Review: SOHO Disney Villains Brush Sets for Fall 2015 (Walgreens Exclusive)

Last week, I posted that I had found all 3 brush sets by SOHO for their Fall 2015 Disney Villains collection. For first impressions and more basic info, please check out that post.

***Scroll to the bottom of the page to read an overall summary of the review and skip the fine detail.

Each brush set is targeted for a different set of make-up needs. Ursula is the only one that came with 4 brushes, as both Maleficent and the Evil Queen only had 3 brushes; I'm thinking the reasoning behind that is that Ursula's brushes are smaller. 

As you can see in the picture above, the brushes in the Maleficent set and the Evil Queen set look skewed inside and that's because they are.

[Ursula brushes]

To make matters worse, the brushes weren't just out of sync with the packaging, but they were actually stuck to their inside cardboard piece like that. Let me just say, that the picture above shows how the ends of the brushes look when they are out of the package. Those little circle on the ends of them are glue and that's what keeps them contained inside the box. They are not easy to take out and the glue stays on the bottom. The glue cannot simply be taken off either and they'll need to be washed to get it removed.

So, with packaging issues aside, I'm going to breakdown the brush sets and I feel these are fairly nice. They all have soft bristles that are made of "nylon fibers", in other words they're synthetic fibers. I have had no problems with shedding of the bristles when applying make-up. There was slight shedding with some of the bigger brushes when washing, but nothing too bad. There was no color fading when I washed the brushes either. The handles on these brushes are a little shorter than the average handles of a typical make-up brush which makes them great for traveling, but not necessarily the best for every day use if you prefer longer handles.

[SOHO Evil Queen brush set]

The Evil Queen brush set was focused on the basics of the face. The brushes in this set are all super soft and feel nice on the face. 

[descriptions by SOHO]

• All Over Face Brush - use to apply powders to the face
• Curved Foundation Brush - use to apply liquid/cream foundation; wide base easily covers large areas; pointed tip easily covers hard-to-reach areas
• Angled Brow Brush - use to shape brows; pointed end accurately draws on shape; wide base fills in the brows

The All Over Face Brush is a nice brush, but a bit small for my liking when it comes to applying setting powder. The full description does suggest using it for all powders and that includes bronzers, blushes, and loose/powder foundations. This brush applies bronzers and blushes well, but if full coverage is desired for foundation I would not recommend this brush as it's small and only dense on the tip. It's a nice brush for buffing out contour as well.

The Curved Foundation Brush does apply liquid foundations, but it's a bit too small for my liking. Since the brush is a bit small it takes longer than necessary to apply foundation. However, this brush works well at applying creams or liquids to smaller areas of the face or in a concentrated amount. Again, depending on the type of production you're using, this brush would work well for contouring too.

The Angled Brow Brush has the opposite problem of the other two, because I find this brush a bit too big. I personally prefer that eyebrow brushes be on the slimmer side, because it makes it easier to shape the brows. I feel this brush isn't horrible for shaping brows, but I'd suggest using another brush if you have it. I feel this brush works best at applying powders to the eye area.

[SOHO Maleficent brush set]

Maleficent's brush set was focused on the accents of make-up application. Her brushes are all about the contour and finishing touches. This fits well with the theme of how Maleficent is being portrayed today after Angelina Jolie portrayed her in the live action "Sleeping Beauty" movie. However, before then, I don't really recall Maleficent being the face of contour. Anyway, I felt the brushes in this set were nice, but not for the purposes intended.

[descriptions by SOHO]

• Stippling Brush - use to apply contour powder
• Angled Blush Brush - use to blend out harsh contour lines
• Concealer Brush - use to apply concealer to the face

The Stippling Brush is a decent size for contour, but I've never been a huge fan of using stippling brushes for contour, because I usually use powder. I feel that stippling brushes are best used for liquids and creams. Even with all that said, I still would prefer an angled brush for contouring. I would recommend this brush for liquid foundations and for applying liquid products in small targeted areas of the face.

The Angled Blush Brush can indeed be used to blend out harsh contour lines, but I feel it works better for applying blush or the contour powder itself.

The Concealer Brush is okay for concealer, but I prefer to use it to apply shadow to the inner corner of my eyes and on areas of the eye or around the eye that need little detail. I personally feel this brush is too thick at the tip and the bristles are not long enough for concealer. 

