Sonia Kashuk No 4 Synthetic Flat Top Buffer

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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Skip This: Sonia Kashuk Ombre Obsessed Brush Set

Unless you’re in need of a whole set and can compromise on quality, I’m generally against buying limited edition holiday brush sets. Even MAC has been known to sacrifice quality in their LE sets.

Currently, my favorite angled-bristle liner brush comes from Sonia Kashuk. The Target-exclusive, upper-tier-drugstore-price-point brand has a lot of solid contenders, both tool and product wise. They come out with limited edition sets from time to time, but this one, the Sonia Kashuk Ombre Obsessed Brush set, is a doozie.

Sonia Kashuk Ombre Obsessed Brush Set

The handles do look cool, but one does not buy brushes merely to marvel at the handles. Dye (especially red!) + brush bristles (or sponges!) = …you’re gonna have a bad time. Just ask the folks unfortunate enough to reach for the limited-edition red beautyblender.

And I love the beautyblender, but that was a miss.

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Sonia Kashuk Couture Shower Cap

So this is old news by now, but I have long hair. Long hair takes longer to dry, style, etc. As such, I wash my hair every other or every second day – there’s the added benefit of not over-washing my scalp, too, so it seems happier about the status quo.

I use a shower cap with varying luck. My scalp still manages to get wet sometimes, and it frustrates me. I had about as much luck with the free caps they provide in hotels as I did with various Conair and other random drugstore ones.

I window shop online just for kicks and came across this Sonia Kashuk Couture Shower Cap. It looks pretty sturdy and has good reviews on the site, so I decided to pick it up on my next Target trip. A little hard to find (it wasn’t with the rest of that stuff, instead it was on a Sonia Kashuk endcap in cosmetics and bath products), I picked it up for $4.99 and laughed to myself about the use of the word, “couture.” Here’s the packaging – this also threw me off because I had no idea what the packaging looked like – but now you know! The exterior plastic was a little scuffed from transport, but no big deal!

Sonia Kashuk Couture Shower Cap packaging - front

The back is a little scuffed, too, but hey – it looks shower-cap-esque! Elastic and oh look! Terrycloth.

Sonia Kashuk Couture Shower Cap packaging - back

Because the people in charge of packaging are sadists, this is one of those twelve-thousand-tabs that you have to untuck, slide this-way, lift-that-way, click-your-heels-together-three-times-and-say, “There’s no shower cap like–”
Okay, that’s enough.

Sonia Kashuk Couture Shower Cap packaging - open

Here’s what it looks like out. The exterior is a thick-feeling vinyl, and the interior is a soft, plush cotton-terry. I’m not entirely sure why they went with that for the lining, but it feels nice enough and does not wreak havoc on curls.

Sonia Kashuk Couture Shower Cap

Here’s another, with my hand to show scale – the measure from the tip of my middle finger (not nail) to the heel of my hand is about 6.5 inches. It is gigantic. One of the reviews I read complained about this, but I think they are a goof – this fits all of my nearly-waist-length hair without me having to clip it up – though if I do clip it up, it happy obliges an over-sized alligator clip.

Sonia Kashuk Couture Shower Cap

As for the practical test, it was comfortable! The cap was neither too tight nor loose; it held its position confidently and I did not have to adjust it a single time (awesome). None of my hair got wet unlike some other caps that simply didn’t sit right. It appears to have no issue drying, but if you’re concerned you can always turn it inside out just in case. At just under $5, the Sonia Kashuk Couture Shower Cap comes in at less than some other drugstore options and appears to be holding up better (I’ve had it for about a month, now).

Though I find their marketing odd – Target says,

Now one can step in and out of the shower in style while keeping hair perfectly dry and protected. A black shower cap with cozy terrycloth lining and a fashion attitude.

Why do I need to step in the shower with style? Why can’t I just step in the shower? Who is the judge here – and if I do it with style, do I get a 10/10 for wearing this cap? And I don’t particularly want my shower cap to have a, “fashion attitude;” I want it to perform – and fortunately, this does! I strongly recommend it if you don’t care to wash your hair daily and definitely will repurchase if I ever wear it out/lose it/it falls victim to spontaneous combustion.