Lately I’ve been hell bent on finding a new eyeliner brush, one that gives good cat eyeliner flicks and costs less than the MAC 209 ($17.50) and Laura Mercier Flat Eye Liner Brushes ($25) I’ve been using for a while.
They’ve been fine brushes for lining my lash and water lines, but I’ve never been completely happy with either of them (for one, they’re kinda expensive).
Enter Sonia Kashuk’s $6 Bent Eyeliner Brush.
I picked it up from Target last week, and I’m already hooked. 🙂
Turns out this bad boy’s all that and a bag of baked Cheetos! — an affordable, all-purpose eyeliner brush (part clouds; insert heavenly music *here*) with a pointed brush head (soft synthetic fibers), an angled barrel and long handle.
I’ve mostly been using it with MAC Fluidline gel liner so far, but I bet it’d also do a good job with cream or cake eyeliners, eyeshadows and even liquid liners like MAC Liquidlast.
I REALLY like how it handles my upper lash line and the base of my upper lashes along the waterline.
Sonia gets gold stars 
from me for how soft yet firm the bristles feel. They’re firm enough to create precise lines with but not so firm as to scratch the skin — totally perfect for creating a little winged cat eye flick.
Maybe it’s the bent barrel, or perhaps it’s the firm brush head — whatever mojo’s going on here, it’s working, because those little cat eye flicks suddenly got A LOT easier when this brush entered my life. The difference is like night and day.
For a $6 brush, it’s hard to do better than this. And if it disappears one day, it won’t hurt as much as it hurts to lose a $25 brush. I’m serious — if you don’t give it a try, you’ll make baby angels cry black tears of disappointment. Well… not really, but they will be sad. 🙂 Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Woo-hoo! I’m headin’ to Tar-zhay tomorrow! 🙂
Tar-ghay is where it’s at, babe!
I have this brush but I haven’t tried it yet! I’m unsure about how to use it at the moment.. one day I’ll give it a try! 🙂 x
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Let me know what you think of it when you eventually take it for a spin. 🙂
Thanks for the review! I was looking forward to this since your drugstore haul! I’m so glad this is a great brush, now I don’t have to spend $20 for a good one 🙂 That makes my wallet happy.
You’re welcome! I hope you try it and love it. 🙂
I LOVE LOVE LOVE that brush too …. perfect for liquid/gel and all other eyeliners and makes winging very easy!
I should stock up ….
I’m thinking I might do the same. I won’t feel guilty about having multiples since they’re only $6!
Heya Karen … I did already. Yesterday after work. I got 2 more!!! 😀
Nice! I have to by there to pick up some lint brushes (Tabs is shedding like there’s no tomorrow!) so I’ll probably get another one. I heard that there’s a good sale on makeup going on right now, too…
Whoa! Okay! I wasn’t expecting such a glowing review. Personally, I would have been afraid of its bent-ness. Then again $6? Yes please.
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At first I was afraid (I was petrified) that the bent angle would be hard to use, but it wasn’t! It’s pretty easy. 🙂
I have this brush and I love using it with liquid eye liner. It is pretty darn amazing!
Oh cool! Which liquid liner do you use it with?
Woot! Go Sonia Kashuk! This reminds me of a liner I saw once by Benefit. Though I can imagine that wouldn’t come in cheap!
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Yup, they make a bend liner brush too. It’s $16, which isn’t that bad in terms of price, but if you’re on a tight budget the Sonia one is a good option. 🙂
I’m sooo getting this. Only 6 bucks! Can’t beat that.
And I love me my cat/winged eyeliner. (Although I usually do it with a liquid liner, maybe my cream liner will get some use now! LOL.) 🙂
.-= Maggie’s last blog post… Package! + A Mini Haul and more! =-.
Oooh, which liquid liner do you like?
Benefit does a brush like this too – sadly there’s doesn’t cost $6.What a deal!
I’ve been tempted by that one, I can’t lie! Love how this one is so cheap, though!
Huh. I picked this up a while ago and tried it a couple of times and it just didn’t give me the precision I was looking for. Going to have to pull it out and play with it a little more.
It took a few tries for me to get the hang of it. I like to start at the outer corner and use small strokes to work inward. Then I retrace the line going from the inner to outer lash line to solidify it. This seems to be the best way to get precise lines…
Just got back from Target and they were having a massive cosmetics clearance sale. I picked up some nail polishes for 1 buck each, a SK eyeshadow in a nice highlighter shade for $1.50, and two Studio Tools brushes — a blender and their skunk brush — for about 60% off. It looked like they were clearing out their entire Milani stash, the Rimmel products that have been reformulated, and assorted L’Oreal, Kashuk, and Cover Girl products.
Will give your bent liner brush approach a try.
Oh sweet. I need to go there tomorrow to pick up some hangers so I’ll check it out! Thanks for the heads up.
