Review: Art of Makeup Ten-Piece Brush Set

Sonia Kashuk Art of Makeup Ten-Piece Brush Set

Please run to your nearest Target and pick up these amazing brushes.

My first impression of the Sonia Kashuk Art of Makeup Ten-Piece Brush Set is that they’re a make up collectors dream. Gwarl!!! These brushes look beautiful and at the price point of $35.99 for 10 beautiful brushes, they’re a steal. With this limited edition set, Sonia pays homage to artist Linda Mason.

The brushes are beautiful and unique and the quality of the brushes for the price is well worth it.  The bristles of the brushes are hot pink with burnt orange tips; Trimmed in gold end caps with the SK (Sonia Kashuk) initials on the bottom, the handle of the brush is adorned with a beautiful multi color pattern.

If you want something that looks sophisticated and edgy these are it (not to mention that there are brush cups, makeup bags and more to match). Also, another big plus, the brushes are 100% cruelty free.

The brushes are lightweight and very comfortable to handle. The design overlay is somewhat laminated on so there is no risk of the beautiful design peeling off. The golden caps are very sturdy and fitted perfectly

The powder brush bristles are natural goat hair and very dense.  The brush is great for picking up and applying powders and buffing out liquid foundations.

The blush brush is made of natural goat hair and is tapered and dense. The tapered point is distinct enough to for a great blush application and with a bit more pressure can be used to buff bronzer around the edges of the face. This is one of my favorite brushes from the set.

The pointed foundation brush is made of a nylon mix and is very dense. When it comes to pointed or tapered synthetic bristles my first concern is the discomfort that comes from apply too much or too little pressure that causes the bristles to poke the face. Luckily with this brush that was not a problem, I used all sorts of pressure and the application was smooth and perfect. This brush is perfect for applying liquid foundation and cream contour.  This brush is a favorite.

The dense powder/blush brush is made of natural goat hair. Quite honestly I can’t think of any reason to apply regular/foundation powder with this brush, tt is too short and too dense. As for blush, maybe if you have a blush that you have to really work at to get some product out. I honestly imagine these brushes would be better at blending out cream highlights or bronzers. I don’t think this brush will be used very much.

The medium eye shadow brush is made of natural goat hair. I love this little brush; it picks up product very well and is amazing about blending out eye shadow. It’s dense and just the right size for applying product to the lid.

The pointed blending brush is made of natural goat hair. The brush is a perfect mix of nearly dense but flexible enough to work product throughout the crease or just blending. I really love this crease brush and the way it picks up product.

The concealer brush is a nylon mix.  This concealer brush is incredibly smooth which is crucial for perfect concealer placement. I also think this brush will be amazing when it comes to picking up and apply cream shadows to the lid.

Limited Edition Sonia Kashuk Brush Cup

The crease shadow brush is a pony hair and synthetic mix. The brush was wonderfully soft and very dense, a perfect recipe for picking up and blending powders. This is the perfect brush for buffing out color.

The angled eye shadow brush is goat hair. This brush is a tiny bit dense but very perfectly cut for any precise line work.

The smudge brush is pony hair. This is a great brush for smudging out thick eyeliner but please use with a light hand. The bristles were a tad bit prickly and rough.

All-in-all for the cost of $35.99 you get an amazingly beautiful great quality set of brushes. Sonia Kashuk brushes have a great shelf life and I can tell that these brushes were put together with love from inception to the shelf. I would definitely recommend. The brushes can be purchased here http://www.target.com/p/sonia-kashuk-limited-edition-brush-set/-/A-16612423

What do you think? Ever try any Sonia Kashuk products? Do you think you’ll be picking up these brushes or anything else from the collection? Please let me know in the comments below.

Making Makeup Brushes New Again- My Method

Lets talk! Life sucks when its that time of the month you know. So the best thing to do is to grab a cool drink, pop on a movie, and clean dem brushes gurl!

