Elf Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil in Twinkle Teal Review

 Elf, Eyeliner, Inexpensive Products, Target  No Responses »
Apr 242012
 

I purchased this Elf Eyeliner for only $1 at Target the same day I bought both the Sonia Kashuk Limited Edition 5pc Couture Set and the Sonia Kashuk Complexion Perfection Brush.

I wanted a teal eyeliner and didn’t really want to spend a lot of money.  I’ve never used Elf’s eyeliner pencils before but I figured for only $1, I didn’t have much to lose.  I really like the Elf Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner Pen, so I was hoping I’d have the same sentiments about this pencil.

The top line was my initial swatch.  The bottom line is where I went back and forth two times to build the intensity.  It’s a pretty color.

This eyeliner pencil feels somewhat smooth when applying it however it’s not very pigmented.  You’d have to do more than just one layer to get the color to show nicely.  I did two layers here.

It was more difficult applying to my lower lash line for some reason. I had to go over it a few times.  It’s almost as if the color wasn’t sticking. :-(

So I was curious about the staying power of this pencil.  I quickly found it that it sucks.  I was able to wipe off the liner with my finger with one swipe. :-(

You can barely see the remnants at the outer line.  This makes me very weary about wearing it out in public.

Well, at least the sharpener works.

I’ve always considered Elf Cosmetics as either hit or miss.  There are products that I love from them and then products such as this eyeliner that I regret purchasing.  I’m so glad it was only $1.  Maybe if I use a primer 1st, it’ll hold up better.  What can I say?  You get what you pay for. *sigh*

 

Sonia Kashuk Complexion Perfection Brush Review

 brushes, Inexpensive Products, make-up brushes, Sonia Kashuk, Target  3 Responses »
Apr 242012
 

I purchased the Sonia Kashuk Complexion Perfection Brush the same day I purchased the Limited Edition 5pc Couture Set.  Hey, what can I say, I was overcome with the need for more brushes.  In my defense, I believed I was getting brushes that were different from other brushes I owned. Ha! :-)

I’m normally not a fan of dual ended brushes because I can’t place them in my brush holders, however, when I saw this brush I was okay with making an exception.

I compared the synthetic foundation side of the brush to my beloved Sonia Kashuk Pointed Foundation Brush.

Definitely Different.  I primarily use the Pointed Foundation brush for applying concealer under the eye area and sometimes for concealing blemishes.  Rarely do I use it to actually apply foundation all over the face.  Since The Complexion Perfection brush is larger I can see how I’d use it more for foundation.  I love the fact that it’s very dense yet soft even though it’s synthetic.  I could also use his brush for highlight and contouring.  I’m really excited about it.

I have no other brush anywhere near this one.  The sponge is very smooth.  I’m guessing this would be similar to a Beauty Blender type tool, but I don’t own any of those so I can give a fair comparison.

 

Have you seen this brush in your local Target?  If so, did you purchase it?  I’d love to hear about your experiences with it.

Sonia Kashuk Brush Couture 5 Piece Set Review Pt 3

 brush sets, brushes, Inexpensive Products, Limited Edition, make-up brushes, Sonia Kashuk, Target  2 Responses »
Apr 242012
 

This is the 3rd and final segment of  my review of the Limited Edition Sonia Kashuk Couture 5pc Brush Set.  If you’ve missed the other posts, you can click here for Part 1 and Part 2.

Below is the Angled Crease Brush.

Initially when I saw this brush in the set I thought it was just like my Elf Angled Contour Brush.  I’ve compared the two brushes below.

Good News! It’s not like my Elf Brush.  The only features that are similar are the fact that they both have angles, other than that, they’re different.  Sonia Kashuk has natural hair and  the Elf brush has synthetic hair.  The Elf brush is a lot bigger and more dense and not quite as angled as the Sonia Kashuk Brush.

Next up is the Synthetic Concealer/Foundation Brush.  Yet another name I don’t agree with.  I would not use this brush to apply foundation.  I mean, can it be done?  Sure, but it will take  a long time because this is a small brush.  It would work a lot better for concealer.  Right off, I knew this was a brush that I didn’t have a dupe for.  It reminds me of the MAC #192 but I don’t have that brush.

Above, I’ve compared it to other brushes I had.  The Elf Foundation Brush and my Coastal Scents Purple Foundation Brush.

You can see that both of these brushes are a lot bigger.  All of them are synthetic so they will work about the same as far as picking up product.

