The 2025 Maki-e Collector’s Edition Eye Set

The three maki-e eye sets that we have been releasing since December 2023 were initially planned to be launched at the same time for Holiday 2023. The idea was that you could chose the set that best matched your preferences, whether it was material, functionality or aesthetics.

As we moved on with the project, we realized that we could not manufacture all these brushes in parallel, this was due to changed availability of the materials and the long manufacturing process of the handles. So, the only way to move on with the project was to align with the manufacturing and release one set at a time.

How the individual maki-e sets were released

In December 2023, we launched the Sunset Cranes Maki-e brush set, then in Summer 2024 the Summer Koi Maki-e set arrived, and to complete these maki-e eye series, the Japanese Gardens set launched in November 2024.

The handles share a similar shape but showcase a different maki-e design. All the handles are black but for the Sunset Cranes, the maki-e is applied on a red background, for the Summer Koi it’s done on a blue background and for the Japanese Gardens, on a bronze background. The Japanese Gardens set is available as I write this. The Summer Koi and the Sunset Cranes are sold out.

Some of our customers only discovered Sonia G brushes recently and we have been receiving a lot of requests to bring these previous maki-e sets back. We tried and we are still trying, but for this special release, we could only bring back a small quantity of sets. Unfortunately, these 3 sets will only be available as a bundle in a dedicated paulownia box.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THIS MAKI-E COLLECTOR EYE SET

This 2025 Collector’s Edition Set includes :

• The Summer Koi set (4 brushes)
• The Japanese Gardens set (3 brushes)
• A spin off of the original Sunset Cranes set (3 brushes), I will explain why this Sunset Cranes set differs from the set released in 2023.
• A fukusa inspired pouch
• A ribbon with a plum blossom knot (Mizuhiki)
• A vertical cut paulownia wooden box

THE HANDLES

For this Collector set, the brushes come with the original handles and maki-e details.

THE BRUSHES

• The Summer Koi set is unchanged.
• The Japanese Gardens set in unchanged.
• The Sunset Cranes set had some updates, I will explain what changed and why.

We may relaunch just a couple of these brushes individually in the future, it depends on the demand. If we do, it will be with different handles (except for one maki-e brush that is coming in April, please kindly read the FAQ section below if you wish to know more details).

I want to emphasize that these maki-e brushes are very special and it’s not only due to the materials. The work that goes into the handles, the very traditional and renown company behind the maki-e application, the precise bundling of these brushes, it has been a joy to work with all the artisans.

The brushes in this Maki-e eye Collector’s Edition set

All the brushes in these 3 sets are brushes that I designed and that were prototyped by a renown Master Artisan in Kumano, Japan. Small brushes are very tricky because each bristle can impact how the brush performs and moves, the manufacturing and the bristle selection is a very meticulous process.

For each brush, we were aiming for a very precise movement and flexibility of the bristles, this is to position the strength of the brush just at the right spot. When a brush is consistent and predictable in behaviour, it becomes effortless to use and it makes us want to reach for it automatically.
I wanted these little brushes to be workhorses that we can keep in a regular rotation. I sincerely hope that if you already got them, that this has been the case for you.

THE SUMMER KOI BRUSHES

The brushes in the Summer Koi set remain unchanged.

If you would like to read more about this set, all the details are here, in my previous dedicated post.

THE JAPANESE GARDENS BRUSHES

The brushes in the Summer Koi set remain unchanged.

If you would like to read more about this set, all the details are here, in my previous dedicated post.

THE SUNSET CRANES BRUSHES

The Sunset Cranes brushes included in this set differ from the previous Sunset Cranes set. Only the Builder is the same brush.
In this special edition this set comes with 3 brushes instead of 4. However, the bigger brush is considerably bigger in comparison to the bigger brush in the 2023 Sunset Cranes set.

When the opportunity came to put together this Collector set, we were limited to the number of handles that were available. But, we had some longer bristles we could use and this allowed us to make a truly wonderful set!

The Sunset Cranes set from 2023 came with 4 brushes, you can read more about it on this post.

The Sunset Cranes 2025 Edition

Since this Sunset Cranes set is different, I will go into the details of these brushes: there is a setting brush, a crease brush and a builder brush.

THE SETTING BRUSH

It’s shaped like a crease brush, the surface is nicely rounded and it has a substantial density, it’s not a brush for the crease as it is way too big for that.

It can be used on the entire eye area or under the eyes for setting purposes (that’s what it was designed for), or it can be used for detailed work on the face (setting, highlight, contour, blush toppers).