[SOHO Ursula brush set]

Ursula's brush set was all about the eyes and it suits her. Ursula's character is based off of the drag queen known as Divine and drag queens are all about over-the-top eye looks! This is the only set that had 4 brushes instead of 3, but like I said earlier, I believe it is because each brush in this set is smaller and uses less fibers than the face brushes.

[descriptions by SOHO]

• Eyeshadow Brush - use to apply base eyeshadows
• Crease Brush - use to apply depth and dimension to the eyes
• Pointed Eyeliner Brush - use to apply liquid or cream eyeliner
• Angled Smudge Brush - use to blend eyeshadow or soften lines

The Eyeshadow Brush is a bit big, but it does well to apply all over color or a base, as the description says. Those with smaller lids may not find much use for it outside of that. I also think it does a nice job at blending out colors.

The Crease Brush works fine for the crease and the outer-v of the eye, but it should not be confused with a blending brush. This is a narrow brush that works well at applying concentrated color directly into the crease or on the outside of the lid/eye. It works well for applying shadow to the eye, also.

The Pointed Eyeliner Brush is not an eyeliner brush. It's more of a very skinny blending brush. It's way too thick and big to be an eyeliner brush. I would use this brush to blend out color on small areas of the eye or to smudge color since it is dense.

The Angled Smudge Brush is more of an angled blending brush and works well for that. It can also be used to apply shadow to the eye in a sheer/light form.

Final Verdict

These brushes are good, but not great. They work well for traveling since the handles are shorter than the average brush handle and would make them easier to pack, but if you prefer longer handles for daily use then they might get annoying. Most of the brushes are good for multiple uses, so again they would come in handy for traveling and would even be helpful for daily use. The bristles are all soft and there's no shedding when applying make-up. I have experienced slight shedding with the a few of the face brushes when washing, but only a few bristles each and nothing too bad. There was no color fading when washing the brushes. However, these brushes are a bit overpriced to me. They're sold for $9.99 and if compared to what's on the market in both the drugstores and the high end spectrum, these feel a bit cheap to me. The handles feel like cheap plastic and the ferrules are also not very thick. If they knocked off a few dollars for each set I would say they would be right in line with the current market. If you're a collector, you'll definitely want to pick these up. If you're looking for multi-tasking or traveling brushes, these may be for you as well. However, for the more experienced, I'd suggest saving your money as it can be better spent. I'd recommend buying these brushes on clearance if you can catch them at that price.

SOHO Disney Villains Brush Sets - Fall 2015 (Walgreens Exclusive)

I just found the SOHO Disney Villains Brush Sets for 2015! I've actually had the Ursula set for a while, but held off on posting about it in hopes that I would fine the other 2 sets and I did! 

These brush sets are a Walgreens exclusive and were released for Fall 2015. They are $9.99 each. Every year Walgreens releases Disney collaborations and the products and companies vary. Usually, in the fall and around Halloween is when they release a Villains collection. I could be wrong, but I believe this is the first time they have brushes for the Villains and this is from the brand, SOHO. They have quite a lot products in the line up this year, but all I was interested in were the brushes and now I finally have them all!

This years Villains are- Ursula from The Little Mermaid, the Evil Queen from Snow White, and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty.

The packaging is quite and quite detailed, especially for a drugstore release. I was quite impressed when looking them over. The only thing I was not impressed with was the fact that the Evil Queen and Maleficent sets had their brushes stuck on top of the cardboard stand they come in, instead of in the slots they were suppose to be in. However, none of the seals were broken and the brushes are all in good shape.

Each brush set focuses on a different area of the face. I imagine if they actually came all together as a set then they would look something like the picture above. Individual reviews of the brush sets are coming soon!

Review: Wet N' Wild Limited Edition "The Style Award Goes To..."

I'm reviewing the limited edition Wet N' Wild palettes from their "The Style Award Goes To..." collection for Spring 2014. These are just popping up in Rite Aids around my area, so if you feel like you missed out then try checking out your stores again. This collection came out about a month ago and it seems like Walgreens received these first and now they're popping up in CVS & Rite Aid. Last year, the Spring collection was released twice, again in the summer, because it was in such high demand. So, keep your eyes peeled in July or August if you missed out now.

(Feel free to skip all the way to the bottom to read the Final Verdict and skip the details.)

