Sonia Kashuk Goldmine Brush Set

EDIT 6/20/2011: I saw these at Target yesterday on clearance for 17.58! Wish I would have waited, oh well :P

I recently picked up this limited edition Sonia Kashuk “Goldmine” 7 piece brush set from Target and I purchased it for 24.99. I LOVE these brushes. I wasn’t planning on buying an entire set when I walked into Target, I was just looking for maybe one or 2 blending/contouring brushes. When I saw this set I knew I had to buy it! It is a really good deal for that many brushes when usually buying one will cost you at least 8.99, but often more. This set comes with 2 face brushes and 5 eye shadow brushes:  1 powder brush, 1 pointed concealer/foundation brush, 1 domed blending brush, 1 all over eye shadow brush, 1 angled eye liner brush, 1 blending/multi-purpose brush, and 1 smudging brush. The box is really nice as well it has a beachy feel to it with the green and gold, I can’t bring myself to throw away the box so I gave it to my daughter LOL.  

This Goldmine set also comes with a wicker brush case; I didn’t take any pix of the inside but imagine a sunglass or eyeglass case interior. It doesn’t come with any slots to place your brushes for carrying or traveling so I won’t be using this. I’m sure my mom will like it for her glasses though! For a lot of these pictures my camera would not focus, sorry.

This powder brush is super fluffy and versatile, I use it mainly for my setting powder. The bristles are really soft like most of the brushes in the set.

The pointed foundation brush is my second favorite out of the set and the one I was the most excited to try out. I have not used this for my foundation but rather for highlighting. This one is SOOOOO soft, insanely so. I don’t know if they sell this one by itself, but I would definitely re-purchase or get a back-up.

Next is the blending brush, my all time favorite of the bunch. This one looks a lot like my Sigma E 40, and it is very similar except this one is shorter and lighter. The tapered blending tip is also smaller, the E 40 is quite large and I know some people might have issues with that. So I like that the Sonia Kashuk one is smaller but not too small… just right.

This next brush is also essential to any kit, it is an all over eye shadow brush which picks up color and applies it very nicely. The bristles are really smooth but not overly so. Have you ever had an eye brush that feels more like a concealer brush? I hate those and use them only for cream shadows, and this is not like that at all.

I always find that angled liner brushes are usually hit or miss, but this one is a hit with me. The brush is not too stiff to where it hurts but it stiff enough to where you can get a good line going with your cream liner. I used this brush with my Stila smudge pots and it worked very well.  It doesn’t bend like other brushes might because they are too soft, making it easier to control.

This next brush is called the multi-purpose brush on the back of the box, but I usually refer to these as blending brushes. I have the same brush but mini which came in one of the Sonia K. breast cancer awareness sets, and I am not a big fan of that one either. In this entire set this is the brush I could live without. I wish they would have put a thick, chunky, all-over eye shadow brush like the Sigma E 55 or the Elf “C” brush.  This one works very well for blending but because of the thickness and stiffness of the bristles I find this one to be too scratchy at times for my eyelids.

Lastly we have the smudger brush, which is as exciting as a smudging brush can get. It is not a rave or miss in my eyes, but rather it is just there. Maybe I am biased because I don’t smudge too often, (or maybe I don’t have the skill to do so yet, hehe) but this one was just kind of ehhh. It works well enough and it does its job as it should but it’s nothing to call home about in my opinion.

These brushes caught my eye because of the unique design: each one has a light brown wooden handle, gold ferrel and end tip, and some have kind of a duo coloring to the bristles. Very “earthy” type design, making them stand out in my jars of black handled brushes. The wooden handles make for a very light brush, which makes them easier to work with and manipulate. I own other Sonia Kashuk brushes and have never been shedded on or disappointed by them at all. These also have not shed since washing them or prior to, and the bristles have not changed in any way.  I use my Sonia K, along with my Sigma brushes more often than any other brush I own. I only own one MAC kabuki brush, so I cannot do a comparison for the most part but the price and quality of Sonia K brushes are top notch in my opinion.  So overall this case is a good bargain for those in need of some unique, quality brushes and it truly is a “goldmine!”