KAT VON D COSMETICS SELLS TO KENDO

If you’ve heard rumours about Kat Von D having recently sold her makeup brand to a bigger company, they are 100 per cent right. The famed tattoo artist, personality and makeup entrepreneur has finally decided to call it quits, having recently sold all her shares to Kendo: a company she has already been partnering with for over a decade. The new brand is called KVD Vegan Beauty and it will continue to endorse the standard the former brand has upheld for so long.

COMPILED BY MARISA CUTILLAS

As a makeup lover you will know that Kat Von D made a big difference to the makeup industry in three ways: through innovative/Gothic-styled packaging, unique/intense products and hues, and quality – plenty of it. I don’t hit pan with a lot of products but I have done so with so many of Kat Von D’s makeup – from the magnificent Shade + Light Contour Face palette to the Lolita Por Vida Palette (such a great, wearable eyeshadow palette). Of course, many bottles of her Lock It foundation have made their way to my makeup bag. Kat will be missed!

Kat announced her decision in an Instagram post, citing time constraints as the main reason. She recently had a baby, launched a vegan shoe line, and is currently preparing an album and international tour. She wrote:

As much as I wish I could balance all of this, on top of continuing my makeup line, it has become clear to me that I just can’t do everything at the maximum capacity. It’s hard to admit this, since I’ve always said ‘You can do everything and anything’.

Despite the brand’s presence worldwide in Sephora stores, naysayers alleged that her marque was not doing so well owing to polemic occurrences – such as the boycott against the brand that began in 2018, when the artist openly told followers she would not vaccinate her child.

This is a hot topic in the U.S. in particular, and many chose to no longer support her. Other ‘scandals’ affecting Kat Von D included oddly chosen product names which had to be pulled (Underage Red and Lolita are two lipstick shades that were panned by critics).

KVD Vegan Beauty has announced that Kat will no longer be involved in any aspect of the new company. The brand was always strongly committed to vegan and crueltyfree, high-performance beauty and the new owners have made it clear that they feel equally strongly about these issues. The transition was seamless; items (both new and hit products) bear the new logo and thankfully, not too much has changed in terms of aesthetics. Items are still edgy, Gothic, and artsy; these qualities make them a pleasure to look at and use. If you followed Kat Von D, then you know that every element was very personal and seemed to carry a tiny piece of the famed tattoo artist with it. From the fonts to the sculpted powder compacts and odd nature-inspired imagery, you knew from the start what the brand was about and the type of customer it sought to attract.

Somehow, the line continues to sprinkle a little bit of this alternative magic into its new items. This season, novelties include the Ultimate Tattoo Liner Duo (in black and brown), the Kitten Mini: NEÜPOP Shade + Light Eyeshadow Quad, and Go Big or Go Home Duo (a larger and small mascara set).

If you’d like to stay up-to-date with Kat Von D, follow her on Facebook. She recently posted a sneak peak of a song from her new album, which sounds like a melancholy take on modern pop music. As expected, her video will have the type of alternative aesthetic Kat Von D is famed for.

Her Instagram account also features a bit of the song called Vanish. She has a beautiful voice and the song is quite addictive! I can’t wait to listen to the entire album! “I wrote this song in a state of deep depression and anger, but now when I listen to it, it serves as a reminder of all the dark places I don’t ever have to return to.” You can find it on iTunes and other top streaming services.