I purchased these palettes for $4.99 each at Walgreens and they only allowed me to buy 1 of each item from the collection, as they only had 1 display and it was in high demand. When I stopped at Rite Aid this week and saw the collection there, they had no problem with you buying multiples. I guess it just depends on location. - Personally, I love the packaging on these. The white "sparkles" (which really are just white printed images to look like glamour and sparkles) are a nice touch and I've never had a Wet N' Wild palette look this cute before.

There were only 2 eyeshadow palettes released in this collection. On the right you have #34356 "Flirting at the After Party", which features multiple shades of purple. On the left you have #34355 "Walking the Red Carpet", which features neutrals and earth toned metallic colors. Each comes with double-ended brush that has a soft applicator and a bristle brush.

Here are swatches of "Walking the Red Carpet". The top row is the left column. The bottom row is the right column. There are no names for these shadows, which is disappointing, but that's typical for Wet N' Wild. I was most excited about this palette when it came out, because of the metallic glitter-like shades, but this was actually a pretty disappointing pallet. Swatched, the shades do not look so bad. The brow bone colors and the eyelid color from the left column matches my skin tone almost exactly, and they're also not greatly pigmented. Most of this pallet is really powdery and makes a mess. The fallout of this powdery pallet makes for a challenge in applying the shadows as well. The gold color is very stiff and doesn't work for much more than a bright top layer over other shadows. The copper color isn't very bright either. Overall, I was highly disappointed in this pallet.

Here is a look I created using MOST of the colors from the "Walking The Red Carpet" pallet. Overall, I don't feel these shadows performed that well. You get about 4 hours with primer before fading and in my opinion- you can get similar colors every day.

Here are swatches from the "Flirting at the After Party" pallet. This pallet was pretty to look at when I first saw it and it definitely goes with the "Orchid" theme of 2014, but it didn't excite me too much before I opened it. I was more intrigued by the glitter and sparkle of Walking the Red Carpet, but after swatching and using the pallets I changed my mind. This pallet here is the winner and definitely worth the $4.99. The top row is the left column. The bottom row is the right column. Again, no names for the shades. The only real disappointments from this pallet are the "definer" shades -they're not as dark as most would like and they're a little powdery. These shades are soft, pigmented, blend well, and have decent staying power with primer. There is a bit of fallout, but nothing too bad. I was very impressed with this pallet.

Here is a look I created using "Flirting at the After Party". I think it turned out quite well.

Final Verdict

Walking The Red Carpet - I give this pallet a 4/10. The packaging is about the nicest thing I can say about this pallet. The outside is cute, the shades are pretty to look at, but the performance is way below a normal Wet N' Wild pallet. The shades lack pigmentation and are messy. The powdery mess really makes it hard to apply the shades and they do not last throughout the day, even with primer. Unless you're a beginner or a just a collector, I cannot recommend this pallet. The only other reason one would want this pallet is 

perhaps for experimenting or if one does not use these types of shades often.

Flirting at the After Party - I give this pallet a 8/10. For the price, this is a good deal. Aside from the outside being cute, the pallet itself is pretty to look at and the performance of the eyeshadows is very good. With the exception of the definer shades being a little light and hard to work with and a couple of powdery shades, this pallet overall performs well. With primer, you will get a days wear out of it and experience just a little fading. I would recommend this pallet beyond collectors and beginners, because it works well.

Thinking Outside The Make-Up Bag

I wanted to share a little find of mine from Walgreens. This mini bag/case was in the "Toys" section when I was looking around Walgreens and I found it to be adorable. It features Princess Tiana from the Disney  movie "The Princess and the Frog".

This is the other side of the bag. It features Tiana in the blue dress she wore in the movie at the ball.

I wanted to show that I could not get a full size lipstick to fit in the bag, but I could get a mini lipstick and eyeshadow in it. I think this is a super cute way to carry makeup or accessories around. So, next time you're looking around your house or the store for something to put your make-up in, think outside of your normal make-up bag.

Wet 'N Wild Fergie Fall 2013 Display

So, by now most people know that the Fall 2013 line for Fergie's cosmetic line through Wet 'N Wild is out. A lot of people have been searching for this, because it has quite a few limited edition things. This past week (August 25-August 31) Walgreens had a 40% off sale on the Fergie cosmetics. So, I was so hoping that I would find this display in time. Indeed I did! It took a while. I had visited 3 Walgreens and 1 of them I visited about 3 times, and had not found any trace of these. I went out to eat with a friend and decided to stop at the Walgreens around that area and I hit the jackpot! 

