Wish you all a beautiful Sunday. We have a springy weather here, not very warm but very sunny. Loving it, we got to go out before the sun sets as it started going down as early as 4pm. I don't particularly hate winter but that aspect with shorter days is certainly not my favorite. Not so many days left until Christmas and we are behind our shopping schedule. I am behind my give-away schedule as well because had no time to set up in Rafflecopter. I hope I can get a few done soon.
I have previously reviewed the first Wayne Goss Brush Set (Part I & Part II) as well as the first Holiday Brush (review) two years ago. Last year Wayne released a white version of the holiday brush which I also ordered. I love the domed shape of these which is great for application and blending at the same time once you get used to work with the right pressure. These were limited edition back then but I see that recently Beautylish brought them back. You can check out my favorite, the white one here (not affiliated).
This year Wayne comes up with a new limited edition Holiday Brush. It is very different than the ones which were released during the last two years. It is the largest blue squirrel brush Wayne has ever released. It is silky soft and has an interesting shape. It will soon be available for purchase. I don't have pricing information as of today but you can sign up to newsletter for more information and watch his video here. It will exclusively be available via Beautylish. My thoughts and some comparison photos are right after the jump.
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| Wayne Goss Holiday 2015 Brush |
Background
In terms of make-up, western designer brands have improved a lot during the last decade, offering products with better longevity and textures that are easier to apply and blend. I still feel that there is some room for improvement when I test Japanese brands, such as Suqqu but I think the difference is getting less and less noticeable. On the brush front though, when I look at the brush offerings of these brands, there is a huge gap. Harder bristles, scratchy touch & feel and shapes which are hard to work with are not an exception. At some point, I must have lost all my hope and stopped buying any brushes from Chanel, Dior, YSL and many others. I am hearing about Armani's new effort to bring some Japanese quality to western mass market but I haven't checked them in person yet.
Wayne Goss, a make-up artist & You Tube guru must have recognized this gap of good quality brushes at western beauty counters and he decided to launch his first brush set two years ago and had a huge success with it. His brushes are hand crafted in Japan's brush village Kumano, close to Hiroshima. You can read my travel notes and my factory visit to Chikuhodo brush company in this post and learn about how the brushes are brought together one by one by hand. Later on he added more brushes to his collection, in which he now has over 25 brushes.
Hair Type
Since I have dry & sensitive skin, my favorite type of hair among others is blue/grey squirrel. I especially love using blue/grey squirrel brushes as an eye blender brush over the crease, to apply color and contour on my cheeks and to apply and blend powder on my face. Blue/Grey squirrel is great for softer and more blended application in which you can gradually build up the color intensity. That way of application is great for a natural, not over-done look.
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| Wayne Goss Holiday 2015 Brush |
Dimension/Shape
New Wayne Goss Holiday Brush is a round and flat face brush with blue/grey squirrel bristles which are really ultra soft. The ends of the brush hairs are natural ends, that is, they are not cut. They are not colored either which contributes to the softness. You can see the brush from several angles in the photos above. I measured the dimensions as follows:
Hair length: 48 mm
Full length: 172 mm
Max thickness at the ends: 22 mm
Width of the ferrule foot: 37 mm
Craftsmanship
The craftsmanship of Wayne Goss Holiday brush is superb and doesn't leave any wishes open. All photos in this post are done after washing the brush and you can see how nicely the shape and the direction of the bristles are preserved. The color of the bristles look natural and ends are uncut. The handle is of wood and the weight feels good in hand. The brand name is lasered so it won't wear off.
Comparison
All in all this brush is unique to my collection in its flatness and length. I have pulled out some of my powder brushes for a comparison from different price segments to help you decide. I don't own Hakuhodo S102 which looks like the closest match possible. I checked S102 in Tokyo and got it in my long wish list of brushes but didn't have the possibility to splurge yet since it is around $150. I am hearing though that Wayne Goss Holiday Brush will be less that that so it is great news if you were eyeing that one but couldn't pull the trigger because of the price.
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| Comparison of Wayne Goss Holiday 2015 Brush to Chikuhodo, Tom Ford & Shiseido Powder Brushes |
I got rid of all the other unnecessary brushes in my collection so I won't be comparing apples to oranges. On the lower price segment of Japanese brushes I have Shiseido #1 Powder Brush which looks like the closest one in terms of round and flat shape although the ferrule width of Wayne Goss is larger, thus it is much more stable. Putting that aside, Shiseido Powder brush is great for the price but after washing you can see that it doesn't have the same quality as my Chikuhodos, Tom Ford nor Wayne Goss. You can see that the Shiseido's hair looks messy. This is why I never brought myself to write a review about it. *sigh*
Chikuhodo MK-02 is a round flat powder brush which I find best for applying powder and blending everything on the face. I got this one in Kumano and use it almost daily since then. It is one of those brushes you should get when you feel like you have been a good girl and you deserve that splurge. That said it is very different than the new Wayne Goss brush. I can see Wayne Goss one for during over the powder sheerly over the face but also to use around the cheeks for color and bronzer application because it has more precision.
Chikuhodo GSN-01 is a powder brush with goat bristles. I recommend this one if you have more oily/combination skin which is not too sensitive as it is a bit scratchy for my very sensitive face. I reach for it during summer more often when my skin is more hydrated (or sweaty if I may call it). Wayne Goss Holiday Brush is a light year softer compared to this one.
Tom Ford #05 Bronzer Brush is much thicker and is made of goat but it is very soft as well. I don't gravitate towards white brushes because I feel like I need to wash them after each application. By the way this is something you really shouldn't. I was given a "no-go" by the experts in Chikuhodo. They explained me that you are only supposed to really wash brushes very rarely and only clean them by a damp towel if necessary. Anyway, I do love my Tom Ford brushes. Tom is the only designed I know who really understood what a good brush is. You wouldn't be surprised to hear that those are also produced in Japan. I don't use Tom Ford Bronzer brush for powder nor bronzer because to me it is too big to control. I like this brush to blend the face application. Wayne Goss one is more precise since it is thinner so you know what you are applying and where.
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| Comparison of Wayne Goss Holiday 2015 Brush to Chikuhodo, Tom Ford & Shiseido Powder Brushes |
Application/Usage
Here is one more profile photo of Wayne Goss Holiday Brush. Since it is not thick it even feels softer on the face. The aim as I understood was to create a brush which has the ultimate softness and I can approve that he succeeded in this. The softness helps with sensitive skin and those with drier skin will like the sheer powder application with this one which won't look powdery. If you like natural makeup, you will enjoy building up the color gradually if you decide to use it for bronzer or blushes on the cheeks. I like the flatness which helps with the precision during the application as it fits on the contours of the face.
Fun fact, I had to laugh at the comments some left which thought that I used Santa's p-hair for the photos on my Instagram. Hahaha! This is a decoration which we use a lot in Germany so I really never thoughts about it. I had to change the cover photo of this post not to give the wrong impression. *winks*
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| Profile of Wayne Goss Holiday 2015 Brush |
Final thoughts: All in all thumbs up. I am especially loving it for powder application on my sensitive and dry skin which we all seem to get around winter time. It is also appropriate for a natural looking application of blush and bronzer. It is very soft and precise due to its shape and the type of hair. Watch out when it is released because it is limited edition.
Which brush are you loving for your powder application?
Disclaimer: The product in this post was provided free of charge for my consideration.
I am not paid for this review. All opinions are honest and my own.