When I walk into the sunlight-filled Presidential Suite at Shangri-La Hotel in Dubai, the first thing I see is a table covered in make-up products and a curious-looking woman squatting on the floor at the edge of the table taking close-up pictures of eyeshadow palettes and lipsticks with her phone.
The work never ends for tattoo artist, reality TV star and entrepreneur Kat Von D, whose make-up line, Kat Von D Beauty, is launching in Sephora stores in the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait in September.
“I’ve never actually been to the Middle East and this is my first time in the Dubai. So it’s been really exciting. So far I like it. My only complaint is that I wish I had more down time to be able to explore. But it is a little bit hot so I’m very grateful for the air conditioning,” she says with a laugh.
As a tattoo artist, Von D was propelled into stardom in her early twenties with a stint on reality show Miami Ink. She later opened her own studio, High Voltage Tattoo, and landed her very own TV show, LA Ink.
She made headlines in 2010 after Hollywood star Sandra Bullock’s husband, Jesse James, admitted to having a string of affairs leading to a much publicised divorce. A month after their break-up, Von D revealed she was dating the motorbike customiser and entrepreneur. She and James announced they were engaged in 2011, but broke up seven months later.
La Ink ran for four seasons -- enough time for cosmetics chain Sephora to notice her bold make-up looks on the show, which gave birth to Kat Von D Beauty in 2008, with just four lipsticks.
Von D says she started taking interest in make-up as a rebellious teenager.
“My first make-up memory is when I was a child, really. My mum, she’s really beautiful with or without make-up but she was definitely, to me, a beauty queen. But it wasn’t really until I got into punk rock music in my early teens that I started exploring make-up… it was more a form of self-expression, it wasn’t so much about beauty. Like, if I would wear eyeliner it was dramatic or whatever, it wasn’t considered pretty. Yeah, and after the success of the television show and everything, I think that was the initial interest that Sephora saw in me,” she told tabloid!.
Even though her gothic and rock ‘n’ roll style is something she is known for, the 33-year-old doesn’t think too much of it.
“I tend to make fun of my style because I think you should. I think people take themselves way too seriously. For me, I think it’s fun to be able to play with fashion or make-up or hairstyles and things,” she said.
Even though she has been in the make-up business for seven years and tattooing for longer, Von D says she’s more than just two things.
“I play music, I draw, I paint. I want to do everything. So I think make-up is just one more artistic expression and another outlet that I have. I’m hoping that being in the public eye in some way inspires girls and guys, too, to express themselves and follow their artistic dreams because if I can do it, someone who didn’t even graduate high school, then you can do it,” she said.
She said she is involved with the brand every step of the way.
“I pride myself in being creatively involved in the entire process [of creating make-up]. Everything from the idea… then the shade names, to package design, lettering, all the art work and the inspirations behind the collections… I do all of that. I think for some people it would be difficult to work with me because I’m not one of those people who just puts their name on something and says ‘let me just get a pay cheque’. For me it’s, like, if this is off it needs to be perfect. I micromanage things but it’s because I love it. That element of my make-up line, I’m proud to say, it stands out amongst others because it’s not just a product, it’s a love story.”
In 2007, Von D set her eyes on a Guinness World Record for tattooing the most number of people in 24 hours and she did it. She tattooed 400 people and raised money for a charity while she was at it. The record was eventually broken by others, including her ex-husband, Oliver Peck.
She said she is the “all-or-nothing kind of gal”.
“I’m my own biggest critic so I think sometimes I tend to get my own way because I’m like ‘oh, well, it needs to be perfect.’ For example, the Lock It Foundation, which is one of our biggest sellers, we went over 12 different revisions on the formula alone… But at the end of the day I think there’s something to be said [for] quality and longevity and that’s what I’m interested in,” she said.
For someone with such a dramatic sense of style, Von D is accepting of the fact that it’s not for everyone and she says her line is meant to be versatile.
“Take those eyeshadow pallets… when I create those, I put myself in the position of two people; myself — OK, I can create all these crazy, dramatic looks. And then I put myself in the position of my mum, who does not dress like me, she’s quite conservative. And her approach using the same tools would be very different and that’s the beauty of makeup.
“You can take a wild colour and wear it in a way that is not too wild or is more sophisticated or you could do it in a more expressionistic kind of way,”
Coming to the UAE, Von D said she’s most excited about getting the attention of Arab women.
“Just on Instagram alone I see these beautiful posts and, I mean, the women of the Middle East are not afraid of bold eyes and I love that... So I think that they’re going to definitely be excited to try out all the eye products, eyeliners and things like that… I think they’re going to love it.”
Her make-up line is cruelty free, she said.
“We’ve never tested on animals and that’s something I’m very passionate about. I’m learning about ingredients and things that are not just kind to animals but just to our environment so there are different formulas that I am reformulating,” she said.
So what’s next for Kat Von D Beauty?
“One thing I never run out of is ideas. Usually, we work on everything a year in advance so right now we’re testing formulas for everything from new eyeshadows to a new colour-correcting eye primer, concealer, a blotting powder… all kinds of stuff. I have a collaboration with [YouTuber] Kandee Johnson coming up. [I’m] also doing a nail polish collaboration with Formula X [Sephora’s nail polish line],” she says.
For someone so busy, keeping up with the celebrity buzz and the internet isn’t so much a priority and even Von D admits to experiencing a bit of Kardashian/Jenner fatigue like the rest of us.
“I’m bored of the same thing over and over again. I don’t really care about Kylie Jenner’s lips anymore. I hope that people can kind of be more inspired by an artistic approach to something versus something superficial.
Von D’s current YouTube channel is a delightful mishmash of professional make-up tutorials, gritty self-made videos of her singing at home and videos featuring her art. It’s a peek into the life of a celebrity who has no airs about her and at the end of the day is just a normal person with big dreams.
“We are in the process of relaunching our YouTube channel and I want to just start infusing as much art and the DIY attitude [into it],” she said. “There are so many things I want to do. I think as human beings we tend to limit ourselves by thinking that we should master just one thing. But I think if you really dedicate yourself to anything, you can learn it. I never want to stop learning.”