***Side note: I feel lately that Walgreens, or at least the ones around my area, have done a real poor job at advertising their cosmetic sales. I check a web site, Nouveau Cheap, every week to find most drug store sales and that's how I knew there was a sale this week at Walgreens for Fergie. However, only 1 of the 4 Walgreens I went into had signs up that told me that there were was a 40% off sale and that was 1 of the stores that did not have this collection. I also would not have known about the sale Walgreens was having on their Sinful Colors polish if it weren't for Nouveau Cheap, because my Walgreens failed to put any signs up until this last week, which is crazy since this sale has been going on for like a month!

The display was just a cardboard display that was sitting on the side of the cosmetics counter. The display seemed untouched. In the photo you'll notice some items missing, but my friend and I had already taken out what we wanted, so that's why.

The first row did not contain anything new. The mascara and the black & brown gel liners are from the core line and not Limited Edition. I did not pick up either of these, nor do I currently own them and I have never tested them.

The second row was a mix of Limited Edition and core line. The Shimmer Take On The Day eye primer and the blue & purple gel liners are Limited Edition. The other eye primer is from the core line. I did purchase all of the Limited Edition products, but skipped the regular primer. 

The third row contained eyeshadow palettes from the core line and you can purchase these any day. They were part of the 40% sale, but they're not new or limited. The palette on the far right (last one) I have previously owned and really liked. I highly recommend! The only reason I don't have it now, is because I dropped it and although the shadow did not break the plastic, clear cover did and I had to throw it out, because I could not fix it.

The last row, which contained 4 different palettes then the row above it were Limited Edition and they had the "Limited Edition" sticker on it. With the 40% off, the palettes dropped to $2.99 from their regular $4.99 price.

Now I'd like to point something out- On Nouveau Cheap's post about this display the creator, G, did not know if the new primer and gel liners were going to be added to the core line or not. While neither have the Limited Edition stickers on them, the displays do say "limited edition" under them, so I'm thinking they will not be added to the core line and if you want them I suggest getting them now! 

That's all I for now. Let me know if you found the display in time for the sale and what you bought. Stay tuned for swatches!

$5 Essie Nail Polish

I wanted to get this out quickly, because I have no idea how long this will last! I just came back from Walgreens, literally just came in and they have their Essie nail polish for $5. The signs do not say how long this sale will last, so I suggest you go out there and get the polish now if you want it. The sign specifically says that it does not include Essie nail treatments or the magnetic polishes from Essie. - When I went in, I first saw the sign on the cosmetic counter and it had some Essie polishes on it, but all the polishes were from their core line; no limited edition polishes were there. So, I was just going to skip the sale, because honestly I do not need any more Essie polishes right now. However, when I went around the corner, on the display in the back of the cosmetics checkout counter there was the limited edition 2013 summer collection and it ALSO had a sign on it, so I grabbed some. When, I went to the register they all rang up the regular $8. The cashier told me that not all of the polishes are on sale, especially the new ones. I asked to speak to a manager, because I swore there was a sign on the actual display. The manager checked and sure enough, I was right. The manager said that this was something that just started and was not in the system yet, so all of polishes I bought had to be manually marked down by her. It was the worth the wait though, because at $5 a bottle that is less than I can buy any higher end polish at Walmart. (Around here Essie is $7.75 at Walmart and Nicole by OPI is $7 at Walmart. All other places are about $8 for both brands or sometimes even more, depending on where you go.) I did feel bad that I held up the line though.....for a long time. There is more to that story and I'll share everything I bought today later. Let me know if you happen to buy anything off of this sale! I have not seen anyone else mention this sale and I would not have known if I had not gone in today.

Late Night Find: Sinful Colors Heart & Soul Collection

So, there's nothing like staying out late and stopping by a Walgreens on the way home to see what you can find. I really didn't find much that was new or that I absolutely had to have. Unfortunately, I have been feeling this way for about a month here in Knoxville. It seems like we are getting less and less limited edition and features for beauty products and we are definitely getting them last. I'm seeing bloggers and v-loggers in states around Tennessee get them in, but it seems to take forever for this state and especially this area to receive anything new.

Last month, a blog I follow, Nouveau Cheap, talked about a new collection by Sinful Colors that had come out. Most of the colors in this collection were new or hard to find. There were actually 3 collections that went together- "Country Chic", "Heart & Soul", and "Glam Rock". Most people saw the Country Chic collection pop up first and a lot of people had the Glam Rock display in their stores. Some stores (as you will see if you click the second link I provided) had a huge endcap with all 3 collections in it. I have been waiting for about 4 weeks for my area to get them and had not spotted this collection anywhere, until tonight. 

