Beauty Product Reviews
disarmingly intentional brush, seamless application
Do you have your reading glasses on? Sitting down? Okay SO! First of all let me say that this is easily the most expensive, and fittingly the largest, natural bristle brush I have ever purchased. And is it worth it? Yes! A thousand times yes! However admittedly at first I was worried that it wouldn’t be. Upon first impression I found the bundling on this brush to be exceedingly unique, almost to the point that I thought it seemed.. dare I say… sloppy? 🫢🫢 My mistake! After washing and blooming it became apparent to me that the shorter bristles towards the outside of the ferrule, right at the peak of the arch, actually make for a pretty perfectly level, ever so slightly domed, deliciously delicate and satisfactorily spacious surface area that is ideal for a buildable, ethereal wash of product on the contours and peaks of my particular facial structure. I should never have doubted that the shape of the brush head certainly is intentional, not to mention certainly very useful and certainly unlike most other large face brushes I’ve seen. And another mistake on my part! I have, and adore, the Traditions Series Keyaki Kakishibu eye brushes and am ever so familiar with the persimmon tannin dyeing technique that is so expertly utilized therein but for some reason I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it in face brush form as much. Obviously this assumption did not prove to be accurate either! These bristles are just so damn special! Perhaps more springy and bold than what you’re used to, perhaps softer and more subtle, whatever your collection looks like now I guarantee it can stand to gain from the addition of Sonia G’s kakishibu dyed bristles in the face category. In that vein and in terms of comparisons it is definitely less dense in construction and less specific in application than Sonia G’s much-adored & almost painfully perfect Niji Pro, which isn’t a bad thing at all but does perhaps make it less of an Immediate Must Have in my honest opinion. It won’t buff as FaceTune-ly but it is perfect for a swifter bronzer application or a simultaneously blown out and user friendly, gentler application of setting/finishing/foundation powders. Pics for reference, as well as a Chikuhodo FO1 on the right which is considerably smaller & more dense, and in turn more versatile, but feels similar in delivery of product I think; the silver fox bristles feel comparable to the kakishibu dyed saikoho goat bristles to me because they are both silky, pliant, and resilient but also remain shockingly gentle against my somewhat sensitive skin 🤩☁️ This brush exceeded my expectations and lives up to the price point even if it is less multifunctional and perhaps less immediately approachable than some of the other face brushes in Sonia G’s lineup. It definitely makes up for its specificity with its centuries-perfected sophistication, abundantly plush fluffiness, ease of use, and technical prowess that is so clearly created in celebration of, you guessed it, tradition! The gorgeous keyaki zelkova serrata handles and overall aesthetic of the Traditions Series continue to impress & enamor me and all the brush’s genuine ingenuity ensure that they wriggle their way into my daily routine eventually, with no exception here despite my initial misguided apprehension. Definitely adding the TF2 to my wishlist and looking forward to any and all future Traditions launches.
no other brush shades like a Sonia G😎😎
This brush is TRULY the perfect lay down brush and I am devastated that it is limited edition! It feels so soft because of the blue squirrel bristles, but as an eyeshadow obsessive sometimes squirrel bristles just don’t feel all that practical to me precisely because of the softness; in swoops the genius minds of Sonia G and her artisans with saikoho goat bristles in hand to add a heart of steel to this already near-perfect little brush. It can pick up all the formulas in my collection with ease & lays them down with a simultaneously strong but buildable diffusion (and little to no fallout!) that I guarantee will impress you as much as it impresses me every day. Seriously. Every day. And if that wasn’t already more than enough it can also blend out targeted areas way better than a lot of the designated blenders in my collection! A rare, covetous, endlessly useful masterpiece.
An Immediate Holy Grail
It’s hard for me to keep it brief whenever I review Sonia G brushes because every single one I buy exceeds my already high expectations, and this one is no different. This brush is basically the perfect one and done eyeshadow brush and I would say that is probably the reason to buy the ticket but there are also so many other reasons to adore the production as well. Will it lay down and blend out basically any eyeshadow formula perfectly & swiftly, without a ton of pesky fallout usually associated with oversized brushes or hard-to-finagle formulas? Of course! But will it also blend out concealer, then turn right around and set those tricky under eye areas with powder in the same breath? Naturally! Highlight brow & cheek bones or add targeted structure to the face effortlessly? Absolutely. The arched ferrule is so unique and makes for such easy application, even on my small-ish eyes(!), and the springy but resilient persimmon-dyed goat bristles make this brush the ultimate oversized workhorse, not to mention an immediate stand out in my collection. I’ll never get caught anywhere without it now because it is so reliable and versatile, and the gorgeous keyaki handle makes sure wherever I am that I’ll be there in sumptuous, classic style! Bravo!
