Love for Brushes

[AMK721]

I'm developing a love for brushes of all kinds.  I bought a few higher end brushes and they are amazing.  They are incredibly soft and my makeup glides on like a dream.  There are so many interesting shapes. I am really interested in creating a beautiful brush collection.  Show your brushes and share any cleaning and storage tips and let us know which ones are your favorites.

[WinglessOne]

Folks on Beautylish’s mailing list or Sonia G’s blog already know about this, but: 

The price of USD $589 = the price you’d have paid if you bought all 3 sets separately like I did. (Eh, I also used Beautylish points where I could.) Some people might raise an eyebrow about that because this bundle only contains 3 Sunset Cranes brushes, and 2 of them are different from the original 4 Sunset Cranes. As usual, see Sonia’s blog, Sweet Makeup Temptations, for more info about that. 

Of the 3 sets (including the original 4 Sunset Cranes), I use the Summer Koi brushes most frequently by far. This is purely subjective of course, but those 4 saikoho brushes are fantastic daily workhorses. My fave of the 4 is the Smooth Blender: I use it occasionally as a shadow blender but most often as an undereye concealer blender. I love that brush so much, I’m having loud intrusive thoughts of buying this whole $589 bundle just to get a backup of the Smooth Blender—and the other 3 Summer Kois, of course, but that blender is so good at its job without being scratchy/irritating or too strong (concealer melds to my skin instead of being pushed/rubbed away)… I really really really hope Sonia makes this brush part of her permanent lineup, regardless of handle shape/design. Meanwhile, I’m trying not to let the intrusive thoughts win. 😅 

Last I checked, the Japanese Gardens set was still available at Beautylish. So if you just want those brushes, you don’t need to buy this entire bundle. They’re white Canadian squirrel + saikoho goat. 

[caitbird]

@WinglessOne  wow, these are gorgeous! I always love maki-e brushes, they are like little works of art, the detail and designs are amazing.

[WinglessOne]

@caitbird  Sonia and team did a great job with these handles. Each set’s design holds special meaning for Sonia (she explains it all at her blog). The crane design means a lot to me too, though not exactly for the same reason. When the Sunset Cranes set launched, I’d recently lost some friends and family members and was going through some other personal badness. The crane symbolism on those brushes was very dear to me at the time, and still is. 

The next year, Sonia released the Summer Koi set and dang it, that koi & lotus design also spoke deeply to me. 😅 It’s kinda fitting that those 4 brushes are the ones I keep using so often. I thought that was the last set I’d buy for a while, but then Sonia released the Japanese Gardens set. That design sent me back to the funeral of a dear friend, and now I call them his brushes. And sheesh, I didn’t mean to ramble about all this. 🤦‍♀️ I wish everyone could have at least one beautiful maki-e brush (regardless of brush maker/brand). They’re always even prettier in person than they are in photos. 

[caitbird]

@WinglessOne  how wonderful that these brushes are not only beautiful, but also hold deep personal meaning for you! I think that is so special. Thank you for sharing 💜

[danielledanielle]

Well said @WinglessOne 

[AMK721]

@WinglessOne these are gorgeous. Quality brushes are not cheap, but they will last and last and last, plus there really is a difference in application (IMO). Enjoy these beauties! 

[WinglessOne]

@AMK721  They’re all really lovely. The original Sunset Cranes set sold out ridiculously fast each time it was released in batches; I was very lucky to get it during the second drop. I wish those 4 original brushes were in this new bundle so more folks could get ‘em. The 3 new (well, 2 new + 1 original) brushes do look useful though. It took longer for the Summer Koi set to sell out, and I wish I’d bought a backup set. 

While pricey brushes are (usually) worth the money, so are plenty of less expensive brushes. I still have 3 of my MAC natural hair eyeshadow brushes; they’re 30 years old now and still perform like champs. I’ve had both cheap and pricey brushes fall apart on me or fail to perform well. But generally, I find a brush will last as long as you maintain it well. 

[makeitup305]

@WinglessOne these are so beautiful! I've been ignoring Beautylish emails to avoid brush temptation.

[WinglessOne]

@makeitup305  That’s a very good plan. Between Beautylish and Fude Beauty emails, I’m surprised I’m not all outta money yet. 😅

[Love880]

I really like the morphs brushes. they’re not super expensive and have decent quality. for cleaning I use a mat from Amazon and eco tools brush shampoo.

[courtneyyyyyyyf]

Hi! I have a hodgepodge of brushes that i've compiled over the years and never replaced but clean often. I use mostly cream based products and I'm not a big beauty blender girl. If yall were to start completely over with makeup brushes what are the ones you'd immediately buy (the ride or dies)?

