The past few years have been quite the challenge for makeup lovers. More and more brands seem to have their leaders jumping the shark. It started with Jeffree Star and Limecrime, which was followed by MAC and now it’s Kat Von D’s turn. A few days ago Kat Von D, who is currently pregnant, posted that she and her husband had decided not to vaccinate their child. A little while later her husband shared on his instagram story that they had watched some questionable documentaries that had helped them make their decision. Kat expanded saying it wasn’t just because of their strict vegan beliefs, but because it sounds like she thinks that they exist only to help companies profit.
The anti-vax movement is ignorant and dangerous. There is no way around it. Kat and her husband (Rafael Reyes AKA Leafar Seyer of Prayers) are endangering people by choosing not to vaccinate their child. In the outcry about this, additional information about Kat’s past has been better publicized showing that she is racist and anti-semitic.
In light of this information many makeup lovers, myself included, are adding Kat to their “Never buy” list. If you told me a month ago I’d be writing this article, I’d probably go into shock. This time last month I had finished pinching pennies and stayed up until 2:30 in the morning for the launch of her ten-year anniversary collection, a purchase I’m now thoroughly regretting. In addition to writing her parent companies, it’s time to find some quality dupes to replace her best products. Below are some Kate-approved Kat Von D dupes!
Tattoo Liner
By far KVD’s most popular product and the one I’m going to miss the most, is her Tattoo Liner. I have very oily eyes, and this eyeliner is almost as black as my soul and lasts for days. This week I tested two fantastic dupes though that are both cheaper than the original!
The first I tested was Physicians Formula Eye Booster. This eyeliner isn’t quite as black as the original, but it’s more than dark enough and it lasted. The applicator is identical, so don’t feel pressured to start using the more common felt tip that is found in most other brands of eyeliners—something I personally can’t stand. Physicians Formula is great because it’s made for sensitive skin: it doesn’t have talc, sulfates, or other known irritants in any of their products while also being cruelty free. It’s easy to find and often on sale (it’s on sale at CVS right now) which is definitely a one-up it has on Kat Von D.They are owned by the same company (Markwins) that owns Black Raidance and Wet ‘N Wild so all their cosmetic brands are cruelty free.
The next I tested was NYX Epic Liner. Just like Physicians Formula, this product has an identical applicator to tattoo liner so no learning curve. I searched eyeliners and only found a couple other brands that carried an eyeliner with a brush tip in pen style. The NYX was slightly blacker than the Physicians Formula which is great. Independently NYX is cruelty-free, unfortunately they are owned by L’oreal (who also owns shu uemura, Maybelline, Lacome, Giorgio Armani, YSL, and Urban Decay). L’oreal is an extremely problematic company on their own so many people who don’t want to buy KVD products might also understandably not want to buy NYX products.
Lock-It Foundation
So technically I”m not here to offer a dupe. I’ve actually used and loved this foundation for years, but I’m here to ask you to not use it. It’s extremely thick and heavy (as it’s designed to be) and isn’t really meant for everyday use on the face unless you have something major to cover (tattoo, birthmark, etc). If you’re just trying to cover up acne, lighter colored birthmark, etc, I strongly recommend using a foundation like Wet ‘n Wild’s Photo Infallible and some color corrector/concealer if necessary. I think you’ll be impressed by how much a foundation like that can do. If you’re totally sold on something that thick and heavy, NYX Invincible is supposed to be a good formula dupe.
Liquid Lipsticks
Kat Von D may be the Qqueen of liquid lipsticks, but they have become extremely popular and can be bought almost everywhere now. Great formula dupes can be found in Colourpop, Black Moon Cosmetics, Makeup Monsters, TheBalm, Milani, Stila, and many more. On top of it you can find color dupes for basically every single color she makes. Having trouble finding a dupe for color? Hit me up on Twitter. Unfortunately I owned about 40 KVD liquid lipsticks previous to this happening so I’m looking for quite a few dupes and am already working on a list. Don’t worry if you like the non-traditional colors, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to find dupes for those to, with many of them cheaper than the original but just as good.
Eyeshadows
Kat had the market cornered on fun eyeshadow palettes that really reached out to your inner high school goth; from Mi Vida Loca Remix to Saint and Sinner the amount of work she put into packaging really showed. And while you probably won’t find the same level of love at Sephora or Ulta, there are tons of indie brands with equally fun packaging and just as good eyeshadow colors and formulas. Makeup Monsters has recently moved into eyeshadow palettes and the colors are a solid five stars (and if you can’t tell from the name they are fun as well). Target just started offering several smaller brands including Reina Rebelde, Makeup Geek, and more that will fill your love your fun eyeshadows without breaking your wallet. Are there a couple KVD palettes you can’t live without, like her infamous Shade and Light? Good news Makeup Revolution makes some dupes that look so similar they could be mistaken for the real thing. They’re cruelty free and offered at Ulta so they’re easy to buy.
I know finding out the truth about KVD was really upsetting to me. I’m a makeup artist and a HUGE part of my kit is KVD, I’m in the pro program and everything, but there are perfectly good alternatives to her makeup and their spokespeople/owners don’t support ideals that literally kill people. So next time you need a new eyeliner, try a new one before you run to Sephora.
Kate hails from Worcester MA and also does a bit of Card Altering. Check her Stuff out on Facebook! She mainly plays legacy and modern though will occasionally find herself playing EDH.