The SKY Smooth Buffer

When Face One was created, it was to fill a blank: I was looking for a flat top brush but with a density that wasn’t too aggressive, still flexible, very soft and somehow versatile. Not that easy to find. Face One was the one I was needing in my daily routine.

The Smooth Buffer was created to replicate the same functionality as the Face One but in addition to that: easier to carry around, with a size more appropriate to work on smaller areas and a diameter that fits in smaller pans.

I also knew that bringing Face One back in stock would take even longer than ever before so it was the best time to work on this little one in parallel.

The functionality is the same, setting, buffing, blending, mineral foundation, etc… It works also with some blushes and bronzers depending on their pigmentation. I don’t use mineral foundation often but I do use powders as a final step of my routine, to set my foundation, to add some subtle glow, it depends on the powder I use and what I want to achieve.

It’s satisfying when we see everything coming together nicely, this is probably the favorite step in my make-up routine, when I take time to “inspect” the the final look, blend a bit more here and there…. not that this takes time actually but I do enjoy it… so I pretend I need it and make it last! 😀

Smooth Buffer vs Face One

The handle is different, the Smooth Buffer comes with the Sky handle, a thinner and more lightweight handle.

The ferrule diameter of Face One is 2 cm, Smooth Buffer is 1.74 cm. At the top, the diameter of Face One is between 3.5 and 4 cm, it depends on how much it splayed out after washing or use. Smooth Buffer’s diameter at the top is between 3 and 3.5 cm, again, depending on how yours splayed out.

Size Comparisons

With regards to the density, basically: the higher the density, the heavier the coverage and the more powerful the blend. It may be exactly what you are looking for so it’s perfectly fine to get something very dense.
On a more delicate skin, a rough and dense brush may cause irritation or could make dry patches resurface, these were mainly the issues I was facing and what I wanted to help with. Another risk is to use a brush that is too dense for its purpose, it may move the product too much, not work in an even manner or that it may alter the underneath application.
Sometimes, dense brushes work almost like sponges, I don’t mean that they are bad, just that they don’t have much movement in the bristles at all.

With regards to the material, saikoho is the highest grade of goat bristles that you can see on a brush. Well, you can go with a higher grade but it may be 1) several lots of hundred dollars 2) not efficient for buffing.

The brushes pictured above may have been Limited Edition, they may be in the way of being discontinued, or changed, or they may have increased in price… my brushes are getting quite old too and may differ from the ones you will find today.

The material has been written as it is described on the manufacturer’s website. We don’t always know precisely what type of synthetic or goat it is, I can tell you what it feels like, but that would be just a guess 😉

When we compare prices we have to compare what is comparable, handmade vs handmade, same grade material to same grade material, same type of handle, etc. Here, prices are generally before taxes but this can vary based on when or where you buy them.

The density has been noted on a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the highest density. Within the same brush, batches will differ slightly, specially when the brushes are handmade, so the density (or softness) can vary from one brush to the other.

I will not speak about each brush individually but if you have any questions, please do not hesitate! I will be happy to answer.

I have been looking for the perfect flat brush for a while and I have a lot of them, probably 10 times that amount actually. I have picked some popular ones from my collection so you can compare the size of the Smooth Buffer to them and see if that smaller size would work for you.

The price is 70$. The brush is handmade, not only the head, but also the handle, I saw the process and it takes a very long time. The ferrule is brass, the bristles are Saikoho and they are getting quite expensive, this has a direct impact on the cost. I really insisted that this brush was bundled with saikoho bristles. Because of the way it’s meant to be used, it’s important that it is as soft as possible but with the fantastic performance that natural bristles provide.

If you follow other Fude lovers on Instagram -or any other social network, you may have heard that prices have increased or are in the process to increase in the very near future. Some Fude will increase in price, other will be discontinued. The demand for Fude is getting higher but the craftsmanship or materials do not necessarily follow the same curve. Saikoho quality is getting rare and as you may have guessed, this impacts my brushes as well so we will see what happens in the future.

I know for sure that the brushes that will be really difficult to restock from my collection are Face One, Face Pro, Master Face, Soft Cheek and Inochige Pro, if you had them in your mind I would say, if available, go for these first.

This Sky Smooth Buffer is joining the Sky collection and launching individually next Tuesday 15th of September on Beautylish, that should be at 10am PT / 1pm ET.

It’s already September… time flies! I hope you are doing well, I imagine you are looking forward to happier, more peaceful and safer times, I certainly am 🙂 I am lucky and blessed to have you, thank you!