Sonia G. Brushes The Sky Face Set First Impressions & Initial Review, Launch Info
The Sky Face Set
Just in time for the holiday season, Sonia G. is releasing a “travel” set! It’s The Sky Face Set ($270.00) (and yes, an Eye Set is coming in the future!) and features new, sparkling blue-hued, tapered handles and includes five brushes. Per the brand, the brushes may be sold individually in the future if they are well-received, which is how it has worked in the past.
The set retails for $270.00 and includes five, full-sized brushes; they are designed for the functional needs of traveling and not as space savers. Sonia G. has a detailed post regarding how the brushes are made, what they’re designed for, and how they look pre- and post-washing and compared to other existing brushes by the brand. The Sky Face Set launches tomorrow, September 16th, at 10AM PT at Beautylish.
Many Sonia G. brushes have made their way into my list of go-to brushes since the brand’s debut, and I’ve had no issues with the quality of the brush heads or ferrules, shedding, or shape retention with any of the brushes released to date (which are all). Per the brand, this set’s hair bundling is a bit different than past releases and was noted that there might be slight shedding in the beginning, though I didn’t notice any shedding, whether after washing or during use.
I’ve only had the brushes for a couple of days, so here’s some insight into how I’ve trialed them to gather initial impressions. Each brush has been used to apply at least two different products within each product type (e.g. two different powder highlighters, two different powder blushes, and so forth) that it is best suited for.
I try different methods, based on the type of brush, and I try to run through motions like sweeping, feathering, tapping, patting, and buffing, along with light-, moderate-, and heavy-handed pressure. I move the brush in different directions across my face to see how the bristles move and feel at different positions and pressures. I always use new brushes with products I am familiar with so that those are more of a “control” and if, for example, a go-to blush didn’t blend out well, I’d know it was more to do with the tool than the product.
For initial reviews of the individual brushes, see below, but my overall thoughts are that the brush set is of quality and the brushes seem to suit their purposes. I’m not sure that five cheek/face brushes are really what I’d put together in a travel set–I think I’m more in the camp where the Mini Cheek, Classic Cheek, and Soft Cheek do it for me, while the Master Face will be less usable in my regular routine. I enjoyed the Worker Fan but don’t think it would be a must-have if I was paring down brush options for travel.
What brushes make sense for your own travel set really depends on how you apply your products, what products you use, and what kind of shapes work best for your features and techniques, so this set could certainly work well for some. If you’re undecided, there’s a high chance that the brushes will be available individually in the future, and the sets are the equivalent of purchasing each brush at full price individually based on past releases.
I don’t know if any of the new blush brushes will be replacing my favorite, Face Two, though the Soft Cheek may make its way as a go-to for more pigmented formulas and deeper shades. I’ll definitely be trying and using the Mini Cheek in the future with more sparkly/glittery highlighters and seeing if that’ll be is primary function for me. Tentatively, I’m thinking I might end up preferring the Classic Cheek over the Cheek Pro on the whole (solely based on personal preferences/techniques).
The Sky Face Set
PPermanent. $270.00.
Mini Cheek Brush
Mini Cheek Brush is the smallest brush head in the set, and it flares outward and has an airier quality at the edge than a typical blush brush. It was designed for “targeted application,” and I’d agree with that; it worked well for placing more precise highlight. I preferred the other cheek brushes in the set (as well as from past sets) for applying blush and bronzer to my cheek area and for blending out more pigmented products. I would see using the Mini Cheek for applying more metallic or glittery highlighters to more precise areas–you can get the sparkle but then not worry too much about diffusing and getting glitter far past the area you wanted.
- It is made out of brown and white saikoho goat hair.
- 172mm length, 27mm hair length, 12.5x7mm ferrule width
Mini Cheek Brush
PPermanent.
Classic Cheek Brush
Classic Cheek Brush is designed to be the “most versatile and universal blush brush” the brand could create. The shape feels familiar to typical blush brushes–dense, slightly domed–but it differs in that it has a smaller, narrower brush head and has a more tapered edge (still domed overall but yields a more diffused applicator initially as a result of the more tapered edge). From initial uses, it worked well for applying blush, highlighter, and bronzer on cheeks and other areas of the face, as it was small enough for applying highlighter just to the cheek bones but could also disperse and blend out blush on my cheeks or take bronzer up toward my temples. The brush itself was silky-smooth against my skin.
It’s similar to the Cheek Pro, which is slightly denser and has a more flared edge, but they’re functionally similar to me and there’s not one I prefer over the other at this point.
- It is made out of white saikoho goat hair.
- 173mm total length, 33mm hair length, 16x11mm ferrule width
Classic Cheek Brush
PPermanent.
Soft Cheek Brush
Soft Cheek Brush is supposed to give “sheer to medium coverage” with a slew of cheek products, up to and including setting and finishing powders. It fluffs up a decent amount after washing, which gives the edge a softer, more feathery feel and gives a more diffused applicator of cheek products. It has an incredibly silky-smooth feel but still picks up product well and can spread/diffuse them on my skin.
