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!”

June Birchbox

My June Birchbox came today and I was pleasantly surprised with all of the goodies they sent me! Last month was not as great in my opinion, but they redeemed themselves this time. J I am going to show everything in order of what was liked the most, ending with what I would not ever think of buying.

This is the list of everything which was included in my travel-themed June Birchbox as well as the prices for regular sizes of the product.

They sent me a standard sized, Laura Geller Baked Blush N’ Brighten powder in the color Honey Dipped. I have seen some other people’s Birchbox Youtube Videos, and have usually seen a pink blush so I am happy I got this one instead. I am really into bronzey, highlighting type powders right now so this is right up my alley. This product is valued at $29.50 normally, so this was a great deal for this month. I love the texture of this product it is so soft and creamy I kept dipping my finger into it, lol. The color is really warm and goes well with my NW25 skintone right now, I am excited to use it in a FOTD and show you guys. I think you could use this as a blush, bronzer or highlighter depending on what you prefer. I would highly recommend this product to anyone, even if this color is not for you there are others to choose from … the texture is beautiful and the pigmentation is the bee’s knees! J

Secondly and another rave is the Pangea Organics toner, on the description card it is said to be for normal/oily skin but on the bottle and facial cream it says for normal/combination skin.. hmm. I have never used this line before, but this spray reminded me a little of the Juice Beauty refreshing spray. I don’t know if they really are that similar, but the name kept popping in my mind when looking at and trying out this spray. They also included a spray nozzle to attach to it after opening the sealed bottle, and a sample of the Pangea Organics Facial Cream to put on after using the toner. I am definitely going to purchase the full size of the toner, it is $26 and it comes in a 4 fl. Oz. bottle. The smell of this is AMAZING, and it may be a little overwhelming for those with sensitive noses but I really liked it. It is “laced with mandarin and lime,” and it is supposed to be for refreshing your face and giving you a boost of energy.  After using it, it gave my skin a slightly matte feeling but it did not dry it out by any means.  This item may seem a bit pricey, but I am a big fan of refreshing products and sprays such as MAC Fix +. I am glad I got to try this product and I believe it does what it says, it refreshes! The scent also is a great, natural pick me-up which is much needed in my life! I won’t review the sample face cream right now, but I will update this post once I do use the combination of both of these products.

This entry I will leave as a neutral, because I haven’t been able to test it out yet. Once I do I will update this section for the Oscar Blandi Olio Di Jasmine Hair Serum. It is a serum which is supposed to “banish frizz and flyaways,” and lord knows I suffer from that! They sell a 50 ml size on the Birchbox web site for $35 or a 15 ML bottle for $16. More later….

Herban Essentials Orange Towlettes are basically really strongly scented wipes. For $15 you can get 20 of these babies. It sounds a little pricey to me for something you are going to use up pretty fast and throw away quickly. Don’t get me wrong they smell good… sort of like peeling open an orange, but then besides the smell what is this product? It is a hand wipe. Good for cleaning… and wiping right? It’s not like they’re marketing this as a makeup remover, it is named a towlette. Like what they give you on an airplane of when you get a bucket of fried chicken, so in my opinion the price tag is a bit ridiculous. On the description card it says it is “germ-killing and mood-perking,” but so are my Lysol orange-scented countertop cleaners… or baby wipes. Definite fail for me, this is an obvious no buy.

Last on my list and in my goodie box is a fragrance sample; Twirl by Kate Spade. YUCK. Sorry, this is also a no brainer for me, would never ever purchase or wear this fragrance. BUT don’t take my word for it, I think fragrance preferences are very personal and subjective. To each his own, but in my humble opinion this scent is way too overbearing for any young woman. My grandma, may she rest in peace smelled a bit like this and I love being reminded of her but this scent is not subtle at all. I put a small drop on my wrist and my senses were instantly bombarded with a sickening, sweet floral smell. It is just way to much to be workable I think, and it needs to be toned down a whole lot. If you want everyone in the room to turn and stare at you when you walk into the room get this! This formula is described as a “flirty scent (which) feels carefree and joyful” but in my opinion it comes off as careless and way too damn heavy. I don’t see myself flirting with anyone wearing this, sorry but ZERO STARS for Twirl. The 1.7 oz size of this product retails for $65 and the 3.4 fl. Oz is $80.

