Sonia Kashuk Large Crease v. MAC 226 Brush Review

This little review will be a comparison review between my MAC 226 brush (small tapered blending brush) and my new Sonia Kashuk Large Crease brush.

Ok now for my review…

I just wanted to say that when I first tried out my MAC 226 brush (which I got back when the Color Craft Collection came out) right away I didn’t really like it because the hairs had no real density to it and I found that I had to keep going into color over and over and building to get the crease I wanted.  Building up color is fine, but I tend to go very deep with my crease colors so building kind of gets on my nerves.   The 226 reminds me of the 224, but just cut into a different shape.  I bought 226 because I needed a better crease brush than the Essence of Beauty brush that I have.  With all of the rave reviews about the 226, I went for it.   I really don’t like my Essence of Beauty crease brush at all (it’s totally useless to me to use in the crease), but it is good for lining under the lower lash line nicely.

When I used my new Sonia Kashuk large crease brush for the first time I really liked right away because the brush is fat / dense and of course the head of the brush is larger and thicker than my 226.  This brush fits perfectly inside my crease, perfectly.  When I go into color and put it into my crease right away I see the color and I only have to go back in maybe a couple of more times and all done.  Sweet!

These two brushes are similar, but are very different.  One is bigger than the other when it comes to the density of the hairs, of course.  The bigger the brush, the more control you have over it and I think that is with any brush though.  The 226 is longer than the Kashuk brush, but the Kashuk brush has a thicker handle.  Also, the 226 weighs a little more than the Kashuk brush and I can tell that just from holding both…one is made out of plastic (Kashuk) and the other from wood (226).  The feral on the Kashuk brush is the same width from top to bottom and my 226 feral width is wider from the bottom and becomes thinner as it goes to the top.

Both brushes are great to use in the crease and outer v.   Both are great blending brushes as well.  If you have a harsh line to get rid of then these brushes work well and for me, even better than the 224.  I find that lining does not work well for me when I try to use these brushes for that purpose, but I’ve read on other blogs that it is good for that.  I beg to differ because both brushes are not stiff enough for me to get a precise line of any size.

The 226 brush cost me $24.50 and my Kashuk brush cost me $5.99.  The MAC 226 is a high end brush and the Kashuk is a drugstore brush.  And one is more affordable than the other.

I will say that I love my 226 brush because I’m a MAC addict, but I think everyone should also own Kashuk brushes (the white ones) as back up brushes.  I’m not really found of non-black color brushes, but whatever works the best I’ll use.  When I can’t get to cleaning my brushes when I need to I go to my Kashuk brushes, first, without thinking twice.  The Sonia Kashuk Large Crease brush is a great brush and I have been using it a lot more…well, I haven’t used my 226 since I got my Kashuk large crease brush.  Eeeek!  Yes, I enjoy using this brush a lot and I will continue to do so until oblivion.

That’s it for my review. 

My First Ulta Haul

My best friend and I went on our first visit to Ulta today in Holmdel, NJ (great city by the way) and we thought the place was awesome.  As we walked through the front door we noticed that the cosmetics aisles were located on the left and the fragrances were located on the right.  We headed straight for the cosmetics aisles of course. My best friend said that Ulta reminds her of Sephora, but I don’t think so.  Ulta is so much bigger and they carry a wide range of cosmetic lines from high to low and lots of fragrances, skincare and hair care products…A LOT!

We walked around every aisle that held high-end cosmetics and swatched products here and there.  We then watched a MA make up a customer with Urban Decay cosmetics.  The lady’s face came out really cute.

After our little tour of high-end cosmetics was over we went looking for NYX cosmetics.  We both have been wanting that NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk and we were able to snag a couple.  We’ve been wanting this pencil for a long time and could never find it at our fragrance outlet store or anywhere else for that matter – I cannot wait to try them.   I also picked up a dark brown jumbo eye pencil as well and when I got it home, my 22 month old got a hold of it while I was taking haul pics and yeah, she made a little mess of it.  I won’t be able to line my waterline with it now, but it’s OK.  I need the practice filling in my waterline with a brush anyway.  Price $3.99 each, but I got a buy one get 50% the second deal.

