WAYNE GOSS – THE ARTIST BRUSH

Wayne Goss just came up with the idea of combining calligraphy and make-up in one brush, this resulted in This Artist Brush.

My eyes were wide open when I read on the Beautylish newsletter : “a collector’s item, not a brush for everyday use“.  Don’t even pronounce the word collector cause I get all excited. For sure they captured my interest, even thought I hoped I could  still use it daily.

I was paying attention to my emails and when it got released I handed up baby girl to sweet hubby and went to do what I do best, order brushes… XD

I saw the Artist Brush lookbook on Beautylish,  I also saw the price 150$…  it hurt to see it wasn’t cheap but I could understand the price, the handle is inspired from calligraphy brushes, preciously handcrafted in Japan and it’s huge, it was helpful that Beautylish added a picture side by side with his other two brushes or I would have missed how huge it was in comparison. It’s packaged in a wooden box which is fantastic both for transport and for safe storage if you want to just keep it in a drawer in its own little big box.

Prewash picture

You may be pondering if you should order it, maybe it’s even in your cart but you are still undecided, I can share my thoughts and some pics now that I have received mine, hope it helps.

For me this Artist brush is a necessity since I am a collector,  what surprised me most is that I spent several weeks browsing websites trying to find a gorgeous huge calligraphy brush to hang on the wall of my “Brushroom” (well, my office), that would be the perfect final deco touch, but the shipping  was even more expensive than the brush so instead I wrote it on my shopping list for my next visit to Japan. It’s a spooky coincidence, it feels like Wayne is either reading my mind or my browser history! 😀

Since I was unable to find a nice calligraphy brush I filled the walls with acrylic shelves and deco so now I don’t have any wall room left 😀 Instead I found a place inside one of my glass cabinets, hanging close to the Koyomos and the Japanese Ying-Yang bell that my mother in law just gave me for this Christmas 🙂

This Artist brush is the mama of all powder brushes, when you realise how long it is then you understand why it’s not travel friendly! This is a brush to hang close to your vanity, maybe not for every day use but why not if you so desire? The maintenance is just like any other brush, and just like any other brush you have to wash it carefully, it doesn’t require frequent wash with water, just regular spot cleaning with a cloth in between washes.

I have washed mine, then wrapped some kitchen paper around the bristles to help retain its shape while drying, It took around 4 hours to dry during which I was paying it some visits and gentle but eager pats to help circulate air so that it would dry even faster.

The material is a mix of sokoho goat and grey squirrel, it is definitely softer than I expected, much softer than Wayne Goss 00 goat brushes, both the white or the black, you could barely feel the goat bristles in the Artist brush, you can see it’s not 100% squirrel and yet it feels really soft, that was a very good surprise.

Pre-wash picture

It is longer and less dense than the WG 00 brushes, you won’t have the same strength and coverage but you still get functionality, more than I had previously imagined when I read “not a brush for everyday use” 😀

I think Wayne loves candle shaped brushes as this Artist brush confirms and follows the same pattern.

After wash picture

I love long handles,  Wayne went a bit crazy here but this brush makes the collector side of me happy and proud to own it.  LE brushes are (or should be) often oriented towards collectors, these are the type of brushes that artisans make as challenges or to change a bit from the ordinary, and you don’t want a daily must have to be released as an LE item, that would be unfortunate.

These type of “no-ferrule” handles are more difficult to make, that’s why you don’t see many out there, they would result quite expensive.

When my WG Artist brush arrived, my hubby who loves handcrafted brushes rushed to see it, he immediately said the handle was gorgeous. The wavy shape of the handle makes it ergonomic and easy to hold, it drives your hand into the writing position and you have to fight the envy to write! Those same ergonomics apply if you use it for make-up but keep in mind that this is a huge brush!   The great thing about its size: I can’t loose it in my vanity mess! this is something my sarcastic hubby will tell me at some point 😀 allow him a day or two.

So it is definitely a collector’s brush and Wayne can be proud to have his name engraved in such a special item.

Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts!

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday 🙂