// KVD X KADE X GOTTMIK //
WE ASK OUR FRIEND KADE GOTTLIEB ABOUT HIS DRAG ALTER-EGO GOTTMIK, LOVE OF HORROR, TATTOOS + KVD OBSESSION. GET TO KNOW THE 2 FACES OF NEW FULL SLEEVE TUBING MASCARA HERE.
Tell us a bit about your partnership with KVD Beauty! How did it come about?
- I’ve been obsessed since the early days of the brand. The artistry, the vegan values, the packaging and the authenticity has inspired me so much as an artist. As KVD has evolved, it continues to uphold the vegan values that I love so much, and it has remained true to the start of the brand and the artistry, so it was just a full circle artistry moment for me. I’m so excited to be able to do this.
What made you want to be in the Full Sleeve Mascara campaign?
- I wanted to do this because it’s just such a great mascara and I loved the concept for the campaign—I am a tattoo enthusiast and I'm working really hard on building my tattoo collection currently. So the concept of being at a tattoo studio, tattooing this full gorgeous mascara on me was so exciting and right up my alley. I was all in.
How does it feel to be the face of the launch from a brand you’ve loved for so long?
- It feels unbelievable. It really does feel like a full-circle moment. I couldn't have asked for a better brand to have my first campaign with.
What does this collaboration mean to you?
- It means so much to me because it just feels very in-sync with the artistry that I try to align myself with every day. It feels like the most amazing fit I ever could have asked for.
What are some of your favorite things about Full Sleeve Mascara + Tattoo Pencil Liner?
- My lashes are actually very long, but they're really straight so I usually have to curl them like crazy. This mascara really lifted my lashes. Usually I wouldn't be caught dead without the most dramatic fake lashes you’ve ever seen in your life, but in these pictures and videos l feel really beautiful with just this amazing mascara. It was one of the first mascaras I've ever worn that really turned it out for me and I’m genuinely so happy to promote it.
- I love Tattoo Pencil Liner. I use a lot of black in my makeup, so I go through a lot of black products, and everything KVD has, including Tattoo Pencil Liner, is just absolutely the blackest-of-all-black. It’s so pigmented and truly lasts forever. That's exactly what I’m looking for when I want a black pencil.
You’re an icon in the drag community, especially after being on RuPaul’s Drag Race! How has drag influenced your beauty philosophy?
- I started doing drag to push boundaries and it was such a punk rock form of art. I think that really transferred over to the way I look at beauty—I love always pushing boundaries and pushing my creativity to the fullest, which KVD does as well.
As you’re aware, the name Full Sleeve is inspired by KVD Beauty’s tattoo history. If you have any favorite or any especially meaningful tattoos, is it possible to tell us a bit about it?
- We did a full tattoo tour at the shoot—so go and check that out. With half of my tattoos, I feel like they needed to be the most meaningful things in the world. Then sometimes I'm just in the mood for something gorgeous. Every tattoo I have right now does mean something really important to me in some way. I started off taking them really seriously, where they were dates of important things or quotes. Now it’s turning into importance on a different level…like a punk rock clown that has my makeup on. All important and amazing in different ways.
There’s no doubt you’re an expert when it comes to makeup. How did you become so great at your craft?
- I started out as a painter and then I went to fashion school. It was kind of an easy hybrid of the two industries, where I could be in the fashion space and paint in a different way. I got good at it by practicing and assisting artists who inspired me. I would just hit them up on Instagram or find a way to get ahold of them, and I would just be like, “I want to do makeup, let me assist you.” I learned from real-life experience that I wouldn't trade for the world. I think that's very important for every artist to do.
In addition to Full Sleeve Mascara, are there any other KVD Beauty products you are loving, and why?
- I love Everlasting Hyperlight Liquid Lipstick – Black Briar is the one black shade on the market that I truly think is up to the level I need it to be as an everyday black lipstick wearer. It’s really hard to find a black lipstick these days. It’s so good and it stays on forever.
What are some of your beauty secrets or hacks that you think everyone should know?
- Don't be afraid to use products that are meant for one thing for another thing. If I could choose only one product for my whole face it’d be lip liner. I think I could do my full contour, eye makeup, mascara and lip with a liner. So, really just go for it and think outside the box with makeup because you never know what you can create.
Anything else you’d like to share about your partnership with KVD Beauty, Full Sleeve Mascara, or beauty in general?
- I love KVD! Gottmik x KVD is everything. I'm so honored to be a part of it and I hope you love this mascara as much as I do.
