October 7, 2010

Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick Set Volume 1 Review, Swatches, Photos

I haven’t tried the Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick as of yet. I’m more a shadow, palette kinda girl and that’s the first thing I hit up from a brand with lip products coming at last place after I’ve explored everything else. Although the packaging was instantly deemed wicked by me after seeing the lipstick, I never bothered swatching or playing with it for some reason.

However, when the new Kat Von D Holiday Gift Sets launched at Sephora I was instantly attracted to the get more, pay less vibe going on with the Painted Love Lipstick Set. Awesome packaging plus six shades of Painted Love Lipstick for me to try out for $28 bucks.

Yup, I needed it.

Let’s check it out.


Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick Set Volume 1 contains six 0.042 oz mini Painted Love Lipsticks in various shades packaged in a keepsake flip book!


First off props to the packaging department. I love the packaging and think it’s well worth the price of admission. If nothing else the packaging will grab and hold your attention particularly if you’re a book lover. This is a hard shelled compact that’s shaped like an older classic library book. It’s really fun packaging and easy for storage too as it props up just like a real book so you can tuck it onto a shelf out of site. It states Volume 1 which leads me to believe they’ll be future releases which of course kick starts my collect ’em all disease.

Flip it open and gold lame lettering and tattoo art are bordered around the lipstick wells. Each lipstick is tucked into its own well for safe keeping.

You get a total of six mini lipstick so it’s a great way to try various shades if you love the product or if you’re new to them, like me, you get a variety to enjoy.

Lipsticks include: Lolita (nude rose), Celebutard (nude beige), Underage Red (true red), Hellbent (brick red maroon), Cathedral (nude-ish beige rose), and Rosary (vamp-y blackened purple red). Two shades are exclusive to the set which are Rosary and Celebutard.

The formula on these are all creamy with a creamy finish. No glitter, no shimmer. They apply well however….


They do feel a tad dry on. Not sure if the formula has changed from these smaller versions to the regular size (it’s been known to happen with smaller sizes) as I’ve never tried the product prior to this but the lipstick feels quite dry on my lips. I do not favor cream finishes and sadly these are all cream formulas. Sadly, the formula isn’t hydrating or moisturizing. They glide on lips very well thankfully and are nicely pigmented but those with dry lips should be ware since they won’t look as lovely on if your lips are cracked or dry.

Formula feels very long wearing to me and I can get through hours without problems of fading, bleeding, or migrating however the dryness does kinda make my lips feel a tad stiff but nothing too bad. The plus side of the lipstick is, if they do wear away they leave behind a nice stain of color that can get you through an extra hour or two prior to touch up.

These are tiny and the overall gift set becomes a tad expensive due to the extra small size. You can easily use one a week if you don’t have a large stash of lipstick and use a shade daily. I felt like they were even smaller than many mini lipsticks I’ve tried in other gift sets. It’s about $4.60 per a lipstick when divided by the $28 price tag which isn’t too bad thanks to the pigmented formula however you can get a hydrating, moisturizing full size lipstick at the drugstore for possibly $5 or less in some cases so you might need to take that into consideration when purchasing and deciding if this is a fan girl moment or a purchase you’ll make proper use of.

I was disappointed in both the lack of finishes and lack of shades. I wish they had included a few shimmery finishes along with the creams plus I feel like I’m making use of merely three of the shades since Underage Red, Rosary, and Celebutard do not work for me. Maybe I’m completely nuts here but I wish they had included shades that were more universally flattering. Underage Red is not something most people can pull off or at least I think so. I will say that Lolita and Cathedral are two gems as they give a nice MLBB (my lips but better) look.

I wish the box, book, packaging would be reusable. This is a nice sturdy compact however the inside is cardboard. The cardboard isn’t an issue but I was thinking once I use the lipstick it would be cool if I could remove the compartment wells that the lipsticks are held in and maybe place jewelry or other small items inside. Sadly if you try to rip through these compartments you’ll just ruin the entire “book”.

  • Anyone who loves Kat Von D (fan girls will flock towards this which is understandable).
  • Anyone who likes Painted Love Lipstick (you get six to try here which is nice if not for the smaller size).
  • Anyone looking for a goth-y chic gift for the rocker chick in your life.

  • Anyone wanting more for less (the size prevents me from saying you’ll get alot more here for alot less).
  • Anyone who can’t pull off true red, vampy, or nude shades of lipstick (these three shades make up 50% of the palette so you might wish to skip if these shades do not suit you).
  • Anyone with dry lips (although a creamy finish and formula, the lipstick still comes across on the dry side).


Although my review for the most part comes across bad, I will say the set is very cute but it needs a little work. I might be worth a haul during friends and family plus the collectibility factors in if you collect makeup. I like it overall but I’ve considered returning it since I’m utilizing only 50% of the shades included but than my obsessive makeup side kicks in and tells me, “keep it, you’ll regret returning it if another one is released…”

If they slapped this together with better colors and made the box user friendly after the product was gone I’d probably give it a Muse Approval but as is, well, it needs a little work. But it is understandable if you want to haul it for yourself because the package rocks it even though what’s inside doesn’t.

Ahh the strange life of a makeup junkie! This set proves a personal choice for makeup lovers. You might wish to indulge just because you’re a collector but if you’re more level headed you might have the will to just say no and purchase something else you’ll make use of!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Wendy

    Man, you gotta love the packaging. You can cut out the slits and hide a bottle of spiced rum in there…

    sorry! I had to, it’s Kat Von D, lmao!!

