Wayne Goss released a make-up brush Collection set two years ago that consisted of 8 brushes for the eyes and face, later sold individually. Today, for the second Anniversary of the launch he has just released a supercharged version of it, more powerful, more functional, more sense as a whole set since you can now get a precision pencil brush and a bigger foundation brush that I truly believe will suit more of us.
The first and most important thing to note is that two of the brushes have been replaced. The new bigger foundation brush is a Limited Edition upgrade to this Anniversary set and the pencil brush, the new number 05, will be a permanent upgrade to the Collection set.
This Anniversary set is also hotter… the logo is now pink and bigger, looking better on glossy black handles and definitely more durable:
But the pink… what a coincidence. I don’t usually love pink, unless it comes as an accent in small doses, a bright touch of fun and life. Just like I did for my brushroom, these brushes are totally making my day here… Could it get any better? Not for me. Brushes that match my brushroom tones… that’s super cool. Love it love it love it.
I recently discovered baby pineapples as flowers and have one in my brushroom/office (well, when I can find one and when I can afford it), it gives the room this little bright pink pop of colour that I love with a unique and exotic touch, on top of that, pineapples are the symbol of hospitality and warm welcome… anyway, back to the brushes 😀 (but now you know the story of this little pineapple)
Before I start, I want to thank you for your questions on Instagram and Facebook, I am going to answer your questions as I write this post. If you have other questions or topics that you want me to address, please don’t hesitate to leave your comments below 😉
LE Number 01
This is the Limited Edition #01 side to side with the current #01 in his Collection, the diameter of the little one is 2cm, the diameter of the big one is 3cm. The shield (the synthetic polyester bristles that extend from the goat bristles) is long of 4mm, same length as the little one.
When I reviewed Wayne’s first Collection I mentioned that I used the brush #01 mostly for cream blush as I prefer bigger brushes for foundation, today we are talking about a BIG foundation brush here and that is very good news. I love it, I need gentle brushes on my dry skin to prevent irritation and abrasion and even flaking at times, this brush does the job and finishes it on its own, I don’t need to go over the application with a buffing brush or add any additional steps to be happy with the finish.
The little #01 is fantastic with my cream blushes and cream contour products that I use every single day! It allows more precision, the finish is blended without disturbing the underneath application and the layering can be measured and controlled, I have the warranty this brush is not going to slap flat a heavy layer of product and will not require a lot of blending work afterwards.
Both of these brushes are must haves, they are part of my essential routine, one for precision and sculpting, the other for fast and flawless foundation, the perfect pair.
The longer the shield, the more smooth and gentle the application is, the shorter the shield, the better it is with powder products as it has more building up and buffing capabilities, which brings us to the next duo.
Wayne Goss LE #01 versus Hakuhodo S5557
The diameter of the Hakuhodo splays out a bit more and its surface is 2 or 3 mm bigger. The Hakuhodo feels stiffer because the synthetic shield is shorter (2mm), it will be more appropriate with powders than liquids. One big difference is that the longer the shield, the less it absorbs liquid foundation into the bristles, which is something we are all happy about.
When I talked to Japan manufacturers, for the application of liquids specially, they recommend to use first the “longer shields” and then the “shorter shields” as a second step to smooth and finish the application. If you can’t afford two different brushes or you don’t want to, you better get the one with 4mm bristles, specially if your skin is sensitive.
Wayne Goss LE #01 versus Hakuhodo G5554
Similar length of shield, it’s the surface that differs. The diameter of the G5554 is approx 2.5 cm, which is big enough with foundation but I still prefer a bigger version, the big surface allows more airiness to the brush, it feels softer and it acts faster.
With a smaller version I somehow feel that the product is moved around or dragged away because the surface is firmer and it puts more pressure concentrated in a smaller surface, it doesn’t adapt and follow my face features as well, I am being picky but this is what makes me prefer the bigger versions, the fewer the amount of strokes or blending, the better my skin feels, just remember my skin is awfully sensitive.
Wayne Goss LE #01 versus Hakuhodo G5556
There isn’t much difference that I can measure. The WG is much more beautiful and disciplined but in terms of results I can’t see a significant difference that would technically justify to go with one rather than the other at the moment, it will be more related to the ergonomics and overall look of the brush.
The WG LE #01 is heavier, it weights more and it has a longer handle that looks sexier, more achieved and luxurious, the WG is definitely looking better from every angle.
Here they are all together:
WG LE#01 – Hakuhodo S5557 – Hakuhodo G5556 – Hakuhodo G5554 – WG #01
Number 02
You can see by the state of it that it has been used, a huge lot. I am crazy for Japanese blushes but they often come with little pans (RMK, IPSA, SUQQU, etc), and this is the size of brush that I carry with me for touch ups when I go out, it can handle anything, blush, highlighter or contour if I want, and recently I started to use it with bronzer (GUCCI or Tom Ford Terra), again I prefer bigger brushes but the best brush is often the one you have with you when you need it 😀 But seriously I can do anything powder with it.
