Meet Steffanie Strazzere – the makeup artist who was handpicked by Kat Von D herself to head the Artistry Collective and represent the brand.
BD recently sat down with Steffanie to learn all about the benefits of Kat Von D’s brand new Go Big Or Go Home Vegan Mascara. Here’s what she had to say.
Who is your target audience for this product?
I think that’s the most exciting thing of all – that the target is truly everyone. Because it’s such a customisable mascara, with one coat you’ll get these almost whimsical soft, fluffy, volumised lashes. Or, if you’re going out and want something extreme, you can layer it and get the most dramatic, almost false lash look. It’s really great for everyone, and the fact that it dries so quickly is perfect for anyone that’s on-the-go. It's also flake resistant and water resistant, so it's perfect for maybe a mum who might have two seconds to throw on her mascara and then can’t touch it for the rest of the day.
What are the benefits of using a vegan mascara?
Of course, the fact that it’s all natural and doesn't hurt animals. Specifically in this mascara, there are a couple of key ingredients that make it almost magical: sunflower seed oil and olive oil. Instead of using beeswax or other artificial binders, we use plant-based fats. What all of this does is it actually nourishes your lashes. A lot of times when people put on other mascaras, you’ll notice flaking or when you take it off, lots of lashes fall out. That’s because a lot of those other mascaras can almost suffocate the lashes. When you use this new formula, it’s actually conditioning and hydrating.
What was the brand’s inspiration behind the new vegan mascara?
We’ve wanted a new mascara for years now and the formula is something our lab has been working on for quite a while. The struggle was the brush – we wanted a brush that could deliver everything we knew this formula was capable of. A lot of people don’t know that we don’t test on animals, but we do test on Kat Von D herself. She tests every single product we make. For her, she just didn’t like any brushes that we had, so she ended up hand drawing what she wanted the brush to look like and sent it to the lab. The brush itself is cross-hatched, so the bristles comb through and give length that you can’t get with a normal brush.
How have you been promoting the importance of vegan beauty on social media?
From the beginning, we’ve really been supporting veganism going into makeup and the fact that you don’t have to compromise high-pigment or long-wearing in order to be cruelty-free and vegan. I think the common misconception for a long time was that if you are a vegan brand, that it’s going to be sheer coverage or that you’re not going to get that colour. We’ve really set the record straight and started this movement. Now, it’s becoming such a trend, where all these brands are changing and going vegan and cruelty-free, and consumers are also realising what goes into their mascaras.
