Review and Swatches: Kat von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation

Hello!

Today I'm reviewing the Lock-It Tattoo Foundation from the Kat Von D range at Sephora.

Kat von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation. Picture from http://www.sephora.com/lock-it-tattoo-foundation-P311138

Here's the marketing spiel from Sephora:

"What it is:
 A high-pigment foundation for full coverage with a long-lasting, beautiful finish. 
What it does: 
Kat created this foundation to provide exceptional coverage, without compromising a smooth, striking finish. Formulated with 21 percent pigment, this powerful formula was developed to match a broad range of skintones with bold coverage—the proprietary pigments can even effectively cover tattoos. The combination of raw materials and the best siliconic elastomers and siliconic esters provide 24-hour wear with transfer resistance. Natural polymers absorb oil for a matte, soft finish and the added emollients provide a velvety texture for perfectly smooth, hydrated skin.
What it is formulated WITHOUT:
-Parabens
-Synthetic fragrances"

The marketing is pretty much spot on. This foundation is strong enough to cover tattoos and any blemish/pigmentation/redness you may have.

I just had to show you this. This foundation is so amazingly pigmented
that this little amount on my fingertip is all I used for the following swatches.

That's right, this highly pigmented swatch came from that tiny dot of foundation.
Note my little sun spot above the swatch.

Here it is, that swatch really roughly blended out.
 The lines show approximately where the colour reaches.
Note that that little amount of foundation has covered a fairly big area
and almost completely covered my sun spot.
Also note that it looks a little yellow here, but that goes away
once it settles (see next picture).

It's not perfectly blended, but this is better blended than the last photo.
Note it that it's not mask-like and my skin looks smooth.
The sun spot is a bit more visible now, but it's still diminished.
A tiny dot of foundation patted over it and it'd be gone.

Review:

Pros

• Packaging: It comes in a cylindrical plastic pump bottle which is useful in keeping air and bacteria out.
• Colour: I had a sample of Light 48, described as a Medium complexion with beige undertone. It's a shade too dark for me- it's my perfect colour in Summer. I think at the moment I'd be a Light 44. As far as the range goes, there are 14 shades and there is a great selection for us pale girls. Pink tones, yellow tones, the lot. For light, beige, olive and medium complexions there are plenty of colours from which to choose. 
• Texture: This is a thick foundation, but it blends out well. 
• Ingredients: It hasn't got any parabens or synthetic fragrances, so if your skin is sensitive to those two ingredients, this is a good choice for you.
• Coverage: Absolutely amazing. I cannot say how much I LOVE the coverage this product provides. In my photos above I deliberately showed just how little of this product I used to get the swatch, how far it blends out and how well it covers. This is most definitely a full coverage foundation, no doubt about it. I got a little sample pack (foil pack, the usual) and I didn't use even half the foil pack for a full coverage application on my whole face. Absolutely wonderful. Redness: gone. Under-eye circles: gone. The cystic, raised red pimple on my forehead (yeah, gross mental image, sorry): covered. This is a foundation that you can "build-up" to be a concealer for your extra-stubborn redness/pigmentation/pimples. (Sorry, still annoyed at Urban Decay. Read my Naked Foundation rant here.) Just a little bit extra on top and it's covered. It doesn't cake up, either.
• Finish: The finish on this is nice. It's demi-matte by my standards- it doesn't dry to a totally powdered, matte face but it's not dewy by any means. Another pro is that while you can definitely tell that there's make-up there, it's not mask-like and you'll have an absolutely flawless face. 
• Longevity: I used this foundation without primer and it took 12 hours for it to start to degrade on me (some degradation around my chin, the rest was fine). That's pretty great. I don't know about the 24 hour no-transfer claim, but I took a nap at 14 hours and it didn't come off onto the pillow and it didn't smudge off my face. I still had perfect redness and acne coverage at 14 hours. I stopped paying attention after that :P
• Cost: USD$34 for 30mL. Plus shipping to Australia, of course. For such a high-coverage foundation that lasts so long, if not "cheap", then it's very reasonable. Worth every cent, in my opinion.

Cons

• Colour: While there are plenty of shades for light to medium skin, and there are some darker shades, I don't think that darker African skin tones would find a match in this collection. 
• Texture: Like I said, it's thick and will require some work for blending. I don't mind that, as you can mix it with some primer if you want it sheerer/runnier.
• Ingredients: Some people hate silicone and react badly to it. If this is you, stay away. It doesn't bother me and doesn't break me out, so it's not a con for me.
• Coverage: Full coverage. I love it, those of you with perfect skin might find it a bit too much/too "foundation" looking. Oh, if only we all had your problems. If this is an issue for you, you can mix it with some primer or moisturiser to sheer it out.
• Finish: Demi-matte finish, so for those of you looking for a luminous foundation, this is not for you. 
• Longevity: At 14 hours, it had settled into my laugh lines a bit, but I could  smooth it out just using my finger. All foundations do that on me, so I don't consider it a real con. It doesn't do an amazing job at oil control- I still got oily at 4 hours- but it won't make your face more oily in and of itself. 

Final Verdict:
Again, I'm going to split this up:

If you have perfect skin, this is too much coverage for you. But you can just mix it with a little moisturiser/primer and it will last you forever. Thus, for you it's a B+/A-.

If you have skin in need of full coverage and you find your matching shade here, this foundation is perfect for you. It's full coverage, it lasts 12hours+, it's not cakey. It does need a bit of powder for oil control, though. That's the only thing that took the + away from this A.

If you have skin in need of full coverage and you can't find the exact shade that's right for you here, I still think that, like with me and my old foundation, with a bit of concealer and properly-matched powder, you can make do. Thus this gets a B/B+.

Lastly, if you just can't find a shade dark (Type V-VI skins, more likely with this range) or light (for the Type I-II skins out there) enough for you here, don't bother buying this foundation. No amount of coverage is worth walking around with a face 2-3 shades lighter/darker than your body.

xo
Anna