As the founder of Kat Von D Beauty, Kat has brought her all-black, edgy style to Sephora stores around the world — and looked damn fine doing it. But Kat isn’t just the queen of your makeup-loving life, she’s also an animal rights activist, outspoken vegan, shoe designer, fine artist, musician, tattoo artist, AND fashion icon. What must it be like, I asked myself, to be that talented? So I decided to embrace the ~dark glamour~ that Kat embodies, and find out firsthand. Here’s what it’s like to live like Kat Von D for a week. RELATED: 27 Kat Von D beauty looks, ranked I skipped blush because Kat does, opting instead to highlight the hell out of my cheekbones with the Kat Von D Beauty Metal Crush highlighter in shade Helix ($35, Sephora). I tied everything together with a generous coat of KVD Beauty Studded Kiss lipstick in Underage Red ($19, Sephora). I used KVD Beauty Tattoo Liner in Trooper to draw in all of these stars, but then “faded” the fake tattoos along my temple with a layer of powder. It made them look so realistic that a lot of people on the subway wanted to talk to me about my face tattoos, which is perhaps the biggest reason I’d never get them done for real. I hate putting eyeliner on my waterline. No matter what product I use, I tear up like crazy and it waters away. I can’t help that I have the sensitive eyeballs of a baby angel. I cried away KVD’s Tattoo Liner from my waterline with a quickness, but Basket Case stuck a little better. Maybe Kat’s new waterliner will convert me to this look — but I was happy to take this liner off. While I strive to spend my money with as many ethical brands as possible, making sure that my clothing is vegan and cruelty-free has never really entered into the equation. My cold weather shoes? Definitely all leather. My sweaters? Cashmere and wool. My wardrobe could definitely stand to be more vegan-friendly — and more Von D-esque. The Roselle dress ($65, Deandri) is a full-skirted, high-neck black dress. It has shallow pockets in the skirt, and hits me (I’m 5'10") just above my kneecaps. This dress, like many others Deandri makes, is available in sizes 2XS through 5XL. I’m wearing a size small, which fit perfectly. These collars ($15 each, Deandri) are very cute and come in two sizes — 2XS-M, and L-5XL. This dress ($65, Deandri) with the rounded white collar ($15, Deandri) and THIS makeup was perhaps the most “obviously” Kat Von D look I could have served. The style name of these rose gold glasses is “A Dead Coffin Club” ($240, Valley Eyewear) and I love them, but they’re big and they’re heavy. Unlike Kat, I couldn’t wear my shades all day — they were fine to shoot, but I had to take them off after about an hour. The lipcolor is KVD Beauty’s Studded Kiss lipstick in Lolita ($19, Sephora). Monochrome! Just how I like it! I wore my Roselle black dress ($65, Deandri) with this black bishop’s collar ($15, Deandri) and knee-high socks. I honestly prefer thigh-highs over tights and knee-highs but hey, this is about being KAT — when she decides to live like Alle, noted internet dumb-dumb, she knows she needs to pull her socks up. I thought I’d like this collar ($15, Deandri) the best — but I actually felt really awkward in it!  Additionally, after washing and air drying my Roselle dress, it fit a little tighter around the boobs than I would prefer. Luckily, it stretched back to normal mid-way through the day.  My sunglasses are the Depotism from Valley Eyewear ($199, Valley Eyewear). Again, I love how these look, but they are high quality and heavy. I couldn’t wear them all day. For my final Von D-inspired look, I took Deandri’s classic white collar ($15, Deandri) and wore it with this REALLY cute vegan leather belt ($51, Deandri). I’m generally not a belt person — too uncomfortable — but since this one laces up the back with elastics, it wasn’t uncomfortable. I also spend weekends skipping makeup and not wearing a bra, so this was very heartening for me. Because I live in New York and it’s cold as balls, I did wear some leggings — but of course, I kept them black. By the end of the week, I learned that getting dressed is really easy when you have a uniform. I don’t know if I felt more like Kat by wearing her clothes, but I did feel good that I was supporting an indie label that’s size-inclusive. Plus, who doesn’t love a knee-length black dress with POCKETS?! I’ve struggled with acne my entire adult life. No dietary changes or over-the-counter potions had any effect on my chronic breakouts, which are currently under control thanks to multiple prescription medications. None of those are cruelty-free — they can’t be. The FDA requires