Thats right brush cleaning, the funnest thing to do next to cleaning the litter box. I always dreaded washing my brushes though nothing can beat a fresh and clean makeup brush, the process of cleaning them (sometimes 50+ or more) was always an event. Luckily I've stumbled across a few products and a new method that has made the task fun and so effective. There are six things that I need when preparing to clean my brushes:

1.  My handy dandy Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Glove http://www.sigmabeauty.com/Sigma_Spa_Brush_Cleaning_Glove_p/bc001.htm
   
2. A good dish soap
3. Olive oil
   
4. Benjabelle Brush Tree http://www.benjabelle.com/
   
5. A medium-large bowl
6. Kpop music.....lots of it....just because.

   

   I'll have some cake later Yoseob, have to clean my brushes now boy...

Before I dive into my brush cleaning method; a lot of people have mixed feelings regarding the Sigma cleaning glove. Some love it, some think its ridiculous, but I think we can all agree upon the fact that it is over priced. I actually love the glove. I feel as though my brush gets an amazing cleaning and that the process is faster then using a wash cloth or any other product. The material dosent come off as flimsy  it seems steady and ready to be used multiple times. So would I recommend the glove? Hells yeah. Does the price suck?  You bet. But knowing I dont have to buy another glove and the fact that it makes my brushes super clean(i.e. no soap or oil residue), the 40 bucks is worth it...sorry haters! That wasn't nice...oh well. On to the process. Unfortunately I decided to take pictures after I already cleaned my brushes, so next time I will have a video of the actually step by step method.

First I put a good amount of soap and a small amount of olive oil (depends on the amount of brushes your washing) in my bowl. The soap is meant to remove product build up and remove the bacteria from your brushes, the olive oil is meant to condition the hairs of your brush so the softness doesn't get stripped from the soap. Next I run some luke warm water, get my Sigma glove wet, pick up a brush, dip it in my soap & olive oil mixture and follow five simple steps of cleaning with the Sigma glove which are wash, rinse, refine, rinse, and shape. This step is pretty fast. The soap and oil mixture remove all traces of makeup from my brushes and the glove removes all traces of soap and oil from the brushes. 

I stack the brushes on a flat surface as I clean them and once finished I place them in my brush tree. Simple. Easy. Done. I will make a video of this process very soon with before and after photos of my brushes, so stay tuned. This method of brush cleaning has been perfect for me thus far. How do you clean your brushes at home?

Otaku Treasures

Hey Beauty Otakus
This week I've had my eyes on a limited edition lipstick set from Bite Beauty and a set of limited edition duo fiber brushes from Real Techniques. When it comes to limited edition items my inner battle level is usually at a 9.
My heart is like

"but it will never be made again"

but my brain is like

"no".
Well Otaku's I gave into my heart.... and ordered both.

The lipsticks themselves are very interesting and I love real technique brushes to begin with. The lipsticks are new from Bite Beauty and are part 1 of the Cuvee Deluxe Lipstick Collection, which is exclusively sold at Sephora.com (not in stores), what makes them so interesting is that they are derived from Champagne grapes, freshwater Tahitian black pearls, and Japanese silk powder. Fancy huh. The lipsticks themselves are limited to 1200 per shade and not only are the lipsticks new but this is a brand new formula. For $72 bucks for four lipsticks I'm hoping for a stellar product (Sephora's return policy made me feel better about the purchase too), If your interested here is a link to the set:
http://www.sephora.com/cuvee-deluxe-lipstick-collection-P379074?skuId=1493873 .

Real Technique brushes are the least expensive but most amazing quality brushes I've ever used. For the price range of $5.99-19.99 they are consistent in quality and get your makeup looking nice without breaking the bank. I don't have enough Duo Fiber brushes in my collection so three for the price of $19.99 plus an Ulta coupon, it all adds up to a pretty good deal. If your interested here's a link:
http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?skuId=2257315&productId=xlsImpprod5220131&navAction=push&navCount=1&categoryId=cat80088%20cat120078

Well what have you guises purchased recently or had your eye on? How are you guise spending your Sunday? I'm spending mine relaxing with a chai lattee and a Twilight Zone marathon.