Kat Von D Gold Skool Metal Crush Highlighter Review, Photos, Swatches
Gold Skool
Kat Von D Gold Skool Metal Crush Extreme Highlighter ($30.00 for 0.17 oz.) is a pale, white gold with a glittering finish. It had less of a base powder/color and more in the way of a moderate to semi-opaque “coverage” level of glitter–the flatter, more fleck-like kind, which I find adheres better to bare skin and is better at looking sparkling without appearing like specks of dirt from afar. I don’t expect this to be everyone’s cup of tea, though, as it is, undoubtedly, over-the-top and glittery. It had a subtle, duochrome shift from pale gold to warmer, yellow gold depending on the angle.
I’d recommend applying this with a denser, circular brush (like a mini buffing brush) to really press and buff the glitter onto the cheeks or use fingertips. The texture in the pan was smooth, almost wet to the touch, and fairly blendable without lifting up my base. I didn’t notice any emphasis of texture on its own. It wore well for eight hours but had some migration over the day.
Top Dupes
- Cover FX Mirage (P, $44.00) is more shimmery (100% similar).
- Moira Sweet Champagne (P, $14.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Give Me Glow Halo (P, $17.25) is more shimmery, cooler (95% similar).
- Chanel Duo de Camelias (Right) (LE, $80.00) is less shimmery (90% similar).
- Anastasia Iced Out (P, $34.00) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Pat McGrath Pale Gold 002 (LE, $30.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Fenty Beauty Royal Icing (LE, $38.00) is warmer (90% similar).
- Dior Strobe Gold (Glitz) (LE, ) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Artist Couture Gold Digger (P, $27.00) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Sydney Grace Velvet Gold (P, $9.00) is less shimmery (90% similar).
Ingredients
Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Mica, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Diisostearyl Malate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Dimethicone, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Tin Oxide, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Silica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891).
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
I love the closeup shot you did to show the highlighter! For what it’s worth, I’d love to see more of those with your highlighter reviews. That’s really helpful. 🙂
I agree about the cheek closeup. Super helpful!
Thirded!
Just a quick note to let you know I really like the closeup shot, Christine. Very helpful! 🙂
I kinda dig this in theory but I won’t allow myself to get it, because I am more into subtle, really buffed in highlights!
It has a lovely effect on the cheeks, much more subtle than I first thought. Beautiful colour.
No doubt, this is quite a beautiful highlight. Glitter is getting very difficult to pull off in highlighter form, although it hasn’t been an issue with something like Smashbox Rosemantic, because that’s not accentuating fine lines nor drawing attention to my aging undereye area. So, I guess this is a pass.
I’m one of those people who love glittery highlighters
This reminds me of Now & Zen, the Colourpop Pressed Powder Shadow! That’s less sheer though, and wouldn’t really work as a highlighter (in my opinion). I almost want to get this just to go with it!!
I purchased this the second it was released and was so disappointed when I received it. It’s a pretty color but i feel the lack of base makes it look like I just applied straight glitter to my face. By the end of the day I had glitter everywhere…my hubby asked me “what club have you been too?”, lol. Sadly, I returned it. I prefer the wet looking highlighters that can be buffed in, no visible glitter.
As everyone else has stated, the close up shot is super helpful in that we can actually see the glitter in the formulation. Color is lovely and although this scores a solid B and is $30, I cannot help but look at the Ofra highlighter which scores an A and is $16. I am not a great lover of glitter in my highlighter. My skin is way to old and textured to pull it off and I have several white/gold highlighters already. I can make them work but they do appear as a bruise on my skin from a distance. In fact, recently I wore a similar highlight and when I met my daughter later she asked me how I bruised my cheek so this will be an easy pass for me.
I love KVD makeup and gold highlighters, but I swatched in store, and not my cup of tea, lots of glitter with almost no base
Well got the Cover FX Mirage drops so I’m covered for body glitter. I don’t really get these highlighters she’s making sadly. Considering she’s discontinuing her Metal Crush eyeshadows. Why not take that formula for permanent highlighter as Thunderstruck is one of my favourites all over the face. 😉
Thank you for the close-up shot and for not filtering the heck out of your skin! It’s so wonderful to see real skin texture vs retouched smoothness.