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Drugstore Beauty Finds

Sonia Kashuk Twist and Shout Kabuki Blush Brush: How Fast Can You Say Magic?

November 18th, 2009 by Karen 26 Comments

sonia kashuk twist and shout

In a perfect world, I’d always have at least 45 minutes to do my makeup. Not because it always takes that long, but because I like being able to take my time and relax.

Unfortunately, the clock doesn’t always cooperate, especially with the holidays approaching fast.

That’s why ’tis the season for makeup shortcuts! 🙂 I’m always looking for makeup time-savers, and one of my new favorites is Sonia Kashuk’s Twist & Shout Kabuki Blush Brush ($13).

Remember Sonia’s Twist of Fate brush set last week? Well, her new kabuki brush models the same twisted faux silver handle, which, like its sisters, broadcasts every smudgy fingerprint (aargh!), a flaw I can easily forgive.

Why?

Baby, you’re much too fast!

Twist & Shout screams! With it I’m able to apply and blend blush in half the time it takes me with a regular blush brush. Fantastic when I don’t have minutes to spare.

sonia kashuk twist and shout closeup

Like a wand, this brush exudes magic. When I rest Twist & Shout’s wide and slightly flattened brush head against my cheek, it covers the entire apple — a large swath of cheek! It’s able to blanket almost my entire cheek with a light-to-medium layer of color in just a couple quick swipes.
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There are 26 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Makeup Tools, Product Reviews

The Sonia Kashuk Classic Palette: A Timeless Accessory

November 17th, 2009 by Karen 39 Comments

Sonia Kashuk Classic Palette Holiday 2009 open

Like pearls, Sonia Kashuk’s new Classic Palette ($20) looks great either dressed up or dressed down, and it goes with everything! 🙂

Classic, with eight neutral shades for eyes, lips and cheeks, joins five other limited-edition holiday sets (remember the Starry Eyes Palette and the Twist of Fate Brush Set?) from Sonia.

The Classic Palette

  • A matte light brown eyeshadow
  • A matte dark brown eyeshadow
  • A matte black eyeshadow
  • A matte peach blush
  • A shimmery nude lipgloss
  • A creamy berry lipstick
  • A creamy blueish red lipstick

Added bonus: It comes with four mini brushes, too!

Sonia Kashuk Classic Palette Holiday 2009 brushes

Just gazing at the palette brings to mind a host of makeup looks…

  • Maybe a black smokey eye with shimmery nude lips
  • Or a brown smokey eye with nude or bold lips
  • A simple (neutral) wash of color worn with some really bold lips
  • A shimmery beige eye with black cat liner and nude or even bold lips

Sonia Kashuk Classic Palette Holiday 2009 lip swatch 2
Creamy berry lipstick
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There are 39 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Makeup

I’m Seeing Stars: Sonia Kashuk’s Starry Eyes Palette for Holiday 2009

November 12th, 2009 by Karen 38 Comments

sonia kashuk starry eyes silver frame eye palette open 2

If you’re a budget-lovin’ babe who wears cool-toned shadows well, Sonia Kashuk’s got your back. Her new Starry Eyes Palette ($15) for holiday 2009 comes with six cool-toned powder eyeshadows in a mix of glitters and matte.

sonia kashuk starry eyes silver frame eye palette closeup

Exactly what’s inside?

  • A shimmery brown with glitter
  • Shimmery beige with glitter
  • Shimmery taupe with glitter (fans of MAC Satin Taupe eyeshadow, this shade looks like Satin Taupe’s glittery cousin)
  • A matte brown
  • Matte white
  • Matte taupe

I’ve been going through a glitter renaissance of late, and the glitter shadows in this palette are hitting all my right notes. You know how some glittery shadows are just too sheer? How all you can see sometimes is the glitter (but no color)? Well, these aren’t like that at all. All three deliver respectable pigmentation — a nice surprise for gals on Team Glitter.

sonia kashuk starry eyes silver frame eye palette open

Speaking of the glitter, I expected it to feel gritty here based on how chunky the bits look in their pans.

But that wasn’t the case. In fact, the particles appear fine — just right, in fact — once they’re applied.

It adds up to a very refined glitter look, if there is such a thing. 🙂

sonia kashuk starry eyes silver frame eye palette watches with flash
Swatches with flash
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There are 38 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Makeup, Product Reviews

The Sonia Kashuk Twist of Fate Brush Set for Holiday 2009: Elegant, But Do They Bring It?

November 10th, 2009 by Karen 72 Comments

sonia kashuk holiday 2009 twist of fate brushes in clutch
Sonia Kashuk Twist of Fate Brush Set, $20

Earlier this decade, Sonia Kashuk reinvented the budget brush market, making drugstore makeup brushes cool. For the holidays this year, she’s taking that budget luxe philosophy another big step forward by introducing a line with twisted faux-sliver handles that won’t break the bank.

