The Sonia Kashuk Brush Couture Limited Edition Flat Top Blush/Powder Brush Is Dressed for Success

Oh, just gazing at this brush makes me happy.  Isn’t the tile print on Sonia Kashuk’s new Sonia Kashuk Brush Couture Flat Top Multipurpose Blush/Powder Brush ($11) adorable? It’s going to look so cute sitting on my vanity.

But good looks aren’t the only thing this limited edition brush has going for it. It also flawlessly applies loose powders, bronzers, and cream and powder blushes, too, just like Sonia’s legendary Synthetic Flat Top Brush. The big difference between the two is just that these bristles are made of natural fibers (I’m not sure what kind).

5 Fantastic Drugstore Makeup Brushes

FEBRUARY 16TH, 2011 | KAREN | FILED IN: DRUGSTORE BEAUTY FINDS, MAKEUP TIPS/HOW TO, MAKEUP TOOLS

TAGS: BARGAIN, NYX, SONIA KASHUK

I was cleaning my makeup brushes yesterday when I remembered a recent email exchange across the Northern border. Canadian reader Siobhan asked…

Hi Karen,

Family members are in the States right now and have offered to bring me back a little present.  

I’m thinking about asking for some makeup brushes, and you have stores there that we don’t have here in Canada (Target and CVS come to mind). What kinds of drugstore brushes do you recommend? Thanks!
–Siobhan

Heya Siobhan,

Smart thinking! Makeup brushes are lightweight, easy to pack, and make fantastic little travel gifts. Both of the chains you mentioned, Target and CVS, carry several affordable, high quality brushes like the…

1. EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer Brush

This cruelty-free brush has a dense head (there’s a pun in there somewhere) and super soft bristles. It’s designed to be used with bronzer, but I prefer to use it to buff loose powder on top of my foundation for an airbrushed look. $12

2. Sonia Kashuk Bent Eyeliner Brush

An affordable, all-purpose eyeliner brush with an angled barrel, a long handle and a pointed brush head made with soft, yet firm, synthetic fibers. I think it’s a star with gel liners like MAC Fluidline and makes winged cat eye flicks super easy to do. $6

3. Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Flat Top Blusher Brush

My local Target has a tough time keeping this brush in stock; it’s usually sold out! Forged in the fires of Mt. Kashuk by the mighty SK to apply cream blush, this multitasking tool also tackles liquid foundation, cream/liquid highlighters and powder products, too. It’s totally worth the hunt. $15

MAC Room for the Cute Bag That Comes with the MAC Shape & Perfect Brushes

The case that comes with the MAC 5 Shape & Perfect Brushes kit is in one way like a Mini Cooper — small on the outside, but surprisingly roomy on the inside (Beep! Beep!).

For kicks today I tried to see just how much stuff I could squeeze into it. In addition to the five miniature makeup brushes it comes with, I managed to also find room inside for two full-size MAC pressed powder compacts, three full-size tubes of Cremesheen Glass and three eyeshadow singles.

Hot damn, that’s a lot! My inner makeup hobo approves. 

Frankly, I wish MAC sold the bag separately (it’s zippered and made of some kind of canvas/fabric), because the five travel brushes it comes with really aren’t all that…

I should say right off the bat that I’m not a big fan of MAC’s travel brushes. The ones I’ve tried haven’t performed as well as the brushes in their permanent line, but I tried to keep an open mind today while testing the five in this set — the 168SE Angled Contour Brush, 187SE Duo Fibre Brush, 212SE Flat Definer Brush, 219SE Pencil Brush and 275SE Medium Angled Shading Brush.

3 Often Overlooked Beauty Tools

Written by Sam

Some great beauty tools hide in the unlikeliest places. Today freelance makeup artist and blogger Sam shares three you might not have thought of before.

“Do I look cray-cray?”

1. Lighter

If you’re a smoker, you may already have one of these in your purse, but if you’re not, dash on down to the drugstore, and pick yourself up a cheap, disposable lighter. These brightly colored, flame-producing confabulations are absolute wonders in the beauty world, and one so few casual artists seem to own.

These little wonders are absolute godsends with pencil eyeliners. Now, you might be thinking, “Gee, Sam, something about heat and my eye just doesn’t sound smart.” And you’d be right. Please, kind ladies and gentlemen, the lighter should not get anywhere near your actual eye with this (or any) trick.

Now, flick that little lever to get your lighter lit, and wave the tip of your favorite eyeliner right through the very top of the flame. One…two…three times.

At this point, your eyeliner is gonna look a little sad and…amorphous. No worries! If you want a fantastic kohl-like application, go straight ahead and draw that line (you may want to test it on the back of your hand first, without blotting, to make sure the tip isn’t too hot). Now, blot the tip on the back of your hand (I would suggest using a tissue, but you don’t want to pick up any fuzzies) to remove any excess and to test the heat level. If it feels too hot, keep it away from your eyes for another second or two, and test again on your hand (NOTE: this means you left it in the flame too long).

What you do next depends on the effect you want. If you want a gorgeous, crayon-like application that you plan to smudge a bit, let it set for 3-5 seconds, and then apply. If you simply want a longer lasting, precise application, blot off the rest, let it set for 5-10 seconds, and apply.

2. Butterfly Clips

I know that only a few of you are going to trust me on this one, but it really does work wonderfully, so I hope you give it a try.

For this tool to work effectively, you’ll want to blow dry your hair until it’s completely bone-dry, and hopefully with some sort of product in it (I’ve found a texturizing or setting lotion works best). Do you know those butterfly clips that people tend to keep in their kitchen drawer? The ones for closing unfinished bags of almond granola or sour cream and onion crisps? Grab an armful, and haul ‘em up into your bathroom. These are going to help you create a perfectly even and not-so-perfectly disheveled wave in your hair (you know, the kind that one of your friends has naturally, and it’s just not fair!).

Starting at eyelevel, take a clip (I like the medium-size ones) and a section of hair, and, using a finger, push this section up and into the clip (the “teeth” should be parallel to the floor and close to your scalp). Do this on the other side as well.

Next, do the same thing at jaw level on either side. Each of these should create a section roughly one-fifth of the total of your hair. Section out a fifth directly on the back of your head, and place one clip up near the crown of your head (remember to pull the section up and into the clip to avoid flatness) and one at about eyelevel.

At this point, you should have two “un-clipped” fifths left. Add a clip on both of these at the eyelevel line only to create a believable wave. This pattern is going to give you that slightly rough, modern look with a wave only through the mid-section.

You May Need a Hand with the Sonia Kashuk Dripping in Diamonds Travel Brush Set

The seven long-handled makeup brushes tucked within the lovely limited edition Sonia Kashuk Dripping In Diamonds Travel Brush Set ($24.99) may not get a lot of use this holiday season…

…because opening the stylin’ silver clutch is like trying to crack a safe!

I swear, Rubik himself would have struggled to figure it out. The latch, which is set flush against the side, looks the same from the top/bottom. It takes a good deal of force to pry open. Poor El Hub looked like a gorilla with a Gameboy when I asked him to give it a try, and after pawing, growling and clawing at it for about a minute, he finally figured it out (still lovin’ ya, babe!).