Ooh… I’ve been looking for another eyeliner brush, especially for cat eyes. Next time I’m at Target, I’m definitely gonna pick one of these up. Thanks for the review!
You’re welcome. Do you have a good gel liner on hand?
I have some Stila smudge pots, and UD’s Ink for Eyes. I use the MAC 266 for them.
This brush would be really great for the Smudge Pots! 🙂
Dangit, yet another thing for my Target list! 🙂
.-= Trude’s last blog post… Ten Things =-.
Ha ha, welcome to my world!
How *do* you do a cat’s eye flick? That skill totally eludes me… Not for a lack of trying though.
Some people say that you can try drawing an extension that follows your natural lower las line, but I don’t really get too scientific about it. I literally just flick my wrist when I get close to the outer edge of my lashes. It seems to be the easiest and fastest way for me to do it!
I wish I could say the same…but I have the Benefit get bent eyeliner brush and it’s wierd! I don’t like it…it’s like if you were trying to paint your nails with a bent brush. I don’t feel incontrol!
Hmm… how do you use it? I’ve found that short strokes seem to work best for me (as opposed to a single long stroke).
I love this brush! I use mine with MAC and BB gel liners. So easy!
It’s the best, right?
Wow what a deal! I use a Sephora brush that isn’t bent & it works pretty well.
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Does it have the same pointy tip? Or is it like a flat square?
It’s a pointy tip. I looked on the site and they don’t have it on there anymore.
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I’m obsessed with this brush! I’m totally clumsy and even I can do very precise winged e/l with its help… love!
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Yes! It’s a drugstore winner, fo’ sho’!
Oh my gosh, I love your commentary! Don’t want to make any angels cry…
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No you don’t! Better get on it!
I have been eyeing the benefit one … will def get the this one for sure !!
Yay! Hope you like it. 🙂
Hmmm too bad I don’t have a Target in Canada and I don’t come to the States often. I would love to pick on of these up, so I can do a perfect cat eye.
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I think it’s been around for a while; plus, it’s part of the permanent brush line. I think you have time!
I use this brush on a regular basis (at least 3 times a week). I love it to death.
.-= Celine’s last blog post… maravi: My coworker was whistling a song yesterday and his whistling is still stuck in my head today. =-.
Me too! I think it’s going into my regular brush rotation.
I bought this a month ago and it’s my favorite too. Always reach for it over my MAC or Benefit liner brush
I was wondering how the Benefit liner compared. Which MAC brushes have you tried for lining?
I’ve used a MAC 212 and I have an angled sephora liner brush as well as the benefit brush. S. Kashuk brush is the best in my opinion.
i was thinking of getting this one, but wasn’t sure how the “bent” factor would translate in terms of user friendliness. so i got an even cheaper one from avon just to test it out (and since the sonia kashuk one was sold out at the time all around me, grr), and ooooooohmygoodness. it is the BEST eyeliner brush i have ever used! AND it’s made to a flat tip instead of a pointed one. try it out! it’s only 1.99!!! the handle might be a little short, but i personally think that just gives me even more control over lining my eyes. =]
Sounds intriguing! I’ll check it out. 🙂
ooooh, the bent factor looks fun. I’m loving my sephora double ended eyeliner brush at the moment – it so easy to use and gives me a really smooth line, and I’m notoriously horrendous at eyeliner, so anything I can use must be good 😉
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I bet you’re great at it. What type of liner are you using with it?
I just picked up a bent eyeliner brush from Avon, and it works good especially for $1.99.
The concept is genius!!
That sounds like a good deal.
I picked this up about a year ago, and it was too thick for me. Then, I tried it again recently with my Stila mini-pots and realized it’s AWESOME! Then again, maybe I’ve gotten better at makeup application, given that one year ago is about when I got started playing with it 🙂
Isn’t it great! Do you use it for cat eyeliner too?
I’ve tried to do a cat eye, but I’m not that skilled yet. Every time I try, the flick out disappears by the end of the day . . . Oh well! I’ll keep working on it 🙂 Also (this started on an old thread), I am LOVING Cyndi from Viva Glam. So loving it 🙂 I think it’s the red that I’ve been looking for that works on me! Oo, and Rose Maiden 🙂
Hmm… maybe try putting primer in the outer eye area. That might help… or perhaps setting it with black powder shadow.
Cyndi so fab! If you’re feeling super sassy pop some clear gloss over it!
I will give the primer a try tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes on one of your posts tomorrow 🙂 Perhaps I’ll *even* pair it with Cyndi and some gloss. Ooooo, I am getting excited thinking about what to do! 🙂
That will look elegant and pretty! I might try it before bed just for fun. Now only if I had the mad skills to rock the false lashes… le sigh.
No kidding with the falsies. *le sigh* indeed! I need to just decide that I’ll go to one of the places that applies them for you (Shu Uemura does, right?) the next time I have a big shindig. I don’t know when that will be, but at least “not for a while” fits in my budget! 🙂
Yup, they do. I bet if they’d probably do it at MAC to if you purchased the products and asked a makeup artist nicely!
