Beauty Product Reviews

Beautiful, but no Creamy Matte formula

I've been eyeing the 5 pan palettes with the new updated formula and packaging for awhile, and bought 2, 4, and 8. While I think these are exceptionally beautiful and a complete joy to use, I was disappointed to discover that the mattes are not CM (Creamy Mattes), but an older formula, V (Velvet/Velour?). The metallics were typical of what you would expect from Natasha Denona: pigmented, smooth, dazzling; while the mattes are still very nicely done compared to other brands, they just don't have the smoothness, glide, and ultra-diffused blend of her famed CM formula. Luckily, only 2 has a matte from the palettes that I got, but I'm not sure why she didn't go the extra mile when she updated these palettes.

This is the best 239-style laydown brush in the entire universe, and yes, this is the hill I'll die on and I will fight you if you disagree. Even though the specs appear identical to the 239, Builder 3 seems larger than that brush in practice. There's something about the rigidity and inflexibility of the brush (thanks to its ultra density) that allows me to utilize more surface area from ferrule to tip than the 239. Goat hair fibres that has been treated with dye also becomes more porous through that process, which gives dyed goat the advantage of having better grip with powder products and thus, superior pigmentation with minimal fallout.

Great all-around blender and diffuser

As someone with hooded lids, this brush was the one from his eye set that I thought I would utilize the least in my daily routine, but it's become one of my all-time favorites for crease blending. Yes, it looks huge, but its wonderful taper allows you to apply product directionally whilst its fluffiness and size offers great buffing power. This is the first brush I use in my daily routine right after applying eyeshadow primer to lay down a basic warm brown in the crease; it's also wonderful for softening harsh applications. No matter which step you use this brush for, you will have a nice gradient guaranteed.

Must-have for hooded lids!!

As someone with hooded eyelids and looser skin on the outer part of my eye, I regularly have to carefully finesse my brushes when applying eyeshadow to my outer V to prevent skipping. However, this brush has changed the game for me! It's slightly smaller than the typical 217-style blending brush, but this wonderful brush fits in that part of my eye perfectly and blends product there like a dream. If you encounter similar isssues with eyeshadow application in the outer V, strongly consider having this in your collection!

Cheaper than Tom Ford

This brush is a dead ringer for the Tom Ford 06 Cheek Brush, but I wanted something less dense because it moved my foundation underneath. This brush is the perfect dupe for it, but is a little bit fluffier which is what I prefer for blush. Personally this isn't my favourite for contouring as it is too big and fluffy for my tastes for that (I prefer smaller tapered or angled brushes for that), but this brush is perfect for more precise and pigmented application of blush. I'm a blush girl, so I like to dolly cheek it up!

This brush is very similar to the 11 since they're both paddle brushes that is primarily used for the cheeks, so if you have one you don't need the other. However, if you are a blush or brush junkie like me, having both of them are worth it since they apply product differently :) I promise you that when you own one of these brushes, you'll soon want to buy the entire collection since they are so good.

Lovely brush!

I own the Hakuhodo dupe for this brush, which is the S110. They are very similar since they have an almost identical size and use the same grade of goat hair, which is saikoho, but the WG 11 is slightly less soft due to the tea-dyed bristles. However, it is still ridiculously soft and since it is a bit less dense, the feel like the same softness on the skin. I actually prefer the WG 11 because of this, since I find the S110 a bit too dense and can move my foundation underneath because of it! WG brushes also feel a lot more luxurious to hold in my hand because of the weighted handles. This brush is very wonderfully made and is a good replacement for the MAC 129 and Bobbi Brown blush brush, since this is so much superior in every aspect.

There's cheaper and better alternatives

This brush is TERRIBLE, and quite possibly the worst blush brush I've ever had the pleasure (? not in this context HAHA) of putting on my face besides a 90s era Bobbi Brown. Sure, the density and shape is fine and blends very well, BUT it is soooo f**king scratchy and sheds like crazy! I still don't understand why people are still buying MAC brushes at full retail value when there's better options at the drugstore level; EcoTools and Real Techniques are actually very good with a low sticker price. I actually find the quality of this brush very comparable to Sonia Kashuk and ELF. Perhaps the most mind-boggling thing of all is the fact that brushes at the same price point are even more superior to anything you can buy at MAC. Even on the Beautylish site, Wayne Goss brushes are easily accessible and is superior in every aspect. Not to mention, Hakuhodo produces both Wayne Goss and MAC brushes BUT their in-house line is simply awesome. If you're going to blow money on brushes, you're better off buying from the aforementioned brands. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!