On August 1, 2021, the makeup world changed forever. Kim Kardashian had just announced that her brand KKW Beauty was closing its doors and discontinuing all its products. Being one of the first major celebrity beauty brands in 2017 (right behind her sister Kylie), she was way ahead of the curve of present-day beauty empires like Rare Beauty and Rhode. KKW Beauty gained a devout fan base over its four years in business, particularly for its contour sticks and nude lipliners.
Though her skincare line, Skkn, launched in 2022 shortly after KKW Beauty's end, there are still countless people across the internet begging for the return of her iconic products three years after KKW's shuttering. Some have even gone so far to use their stash of expired products because they love them so much (we at Byrdie do not recommend using expired cosmetics, but trust us, we get it). In particular, fans seemed to especially mourn the loss of the loss of the lipliners in their perfect nude shades.
However, all that hoarding and begging can now come to an end, seeing as Skkn By Kim is bringing back some of KKW Beauty's most iconic products—with more, we hope, soon to come. Ahead, everything you need to know about Skkn By Kim's venture into makeup.
The Launch
On January 17, Kim Kardashian posted the official announcement for Skkn's launch into color cosmetics after teasing us a few days prior with a video saying, "I hear you" about the demands for a makeup relaunch.
The brand's first makeup launch is based on Kim's own iconic smoky eye and signature nude lips—a look she's been known for since we first met her on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. However, different from her previous brand, this line takes a more skin-forward approach to makeup to represent her current beauty philosophy.
In a statement, Kardashian shares that she has "recently been taking a skin-first approach towards my beauty routine. In developing Skkn By Kim Makeup, my goal was not only to create universally flattering cosmetic essentials but also to ensure that our products are clean, hydrating, comfortable, and help improve the look and feel of skin with every wear."
She adds that just like Skkn's skincare collection, "our makeup was inspired by the beauty secrets I've gathered from industry experts over the years." All of which will be available for purchase starting January 26.
The Products
Of the three new products launched, two of them are for the lips. Their Lip Liner and Soft Matte Lip Color are both full coverage, long wearing, and each coming in at least ten nude shades.
The lip liner has the bigger shade range of the two, coming in 15 skin-matching shades from deep chocolate nude to light beige nude. Each of the shades comes in different undertones like honey, pink, mauve, neutral, brown, and taupe. Expect similar shades to your old favorites (on Instagram, the brand shared that it would be posting comparison chart to KKW's shades soon), as well as an improved formula.
"The lip liner glides on a little bit better. Everything is in the minor details. As a perfectionist and in the lab…[I’m] trying sample after sample and making sure it’s perfection," she shared with WWD on the launch.
Of course, every lip liner needs a lipstick to complete the combo, for which Skkn is offering ten nude shades to go with your liner of choice. Like the lip liner, all of the shades range from rich mahogany nude to light beige nude, and come with a variety of undertones to match your lips or your liner—mid-toned, rose, peach, taupe, beige, and brown, to be exact. As the name suggests, the Soft Matte Lip Color will have a velvety matte finish that melts into the lips.
However, what's a matte nude lip without an eye look to match? To get your full Kim K beat, Skkn is also launching the new Classic Mattes Eyeshadow Palette, which promises an ultra-lightweight seamless finish with buildable coverage and crease-free application.
The new palette features 12 varying nude shades with a variety of different undertones, like her lippies, so you can define, contour, and sculpt your eyes. Of course, since this is Kim K we are talking about, there had to be a matte black eyeshadow in the mix. Other shades range from matte deep chocolate brown to matte creamy beige.
You can shop the Skkn by Kim Makeup on skknbykim.com on January 26.
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