[Cjay93]

I have a question! I'm very new to cleaning my brushes And wanted to know what you actually found best that you use for your brushes?🧡

#makeupbrushes #mAkeup #cleaning 

[Shuuug4221]

Dawn and a bit of olive oil!

[teufel]

I actually use The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver. I have used it for years for my paint brushes, including my kolinsky and squirrel watercolor brushes. It’s fairly inexpensive and you can get it at art supply stores and online on Amazon. For cleaning, it is pretty straightforward. Wet, swirl brush in cleaner, rinse, and repeat. If you want to condition or reshape (it’s amazing at both), use it to form a paste after washing and let the paste dry down and sit on the bristles. For conditioning, let the paste sit for a day or two before rinsing off. Leave the paste on longer for reshaping. I used it to restore some old tiny kolinsky paint brushes I found in storage. They were so dry and misshapen that I left it on for a few weeks. Rinsed it off and now the bristles are like new

[makeitup305]

@Cjay93 I really like The Tool Lab cleansers. They're on the more expensive side but they work really well. They have one for natural brushes and one for foundation (dirtier) brushes.

[WinglessOne]

@Cjay93  For a true washing, I use Beautyblender blendercleanser® solid Unscented  on all my brushes, even my handmade Japanese squirrel brushes. That cleanser comes in other scents, but I only use the unscented one. It’s very effective and rinses clean. I’ve yet to ruin a brush with it. 

Between true washings, I use a spray cleaner to remove makeup. My favorites are  BeautySoClean Conditioning Brush Cleanser and SEPHORA COLLECTION Dry Shampoo Brush Cleaner. Just spray cleaner on the bristles and then gently brush a microfiber towel—or better yet, spray the towel with cleaner and then brush the sprayed area. 

When I travel with brushes, I pack a few brush cleaner wipes. Sephora used to sell them but I don’t think they do anymore. I’ve been using Bisyodo Makeup Brush Cleaning Wipes lately and they work well.

[WinglessOne]

Cross-posting from the Fabulous February Hauls 2025 ❄️💙 thread and adding a few comparison photos. 

Here’s Sonia G. By Tesshyu: The Voyage Set - the collab between 2 of my favorite brush makers, Chikuhodo and Sonia G. 

The other side of that little blue towel is terrycloth.

The set comes wrapped in that red fabric and blue travel towel, and encased in a big paulownia box: 

Added the Japanese Gardens box for size comparison.

I mostly wanted the powder brush for its precision point + diffusing sides; I can get a lotta use out of this goat+squirrel brush. The other 2 brushes are grey squirrel and welcome additions to my collection. I haven’t washed these yet, so they haven’t unfurled to their full potential. I suspect the sora powder brush and omoi compact face brush will fluff up quite a bit after a true sudsy wash. 

How about some size comparison photos with other Sonia G. and Chikuhodo brushes? 

L to R: Traditions TF3, Sora, & Chikuhodo LNY Dragon powder.L to R: Fan Pro, Omoi, and Z-4 cheek.

And as usual, Sonia G. has more comparisons and a good write-up at her blog. 

[AMK721]

@WinglessOne 😍 those brushes are beautiful! And the packaging is stunning. One of my favorite shadow brushes is a small tapered brush that allows me to get detailed so the brush in your first picture on the right really appeals to me. Enjoy these brushes and can't wait to see the gorgeous looks you'll create with them.

[WinglessOne]

@AMK721  I hear you on loving small tapered brushes for detail work. One of my favorite brushes is the rephr 23 for its tiny pencil shape: I can easily work in my tight inner corner space with that brush. Which one’s your favorite? 

Sonia calls the Nagare (the tapered Voyage collection brush) a crease brush with a more precise tip than usual. That’ll be fun to play with. 

For the heck of it, I took another photo of that brush alongside a bunch of others for size and shape comparison. (Not sure why I didn’t do that originally.) I should’ve included the SEPHORA COLLECTION PRO Crease Brush #19  as a shape and size many folks are probably familiar with, as a good reference… eh, that brush has more pronounced tapered sides. These are all Sonia G. brushes unless otherwise stated: 

L to R: Blender Pro, Crease Pro, Nagare, Crease One, Wayne Goss 04 Crease (still damp from washing earlier today), Soft Definer, Rephr 23 (oof, needs washing), and Rephr 34.

[AMK721]

@WinglessOne those are all so beautiful. The ones that I'm drawn to are the Nagare and Soft Definer. Probably because of the tapered tip. That shape brush makes it easier for me to do an outer V-shape with darker shades without it looking too heavy. Then I use a fluffy crease brush to blend it out. I don't use a lot of darker shades because I don't think it looks that good on me, but I do enjoy "playing" with my makeup on days I don't have meetings 😂.