Kat Von D Beauty collabs are usually nothing short of epic. From her Better Together collection with Too Faced to her Basket Case smoky eyeliner stick with Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Kat Von D chooses wisely when it comes to partners. But her latest collab may trump them all. The Kat Von D x Divine Collection is on deck and it is inspired by the late, great, and iconic drag queen. It's basically "Kat Von Divine!"
KVD x Divine arrives via the brand's site on Feb. 14. Now that's how you celebrate Valentine's Day. The Instagram caption says the collection hits the U.S. and Canada on Feb. 23. One can assume that's a reference to its arrival at Sephora — the brand's other retail partner.
The collection boasts a killer eyeshadow palette. KVDB is right up there with Urban Decay and Too Faced in terms of issuing frequent, premium, and "must own" limited edition palettes.
The eight-pan palette boasts bold blues, neon green, jet black, and neutrals. It basically hosts everything you need to create an epic, extravagant eye look worthy of Divine. The textures are a mix of matte and shimmery. You can go as dramatic and as extra as you wish with this palette.
The shadow names also pay homage to Divine, who served as a primary muse for film director John Waters. The sparkly, denim blue shade is named "Baltimore," which is where both Divine and Waters are from. It's also the location of many of their films. The electric blue matte shade is aptly named "Waters." The green hue is christened "Pink Flamingos," sharing its name with one of Divine's most famous films. The charcoal shade is called "Filthy." It references Divine's Pink Flamingos character Babs Johnson, who claimed to be the filthiest person alive. The sooty "Hard Magic" is named after a Divine song.
The packaging design features both the KVD and Divine logos on the mirror. They are framed by a pair of thin, arched eyebrows. The statement brows were another Divine signature.
There is also a Studded Kiss Lipstick in bullet form, complete with a neon green tube. The lippie itself is a brickish, wearable nude. It offers a nice counterbalance to the brightness and intensity of the shadow shades.
Kat herself appeared as Divine in one of the campaign photos. She totally transformed herself. She usually sticks to dark eye makeup, full brows, and all-black ensembles. Instead, she slayed those blue hues and those severely shaped brows. Plus, how good does she look in that lime green, leopard-print frock?
Some Kat Von D-evotees were stoked to see her rock such a different look and loved Kat as Divine. Another user was understandably disappointed that the brand didn't employ an actual drag queen in the campaign.
Among some of the other thrilled reactions, the user also made the point that KVD x Divine is paying tribute to a plus-sized legend. Therefore, the brand could have gone in a different direction with the campaign images.
Overall, though, the rampant excitement for the collection is palpable. Kat Von D is using her massive platform to pay homage to an icon who influenced the drag world and beyond.
Divine passed away 30 years ago, and Kat Von D Beauty is keeping the spirit and the look alive. It will be fun to see both KVD and Divine fans create gorgeous looks inspired by Divine with these heavenly products.
