Beauty Product Reviews

Mine was not like advertised at all

Unfortunately I got one that had such dark wood you could barely make out what the laser engravings were. Compared to the promotional images mine was completely different and I was so disappointed I sent it back. Beautylish customer service was great, but unfortunately, due to being an international customer, I lost $38 in taxes and duties over the whole situation which is very disappointing when the product is not as advertised.

The perfect travel set!

I was actually hesitant to get these because as I rule I tend to not use my travel sets very often (outside of traveling), but with this set I've used it almost every day I've done my makeup since it arrived! My favourite of the set is the Mini Base as I love it for foundation and cream blush. It's amazing as it buffs foundation beautifully (I normally don't like foundation brushes) and diffuses cream blush perfectly with a dabbing motion. The three eye brushes are beautiful and just what you need for most eye looks. Initially I didn't love the Classic Face as I normally like a bigger brush for powdering my face, but once I tried it for blush I really fell in love with it. It's especially great for blushes that are harder to pick up like the Chantecaille baked gelee blush formula for example. Overall I'm thrilled with this purchase as the set really exceeded my expectations and the two new brushes in the collection have because everyday staple brushes for me now.

A brilliant little green palette!

I absolutely love wearing greens and this is my favourite green palette by far (although I have my eye on Natasha's big Green/Brown palette in the future!). But I think this palette also makes greens very wearable. The matte olive green is to die for, it's very true to colour on the lids and works beautifully as a crease colour or all over the lid for a very wearable-but-different day look. The lightest shade is a great transition colour as it has a slightly murky yellow undertone which works really well with the rest of the colours. The green duo chrome and the metallic gold are incredible shades on the lid, but the gold especially does have a lot of fallout throughout the day which is the only thing I don't like. The dark brown works well too, I like that it isn't just a deep matte as it gives more dimension on the outer corners due to the slight shimmer. Overall I think this palette is such a little gem, as you can do so many different looks and use the dark brown or matte olive as a base to really change the effect/shade of each shimmer too. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it if you're looking for something that's a bit different while still being very wearable.

My new favourite brush!

I've been waiting over a year to get this (I didn't want to buy the whole set) and it really doesn't disappoint! For some context I have an extensive brush collection with over 100 brushes from Chikuhodo, Hakuhodo, Wayne Goss, Sonia G, Surratt etc and for functionality and performance, Sonia G always comes out out top for me. The brush is a mix of dyed and undyed goat hair while somehow having a softness almost comparable to squirrel. Before Sonia G's brushes I'd never been a big fan of goat as I sometimes found it to be too rough, but she's converted me. I love setting my makeup with powder and this brush is perfect for both loose and pressed powder application. Because of the rounded top it's lovely to pounce on the loose powder and then buff it around, while the head is big enough as to not take long to powder the whole face, while still being small enough for detail work and fitting easily into pressed powder pans. But where I think this brush really stands out is for buffing once everything is applied. If I don't like the blend of my blush or bronzer or I want it to all melt together rather than look like different 'sections' on the face, I just buff with this brush and it really is unbelievable! Even when applying a fair amount of pressure it's so soft that it never disrupts the makeup, only diffuses it. I also have the Face One and I have to say I much prefer this brush for buffing as it's more directional and the head is smaller so it can do the nose/chin area with better precision. This is absolutely my new favourite brush and I couldn't recommend it more!

The brush I've been searching for!

I've been on the hunt for quite a while for an ultra-soft, directional and firm goat powder brush. I have the Surratt Face brush which is squirrel so I love to use this for my finishing powder. But I have oily skin so I really wanted a goat powder brush that would still be soft and directional (but wouldn't be damaged by oil long-term). The other powder brushes I have I've never really got along well with as they're too floppy and I prefer the 'press and roll' powder setting technique. So this brush has completely met and exceeded my expectations for the perfect powder brush! To start with, the goat hair is incredibly soft and good quality. I have several saikoho goat brushes and this is just as soft (if not softer!). I know Wayne doesn't normally specify the type of goat, squirrel etc hair he uses for his brushes, but the hair quality for this brush especially is exceptional. Now onto the shape- it's a slim, long fan that has a fair density to it. It's not a shape I have already (and I have a lot of brushes!) so I didn't realise until I received it just how innovative and useful this shape is. The end of the brushes come to a taper so you can set your under-eyes with it or turn it on its side to powder the crevices of the nose easily. It's also perfect for how I like to powder as it's bigger than the Air Brush so it powders a good amount of the face at a time and you can really spread and press the powder into the face. It's also the perfect shape for sweeping blush onto the apples of the cheeks and up. I personally prefer the Sonia G. 'Sculpt One' for bronzer, but this does an excellent job too. I think this would be a great contour brush rather than bronzer actually, as on its side it can do very precise lines. I'm so glad I ordered two of these before they sold out, it really is one the most multi-use brushes I have and the quality is impeccable.

