Cruelty Free

Sonia Kashuk No 4 Synthetic Flat Top Buffer

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Sonia Kashuk No 4Sonia Kashuk No 4

Over the last two years years I’ve given my F80 quite the workout. It’s on its last legs, and could use replacing. I planned to. Then, Target offered 25% off all beauty products; I struck out and bought the Sonia Kashuk No 4 Synthetic Flat Top Brush (reg $16), which is widely suggested to be a dupe for the F80. I had my eye on it for a while, but with no reason to buy, I refrained.

Ergonomics

The No 4 features the same weird, ergonomic handle that many of the, “nicer,” SK brushes do. For some, that’s great – but unfortunately, this brush was awkward for my to hold and felt very unnatural. My hands are somewhat small, so your mileage may vary with the handle. I’m sure some people would find it comfortable to hold.

Bristles

This is the crucial part. So as you can see below, the bristles are different lengths (pardon the smudged eyeliner on my index finger)…

 

Sonia Kashuk No 4 Synthetic Flat Top vs Sigma F80

This isn’t a bad thing per se. Depending on the type of bristles and the rigidity with which they were bound, the length could be irrelevant. Here, however, it is not. Because more of the length is exposed, the bristles flex more during application. This impacts buffing and can, at worst, lead to streaks; at best, your application could take longer as you work to even out the product.

Like the Sigma F80, Sonia Kashuk No 4’s bristles are all synthetic (read: cruelty free). That said, there is a marked difference in texture. Compared to the F80’s Sigmax bristles, the Sonia Kashuk No 4 feels rough. It is not rough and does not irritate my skin; its bristles just seem so when compared with something softer.

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Blond Brilliance Conditioning Toner

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Blond Brilliance Conditioning Toner
For the first time in a decade, I colored my hair via balayage highlights – and now I need to care for those highlights. Research and a trip to my local Sally Beauty landed me on Blond Brilliance Conditioning Toner. This $9, house-brand toner is an indigo-hued conditioner suitable for DIY application (read: you won’t screw this up if you aren’t a professional colorist!).

Usage & Results

Flat out, is ridiculous. There’s something hilarious about dispensing This is an intensely pigmented purplish-blue conditioner. By itself, it is not ultra-hydrating, so I like to make a conditioner cocktail of it and whatever conditioner I planned to use that day. I focus this where it is needed; for me, it has been OK to get it all over, but I try to apply it where it will do the most good. Then, I leave it for five minutes while I tend to other aspects of my showering routine. Rinse and you’re good-to-go.

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LUSH Bath Bombs

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In September, I visited a LUSH store for the first time. I’m familiar with the brand, of course, but had never tried their products – shopping for such things requires at least one physical visit before retreating to the internet for future purchases.

I rarely take baths, but I knew I wanted bath bombs. From there, I had no idea. Luckily for me, I encountered a friendly, knowledgeable employee (whose name, I regret, I do not remember) who asked me some questions to make recommendations:

“Do you like glitter?” Woman, is that even a question? Of course it is – plenty of customers don’t care for glitter. That’s fine, more for me. “What kind of fragrances do you like? Clean? Warm? Vanilla-y? Citrus? What else?” There were a few more – but she led me to two. The Experimenter, which is vanilla and tonka…

LUSH - The ExperimenterLUSH Cosmetics – Experimenter Bath Bomb

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Urban Decay Naked Basics

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So my approach with Urban Decay Naked Basics was a little backwards, having bought Naked2 Basics first. Don’t judge. I’ve really been feeling matte neutrals lately. My energy’s been zapped lately, so I need foolproof…and mattes are exactly that. Let’s be honest – you know what the packaging looks like, so let’s jump right into it.

DSC_0378Urban Decay Naked Basics

Urban Decay Naked Basics isn’t a new palette. I’m not going to hold your hand through it. But even though it isn’t new, I AM excited about it.

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Urban Decay Stash

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This is one of the eight items in the Sephora Paint it Pink set.

My love of Urban Decay eyeshadow, like LORAC, is well-documented. When I saw that this set had a full-sized pan of Urban Decay Stash, that sold it (along with the presence of a beautyblender). I checked out what Temptalia had to say on this shade and got excited pretty quickly.

Urban Decay Stash Eyeshadow

Normally, I take pristine photos of the pans before I touch them… but I couldn’t help myself.

In the pan, Urban Decay Stash looks like it will be a frosty, down-right frigid pink. It isn’t (sorry for the ‘eh,’ lighting):

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Makeup Geek Face Brush Bundle

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stockMakeup Geek Face Brush Bundle

I’m a firm believer that good tools, used properly, will take you far. I also believe in investing in quality products in general. The brushes created by Marlena and her team receive consistently great reviews, so my interest has been piqued for a while; I’ve had the Makeup Geek Face Brush Bundle on my wish list for many months but had some other priorities so I hadn’t pulled the trigger.

My husband doesn’t tend to get me makeup-related gifts, so imagine my surprise and delight when I unwrapped the Makeup Geek Face Brush Bundle. SHEER. FREAKING. JOY.

Inside, there was a note from her team reminding me to wash the brushes, and a handwritten one thanking us for the purchase and sending holiday wishes. So, naturally, I washed them and dried them upside-down. It was excruciating (because I was dying to use them), but I got through it.

Makeup Geek Face Brush Bundle

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