That’s all, hope everyone enjoyed! If you are interested in signing up for Birchbox’s monthly sample service there website is: http://www.Birchbox.com. They also have interesting how to videos, articles and links to these products and more. The more you buy, the more points you collect! 

My Makeup Organization

This post is just to show you guys my makeup collection and the way I store it. In no way am I "showing off" or anything but I enjoy showing what I have so that people can ask for reviews on certain items or ask about a certain product. I love collecting makeup (maybe a little too much) but I think it is a somewhat healthy obsession and it makes me happy. :) Hey, i'm not hurting anyone... just my pockets, lol. So here goes!

This is the storage drawer thingy which my hubby bought me, I am not sure from where :P It comes in very handy when I am standing up and doing my makeup with the mirror behind my door. 

Top drawer is foundations, concealers, primers, eyeliners, powders, highlighters and mascara. Tweezers, little scissors and lash curler also. 

Second drawer is eye shadows.

Third is for lip stuff.

Fourth is blushes and bronzers.

Fifth is accessories... rings, necklaces (don't have many) and bangles/bracelets. 

Sixth is nail polish and nail accessories/glitter/acrylics.

Seventh is just random things I don't use anymore, or things I have up for swap/sale.

Here at the top of the drawers I have my brushes, fix + spray and a couple of larger palettes in the back. (Elf & Coastal Scents)

Foundation, powder, concealers, base/primers on the left, and eye liners, mascara on the right.

Foundation bin up close. Favs: Hard Candy concealers, MAC cream color base in Pearl, Revlon face primer and my MAC Studio Fix plus. 

Single eye shadows on the left, Wet n Wild palettes on the right as well as: Naked palette, Lorac, Mark & one MAC e/s palette (Joker!)

Can never have too many of these :P 

Lippie drawer: Lipsticks in the back, front right are mainly lip glosses, and front left are lip balms, chapstick etc. 

Front up close, lip liners also go in here. Favs: Kiehls balm, EOS, Revlon coral glosses & NYX lip spa (orange).

Lipstick: faves right now have to be MAC Everhip, MAC Candy Yum Yum, Lime Crime My Beautiful Rocket, MAC Hibiscus and all of the Wet n Wild ones!

Blushes and a couple bronzers. Missing my new Rock and Republic Immoral blush. OMFG. Insane. I will review and swatch later, it's just too good! In here I have a few NYX, MAC, Wet n Wild, Milani, Mark, Physicians Formula, and Hard Candy. 

MAC blush palette - I don't remember all of the names and I don't have the ones I depotted labeled. LOL, yeah my bad. First one on the top left is Harmony for sure though :P

MAC eye shadow palette. One spot left! Favs: Gesso, Chrome Yellow and Yogurt.

I am decorating all of my black palettes with these cute stickers from now on, helps with remembering which is which. Joker is e/s, Michael is blush and the guy down below (who is he??) is my Coastal Scents 28 Neutral palette. Missing is my 88 Shimmer CC palette but that one is old and dirty now :(

So, that is it guys! Hope you enjoyed the pic fest, lol. Let me know if you have any questions about anything shown here.

xoxo

Vanessa

MAC Surf Baby Haul

By now, everyone and their mother has seen this collection LOL but here is my teensy weensy little haul courtesy of my sister Lexe. She bought these items for me as my graduation gift. We both went to the MAC Surf Baby collection preview party at our local MAC store and I got all of the following pictured, except the My Paradise blush which was sold out. One week before it was scheduled to debut, it was freakin' sold out at the store... can you believe that? But you know why if you own it ;) It is gorgeous and definitely my favorite piece out of the entire collection, with the Hibiscus lipstick coming in as my second place.

