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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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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Okay, so I don’t quite get the alligator/reptilian pattern on the pans (gives me the heebie-jeebies and the urge to moisturize my shins!), but I do get a good bargain-hunting vibe from Sonia Kashuk’s new $12.99 Chic Luminosity Duos.
Each of the three Duos in petal pink Glow, warm coral Glisten and rosy nude Glimmer comes with a blush and bronzer; the formulas remind me of some of the powder/cream/gel products we’ve seen from Estée Lauder and Chanel over the past couple of years.
Glisten, the warm coral I’ve been wearing off and on since last weekend, looks just like one of Estée Lauder’s Ilumminating Powder Gelee Highlighters and Blushes, which usually cost between $40-50.
And like the Gelees, it illuminates cheeks with a refined, glimmering finish that softens the appearance of pores and fine lines, almost like a 1940s powderpuff lens.
Kitty overlord got a taste for the finer things? Is he/she hooked on products with high-end prices?
With Tabs, been there, done that.
But ya know what? This spring and summer, refreshing your makeup bag (or your feline employer’s) doesn’t have to empty your Kate Spade wallet.
Not with my girl, Sonia Kashuk, swooping in to save the day. 🙂
Whether you’re saving up for a toy or trip, or just tightening up your beauty budget, get haute couture for less with Sonia Kashuk’s new spring and summer 2013 makeup.
With a packaging revamp across her permanent line, there’s excitement in the air! Say so long (at least for now) to Sonia’s signature white and silver compacts, because they’ve been replaced by new black and white cases.
Of course, you’ll still be able to find your favorite product shades, as well as some new ones, too.
On the limited-edition side, we head to Morocco!
Or rather, Sonia did, and it influenced her spring and summer makeup, bags and tools.
It’s a HUGE collection this year (available now at Target, in stores and online), and here are some of the pieces that have caught my eye…
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Wait — are you kidding me?! You two haven’t met yet? Well, we need to fix that immediately.
Babe, this is Sonia Kashuk’s new Formal Affair Palette; Formal Affair, this is one of my beauty besties.
I think you two will hit it off. Formal Affair here is quite a bargain at $19.99. She may spend her days in drugstores, but at heart, she’s 100% department store-caliber makeup.
It’s as if Sonia said, “I’m going to make the perfect powder palette, and it’s going to contain two blushes, one bronzer and four eyeshadows for girls who want to look like they’re wearing NARS, Bobbi Brown and Urban Decay but don’t want to spend that much.”
Don’t the golden brown powder bronzer and shimmery, golden peachy pink blush on Formal Affair’s far right look inspired by the NARS Orgasm/Laguna duo? Except that Sonia’s bronzer is sheerer than NARS Laguna, with slightlier grittier grains of golden glitter, and the golden pearl within the blush looks less pronounced to me than NARS Orgasm (maybe they’re just kissing cousins).
Okay, although I feel kinda lame getting excited about a brown eyeshadow (with so many great flashy colors out there and all!), Formal Affair’s brown is just so chocolaty…so shimmery…and so Mmmm! — buttery smooth.
It reminds me of Snakebite from the Urban Decay Naked2 palette.
It’s just so blendable, and I love how easy it is to wear sheer or build up in layers.
The tan and black glittery shadows in Formal Affair would fit right in with Bobbi Brown’s Sparkle Eyeshadows. Like those shadows from Bobbi, they’re loaded with gobs of medium-sized glitter, but Sonia takes things a step further by using an intensely pigmented base. Patting either shade on the brown shade from Formal Affair is a quick way to dress up a look. I do have to be mindful, though, of the fallout, which is slight, but still. At least it’s easy enough to clean up, especially if I do my eyes first.
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