that all drugs be put through animal testing. So what to do, short of calling Kat and asking her what SHE’D do? Instead of relying on a lifestyle change to control my acne, I decided to compromise. I’d switch out elements of my skin care routine with vegan products and brands that Kat has said she uses, but also stay on all of my skin medications. This vegan cleanser ($30, Sephora) had a lovely fresh smell and got rid of EVERYTHING. My skin felt so, so squeaky clean after using it. Even on oily prone skin like mine, It can be a little drying, but I can’t deny it left my skin immaculately clean. I have no idea if this fancy-ass vegan moisturizer ($52, Sephora) is the one that Kat uses — but I decided that, since she is a noted luxurybitch, of COURSE she uses Drunk Elephant! It’s the bougiest brand at Sephora! This gel moisturizer is lovely — very light and hydrating. But if you’re like me, and it’s the middle of winter, and your face is cracking off… you might want to layer this under a thicker moisturizer. Next, shopping for vegan and cruelty-free skin care is an annoying experience. While big retailers like Ulta and Sephora allow you to filter product search results by almost every other criteria, there’s no way to shop ONLY vegan or cruelty-free products.   Finally, the only cruelty-free skin care products that wouldn’t irritate my skin or break me out were EXPENSIVE. Not everyone can afford $52 moisturizer! Boring? Perhaps. But I’m a boring person, and this is how I eat. OH, but let me tell you about the dressing I made! A vegan friend told me about it and it made my lunches like 900% better. Start with hummus in a small container, then add apple cider OR rice vinegar. Shake. Pour all over your food. DELICIOUSNESS. I admit, this was a bit boring to eat every day — I’m sure Kat’s vegan lunches are way more interesting. But I work in Midtown, and it was much, MUCH easier to prepare this salad in the morning than to scour menus for ingredients like honey, whey, or casein. If I made a lifelong commitment to veganism, I imagine I’d get better at meal prep with time. Chop any vegetables you like, sautée the fuck out of them in oil, and set aside. Chop half a brick of tofu, toss the cubes in turmeric, salt, and pepper, and fry in more olive oil. Serve in a big bowl. Filling, tasty, easy. On nights when I didn’t feel like cooking, I turned to Screamer’s Pizza. It’s vegan, it’s nearby, and it is GOOD AS HELL. This was fine for a week, but would be challenging longterm. I can definitely see why Kat has dated so many vegans! My boyfriend and I also love each other, but are a little more private about it. I can’t really emulate Kat’s apparent goth romance dream for a week, because relationships are personal. I can’t make mine and Lindsey’s private life look like Kat and Leafar’s public life, because it just doesn’t work that way. My boyfriend A) has a beard, and B) doesn’t have any tattoos, so I don’t think he’d get my name tattooed on his face at any point. So now I know — he’d get my full name tattooed on his face if I became a wolf. Assuming I’m not one already. I’m lucky enough to head up the VERY talented style and beauty team here at Revelist, so I invited my colleagues — and friends — to wear their finest monochrome looks and get on my Von D level. I learned that, while I won’t be taking up a fully vegan lifestyle, thinking more about what I eat and wear — and taking steps to make sure those things are as sustainable as possible — is definitely a good idea. I tend to go on autopilot when it comes to what I consume; being more mindful is a KVD-inspired change that I can put into effect immediately. I learned that, even though there’s no shortage of vegan and cruelty-free beauty brands out there, retailers need to make it easier for shoppers to make those choices. Beauty stores like Ulta and Sephora should carry more brands that put compassion front and center, and also make sure their websites and stores allow us to find those brands. At the very least, allow online shoppers to filter by “vegan” and “cruelty-free.” That’s a no-brainer. I learned that, while I’m not a naturally gifted artist, I could probably improve if I put in the time and energy. Art is a creative outlet for Kat; I could probably use one of those, too. I learned that a fashion wardrobe is great, but that having a squad of bad babes in your life is even better.  Finally, I learned that when you REALLY know who you are and what you stand for, all of that other stuff is easy. I will never be Kat Von D — but I am Alle. And that’s the best magic of all.

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