    Some of those shades are super pretty, but I agree with you on the whole under $5 drugstore lipstick. Maybelline Color Sensational is relatively cheap at full price and regularly goes on sale, and I would imagine there’s probably dupes for most of these in that line, no?

    • the Muse

      lol wendy not big enough for spiced rum but that would be nice ;-D mmm not sure if there are dupes available for at this price ds for a full size could be potentially the better deal. size is WAY small.

  • Danielle F.

    I am SO glad you reviewed this before I bought it. I had no idea just how tiny these were. Seeing it next to that quarter put it in perspective, thanks for doing that! As much as I would love to have this set JUST for the book package, you can actually buy hollowed out books if that’s the effect you want and not feel like you wasted $28 of makeup money for itty bitty lipsticks. I still have my eye on the other part of this set, the one with eyeshadows. I hope that one fairs a little better!

    • the Muse

      Hey Danielle really sad it was a bust for me sigh. I agree you can purchase those cute hollowed out books and get the same effect ;-D I want the other set too but damn thing isn’t in stock yet ;-D I hope it’s better than this too. I’m still playing with the idea of returning this.

      • Danielle F.

        LOL. I had to laugh because I added it to my Sephora shopping list awhile ago and I have been stalking it like mad to see when it’s in stock. I want it, like yesterday. I hope it’s available by the time F&F sale hits!

        • the Muse

          me too danielle I imagine it will be for sure though as alot of stuff is OOS at the moment they are gearing up for FF for sure ;-D I hope it’s awesome. I purchased the TT Jewelry box and just by looking at I’m a tad disappointed but hopefully after I use I’ll be chuffed ;D

  • Sophia

    This has got to be the BEST packaging for lipstick that I have ever seen! It’s so cute, and antique-like. Even though you weren’t too fond of the actual products, I agree, we definitely have to give them props for the book idea!
    ~Sophia

  • LorraineER

    I have been lusting after this so bad and I actually squeed out loud when I saw you reviewed them! To find swatches online I discovered it was easier to look them up separately because apparently there was another Painted Love lipstick set with three lippies that was released prior to this so a lot of reviews I found were of that set. There were a couple of this one but when you trust a blog and someone’s swatches, it means more seeing the product from them- it puts in into a context I think. I was sure this was a must-get for me even though I had heard they were small b/c I really want to try her lipsticks. Now ‘ll have to think it over more. Thanks for the review!!

    • the Muse

      hey lorraine ;-D It is easier to look them up separately b/c all but two are available as large size ;-D

      I actually would give this more of a rave if the shades included worked better for me. I dunno about you but I can’t pull off a true red, or a vampy lip, or the really crummy shade of nude. The other shades are golden though but three out of six is a little disappointing plus the formula of the lippies isn’t so fab. I dunno if they suffer due to the smaller size or if the regular size is the same but they are a tad drying…..

      If I were you I’d look at in person at sephora before deciding ;-D it might call to you!

      my pleasure ;D

  • Sarah

    Just bought underage red actually. So amazed I can pull it off. Such a gorgeous color.

    • the Muse

      you’re lucky sarah so can’t do true reds like this! wanting to try adora though and hopeful it’ll work!

  • Lily

    I’m a Kat Von D fangirl haha! The size of the lipsticks are so cute and mini.

  • Ludwig

    When I saw Celebutard, I fell in love. Then I read “Two shades are exclusive to the set which are Rosary and Celebutard.” BOOOO! : ( I know Kat Von D’s line leans more towards darker, vampier, bolder shades but she should really come out with a nude lipstick!

  • Bonnie

    Well I would have bought it except for the dryness that you mention, thanks for sparing me the money. I can’t wear a drying lipstick. It’s chilly up here in Canada and my lips need moisture, moisture, moisture!

  • Robin

    It’s such an adorable set but I think I’ll pass. I like all the reds but maybe a full-sized tube of Hellbent would be a better investment.

  • Kristen

    I just bought this set, I havent tried them out yet though. I’ll admit the packaging suckered me in

  • Rachel

    Sephora is now offering Kat Von D’s lipstick in Cathedral as a 100 point perk, and my guess is that it is the same size that was in this set. In the individual tube pics, is Cathedral the 4th picture? I read that the swatches for this product on the Sephora website were off, so your pics are helping me to decide if I want to get it or not 🙂

  • Kate

    Hehehe I have and love this set! I was dubious at first due to the small sizes of the lipsticks as you mentioned, but honestly, I almost never wear such dark colors on a daily basis. Even at night…I only go out maybe once or twice a week (engineering student here, rofl) so I haven’t even come CLOSE to using up an entire tube of one of these minis. I liked it because of the packaging (so convenient for traveling and very clever might I add!) and due to the fact that I had never tried her lip sticks before and I needed some darker colors in my life. I usually just slap on some MAC gloss or JPP lip gloss products…so I guess mebbe I am still getting my feet wet with lipstick. 😡

    But yes the formula is sorta dry…. I usually counter this by exfoliating my lips first (LUSH sugar scrub <3) and then applying Burts Bees Balm all over my lips. Then I put on KVD lipstick and sometimes finish with a MAC gloss. That's how I wear 'em! 😀 *rambles*

    • the Muse

      I love the packaging too kate ;-D they were cute but I wasn’t quite impressed with some of the shades sadly. I used to be a gloss girl only too but I’ve been using alot more lipstick in my older age ;-D!