Anyways, the party was fun they had cocktails made with Jose Cuervo, appetizers served by male models and a screen printing station. I did not check that out because of the line but it looked cool. My sis picked up the Sun Blonde and Surf USA eye shadows. I really loved the sea green color of the Surf USA shadow but I didn't think I needed it. Aside from the following items pictured below, I also got the Swell Baby eyeshadow but returned it a couple of days later. It lacked pigmentation in my opinion and wasn't smooth when applying. Bleh. I bought the My Paradise blush from another MAC store in my area on the day it released, May 26th. So the products I do have in my possession are the following:

Sun Blonde eye shadow, Strange Potion lipglass, Hibiscus lipstick & My Paradise cheek powder. Sorry for the bathroom sink shot but the bathroom has the best lighting in the house so far, LOL. 

Gorgeous overspray design of my favorite flower, the Hibiscus. I have not even used this blush yet, I am too scared of messing it up, hehe. Sorry I do not have a pic of the swatch for this yet, but I will post once I do. This was $28.00 USD. 

I'm not super happy with the texture of this eyeshadow (Sun Blonde) either, but I love the mustard-like color of it and in general I am a big fan of yellow eye shadows. The price for this was $15.50 USD.

The Hibiscus lippie next to my Ever Hip lipstick from the Liberty of London collection for comparison. Again, sorry for the crappy looking sink shot :/ The lipstick was $15.50 USD also.

Hibiscus on my lips, my new favorite lipstick of the moment. Great shade for Spring and Summer in my opinion, and it looks great on my NW25 skin tone. Such a creamy, buildable color I would highly recommend it, it is worth the hype!

The Strange Potion lipglass, a pretty color to go over the Hibiscus lipstick. Some of you may be familiar with it, it first came out in the Venemous Villains collection which I missed out on. Great pinky coral staple for any collection. This lipglass was $15.50 USD.

A few color swatches done on my hand. Poor quality, I know... I can't wait until I get a new camera!

Left is of the Sun Blonde eyeshadow, middle swatch is the Strange Potion lipglass, and the last is a swatch of Hibiscus.

Thanks for reading, what did you pick up from this collection? Let me know in the comments!

Graduating

I (finally) achieved something I can be proud of, it took me a while to do but I am so glad I did it. My grad. ceremony was last week on Friday May 27th at 6:00 pm at Chabot. I received my Associate in Arts degree in Behavioral Science. Ugh, I was one of the last people to walk it felt like it took forever. I was so anxious the entire time and just wanted to get the walking part over with. I think I had a nightmare the night before where I had fallen on stage in front of everyone, ugh :/ But it went well and afterwards the family and I went to  a late dinner at BJ's Brewery, yummm :)

Me and Evita after the ceremony, she was so proud of me:) I'm happy I could show her that I was able to do this and that I want a better future for her. I have plans to get my B.A. in Sociology at CSU Chico, where I was accepted for Fall 2011, but I am thinking of taking a semester off and postponing until Spring. I am excited about getting this done, and since it is an online program I can most likely take more classes than I usually would. After getting my B.A., I definitely want to pursue my Masters in Public Administration which is my main goal. I would love a career in administration within a non-profit or a college. But we will see :)


In the meantime, I have been searching for a full-time job where I can finally get benefits and start making my own money again! I missed being "financially independent." My husband is me and my family's best provider but at the same time I love working and being able to splurge every now and then. Also, my youngest is almost 4, and I as a mother know she is not intellectually stimulated here at home with me! She needs to socialize and go back to school full-time. She had been going part-time while I was in college, but I don't think that is good enough for her. I really love her school and teachers as well, and I know she misses seeing her friends.


I am really pleased with how things have turned out, and optimistic about the future and things to come! I am also planning on fulfilling my blogging goals and posting here more often:)