The only display I saw was the "Heart & Soul" collection, but the polishes that were displayed were from the whole line they just put out.

Honestly, I'm not thrilled by this collection, but I decided to pick up 2 of the polishes while Walgreens is having their 2/$3 sale on Sinful Colors polishes.

Here are the 2 colors I picked up: #1205 Glimmer & #1199 Song of Summer. Both of these colors are new.

The lighting makes Glimmer look a lot more red than it really appears. It's actually more of a berry color. Also, Song of Summer is brighter than it appears here; the picture actually makes it look very dull. I'm not sure when I'll use these, I'm in no rush, but I thought these would be the ones I would use the most out of the collection.

Wet 'N Wild Fergie Summer 2013 Photo Op Eyeshadows

I finally caved in and bought the Wet 'N Wild Fergie Photo Op Summer 2013 eyeshadow palettes. I missed the original display that came out earlier this year. I'm not sure if my Walgreen stores just never received them, if I just some how overlooked them or if they were only in Rite Aids and/or CVS stores, because I do not have a Rite Aid close to me and I rarely go into CVS now that I live in Tennessee. (I pretty much stick to Walmart, Target, and Walgreens -they cover every brand and all my drug store cosmetic needs. Occasionally, I go into a CVS.) Recently, I saw small displays popping up at Walgreens which contain the lip glosses and the palettes. They are just shelf displays, not real big, and some Walgreen stores didn't even bother putting up the displays and the palettes and glosses are mixed in with the core Fergie line on the shelves. I saw the displays in 3 different Walgreens and passed them up for 2 weeks. I have heard very mixed reviews on these. While some people are saying that they feel they get a good deal for their money and that the shadows are just as good (with some saying even better) as the core line, the other half of the beauty community is spouting to stay away and that they are a huge disappoint due to bad color pay off; very powdery; and no staying power. 

Personally, I feel the colors are appealing and they go together well. Here's what did me in- If you look closely on the right corners of these palettes you can see marks from where a peel off coupon was. These Walgreen displays had a $1 off coupon on them making these $3.99 instead of the normal $4.99.

I took these home and swatched them to see the color pay off and to get a feel of the texture and quality. Personally, I have had good luck with the palette that I received. For my birthday this year, I was given "#A029 Desert Festival". When using this palette, most people couldn't even tell I was using a drug store cosmetic. 

The picture is of my eye and a make-up look I did earlier this year. The purple color is from the "Desert Festival" palette. I have received tons of praise from this look and no one guessed I used a drug store eyeshadow.

The first palette swatched was "Shades of the Hamptons". This is the more colorful palette, although the colors are cool and pastel. The only color I really foresee being difficult is the pink color; it is a bit on the chalky side and not as smooth as the rest of the colors. It still does give color though and the rest of the shades seem soft, which will make them easy to blend. The fallout didn't seem like it'd be too bad either. I'm excited to try this palette!

The second palette is called "Newport Nights" and it is a more neutral color. Again, the only color that seems to be difficult is the pink color. Not sure what it is with the pinks....... The bronze color in the middle is very intriguing to me. You can't tell from the picture, but it is a bronze with a good amount of shimmer to it.

Overall, I am really excited to try these out and I think they're going to be good. Especially considering the price that I paid, only $3.99, it it was a good deal. The only real problems I have are- The names of the palettes were only on the sticker that you have to take off in order to open the palettes, so you either have to remember the names or look them up. A pet peeve of mine with cosmetics is when companies don't make it easy or accessible to find the names of their products on the actual product.

The other warning I have- my first palette I received for my birthday broke when I dropped it. Not the colors in it, but the actual palette. The clear plastic part that you view the colors through just came out and there was no way for me to put it back together or protect the eyeshadows, so I had to toss it. I only used it a handful of times. I have had bad luck in the past with Wet 'N Wild's trios and 8 pans breaking easily but dropping them or having them placed in the wrong way, but that was the actual eyeshadow breaking. With these, I would say that while the shadow seems hardier, the palettes feel more sturdy, but really aren't.

Just in case you didn't know- there are lip glosses that went with this collection, but I have never felt compelled to try Wet 'N Wild lip products, so I passed on those. I have also heard really bad reviews from the colors in this collection.