Exquisite! Just exquisite!
I don’t have anything worthwhile to add to the discourse. Yes they were hard to get my hands on, yes I managed, and yes I feel next-level-lucky to have done so. What I can gush about ad nauseam is the elegance and efficiency of these almost unbelievably gorgeous little brushes. The handles are curvaceous and sturdy, almost reminiscent of the flagship Fundamental handles but with much more flair. The maki-e obviously feels so special and singular, so much so that even if these brushes weren’t the only maki-e-adorned masterpieces in my collection, which they are, I believe that the relatively small size and intricacy of the design would still make them stand out! Sonia G bundles to perfection every time but the density of the squirrel bristles included here blew me away immediately upon application; especially the smaller brushes like the Soft Pencil have a shocking amount of density and pickup for the category. The Arched Worker is a tour de force. Plain and simple. I’m a sucker for an oversized shader and this one is no exception. As aforementioned the density of this brush shocked me right away because honestly all four of the brush heads included did seem pretty dainty upon first impression, but I should have known Sonia would never lead us astray! A pinched ferrule gives this brush such control and accuracy however the length and flexibility of the bristles make sure she doesn’t sacrifice any proficiency, for any eye size or shape - I have smaller eyes but this big beauty can whack on a base eyeshadow in no time, or even finesse a targeted powder highlight or contour application with ease. No need to worry about blending, the smaller Builder-type of brushes in this set practically blend while they shade and feel soft as silk against sensitive areas like inner corners and lower lash lines. I mean I could go on and on but I’ll stop here. Just wow. Wowowowow. The day Sonia G releases a permanent squirrel bristle collection will be the day I can die happy.
A. Must. Have.
As soon as this brush kinda soft launched in the Keyaki 2.0 set I knew I had to have it. Introducing a Sonia G Worker (of any variety) into one’s eyeshadow brush collection was obviously already a necessity and to now have a deluxe, Party Size version!? My breath caught in my chest. But I waited because the Keyaki set was a little too lofty for my meager lil collection I thought. And then it was featured in the Fusion Eye set and still I waited. And now it’s finally here on its own and let me just say oooh baby, she’s a superstar. Never did I think I would find a brush that, under duress, could be used for legitimately my whole face; eyeshadow to foundation to concealer to highlighter to.. The sky isn’t even the limit. The universally beloved Fusion bristle mixture makes it perfect for every task from blending out concealer to shading one’s brow or cheek bones to laying down a lovely base eyeshadow or targeted blush, like I said the list goes on and on. The shape of the brush is wholly unique and deceptively simple. The size of the handle is perfect & ever so slightly shorter than her Pro handles which makes it feel so intimate and precise. If you are a novice you need this brush and if you’re a Sonia G fan you already have it and if you don’t, get it. It’s that simple.
deliciously luxurious
These little beauties have quickly become stand outs in my collection. They have their limitations of course, as all squirrel bristles do, but for their respective jobs I have yet to use more efficient, sumptuous brushes. The S1 works beautifully for me as an inner corner or outer v lay down and feels like air against the skin. The S2 has easily outpaced the other flat shaders I have, even another specific, larger yellow Canadian squirrel flat shader I have from another specific brand that shares many a similarity to the two flat shaders in this trio👀 And the S3. Gosh where to even begin. To keep it brief I’m obsessed with blending brushes and this one feels extra special. Effective and ethereal, it may or may not be my favorite eyeshadow brush ever, but I guess it’s soon to say for sure. In any case I think I want to be buried with it. I’m honored to have this set, so honored I had to write this long rambling review even though it has already sold out. If you have this terrific trio then count your blessings and if you missed it I am truly so sorry, because it’s worth every cent.