Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
Maaaan, Sonia and her good deals. The new bangin’ budget brushes in Sonia Kashuk’s limited edition $14.99 Brush Couture Five-Piece Brush Set work out to just $3 each, which is a great deal, even for Sonia.
A few of the brushes in this particular set also remind me of bad@ass brushes from more expensive brands…
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I like when cream makeup comes in sticks and pencils (see: Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil in Mushroom) 1) because they’re easy to use (especially the ones I can blend with a finger), and 2) because they make me feel like I’m back in eighth grade art class, where my biggest concerns were whether my breath smelled like the BBQ Corn Nuts I had at lunch, or whether I’m going to finish my drawing of ceramic bowls by the bell (my teacher was obsessed with us drawing bowls).
Of course, not all cream products are created equal, and some of them just don’t last.
I’m a busy woman with “important” (air quotes) things to do, like figuring out how to dress like Olivia Pope from Scandal without having to throw down the cash for all that Prada, and looking for a monocle for my cat (you know that would be awesome, right?). Having to stop whatever I’m doing every two hours to refresh a product on my lids or cheeks gets really old fast.
Sonia Kashuk’s Chic Luminosity Highlighter Stick in Persian Sunset ($10.99) will show those weak-willed, disappearing creams how it’s supposed to be done.
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Lucky number nine!
That’s how many shades Sonia Kashuk crafted of her new $9 ($8.99 to be exact) Ultra Luxe Lip Gloss. Partial to pale pinks? Check. Nudes? Got ya covered. Rich plums? Right here.
Right now I’m hooked on Prettiest Pink and Polished Plum, both of which, like the other colors in the line, are unscented and unflavored. Every time I swipe one of their brush applicators across my lips, I’m blown away by how evenly they apply, and I think the pigmented, non-sticky formula feels fantastic (and lasts from 2-4 hours). It’s juiced up with papaya extract, glycerin and antioxidants to make it hella hydrating, too.
“This next-generation lip gloss formula delivers beautiful, buildable color with instant softness and multi-dimensional shine. This lightweight, gel-like texture glides on comfortably to leave lips feeling kissable and moisturized — never sticky. Shades range from subtle nude to bold brights. Infused with Glycerin, Fatty Acids and emollients to hydrate lips and Papaya Fruit Extract, a natural skin softener, this multi-tasking gloss enhances skin’s elasticity and protects lips with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.”
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Sonia Kashuk’s Queen of Hearts Nail Colour ($5), new for spring/summer 2013. Available now at Target stores and target.com.
When the production crew of Hoarders finally arrives at my doorstep to film “the very special makeup episode,” they’ll find me half-buried under a mound of Friskies Gravy Lovers cans, unread issues of Entertainment Weekly and Chanel eye quads.
I’ll be wearing the gray bathrobe I borrowed from my friend Jen once and never returned and clutching something small and Chanel-like in one of my hands…
“Forget about me!” I’ll say to the production assistant trying to free me from the mound. “Save the quad instead!”
What quad is that?
A new one from Sonia Kashuk called Moroccan Dunes. 🙂
Is it just me, or does this quad shout, “COCO WAS HERE!” The sleek, Chanel-esque packaging, the luminous finish that glimmers on lids, and the colors, like precious metals, in rich, dark brown, grayish mauve, shimmering pink and rosy gold.
But in this case, the price is right — much lower than Chanel. It’s just $16.99, so you won’t feel like you have to sneak it into the house in your big purse (been there, done that).
When I work with these hybrid shadows, which combine baked, powder, cream and liquid finishes/textures, I like to start with a kick-@ss primer on my lids, like NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, to lock the shadows in place.
Then, to apply, I load a flat eye shadow brush with one or two of the shades, tap it to remove the excess and reduce any fallout — which can get pretty wicked with a couple of the fluffier shades — and press the powder on my lids.
Pressing, as opposed to swiping, seems to help the shadows bind a little better to my skin. Then I blend the edges with a domed brush.
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My fellow eye shadow junkies — if you obsess over shades like taupe, I’m talking to YOU! — once you’ve taken a whirl with one of Sonia Kashuk’s new Monochrome Eye Quads, you may be tempted to call it your new BFF.
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself sending it texts while you shop for shoes (“I can’t tell if these make me look short…”), or offering to braid its hair, or inviting it over one Friday night to watch BRAVO, drink champagne and eat cake.
Each of the four new spring quads (Textured Rose, Textured Mauve, Textured Coca, and Textured Taupe) comes with four variations on a different shade, and you can find them now at Target for less than the cost of lunch at a fancy food truck.
Textured Taupe has totes been my jam as of late…
Inside the sleek black matte package lives 1) a matte taupe, 2) a matte taupe with tiny flecks of golden glitter, 3) a pearly golden taupe and 4) a shiny golden taupe with big o’ pieces of glitter.
I really dig this quad, and not based solely on my love for taupe.
Whenever I need a lift, I pat one or two shades on my lids to brighten my eyes, and because the shades are so closely related, they only take a few swipes to blend. I just have to remember to dust off any excess from my brush first to avoid any fallout.
You’d think that a quad with four of the same shades might be boring, but among the four finishes, I always seem to find a fresh new combo to keep it spicy.
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The list of things Sonia Kashuk’s new Moisture Luxe Tinted Lip Balms have going for ’em reads like a laundry list of travel makeup awesomeness.
I always worry about losing my (luggage, mind) makeup bag when I travel, and Sonia regularly releases such great stuff at good prices that I figured I’d bring one of these along with me on my next trip.
Except there’s one problem with that…
Moisture!
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