Smudger One

Sonia G. Smudger One Brush ($36.00) is a small, flat eye brush that is made out of blue squirrel hair and is designed for building "dramatic intensity" and adding "definition" to the eye. It's intended to function a lot like a traditional pencil brush but "flat." The brush head looks almost like a small, shader brush as it comes out of the ferrule, but it tapers to a flatter, wide "point" that works well for smudging eyeliner or applying more precise eyeshadow along the lash line.

I also liked using it for more precise lid color application (perhaps just for the inner lid) or applying eyeshadow under my brow bone, particularly when I was going for a more precise laydown of color. I still found that I tended to opt for a traditional pencil brush (including the brand's version) over this for applying and smudging out color on my lower lash line.

I preferred this over the Smudger Two, as it was more comfortable against my lash line (not just softer), and I could feel the more pointed shape of the brush head, but it did not feel sharp at all.

Per the brand, the handle has a total length of 147mm with a brush head length of 7mm and width of 9mm. As part of the core range, the handles are wider than average (the PRO range has thinner, more tapered handles). You can safely assume that the brush has held up beautifully over many washings and uses; if there are any issues from washing, shape changes, and the like, they’ll be called out specifically.

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