NEW SHADES! Kat Von D Beauty ELL Dupe for "Sanctuary"

     
        Kat Von D announced on December 29th 2016 that there would be 25 new shades of the well known Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks in the new year. No one knew what was coming next, as this announcement didn't have much in the way of release dates. Sephora launched an exclusive 48 hour pre-release of the "cool sepia" shade Sanctuary the next week, where beauty addicts alike would be able to order Sanctuary but were warned it would likely sell out fast. Kat Von D Beauty's plan is to have a new shade released on the first Wednesday of each month, in the same "Everlasting Flash" fashion. There are rumours that there will be a "nude" 6-shade bundle released sometime in February and some shades may be available at Sephora on January 24th, according to an Instagram post at katvondbeauty.

I bought Sanctuary last Wednesday because I have to admit, I have never purchased an Everlasting Liquid Lipstick for myself. I know, they are a cult favourite and I'm way behind! I had a tiny one in the shade Bachelorette, but I'm much more interested in purchasing the nude shades and a dark, dusty purple called Nocturna (pictured below).

I should let readers know, I am fair with red hair and my usual foundation is MUFE Y215. What is usually described as "universally flattering," "the perfect nude for everyone," or any such thing tends to come out quite dark and vampy for me. This isn't a complaint, as any lip colour is going to look wildly different against different skin tones and lip pigmentation plays a huge role is how the product looks when applied. Arm swatches are never enough, and so I hope that my little review and "dupe" comparison to a lip product available in drugstores will be able to help you make some informed purchases. This should not be read as a promise that what something looks like on me will be the exact same for you.

I had no idea what to expect with Sanctuary, described as a "cool sepia." I recall a user on Temptalia mentioning how strange it was that something can be described as cool and sepia at the same time, as they are opposite colour temperatures, but I suspect with the number of popular lip shades out at this point in time, you have to be a bit creative. I was hoping for a deep but wearable nude, but unfortunately I found it was pretty much an exact dupe of a NYX Liquid Suede shade I already own and sort of destashed. The shade in question is.. Brooklyn Thorn.

I tried some various lighting, flash and without flash, to try and capture the subtle differences. I applied Kat Von D's Sanctuary on the top of my lips, and NYX Brooklyn Thorn on the bottom.

Bottom: Sanctuary
Top: Brooklyn Thorn

It's not too bad! It does appear to be a bit less grey in the swatches on my skin, and it pulls quite purple on my lips. I don't think I can wear it to work every day, but it's definitely wearable.

I also prefer the Kat Von D formula to NYX, and I love the Liquid Suede formula. NYX's formula takes a very long time to dry down and is easy to transfer for the first hour or so after application. However, if you are patient, it is not very drying and lasts all day (even with drinks and meals for me!). But there's no denying that if you are looking for a rough rider, Kat Von D wins. It dries down quicker and is difficult to remove when you finally want it off. I didn't notice it being particularly drying, but your mileage may vary.

I'm personally going to destash the NYX one as they look and perform nearly identically, but if you missed the Flash and are missing a "cool sepia" in your collection, try Brooklyn Thorn!

I'm anxious to see what shades they released on January 24th, and I'm also curious about their release plans in general. I wonder how long the Everlasting Flash releases will go on for? If she releases 6 shades this month, another one the following week.. that's 8 we've seen. Will it go on all year, or just the spring?

What shades are on your LOVES list that you want to buy?