Love makeup brushes? here are 3 brush sets to make you the envy of your friends

Let me let you in on a secret, I love makeup brushes. Not just any old makeup brushes I like the expensive handcrafted ones made in Japan. If you want to know why you can read about that here. They have the softest bristles you will ever feel on your face and perform wonderfully when it comes to makeup application.

One of the reasons I am a fan of handcrafted Japanese makeup brushes is their beauty. The amount of work that that goes into creating an object that is both functional and beautiful makes them so attractive to me. In the past few months, the makeup and beauty gods decided to bless us with  3 brush sets that fit into these criteria of handcrafted and beautiful and I wanted to discuss them In some detail in case you were interested in taking the plunge. If this is not your speed you can out this post on how to build your brush collection with the basics or more affordable brush sets if you are money conscious.

Since you have gotten this far its clear you want to know mores so lets get started with the 3 on my list

Fuji Makie Collection by CHIKUHODO x Beautylish

This brush set came out on sale in December 2018 as part of the holiday collection so we are a bit late to the party. Because it is a limited edition it may not always be available, so get it if you want one get it now. The design of the ferrule is inspired by Japan’s Mount Fuji in Japan’s. The motif is in a metallic iridescent blue lacquer which makes it stand out even more.

What you get

This set comes with 4 essential face brushes with which blue lacquer handles.

1. The Powder Brush: is made from cruelty-free goat hair and can be used for both pressed and loose powder. This brush is a typical powder brush and may also be a good option for highlighter, blush or applying powder on your whole face.
2. The Contour Brush: this is tapered enough so you can apply blush, contour or highlighter exactly where you want it allowing you to define your facial features. Thus serving as a perfect complement to the powder brush.
3. The foundation brush: it is a densely packed kabuki brush and is perfect for a streakless foundation application. It also works well with multiple formulas.
4. The Eyeshadow Brush:  this fluffy eye brush is able to both lay down eyeshadow as well as blend eyeshadow into the crease.

What makes it special

• Its ferrule is gorgeous with an image of Mount Fuji in metallic blue.
• Cruelty-free make from saikoho goat hair which is the softest natural hair fibre available

It costs $195 but is a steal compared to the other Chikuhodo limited edition brush set and is available at Beautylish with instalment payments.

Sonia G- The Fundamental Brush Set

This set was released in early 2019 and is the brainchild of the author of the blog sweet makeup temptations which is the guide for all things related to luxury makeup brushes. One of the key identifying factors of the Sonia G collection is the very lush deep red and black lacquer colour of the ferrule handles and this is no exception.

What you get

This is an 8 piece brush set which with 4 faces and 4 eye brushes with handles slightly longer than most traditional Japanese brushes.

1. Base One: is a densely packed kabuki brush made from natural and synthetic fibre. It can be used for both liquid and cream foundations and gives a streak-free application.
2. Sculpt One: This is a much less common, dense natural fibre fan powder brush that can be used for sculpting and contouring, particularly with bronzer or highlighting powders.
3. Sculpt Three:  This is a smaller thinner fan natural fibre brush used to provide a lighter wash of colour which is more precise for contouring and highlighting. its size also allows you to put down pigment without going overboard as well as pick up harder to pick up products.
4. Face Two:  This is a smaller dome-shaped powder brush reminiscent of the Wayne Goss airbrush and likewise gives an airbrushed finish with powders. The size and shape are also useful for the precision application of bronzer or contour and blend in products more easily.
5. Pencil One:  This is a natural fibre precision pencil powder brush that due to its size works great if you have small eyes.
6. Crease One:  a natural hair brush that provides a targeted application of products to the eye crease with zero harsh lines.
7. Builder One: A flat powder eyeshadow brush that allows you to pack on a product without smudges making it easy to build intensity. It works well with difficult textures like metallic and shimmer shadows.
8. Worker One: blend fibres without diffusing the colour of the pigment and works both as a crease and shading brush for the lash line.

What makes it special?

• Each brush is handmade from sustainable wood and is designed to provide a luxury experience with each handle coated with lacquer used on luxury vehicles. This results in a brush handle which is perfectly weighted with a glossy deep red to black gradient.
• The bristles are made from natural goat (saikoho), blue squirrel and synthetic fibres. The combination of natural and or synthetic depends on function to provide maximum impact.

it is available at Beautylish and costs $346.It is expensive I know but you can get the brushes individually to build your collection over time or pay in 3 instalments.

Wayne Goss -The Synthetics

Everyone loves Wayne Goss and this is the very first 100% synthetic brush set in his collection. Like natural hair bristles, these brushes are crafted by Japanese artisans with the softest vegan bristles on the market. The collection is made up of 4 brushes, 2 face and 2 eye brushes which are supposed to be all you need to apply a full face of makeup.

What you get

1. Large Fab Brush (24S ): a fluffy and dense fan brush for foundation, highlighter, contour, and bronzer which is able to disperse different formulas seamlessly. Because its shape is so versatile shape, it can also be used to contour, bronze, and highlight. Because it is synthetic it is able to provide more grip on the skin.
2. Pointed Powder Brush(25S):  This tapered powder brush is best to apply loose and pressed powders. This is reminiscent of the Holiday brush which was launched a few years ago but has a different shape. It can be used to apply under-eye concealer or blush over cheeks thanks to its tapered shape.
3. Blending Brush (26S): This lays down or blends eyeshadow and is designed to buff out hard lines. The flat side can be used to apply pigment while the tip to blend shadow or apply undereye concealer.
4. Pencil Brush(27S): this is a fine detail brush that works well for smudging, and shadow for all eye shapes. It is a must-have for any makeup bag and gives predictable results since it is synthetic.

What makes it special?

For vegans, this is a brush set for you, it is vegan and cruelty-free. It also works for luxury and natural bristle aficionados because the synthetic fibres mimic the feel of natural hair.  The bristles work with all textures, formulas and finishes. In addition, the craftsmanship is exceptional and the same as his natural hair brushes.

This is the least expensive brush sets mentioned at $140.00 but compared to other synthetic brush sets is pricy. However, they are still handmade luxury brushes and are made from synthetic fibres those in the market.

My thoughts

Based on the average cost per bush the Chikuhodo Fuji makie is the most expensive at $48 per brush. This is followed by Sonia G at $ 45, then Wayne Goss at $38. Personally, I would go for the Sonia G set as it has a more extensive collection so I would be less likely to need additional brushes.

If the price is your main consideration then the Wanye Goss set is the way to go. I started my collection with his very first brush set release and have continued to add to it since then. Although the Chikuhodo is extremely beautiful I would not use it and would probably keep it displayed like artwork. I would use the Sonia G -Fundamental set or the Wayne Goss -synthetics set because their ferrules look like they are unlikely to stain or get visibly damaged from use.

If you would like to see a proper unboxing of each set here are some video reviews here  ,here and here.

Do you intend to try out any of the brush sets I mentioned? or are luxury brushes not your thing? Let me know in the comments and tag somehow who would like to know more.

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