I liked it with softer powder blushes and bronzers and more pigmented, denser powder products but would use something else for denser, more sheer to medium coverage powders (which I’d use a denser, flatter-edged brush for). The overall brush head is longer than the average blush brush, so if you’re someone who struggles to be lighter handed, that built-in length might be useful.
Soft Cheek Brush
PPermanent.
Worker Fan Brush
Worker Fan Brush is supposed to “do any task you want” and balances “size and density to handle blush, bronzer, sculpting, and even highlighter.” It is a “smaller version of the current Sculpt One,” but it has “thicker hakutotsuho bristles” that are “highly efficient and blend as they apply.” I preferred this brush after one wash, as it fluffed up and resulted in a more diffused, dispersed application but there was still enough density to the brush head to pick up product evenly.
It’s the denseness that separates most of the Sonia G. fan brushes from typical ones on the market–it is a truly substantial, dense, and smooth brush. The edge moves together with all of the bristles coming together, which enables excellent pick up of even sheerer products but also enables the brush to blend as it moves against the skin. If you’re someone who has been reaching for a fan brush for more light-handed, sheerer application of products, I don’t think this fits for those purposes; it’s better if you like the size and shape of fan brushes but need more moderate pigmentation.
I preferred this for applying highlighter to cheek bones, down the bridge of the nose, or gently swept on my forehead or with contour/bronzer products in the hollows of the cheeks brought upward to my temples. It was too wide for blush applicator based on my facial features/techniques, though it definitely could apply and blend blush products out. The brush felt smooth and silky against my skin regardless of direction and technique (swept, tapped, etc.).
- It is made out of white hakutotsuho goat hair.
- 170mm total length, 30mm hair length, 20mm ferrule length
Worker Fan Brush
PPermanent.
Master Face Brush
Master Face Brush is supposed to be used for powder foundation, setting, buffing, blending, and bronzer and blush brush (the latter function more based on precision requirements). I could see this being best for powder foundation as it has a denser, more dome-shaped brush head that would pick up product more evenly and deposit with greater coverage compared to the dispersion preferred with a translucent setting powder.
For me, it felt a bit too dense for all-over application with something like Guerlain Meteorites and didn’t diffuse as naturally as a result (I liked the Worker Fan brush with the Meteorites more). For setting powder, I also felt like it was a bit dense and rounded, so it didn’t fit as well into nooks and crooks of my face for all-over application, though the denser brush head made it better for anyone prefers to press setting powder into place over sweeping or dusting it on. Wit this brush, I felt like it could work for the products mentioned, but I didn’t feel like it was the best for that purpose.
It has a larger brush head, so it would work well for those who tend to apply bronzer all over, but I’d only see it being workable with a sheer to medium-coverage bronzer. For blush, I think it would be too large for most facial features. It was most useful to me as a blending/buffing brush, and I felt like it did a great job here–it effectively diffused and softened harsh edges without too much effort and the bristles were smooth so that they didn’t lift and push around base products while doing so.
- It is made out of brown and white saikoho goat hair.
- 178mm total length, 38mm hair length, 20mm ferrule width
Not to crazy for this set though do love the handles. I am interested to see what is created for the eye set. I do think the choices for the face set seemed a bit repetitive. Christine, what are you favorite brushes in the Sonia G line? I am looking to purchase some during Beautylish’s gift card event. I am particularly looking into their eye brushes ( I have similar size eye to yours), but am also interested to know out of all the ones you own which ones you love.
Worker One, Worker Three, Builder Three, and Face Two are all my most favorite. I have most of them in my brush holders (to use regularly). I’ve purchased multiples of Builder Three, Worker One, and Face Two.
What a fantastic range of brushes. I think you could have these forever.
love the blue color on these
I pre-ordered these and I can’t wait to get them! Thanks for the review Christine, now I’m even more excited!!
BTW, can you consider getting and reviewing the new brand Rephr that’s making Japanese “luxury” goat hair brushes? I’m VERY curious about their quality before I buy some.
Sorry, I have no plans to purchase Rephr brushes. Their marketing/spiel/origin story was so off-putting that I have no desire to spend money at that brand when there are hundreds of brushes I haven’t reviewed from other brush brands.
Christine,
Can you elaborate on the origin story and why it is so off-putting? Genuinely curious since the company seems to be listening to consumers feedback which is rare in this day and age.
Their tag line of “luxury makeup brushes designed by 3 engineers who knew nothing about makeup” (who are all men) and just a general patronizing tone (“as engineers who loved efficiency, we were not satisfied with the idea that a person needs 12 brushes to do beautiful makeup” – the same patronizing concept of brands that say you’re wasting your time, you don’t need all that, wear less makeup). In one sentence, the community is being oversold with these brush sets and how many brushes they should have and then they simultaneously offer face (six brushes) and eye sets (eight brushes). It all just really grated on me personally, but I certainly don’t expect everyone else to be rubbed the same way.