Number 03
Another beautiful brush, I am not going to review them again because my thoughts did not change since my last review, today I use them more than I thought I would, you just have to imagine that they have a lot of competitors here so that’s quite a challenge. Still nicely dense and full and for more details please refer to this post.
Number 04
Just as efficient as the current one, but even more gorgeous. I have many similar crease brushes and when some time ago I was mostly using white saikoho goat brushes, today I am reaching more often for this softer crease versions, I don’t even have time to wash my brushes at the moment and the maintenance on these darker ones is easier, specially when it’s only for personal use.
It’s beautifully made and the price versus quality is as good as it gets, Wayne wanted to keep the price as affordable as possible and he clearly succeeded.
Number 05
The little crease has been replaced by a wonderful little pencil, absolutely amazing and it gives even more value and sense to the set.
I heard the Wayne Goss #05 is only squirrel, it is softer than the Hakuhodo G5520 (squirrel & horse), but it is also quite firm and very precise, not floppy like the Chikuhodo Z10 or as flexible and soft as the Suqqu S. The Suqqu S is longer and thicker, obviously a much smaller brush will feel firmer in comparison.
The pictures clearly show the size difference between the WG #20 and the WG#05. The line you can draw with the #20 is twice the size than the #05. I am not even using the Chikuhodo Z10 since it’s too floppy and the application tends to be too messy, I know some of you have it and love it but I prefer something firmer. The #05 is a fantastic pencil, softer than the G5520 and just as precise. I realized that the G5520 delivers a slightly bolder line but the #05 offers more precision and still a very defined and clean application. My G5520 has a huge number of lines behind its ferrule, that also impacts a little bit on the precision of a brush, with time and usage a brush may not be as sharp as at the very beginning.
Wayne Goss 05 – Hakuhodo G5520 – Wayne Goss 20 – Chikuhodo Z-10 – Suqqu S
Number 06
No change here, except for the logo, if you wish to read more about this brush, please refer to my previous review.
Number 07
Same as above… if you wish to read more about this brush, please refer to my previous review of the Collection.
Number 08
Again, no change here, except for the logo, if you wish to read more about this brush, please refer to my previous review of the Collection.
The price of the set is USD 225, I made a quick calculation and I know that we cannot get this quality and value anywhere else, on top of that I know that Beautylish offer free shipping to anywhere of the world for this set (if your country is missing you can tell them and they will add it, they also added mine), and they recently started to offer payment plans. It’s an investment but you will cherish these brushes for many years and I am not even speaking about the man, he is extraordinary, the kindness and generosity of this man is beyond imagination.
Actually meeting Wayne in person was a real scary thought… until the moment he started talking. I knew he was a good man but I was afraid that in person he would sound pretentious or wrongly extravagant or weird 😀 but it was so simple to talk to him, I was so surprised to talk to someone so greatly talented, so incredibly funny and in fact so humble, caring and genuine. Today I am so happy these brushes have his name on them. Wayne wanted me to have them as a present because he knows how crazy I can be about brushes and he knew there are big chances I would love them! Thank you Wayne 🙂
8 comments
Great comparison pics Sonia. Really useful, thank you! I love that photo of you and Wayne btw. 🙂
you are welcome Bea! and thank you!! that was such a big moment 🙂
The Wayne Goss 08 looks very similar to the Hakuhodo J521 – if you have both, how do they compare? The new handle lettering looks like a nice upgrade! I would have preferred red to pink, but it looks nicely done.
I am sorry I don’t have it but the dimensions are similar.
Indeed the lettering looks better now that it’s brighter, I was also thinking about red for the room but then I switched to bright pink. Red would have been really gorgeous too!
I always love it when a post pops up in my email! Great pictures and comparisons as always. I am passing on this set because I already have the 02 and don’t and prefer the shapes of his newer releases. I will definitely pick up a few more once the budget allows it since they are such good quality. It is great to see someone bringing high quality Japanese brushes to the masses.
Thank you Devin, I appreciate your continuous support 🙂 you are absolutely right it’s great to see them more easily available and by the way I have to pick up a few more individually too but from the goat ones, I use them even more than this set 🙂
Do you think that the pink lettering on the handles will last longer than the original set? Most of my brushes with the silver lettering have wore off, and that is with me applying a clear coat of varnish.
Definitely more durable than the very first ones in the original set. It looks to be a similar laser engraving than the tea dyed eye and face set, that set has a similar logo as the pink but in grey, I used these sets a lot and the lettering has not faded at all. This pink logo feels solid to the touch, you can feel it a bit more with the fingertips but looks durable, since I washed mine only twice I cannot guaranty it but looks good and lasting!