Amazing for highlighting and setting the under-eye

I think Surratt Beauty describing this as a 'large smokey eye' brush is a bit of a misnomer. It's very soft, long and floppy with renders it pretty directionless when it comes to eye application. Granted I'm not a big smokey eye wearer myself, but I still can't imagine how this brush would really work for the eyes because of the aforementioned reasons. It wouldn't be able to blend well as it's so floppy and big, maybe it would smudge out or elongate a line or shadow, but even then so many other brush shapes could be easily used in its place. But regardless I still love this brush as its shape, size and softness and come in handy for other things! The quality of the squirrel hair is amazing and it's so soft on the face. I was considering buying the Surratt highlight brush as I'd convinced myself I didn't have any brush that would work as a highlighter. But one day I decided to try this and it worked perfectly for that purpose, so I'm no longer lusting after that other brush! (small victories!) The hair spreads out enough to give a natural-looking sweep of highlight, but it's small enough that it is still directional when swiping. It's fantastic for more pigmented highlighters too as the squirrel hair gives a softer wash of highlight. The brush is also the perfect size for setting the under eyes with powder, especially as it has the pointed tip. After finding its niche I've really come to love this brush, having been initially unsure of how to use it. Definitely one I'd recommend, and as for the quality I continue to be blown away by Surratt brushes (I have many others like Hakuhodo, Chikuhodo, Koyudo etc).

Really unique brush

A little disclaimer: I bought this from another website when it had a pretty significant discount (£132!) and I'm very happy with it for that price. For full price, maybe I'd feel differently as it's extremely expensive compared to the Chikuhodo squirrel powder brushes which are usually around the $180 mark.

Anyway, onto the review! The quality of the hair really is superb, I've never felt squirrel that is so soft yet so firm, which makes the brush uniquely versatile for a squirrel powder brush. It's definitely a dense powder brush rather than an airy one, so you do get a lot of hair. You can pounce the powder on easily and then sweep it around the face, which is mainly what I use it for. I also think this would be a really great bronzer brush, and because of it rounded tip it could work for blush as well.

The design of the brush is beautiful too, the handle is much more nuanced and striking in person that in looks in pictures. It also comes with a substantial cardboard box I've attached a picture of which I think is a nice touch as most Japanese brushes don't come in anything.

So to sum up, I'm personally really glad I bought this brush as I think it's unusual, fantastic quality and very versatile. But I did get it at a significant discount and I don't think it is worth the price hike when Chikuhodo does incredible squirrel powder brushes for $50 less. So my 5 star rating is for the brush itself, not the pricing.

One of my 'everyday' brushes

I use this every time I apply makeup, it's a great staple. I mainly use it for applying a base shadow over my primer and it works beautiully as it's such a big eye brush. It's also a good brush for blending out an eye look and applying highlight. I love the design of it, the matte black handle and ferrule with the red lettering is stunning, it's probably my favourite brush designs that I own. I took off a star because mine has a few hairs that aren't as soft that I can feel from certain angles, but it's just a small complaint!

One of my HG brushes

I use this everyday when doing my makeup, it's become such a staple and I don't know how I managed without it. The bristles are fairly good quality squirrel hair and a great price for a squirrel brush. I use it for baking under my eyes and it's the perfect shape for that purpose and sweeping away the excess . It's also great for powdering the nose as it's slim and flat. You can use it to powder the whole face too, bronze, blush, highlight, etc, it really can do a lot. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Great crease brush

It's a nice, small crease brush. It does the job and blends well. The design of the brush and handle is much prettier in person. I'm taking off one star because it's not the softest goat hair, but it's not scratchy either.