A Closer Look At The Sonia Kashuk 15 Year Anniversary Limited Edition Brush Set

If you are at all interested in beauty stuff, then you have probably seen these brushes floating around instagram or the blogosphere. 

Sonia Kashuk, brand exclusive in-store to Target, celebrates 15 years of award winning brushes by coming out with a collection, including this beautiful 15 piece brush set. I have debated writing about them since they're pretty much gone. They've been so hard to track down for a lot of people but if you're lucky, I know some Targets still carry them. Rumor has it though, that they will be restocked and released, at least in the Sonia Kashuk website.

I figured that I would still write about them in case you were in the fence and they're still available in your area or, if you missed it, then you can still have a closer look at them!

-------more after the break---------

I have never tried Sonia Kashuk brushes but they've always been in the back of my mind. They have stellar reputation in the makeup world so when this set came out, I decided it was time I jumped on the bandwagon. THEY'RE PURPLE, PEOPLE! They're so freakin' pretty. And as if being eye candy was not enough, they're really soft and they're made of great quality! Before we look at the brushes one by one, let me just tell you what I love about them in general. I'm not going to go on again about how pretty they are but in functionality, I love the handles on these brushes. The deep purple eggplant handles are the perfect size for my grip. They are easy to maneuver without being too heavy nor flimsy or cheap-feeling. The purple bristles are soft and fluffy and the perfect density in each brush for their functions. I had a slight shedding issue with some of the face brushes but they're not too bad. Also, the brushes smelled weird when I first opened the box. I figured that it was just from manufacturing/ storage and true enough, the smell was gone as soon as I washed them the first time.  

 Now, for a closer look on each of the brushes, starting with eye brushes:

First up are the Angled Eye Liner Brush and the Spoolie Brush. These are pretty standard but I like them a lot because as mentioned, the handles are of the perfect size, making them very easy to control and use. Especially with eye liner brushes, I find that this size makes it a lot easier to put gel eyeliner on.

Next up, the set features two eye shadow brushes. 

It has a Small Eye Shadow Brush which is perfect for packing on eye shadow on the lid. 

It also has a Fluffy Eyeshadow Brush and as the name suggests, this one is fluffier than the other one. It's also wider for when you need to cover more area.

Here's a picture of the shader brushes side by side:

Next is the Blending Brush which I love! It's very similar to the BH Cosmetics blending brush. They're similar in size and density. This brush is super fluffy and makes blending that much easier!

The set also features a Crease Brush which is a little bigger than most of my contour brushes but it's very dense and sturdy so there's not a lot of 'give' which makes it nice  for applying a crease color. The size would not be an issue if you don't need to be very precise with your crease color. It would cover a bigger area so it's perfect for quick, out of the door looks. 

We also get a Pencil Brush. This is my first proper pencil brush so I can't compare it to anything but it has a nice angle which makes it perfect for lining the waterline or applying precise shadows or details. One thing I noticed, though, is that it kind of makes my eye itch if I use it on my waterline. I find it to be a little scratchy but hey, I've never had a pencil brush before. Maybe that's just the way they work.
  

And last of the eye pencils is the Smudge Brush. It's smaller in width than most of my smudge brushes. The closest I can compare it to is the Real Techniques accent brush. The RT is wider by a tiny bit but this one is a bit more dense. The tip of it is also more domed than flat wherein my other smudge brushes are more straight/ flatter. This doesn't bother me at all and I actually like that it offers that variety. It's small enough so I can be very precise, even when smudging. 

And now to the face brushes:

First is the Powder Brush, which honestly, is not my favorite. As I mentioned, I had some shedding issues and this is probably the one that I had the most shedding from. It's fluffy and soft but honestly, the tip of the bristles feel a little scratchy. It's not too bad, though. And I think the perfect use for it would be for applying loose powder. 

Next is the Blush Brush which has basically the same shape as the powder brush. The only difference is that it has shorter bristles and is more dense. It's very reminiscent of the ELF Complexion brush, only this one has a round ferrule which in turn makes the bristles be in a circular shape.

Here are the powder and blush brushes side by side:

We get a Concealer Brush which is just your standard, small brush for spot concealing. It's a little thinner than the ELF concealer brush and also a little longer but it doesn't really make much difference application wise.

We also have a Flat Foundation Brush which has a pretty standard feel to it. The width is a little smaller than my other brushes of similar function. I also think it's a little thicker which makes the pointy shape a little more prominent.

One of the brushes I was most excited to try is this Domed Buffing Brush. Unfortunately, I was little disappointed with it. It has a great shape and density but the bristles  feel scratchy and for the few times that I've used it for putting foundation on, the application was very streaky. The more I buffed, the more streaky it got. In the end, I had to come in with a beauty sponge to fix my foundation. 

LOVE this Angled Buffing Brush though! I was also really excited to try this one and thank heavens this was exactly what I expected! I've only used it for under eye concealer and it applies seamlessly! It blends out the area quickly without over absorbing the product and the shape is perfect for that specific area! 

And last but definitely not the least, is this Contour Brush. This is probably the one everybody wants to try. It surely caught my attention and was a definite selling point. I've been trying to find a contour brush that's this shape, much like the much coveted Nars Ita brush. I don't think I've talked about it yet on the blog but I found a dupe for the Ita brush in my Everyday Minerals Itahake brush (currently unavailable at the EM Website). I've been on the hunt for the longest time for something similar and this brush is the bomb! I even like it better than my Everyday Minerals brush because of the handle. I find that this is so much easier to maneuver! The shape and width are perfect for contouring the hallows of the cheeks AND the sides of the nose. It's also thick enough so it's easy to do a quick bronzing for the outside perimeter of the face. If I would pick a brush to wish that they put on the permanent collection, this is definitely it! Here are also side by side comparison photos to my Everyday Minerals brush:

All in all, this is a GREAT set. It was worth every dollar. Did you get a set for yourself? What's your favorite of the bunch?

If you didn't get a chance to find the set and would like a chance to win one, enter my Instagram giveaway. I'm giving away a set of these limited edition brushes to one lucky follower and  I'm also picking another winner of the 5 piece Brush Couture Set also from Sonia Kashuk. The last day to enter is on August 12, 2014 so hurry over to my Instagram and find my giveaway post! Good luck! :)