Perhaps I will do that (go to MAC) . . . the women who have helped me there have always been amazingly kind and helpful. The first time I went in, I got all of the information about woman who helped me and called her manager to compliment her.
They are FAB, aren’t they? Do you go to the store in Arden Fair?
Yep 🙂 Arden is so crowded and crazy, but I try to go early in the day, which reduces the craziness. I’ve been to the Roseville one, but the MUA there were less helpful (and WAY less busy . . .), and it’s a longer drive. Too bad, because that mall is beautiful! And they have *everything.* There truly isn’t a store that I can think of that doesn’t exist in Roseville now, between the Galleria and the Fountains and the area across the street from the Galleria.
Amazing. I remember Roseville as being THE CUT, with hella tumbleweeds and whatnot rolling through the streets. One of my good friends moved out there after graduation and told me that it would be “the next big thing.” I guess he was right!
Gundemmit, why is there no Target in my country :((
Yeah, Roseville’s gotten *really* large *really* fast. I’ve had a wonderful time “chatting” with you on here tonight . . . Have a wonderful night, and a great Thursday! I’ll let you know how the cat eye with Cyndi lip goes for me tomorrow 🙂
It was nice talking to you too! Good luck with your Cyndi look tomorrow! 🙂
hey karen i <3 this brush! the only downfall is that i have to wash it every other day or it doesnt perform as well with the dried up liner left on it. other than that i think its a steal
Hi Hunnybunny! I like to keep Wet Ones wipes on hand while I’m actually using it. If I quickly clean the gunk off the brush with a wipe then it I don’t have to take it to the sink and use running water!
I’ve had this brush for ages and I LOVE it
It’s awesome!
I do loooove MAC 209 (it’s the best!), but I am really impressed with Sonia’s brushes, and I’m glad to know it’s comparable, if not better, than MAC’s. I picked up her smudger brush for $3 (how can you go wrong?!), and I use it almost every day. I’m definitely going to give this a shot.
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Ooh, is the one you have the smudger with the black handle or the white?
White! I love it.
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I’ve been using the Smashbox version – but I’m going to buy a few of these when I see them – what a steal!
Heya Bisbee! What do you think of the Smashbox one?
YES! I was really hoping this would check out! I’ve wanted to get a bent eyeliner brush forever, but keep putting it off because ‘do I really need ANOTHER eyeliner brush?’ but for $6 I totally do!
Hi Beth, Which ones do you use now?
I have a couple from smashbox, and an angled one I like from ecotools. Then since I’ve got a slight obsession with travel brush kits, about a dozen funny little brushes from everywhere.
hi karen,
what do you use on your waterline? everything i try seems to smudge into a hot mess within an hour.
any advice? thanks!!
I use a bunch of different things — MAC Fluidline, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil, MAC Kohl and MAC Technakohl.
I totally need to buy this brush to try it out! I got one from Bare Escentuals the other month and I like it so far. It makes thin precise lines but the brush itself is sooo light I feel like I don’t have much control.
http://bareescentuals.com/Slanted%20Eyeliner%20Brush/43186,default,pd.html?start=1&cgid=BE&cm_mmc=GPS-_-Feeds-_-%2043186-_-Null
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Omg this is brilliant! I usually bend my eyeliner brushes manually with pliers to get the same effect. This takes the work out of it and for only $6, I think I might buy several for my kit!!
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I’ve been using this brush for awhile, I love it. My hand is shaky so applying e/l evenly is hard. But this helps me get a nice even line right along my lashline. I use it with Fluidlines. So glad you found it and now everyone else will!
Girrrrrrlllll, this is the ONLY eyeliner brush I use. Once I used it, I never looked back. It’s the best & the price makes it even sweeter. So glad you got on board w/ this brush. hehe. 😀
You writing this makes me want it to be tomorrow already so i can use it! lol. I have this brush and I really like it and the price is awesome. I have one problem though… I use it for my Stila smudge pots and as lightly as I swipe it in the pot, the brush kind of flattens and loses its pointyness. But I’m thinking maybe the smudge pots are a little bit too thick, and I haven’t tried any other gel eyeliner so I don’t really know lol
Hi Karen. I was so intrigued by your review that I went out and bought an angled liner brush from Quo (a Canadian brand). I wanted to tell you that it was amazing! I’m using it for gel eyeliner and it works great. Thanks for your review!!
Hi Ada,
Glad to hear that it’s working for you! Yay!
dangit haha i was staring at this brush the other day before finally putting it back, thinking i did not need another eyeliner brush. -_-..
can you use this on your water line? Sorry haha stupid question, but it looks like I can poke it in my eye easier than a regular angled eyeliner brush
Hi Jennifer,
Yup, I use it on my waterline all the time.