There’s a lot of marketing about innovation/doing and being better than, but the reality is they talk about a lack of versatility/multi-tasking brushes and yet the majority of brushes–even ones sold in pre-made sets by big brands outside of Japanese brush brands–are actually multi-tasking and are very, very similar in general shape to Rephr brushes. They don’t provide insight into what type of goat hair is used, and they don’t provide standard measurements that Japanese brush brands do (width, brush length; they only provide the brush head length), which I find to be at odds with the engineering background. The idea that these brushes are fixing the issue of the community wanting brushes that last years and not months was interesting, because at the price point and type of brush, I don’t know of any Japanese brushes that are falling apart in months. For that matter, a lot of the go-to brush ranges that are more affordable, like ColourPop, elf, and Wet ‘n’ Wild, I’m not hearing from readers about the brushes falling apart.
I think it’s cool that they took feedback from the community, but outside of that, there’s nothing here that makes me want to take a leap when I have so many other brands and brushes I’ve tested and could be reviewing. My time would be better spent reviewing all of ColourPop’s brushes or in-depth reviews of Sonia G. or Chikuhodo or Hakuhodo brushes — if I was going to allocate more time to review brushes or wanted to spend my review budget on new brushes.
I’d be more interested if it was a brand who was creating synthetic brushes that rivaled the performance and organic texture of natural hair brushes, or if they spent more time on creating brush sets that worked for types of features or application methods — there is no such thing as a brush that just works perfectly for everyone, because it comes down to facial features (size/shape) as well as the types of products and the types of outcomes you want (do you have sheerer products or more pigmented products, do you want a wash of color or what you see in the pan on your face).
Thank you for the thorough reply! With what you said I can certainly see how that would rub some the wrong way, and honestly I had not even thought about it from that perspective. Thank you for giving me something to think about and for taking the time to reply 🙂
No problem! 🙂
I love your response. I had a similar reaction to their story and couldn’t quite figure out why I found it off-putting as well, and I think you hit the nail on the head.
Well, at least I’m not alone! I know a few readers in the Temptalia Discord felt similarly, but I didn’t see much in that vein anywhere else… so you never know!
Christine, thanks for the explanation. It does sound a bit chauvinistic of the brand. I’ve been looking to buy a very good quality set as a treat to myself following a very difficult year, yet I’d like it to be a good investment, maybe even one that I could pass on eventually. I’m very interested in your review.
BTW, I have many ELF brushes that are great. They clean up nice and don’t shed and do a beautiful job applying makeup. My favorite blush brush is from BH Cosmetics. I don’t necessarily think you need to spend a lot of money to get a quality product.
I think natural hair brushes can last a long time – even MAC brushes I washed with alcohol-based cleanser (MAC’s!) took a near decade of heavy use before they started to feel scratchier – but make sure that if you invest, you’re still willing to wash them at your own pace; like for me, I’d rather cleaner brushes even if that means I might have to replace one after several years (I might not have to, but I’m okay with it).
Thanks Christine. I agree. I think if they are taken care of properly they will last a long time. I currently own a full set of the Sephora Collection Pro brushes and a couple Hakuhodo brushes. I’ve had the SCBs for years and they are still like new. Between my husband’s motorcycle accident last year (and he still has another surgery to go through) and putting mom in a nursing home and now into hospice….this is my way of saying hang in there to myself…I know its selfish, but I need some self-love or self-care or both. Sonia G is going to provide that.
You need to take care of yourself, too, so that you can continue to take care of those around you! It’s not selfish at all to find ways to take something for yourself. Hang in there, Shari! ?
Seriously Christine, could you be more awesome?!
I have spent most of my beauty budget this year on her two Pro Brush sets and I am in love with them. I had never had natural hair brushes before and it was mind-blowing to me what a difference good brushes make. This Sky set looks very intriguing, but it doesn’t fill any gaps in my current collection,
So glad you’re enjoying your Pro brushes, Jelena! Sonia has done a great job on ensuring quality across her line to date!
Master Face looks like it would be fantastic for compact powder foundation. Only my old Estée Lauder natural hair Powder Foundation brush comes close. Master Face also looks like Tom Ford blush brush. I wish Worker Fan was available about 3 weeks ago. I may have bought that instead of Sculpt One and Sculpt Four. Although, the 2 are really specific for purpose. It annoys me that these don’t have a red handle. Maybe, Sonya G wanted to be able to ID them quickly when picking them out for travel? I think these should be made available individually. People who own any of the previous sets, probably aren’t going to get this one too. It’s a basic set. By the time you’ve graduated to Sonia G brushes, you’ve already got a bunch of cheek brushes very similar to this set. I’m only after Master Face, potentially, so far.
I believe she did want to make them readily identifiable – if I’m remembering correctly, the blue handled brushes will be the “easiest” to use for all levels (beginners to experts!).
Love your reviews of brushes. So far I think I’m going to go with her red set. They seem to “fit” my needs better.
Will these brushes have short handles? I have very bad eyesight and can’t wear contacts. I need to apply my makeup super close to the mirror. A lot of long handled brushes just bump against the mirror during application.