Sonia G. brushes launched late last year with an eight-piece brush set, and this year, the brushes launched individually with a recent addition of another eight brushes to the line-up. I’m still working my way through the brushes (I need to re-think how I approach and review brushes to review them more quickly), but I know several readers have inquired about impressions. I’ve been using the original set since they launched (and my process of using brushes is I slowly integrate and try them within my routine where and when a new brush makes sense), so I have more in-depth thoughts on those than the ones just newly released this month.
Wayne Goss The Air Brush Rose Gold ($40.00) is a smaller, flatter brush with a rounded, softly tapered edge. It looks a lot like a flattened blush brush in terms of shape, though it is a less dense brush that has an airy feel as it skates across the skin. The brush head is made out of blue squirrel hair. It’s 22mm in width, 35mm in length, and 14mm in thickness with a total length of 7.75 inches / 17 centimeters. I found it completely comparable in quality and purpose to the original Air-Brush (which is what was expected!).
I’ve enjoyed the brush for highlighting, powdering underneath the eyes, and applying cheek color. It can work for contouring, but I still find I prefer a more traditional, angled brush for contouring. The brush has a silky-smooth feel as it is worked across the skin, and there was never a moment, regardless of angle, motion, or technique, where I could feel an individual hair. I’ve had good luck with Wayne Goss brushes holding up well after many washes over the years, including the two original Air-Brushes I have already. You can check out my original review for a slightly more in-depth review on the brush.
Here’s the thing, though… other than the handle color, the brush head performed the same for me, and the original version (glossy black) is $5 cheaper, and the original is still available to purchase.
MAC Peach Snow Ball Face Bag ($49.50 for 0.31 oz.) contains a highlighter and face brush. The highlighter is specially packaged to fit the Snow Ball collection but is also available in the permanent range for $34. The brush is available as a full-sized brush for $42.00 (the handle will be longer), so assuming that the brush is one that you’ve wanted or would use, then the set itself could make sense. I don’t find that the brush is remotely practical for this type of highlighter; it’s a much stronger highlighter and the brush is quite large, so it’s hard to get precise application. The brush would be better suited for a more subdued highlighter or finishing powder–something you can apply lightly over larger areas.
Hakuhodo S127Bk Eye Shadow Brush ($38.00) is a medium, flat eyeshadow brush with a tapered edge. It is made out of Canadian squirrel, and the brush head is 15.20mm in height, 11.25mm in width, and 4.50mm in depth with a total length of 15.70cm. Unsurprisingly, it was incredibly soft and smooth, and I could use it any direction and never feel the point of an individual bristle. It washed well and held its shape upon drying, though it is not recommended to wash this brush frequently due to the type of hair.
Against my eye, it ended up being rather large, so it did not find its way into my personal must-haves, but it is a great brush for all-over lid color application, especially for those who prefer medium, buildable pigmentation than true-to-pan, one layer opacity. It also worked well for diffusing edges and gently layering one eyeshadow over another when they had more powdery textures. The flatter shape, which had no fluffiness, did work best for laying down color over blending. I liked it for patting on loose powder underneath my eyes (over concealer), though I would likely reach for a larger brush normally.
This brush would be best for someone with medium or larger eyes (particularly someone who has a lot of lid space) and wants something incredibly smooth and soft to the touch for laying down sheer to medium coverage powders.
Wayne Goss The Face Set ($250.00) includes six brushes, which have been updated–some more than others–and released a couple of months ago. The set returns this morning, along with the ability to purchase brushes from the set individually. Long-time readers will know that I prefer to spend some time with new brushes to get to know them best, see how they fit and perform in my routine, and how they hold up to multiple washings and uses.
One thing that I can appreciate about the Wayne Goss brush range is the choice of shapes is often smart; they are often multi-functional and not too small or too large. The brushes are of good quality with useful shapes that did not shed during or after washes nor during application. There is no advantage to purchasing the brushes as a set, as purchasing them individually also adds up to $250.00, so unless you’d use all of the brushes in the set, it would make more sense to purchase the ones you’d actually use individually.
The brush that is completely different is the Brush 10, which is now a small, lightly tapered, dome-shaped brush, whereas the previous Brush 10 was a flat-topped stippling brush–the two styles of brushes serve completely different purposes. (For clarity, I think using different numbers would have just been easier, especially if someone searches for “Brush 10.”) The second major difference was that the new set uses undyed, goat hair instead of dyed goat hair (undyed is often softer). Hakuhodo has a good guide to brush hair for those who would like to learn more. For the other brushes, the new set feels denser overall but the shapes are very similar.
Wayne Goss The Artist Brush ($150.00) is a limited edition face brush with an extra-long, wooden handle. The brush head is made out of a mix of gray squirrel and Sokoho goat hair, and the handle is listed as being made out of hand-carved, hard maple wood. The brush is supposed to apply a “soft halo of seamless color.” The brush head was 55mm in length, 33mm in width and depth at its widest point. It is long and comes to a tapered, rounded point. The brush had a total length of 9.85 inches / 25.00 centimeters.
The brush had moderate softness, is full and dense but not quite as dense as a buffer or kabuki brush. I was surprised that it did not feel softer or smoother against the skin. The brush head itself is on the longer side, so there was a little more floppiness at the base than I expected. I used it with loose and pressed powder, bronzer, blush, and highlighter, and I think the results for colored products was the best. It is a brush that seemed to pick up products just fine, but what it laid down was softer coverage, even when I used a more pigmented product. The only way I found it usable was sweeping forward and backward in one fluid motion, but it did not work well for swirling, light buffing, or quick back-and-forth motions. It seemed to bend unnaturally and did not splay well for much else.
As it just debuted (but is limited edition), I haven’t had it for long enough to know how it would hold up over time. There was nothing about the brush that suggested low quality, and my other Wayne Goss brushes have held up beautifully over time. The brush head seemed well-constructed with an even edge, no stray bristles, and no shedding. I haven’t noticed any dye bleeding from washing yet either.
I think that this is ideal for someone who enjoys the overall look and appearance of the brush or prefers an incredibly long handle that is still lightweight. For the price point, there are a lot of other face brushes I’d opt for first, whether from a softness standpoint or to get a more versatile shape.