But looks aren’t everything, and to find out if Sonia’s new brushes bring the noise, I put ’em to the test.

The six-piece limited edition Twist of Fate Brush Set ($20, on sale now at Target), Sonia’s premium collection of brushes for the holidays, joins five limited edition holiday makeup palettes and accessories (also on sale at Target).

Sonia Kashuk Twist of Fate

With a black clutch purse to carry them in (one that looks like it could cost more than $20 by itself), these six short-handled brushes will be traveling in style.

  • A powder/blush brush
  • A foundation brush
  • A crease brush
  • An eyeshadow brush
  • An eyeliner brush
  • A brow/lash comb

sonia kashuk holiday 2009 twist of fate brush heads

Pros

  • Look expensive
  • Brush heads feel soft against my skin and apply/blend product well
  • Clutch purse fits everything with room to spare
  • Brushes feel lightweight — perfect for girls on the go!
  • Fantastic deal; breaks down to $2.86/per item (including the clutch)

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There are 72 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Makeup Tools, Product Reviews

The EcoTools Cleansing Sponge: A Poor Girl’s Clarisonic

October 31st, 2009 by Karen 17 Comments

MBB guest post!We’ve been put on notice tonight — theNotice, that is. The delightful Rae of theNotice blog shares one of her favorite drugstore beauty products, the EcoTools Cleansing Sponge.

Ecotools cleansing pad A
 
When Karen asked if I would do a guest post for Makeup and Beauty Blog, I didn’t know where to start (I rarely do). I asked her for direction, and she suggested drugstore beauty.
 
“Hm!” I thought. “I’ll have so much to talk about!”
 
But I thought. And I thought. And I blew the house down.
 
Well, no, not really. But I did come to realize that less of my makeup stash comes from drugstores than I previously thought.
 
But this is actually great news for you (no, really, it is). It basically means that if I’ve kept a drugstore item, it’s a darned good one.

Take these EcoTools Cleansing Sponges ($9 for a pack of 12), for instance. They’re one of my drugstore holy grails.
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There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds Keywords: guest post

Soap and Glory Off Your Face Cleansing Cloths: Watch Out, Waterproof!

October 29th, 2009 by Karen 39 Comments

soap-and-glory-off-your-face-cleansing-cloths

Greetings and good morning, girls. 🙂 How did you sleep? Following yesterday’s makeup look, I wanted to touch on makeup removal, particularly Soap & Glory’s Off Your Face Cleansing Cloths ($7 for a pack of 25).

To find out how these oversized, velvet-soft wipes fare against long-wearing and waterproof makeup like MAC Fluidline, Stila Lash Visor Mascara and Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter liner, I put ’em to the test.

What about the waterline?

Most makeup wipes can handle regular-wear products, but many struggle when it comes to removing waterproof. That, and some take too much effort (read: rubbing) to use along my delicate waterline.

Soap & Glory says they created Off Your Face Cleansing Cloths to help women multitask, with the wipes cleansing, toning, removing makeup and exfoliating in one fell swoop.

How’d they do?
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There are 39 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Product Reviews, Skin Care

L’Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara: Thickness! Volume! Then an Unexpected Surprise

October 26th, 2009 by Karen 40 Comments

loreal extra volume collagen mascara review top

Man, oh, man! There’s just so much I love about L’Oreal’s Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara ($5). Two coats transform my eyelashes from toy car to monster truck, and at just five bones, it’s also pretty cheap.

loreal-extra volume collagen mascara brush

loreal extra volume collagen mascara review eyes no-mascara
Before

loreal extra volume collagen mascara review eyes two-coats
After two coats, WOWZA!!
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There are 40 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Makeup, Product Reviews

Is Soap and Glory’s Exfoliator The Greatest Scrub of All?

October 26th, 2009 by Karen 16 Comments

soap-and-glory-greatest-scrub-of-all

Does The Greatest Scrub of All ($13) live up to its name? That’s hard to say, but one thing’s for sure: It looks *way* cute. 🙂

Doesn’t the pink/blue/gray packaging have a girly feel to it, like it’s a product that obviously doesn’t take itself too seriously? And, hello, the claim on the front of the tube? — “exfoliating grains that pop when you press them”?

Explosions get me every time…

A scrub for everyone

An exfoliating facial scrub marketed for all skin types, it contains salicylic acid (aka BHA) to slough away dead skin cells, control oil, clear clogged pores and fight pimples, and, as an added Tabs-approved bonus, Soap & Glory claims it was people tested (as opposed to animal tested, meow!).

I really like washing my face with it in the mornings, when the minty, kinda floral scent feels invigorating — much better than a wake-up call and without the annoying ring.
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There are 16 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Product Reviews, Skin Care

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog! My name is Karen, and I’m a freelance writer obsessed with makeup.

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