The  5th and final brush is the Smudge Brush.  Don’t let the name fool you.  It’s actually natural hair not a sponge.

Above I compared it to 2 other rounded crease brushes.  In the middle is the MAC #219 and the 3rd brush is Crown Brush C431 Precision Detail.  So what did I find out?

All 3 of these brushes are different. LOL! :-) The Sonia Kashuk Smudge Brush is the smallest out of the three but the MAC #219 has the pointiest ( I think I just made up a word) tip. The Sonia Kashuk Smudge will work awesomely well for defining a “cut crease” look or for blending shadows in the crease for those with really small eyes.  I’m sure a lot of people would think to use it for smoking out eyeliner, but because the tip is more rounded than pointed, you may end up with lots of smoke. Ha ha!  This may leave you with a more dramatic look than you intended.  Not bad or wrong, just maybe not what you had planned.

Sonia Kashuk Brush Couture 5 Piece Set Review Pt 2

 brush sets, brushes, Inexpensive Products, make-up brushes, Sonia Kashuk, Target  1 Response »
Apr 232012
 

This is part 2 of my review of the Sonia Kashuk Limited Edition 5 Piece Couture Set.  To see part 1, click here.

The first part focussed on the 2nd brush in the above picture, which is the Multi-Purpose Blending Brush.  Mainly because it’s the reason I made the decision to purchase the set.  In this post I will review the Powder/Blusher Brush.

I want to point out that I don’t think the name is appropriate though.  I feel this brush is too big for blush unless you’re very careful, you’ll end up with way too much.

I compared this brush to a few of my other brushes.  First I have it next to the MAC #150.

You  can clearly see there are differences.  MAC #150 is a lot larger than this Sonia Kashuk Powder/Blusher Brush.

Next I compared it to my Coastal Scents Pink Powder Brush

 The difference in the shapes of the brushes are quite apparent.

Still trying to see if I had another brush like this one so I compared it to my Clinique Blush Brush

My answer is no. My clinique blush brush is smaller than the Sonia Kashuk Powder/Blusher brush.  I’m pleased to report that this brush is much softer than both my Coastal Scents and Clinique brushes.

Stay tuned for part 3 of my review of this brush set. :-)

Sonia Kashuk Limited Edition Brush Couture 5 Piece Set Pt.1

 brush sets, brushes, Sonya Kashuk  5 Responses »
Apr 232012
 

I purchased this cool set of brushes from Target a couple of weeks ago.  I love the color and design on the handles.  The packaging imediately caught my attention. I have to admit that I absolutely don’t NEED more brushes, however, these were limited…so that makes it okay…right? LOL! :-)  Honestly I mainly wanted the multi-purpose blending brush. I’ve seen this brush in other Sonia Kashuk sets however I’ve never seen it sold individually.  This was another reason I used to justify me getting this particular brush set. Here it is below next to the MAC #224 Brush.  The handle is shorter but the actual brush is larger.  The bristles are fuller, wider and more rounded than the #224.  The Sonia Kashuk Multi-Purpose Blending Brush is also more tapered so it has a more defined point to it than the MAC #224.

Interestingly the Sonia Kashuk Mulit-Purpose Blending Brush is a bit softer than my MAC #224 brush.  Not sure if it’s because it’s brand new though. Here I have it next to the Crown Brush C412 Brush.  This was the brush I talked about in this post that was a dupe for the MAC #224 brush.

You can see that the Sonia Kashuk Mulit-Purpose Blending Brush is more similar to the Crown Brush C412 than the MAC 224 based on it’s shape.

It’s still bigger than the Crown Brush C412 though and it’s tapered to a finer point.   This means that I didn’t duplicate the other blending brushes that I own.  Score!!

 

Stay tuned for part 2 of my review of this brush set.

Qwashae Boutique Spring 2012 Fashion Show Pt. 3

 Uncategorized  2 Responses »
Apr 172012
 

Models waiting to walk the runway for the Formal Wear segment

This is the 3rd installment of my coverage of the Qwashae Boutique Spring 2012 Fashion Show.  If you haven’t seen my previous posts, make sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2.  It will focus on the Formal Wear.

 This dress was described by Shakena as an “Avant-Garde” formal pieceWhat a lovely Red dress with gorgeous black strappy pumps! Did you see these shoes??? Yes!!!This was such a lovely simple black dress that was accented by some seriously fabulous black and white pumps.Love Them!!!

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