We were then off to look around at more low-end cosmetics and we I found Eco-Tools (which was on my list).  I picked up an angled liner brush and a eye shader brush.  Both brushes are synthetic though, but soft and I’ve heard great things about both brushes so I thought I’d give it a try before I go for the MAC equivalent brushes.  I already have the Eco-Tools Powder brush (which is my favorite brush) so why not get more brushes in the same family?? Price $4.99 for each brush.

So, we were off again and I wanted to check out the nail polishes because I’ve been wanting to get my first bottle of China Glaze nail polish and the only color I found interesting within the inventory left was a burn orangey color called “Cruisin”.  It’s a beautiful, sheeny undertone type of burn orange and I love it. *****TOTALLY OFF-TOPIC, BUT I MUST SHARE***I was like I had to get it because today I ordered NARS Blusher in Taj Mahal which is a burnt orange blush and though I have never seen it in real life before, I love it.  I love NYX Cinnamon blush, which is an orange colored blush, but I heard that orange looks great on the cheeks of women of color so I decided to go ahead and order.  I will go more into the story as to why I ordered NARS blusher in Taj Mahal + backup once I get it in the mail.  I’m so excited.****OK NOW BACK TO THE TOPIC AT HAND****  Plus it’s almost Fall so this color fits the season so I’ll be sporting this polish on the 21st.  Price $6.50.

I wanted to get China Glaze base and top coats, but there wasn’t any.   I may have to just order them online.

After I picked up my nail polish, we decided to explore Ulta some more and my best friend eyes got caught upon the cosmetic bags shelf and made my way over to the skincare shelf where the sales where.  I didn’t get much of a sale, but I picked up Cetaphil Facial Cleansar that came with a free squeeze tube of Cetaphil Lotion.  I can’t wait to use it, starting tonight, as I need help with these breakouts I’ve been getting all summer.  I just wish it would stop.  Please excuse the flash off of the Cetaphil bottle in the picture, but it was wrapped in plastic so that’s why the flash bounced off so hard.  Price $9.34

That’s it!  I’m not sure what’s up with my camera today, but it’s actiing crazy.  Here are pics from my first Ulta store haul:

My Brush Collection is growing.

As I stated before, I have a love hate relationship with my Essence of Beauty Brushes, but I think I love them more than hate now. I’m learning how to work with them and they are great for the price. I will not throw them out. I’ve come to the realization that I hate dual brushes. I just don’t like how they look is all. I hate them.

It’s really sad that I have to report that the MAC logo and numbers of the brushes on my 239 and 217 brushes are rubbing off. I don’t know what’s up with that! I am so broken hearted. I am now careful to hold my MAC brushes on the ends of the wands when I’m washing them so that I don’t rub off the logo and numbers. So sad. They are still MAC brushes so it’s not really a tragedy, but it still hurts like hell.

Here is a pic of my brushes drying after their deep cleaning today. I use Johnson’s Baby Shampoo Extra Conditioning to deep clean my brushes. The only brushes missing from this picture is my Essence of Beauty Blush & Powder dual Brush that I don’t use because I don’t like it so no need to wash it and my Bare Escentuals Mini Buki Brush (which I’ve never used).  The MAC 224, MAC 219 and Sonia Kashuk Fluffy Eyeshadow brushes are my newest brushes. I have shaped them and here they are…

From left to right…

Eco-Tools Powder Brush (love love love)
Essence of Beauty Comb/ Eyebrows & Eyeliner dual Brush
Essence of Beauty Finishing Brush
Essence of Beauty Crease Brush (sorry the pic is cut off)
Essence of Beauty Blending & Eyeshadow dual Brush
Essence of Beauty Foundation & Conceal dual Brush

Bare Escentuals Flawless Face Brush (love love love)
Bare Escentuals Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush
Bare Escentuals Kabuki Brush
Bare Escentuals Contour Shadow Brush (love love love)

Sonia Kashuk Fluffy Eyeshadow Brush (I have yet to try this one out)

MAC 239
MAC 217
MAC 226
MAC 224
MAC 219

The next brush I’m going to get is the MAC 134, 109 and 209 brushes.