, so hopefully they can get the formula better, or yours came out of a horribly bad batch.

Allison Avatar

Disappointed to read this review, as I own this shade and have no such problem with this lipstick at all. It does usually require building up, but didn’t tug at my lips and my result was nowhere near this bad. Strange.

Anne Avatar

I bought a few of these and I actually really like this one. It’s definitely hard to get consistent coverage, but I love that color so much it’s worth the extra work! Mine didn’t end up looking that chalky, though. So sad, this color is just amazing.

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