In this make-up review I’m going to look at the Kat Von D Lock-It Powder Foundation. This retails for €35.00 in Boots Ireland. I got shade 105 Fair, which is a very pale and cool-toned shade. I wasn’t sure what my best shade would be but, as usual, the lightest shade I could find was the right one for me (almost).

Before I bought this foundation I knew almost nothing about it. Obviously I knew the brand as Kat Von D is quite famous, but as I tend more towards K-beauty products, I hadn’t really looked into this one so it was a bit of an impulse buy. If you’re new to this blog, you should know I buy everything I review.

The packet describes it as “flexible medium to full coverage” by which I’m presuming they mean if you cake it on you can cover up more. I’m not very brave when it comes to powder foundations (in fact I almost never buy them as I have extremely dry skin that loves nothing better than to make me look like I have dinosaur skin whenever I wear powders), so I’m not sure I’d ever manage full-coverage with a powder.

I don’t really know why I bought this as last week I just bought the L’Oreal Infallible 24 Hour liquid foundation and I was really happy with it.

Anyway, I decided to wear the Kat Von D Lock-It Powder Foundation today as, in my mind, it’s quicker to put on a powder than a liquid foundation (I’m not sure if that’s true in reality but I always think it’s true), and I was in a hurry to just chuck some make-up on my face and go, because it’s the last day my husband is here and we have to drive an hour to the airport this afternoon.

First Impressions

My first impressions are that I don’t really like the packaging. It’s got way too much plastic in it, and when I look at the packaging, I’d imagine it’s not aimed at people my age as it feels like a child’s toy with none of the cutesiness that would appeal to littles. Sleeker packaging would make me feel more at home paying €35 for a product. Having said that, obviously that’s got nothing to do with the actual product’s performance, but if I can’t fit it into my bag, I’m going to forget to use it. It’s definitely not ideal for travel.

The sponge applicator was intriguing. It’s fine sponge, like a beauty blender. I’d like to know if it’s latex-free before using it, but as this is a make-up product, I’d have more luck getting the Sphinx to do Riverdance than getting a make-up company to tell me if their applicators contain latex.

On my face

Anyway, I put it on my face. It was really quick and easy to apply which was perfect. I immediately thought the shade was a little light for me. I was wearing my Clé de Peau primer underneath which is quite light, too. However when I looked again a couple of minutes later, I was happy enough with the colour result and it matched my neck fairly well. I think a neutral-tone would have suited me a bit better but that would be a minor tweak. If you’re wondering how to tell which foundation shade is right for you, I have an article about how to find your perfect foundation match which explains everything.

What really surprised me for a powder foundation was that it didn’t immediately settle into my fine lines and dry spots. In fact, it seemed to have a blurring effect on my thirty-five-year-old skin. I can’t say for sure that it would have the same effect on anyone with very mature skin but if you’re 30-45 and need a bit of a boost, the Kat Von D Lock-It Powder Foundation is pretty decent in that respect.

If I’m perfectly honest, I don’t want a full 24-hours of coverage because I like sleeping, but longwear make-up products appeal to me because I do like that they still look fresh at the end of the day. Because of my ADHD, I find organizing myself hard with non-longwear products because if I put it on first thing in the morning, I want to still look good when I’m removing it on my way to bed and I often don’t have time for multiple touch-ups throughout the day.

In that regard, the Kat Von D Lock-It Powder Foundation worked out really well as it was still looking ok at the end of the day. However, my face felt dried out and I didn’t like that, in fact it was very distracting because of my sensory issues. If you don’t have sensory issues that is unlikely to affect you.

The bottom line

I need more coverage than this product provides by itself because my discolouration on my cheeks and under my eyes is still visible, but with a tinted primer or as a powder on top of a liquid foundation, this would work well. The cool shade made my pink undertones come through too much where a neutral or warm shade would have cancelled them out better, but that wasn’t a problem with the product that was my own fault for buying a shade that was too cool-toned.

I would consider buying it again as the blurring effect on fine lines would be ideal for YouTube and other camera work (it would be perfect for anyone over thirty who wanted the best makeup for Onlyfans), but I’m not sure it’s going to become a staple for everyday wear.