There’s something about the black and red metal brushes in Sonia Kashuk’s new Scarlet Starlet 4-Piece Brush Set ($14.99) that reminds me of gadgets. The four travel-ready brushes, and the black and silver clutch in which they live, look almost like something that could have been made by Apple.
With the set, you get three eye brushes — an eyeshadow brush, a fluffy domed brush and a short shader — and one smaller blush/face brush.
Scarlet Starlet 4-Piece Brush Set, $14.99
I kinda wish I could swap the blush brush for an angled eye brush because then the set would cover the basics in terms of the brushes I regularly use on my eyes, but c’est la vie. Even with one somewhat random face brush in the mix, the four brushes Sonia selected here provide for a lot of flexibility when creating looks.
All three of the eye brushes worked together well yesterday when I used them for my pink/purple eye, and the only thing I found myself missing was the angled eye brush to fill in my brows.
The flat shader brush is small enough for detail work on my lids and in the crease, while the fluffy domed crease brush blends colors to perfection. And the flat shader brush, even though it feels a little scratchy to me, produces some nice, soft lines.
I generally like Sonia’s brushes, but I don’t think all of them are up to MAC standards when it comes to durability. Some have begun to fall apart on me after a few years, while I have MAC brushes that are still going strong after a decade of heavy use.
The barrel on my beloved Sonia Kashuk Flat Top Brush recently fell off while I was washing it, and the poor thing was barely three years old.
With that in mind, would I rely exclusively on these brushes for daily use? Probably not. I think they’re great for touchups and travel, but I think I’d want something sturdier in the long run.
PRICE: $14.99
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Target stores and also online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Yelena says
December 8th, 2011 at 9:50 pmi have been eyeing these for the last few days! i’ve had great luck with her brushes particularly her fluffy blending blush i cannot live without!
julio says
December 8th, 2011 at 10:52 pmFunny thing is that I just bought this set and one of the ferrels came off while I washed it. O:! I have contacted Sonia Kashuk about this problem. I love my Sonia Brushes, but I can’t them falling apart.
Kate & Zena says
December 8th, 2011 at 11:48 pmIs it just me, or did anyone think “Smashbox brushes” when they first saw the photo?
Smashbox, I think, is just known for their bright red with black ferrule brushes! Upon closer inspection, they’re different (completely different bottom, hue, size–even the mini’s tend to be long, which I like–and the Kashuk’s are metallic), but that’s what I thought at first!
Karen, do you know any good tips for healing an deeply extracted pimple? I got a bit overzealous and, well, injured my poor congested pore (i.e. blood bath. Not good!) Going around with a band-aid (non-latex, of course) looks kind of weird!
shiny says
December 10th, 2011 at 6:45 amzee-gackly (exactly)
Nina says
December 9th, 2011 at 6:26 ami find that sonia’s eye brushes are more durable than her face brushes … this is a nice set for someone who is just starting, and wont use and abuse her brushes to death. or for keeping in the purse for touchups during the day.
Lilly says
December 9th, 2011 at 6:39 amDo you mean the handle fell off? The same thing happened to my Bobbi Brown brush, and I just super-glue it back. I have a suspicion that it got loosened by the cleaning/soaking-in-soap process.
Dao says
December 9th, 2011 at 6:41 amBack in the day when she arrived at Target, her brushes were good and cheap. My flat top brush, the same one that you got and recommended, also fell out. I used super glue to glue it back and it’s all good now 😀 You should try that but don’t be overzealous on the glue because it can stick to the bristles and get messy.
Joyce says
December 9th, 2011 at 7:22 amI’ve never bought Sonia Kashuk’s brush sets or the brushes with the white handle because the ones with the white handle feel a bit scratchy and lower quality. I always buy from her professional line, the brushes with the black handle and they feel super duper soft. I haven’t had any problems with them, no shedding, no dye bleeding or funky smell. =)
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Tracy says
December 9th, 2011 at 9:16 amI had a Sonia Kashuk Blush Brush and the barrel also fell off when washing it one day. 🙁 Now I’m a little leery of her brushes. I’d rather pay for MAC ones because I know they’ll last.
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Chris25 says
December 9th, 2011 at 10:11 amThe SK brush I really want is the bent eyeliner brush. It sucks that there’s not a Target near me. 🙁
Jenn says
December 9th, 2011 at 1:14 pmWhen Sonia’s line came to Target, I seriously couldn’t be more excited! Didn’t know these brushes were so affordable. Looks like I’ll be asking for these for Christmas this year!