Kat Von D Lightning Sheer Lip Gloss (Retox and Stripper)

Left to Right: Stripper, Retox

Embarassing confession time. I've used Stripper in at least two looks for this blog so far (my Larxene Inspired Look and my King Louie Inspired Look) and I accidentally called it Hustler. Both times. Oops. I corrected both instances, but seriously, there's a gloss in this same formula with a dead on description that matches Stripper, and it really is called Hustler! Anyway... I spotted that these are on sale for super cheap right now, so I thought I'd review some of the ones I have.


I got a pack of four of these forever ago for like $20 bucks (yes, full sized!), but they were priced at $18 a piece on their own. Don't get me wrong, these are some of my favorite glosses, but at $18 each, while I fully intended to buy more colors, I always wound up opting for more pigmented options from other brands in the same price range. I had Stormy, a gorgeous purple that fell out of my pocket one fateful day (insert super-mega-sadface here). There was also a red called Strutter, but I'm not a huge red gloss girl, so I may review that gloss separately someday.

Moving on, let's talk about why I really like these glosses. In two words? Great texture. There's glitter in this, but I can't feel it! Moreover it's what I'm going to call semi-non-sticky: not sticky and thick enough to stick to my hair constantly, but not greasy or thin enough to wear right off. I get about four hours of wear with this even when I lick my lips.

Top to Bottom: Retox, Stripper

Being that this is Kat Von D, it's pretty much a given that the packaging is beautiful. The tube itself is covered with a silver rose pattern and the applicator handle has the Kat Von D logo on it. The applicator for these is a regular doe foot.

On to the colors:

LtR: Retox, Stripper

Retox is a milky yellowish shade with iridescent glitter in it.
Stripper is a light gold with gold shimmer.

I don't necessarily think these look so different on me when I'm actually wearing them that I'd really need both.

Retox on lips

Stripper on lips

The Good:

• Beautiful packaging.
• Great texture.
• Semi-non-sticky?
• Sheer, but not too sheer (at least for me).
• Long wear: 4 or 5 hours on me!

The Bad:
Nothing on this one.

The Neutral:

• It looks like it could be being discontinued, unfortunately.

Overall, if you're looking for a less-sticky gloss with great wear (especially for a sheer formula!) I definitely recommend these, especially at the current steep discount.

Retox is currently available at Sephora for $5.00. I can't find Stripper, but Hustler's there. Ha!