Review of Soho Disney Themed Brushes and Sponges

Hello Beauties!

 

Recently when digging through the new makeup bins at work, I struck gold! We got new makeup brushes and sponges from soho. And the best part? They were Disney themed! Anyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE Disney themed makeup. I grabbed a few of my favorites and decided to give them a whirl.

 

I decided to get the little mermaid brushes, the snow white sponge, and the set of 3 sleeping beauty sponges. There were also two brushes in a beauty and the beast theme, and two double ended brushes in the jasmine theme.

 

My favorite of the three things I bought was definitely the snow white sponge.

 

 

I know that soho has a sponge that looks basically like this, but in pink. I'm not sure if it's the same one with just a different color and marketed as new. But this sponge is excellent! This retailed for 10$ and is definitely worth it. I've never had a beauty blender sponge, but I own the Sonia Kashuk version, and this blows it away. When you wet it, it blows up to double the original size (as shown). And the marquis shape makes it great for both large areas of blending and detail work. I used this today to apply my liquid foundation, concealer, cream bronze and cream blush, and to blend any areas that seemed powdery when I was finished with my makeup. It is a do it all product.

 

 

The next product I tried was the little mermaid brush set. This included a foundation/concealer brush duo and a "highlighting brush" and this retailed for $15. My main gripe with the foundation brush is the size of it. It is way too small to put foundation on your whole face. If you like to spot apply foundation instead of covering your entire face, then this could work. The brushes are synthetic fibers, and very dense, which is good for spot concealing.

The other brush is called the "highlighting brush". I have the same problem with this as the foundation brush, its just too small. If your trying to apply the highlight to the cheekbones, the smaller brush will make the highlight too intense in a small area, instead of an all over glow that a larger less-dense brush can offer. I do like this brush for contouring the sides of the nose. And if you did want to use this brush for highlighter, you can use it for the bridge of the nose and cupids bow for a more intense highlight.

 

 Just look at the cute little mermaid scales and shell emblems! :) (Please excuse the dirty brushes.)

 

 

The final sponges are the ones I was the most disappointed with. The sleeping beauty sponges came in a set of 3 and were supposed to represent the 3 fairies. These retail for $13. The idea is super cute, and I love how the matched each sponge to the colors of the fairy, but the sponges are just terrible. They were smaller and denser than the snow white sponge, and did not work at all. In fact they were not only dense, but they were hard! Even after a full minute of being submerged in warm water, they didn't not soften or expand at all. Because of this, it was extremely difficult to blend any makeup with. It felt like I was using an egg to roll on my foundation. I attempted to use the green one to blend out my foundation, and the red one to blend out my under eye concealer.  It just astounds me that soho can make such a good sponge in the snow white collection, and such terrible ones in the sleeping beauty collection. If they were made out of the same material, they would have been fabulous sponges.

 

 

 So overall, I love the idea of Disney themed makeup, it appeals to the princess inside all of us. I just wish soho would take the time to execute better quality brushes. I'm going to return the sleeping beauty sponges, and I might purchase the jasmine or belle brushes and put them to the test.

Let me know in the comments if you would be interested in a follow up post with those brushes, or on any other Disney themed makeup. Thank you for reading lovelies!

 

Best Wishes,

Heather

Beauty Basics: Skincare

Hello Beauties!

 

For my first official blog post I thought I'd start out by talking about some beauty basics. The thing that can make or break the most beautiful makeup application in the world is having bad skin. Taking care of your skin is vital, it is your largest organ and is your first defense against all pathogens.

 

A basic skin care routine should include at the very least, a cleanser and moisturizer. Optional thing such as scrubs, toners, masks, eye creams, and serums can also be added for an enhanced skincare experience.

 

** Please consult a dermatologist with any problems or questions**

 

Cleanser: The star of the show, cleansers, are used to get rid of dirt, oil, makeup, sweat, and any impurities on and in the skin. They can be specific to your skin type, or contain ingredients to help combat skin conditions.  My favorite skin cleanser is the Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser. Charcoal is very good for combating oily skin, and this cleanser leaves your skin feeling like just brushed teeth.

 

 

Moisturizer: Moisturizers are vital for skincare. They replenish the moisture in your skin. This helps keep skin soft and reduce the effects of aging or dehydration. For anyone who says "I have oily skin, I can't use a moisturizer!"  I say "Yes you can!" If you are constantly stripping your skin of it's natural oils without replenishing them, your body will say ' We keep running out of oils, we should produce more.' Voilà! The cycle continues. But if you are worried about looking too shiny with a moisturizer, there are special gel moisturizers which are geared towards this problem. Gel moisturizers are lighter in weight, and won't be as intense as a cream moisturizer. And if you have dry skin, try a cream moisturizer in a thick consistency. It will sit on the skin and hydrate the top layer. My favorite moisturizer is the Simple Sensitive Skin Experts Protecting Light Moisturizer with SPF 15. A natural option is Aloe Vera juice.

 

 

Scrubs: Scrubs are products which help exfoliate dead skin cells and other impurities. These are more harsh on skin and are recommended to only be used ever 2 or 3 days. Like cleansers, ingredients are commonly added to scrubs to help target specific skin needs. Skin calming or brightening ingredients are very common in scrubs. I like the Biore Charcoal Pore Minimizer Scrub. A natural option is an oatmeal scrub.

 

 

Toner: Toners are astringents which have properties to help reduce oil production, clean pores, and help prevent blemishes. These are mostly meant for oily or acne prone skin. You can also put toner in a spray bottle and use it as a skin refresher throughout the day. I always use Dickinson Original Witch Hazel. Also a natural option is lemon juice or plain Witch Hazel.

 

 

Face Oils/ Serums: Both face oils and serums have beneficial moisturizing and skin balancing properties. Face oils help combat aging and add a glow to the overall complexion. Serums are packed with ingredients that are beneficial to the skin such as vitamins that encourage cell and collagen production. The L'Oreal Age Perfect Glow Renewal face oil and the Seventh Generation Boosts Revitalizing Serum are both excellent products.

 



 

 

Eye Cream: Eye Creams are vital for keeping eyes looking youthful and sparkling. They are designed to be non-irritating so that they can be applied close to the eyes, and are packed with vitamins which reduce the signs of aging and tiredness. Some eye creams can be tinted to wear during the day and other heavier ones are meant to be worn at night while sleeping. Also cooling eye creams were developed to help stop puffiness around the eyes. A good eye cream is the Yes to Grapefruit Dark Circle Correcting Eye Cream.

 

 

Masks: Face masks are very condition specific. There are masks to treat acne, hydrate skin, cleans skin, brighten skin, and much more. Masks are meant to be left on the skin for certain periods of time to fully absorb or until hard. Also masks can be done 2-3 times a week, or only once a week if preferred. An amazing facemask (though pricey) is the Glam Glow Mud Mask.

 

 

Skin care is very important in keeping the overall condition of your skin in optimal health. This, along with drinking plenty of water and a healthy diet, will have skin glowing. Skin care is also significant in reducing the signs of aging. It's easier to prevent than reverse!

 

Best Wishes,

Heather