If you are familiar with the big eyeshadow brush that came in the 2023 Sunset Cranes set, the Arched Worker, these two brushes share the same handle, both showcase the same maki-e details, but they don’t share same ferrule.

We could not make the Arched Worker for this set, but we had the opportunity to create this wonderful Setting brush instead, which is truly exceptional.

This Setting brush is much bigger than the Arched Worker, they are very different brushes. I hope we can bring this Arched Worker in some other handle in the future but at this moment I cannot confirm.
By the way, if you love this Arched Worker, the Traditions T6 shares a similar design and is bundled with kakishibu dyed saikoho goat bristles.

This Setting brush is a design that I created end 2021/beginning 2022, with the same manufacturer, but we had initially prototyped it with 100% WCS (white canadian squirrel). Unfortunately, when we could start the production process, no more bristles of that length were available. Even though the prototype was done and validated, we could not manufacture it.
This WCS version was planned for Holiday 2022, but instead of this brush, we launched the Traditions Trio featuring the S1, S2 and S3.

When this happens and plans change, I continue to use the prototypes because we may be able produce them at a later date. So, we tried this prototype with blue squirrel bristles and the result was truly incredible. This is why it’s featured here.

Both brushes are stunning. With the blue squirrel bristles, the brush has a denser feel, the surface follows better the structure of the face/eye area, covers a larger area and works using a very balanced strength across its whole surface. The strength is more directional with the WCS version, less diffused across its surface.

You may be familiar with the Worker L, this Setting brush is similar in shape, just a little bigger in comparison.

All of these brushes are stunning to powder the entire eye area, to use for detail work on the face, with highlight or contour.
The brush in the middle was never in production, it’s only a prototype.

THE CREASE BRUSH

It’s a dense crease brush with thickness at the base, which gives its surface strength and control. It can be used in the crease, to place or blend an application.

The quality of the bristles is outstanding, the flow is perfection, smooth and sustained, the strength is so nicely distributed and it allows us to place and diffuse the application so easily.

We did not have enough handles to cover a production for the pencil and the smudger, but we could add this Crease brush instead, which adds so much functionality to this set.

This brush is the S3 but with 100% blue squirrel bristles. The TS3 is similar in shape but since it is a mix of bristles (goat and white Canadian squirrel) it feels denser, fuller and has more strength at the tip in comparison to the S3.

I am really obsessed with this brush shape and I have received countless requests to bring back either the TS3 or the S3. We couldn’t yet, but the version in this set is exceptional.

The specs are almost similar, so are the tools we used to manufacture them, but the different bristles give each brush a slightly different feel and shape.

THE MINI BUILDER BRUSH

This small builder brush is a wonderful companion to the other two brushes in this 2025 Sunset Cranes set. It can work with precision on the mobile lid, but the stable tip can work along the lashline to add definition.

The closest brush from my collection is going to be the Builder S from the Fundamentals, but the Builder S is thinner and smaller. In comparison, the Mini Builder has more body, more density. The Builder S is bundled with goat bristles, it will offer more intensity and more precision with the placement. The Mini Builder is still going to be precise but softer with the results.

THE PAULOWNIA BOX

The brushes come in a paulownia wooden vertical box, much bigger than the previous vertical boxes that we used for the individual sets.

The illustration on this box showcases the sun at sunset, with leaves falling, the red lantern and the koi swimming towards the lotus.

The dimensions of this box are 21 cm x 7 cm x 7 cm. It was cut vertically so that you can store the brushes vertically or use the box as two separate brush holders.

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THE FUKUSA STYLE POUCH

We wanted to find a special system to wrap and protect the brushes inside the box during transport, so that they would not move or gather dust from the wooden box.

We usually go for washi paper, but while looking for something beautiful, the manufacturer came across this evolved version of a traditional Fukusa – Fukusa cloths are square cloths used to wrap special gifts or valuables.

We fell in love with this idea, and with this color combination.
It’s dark purple on the outside, it features plum blossoms, and it’s lined with a different brighter purple cloth in the inside. It is made in Japan and measures 20.5 cm x 17 cm.

The company who manufactures the Fukusa, suggested that we use this pouch to protect the brushes, and then our customers could reuse it later for other purposes. Either to use inside our bags (to protect items) or to wrap a gift for someone special.

We chose the ribbon and Mizuhiki to match this purple pouch. The pouch is 100% polyester, the manufacturer recommends washing it by hand.

AVAILABILITY AND PRICE OF THIS COLLECTOR SET

This collector eye set will be available on March 28th, 2025 at 10am PT on Beautylish, it will cost 589 USD.

FAQ SECTION

Will you launch individual brushes from these sets in the future?

We are open to do it if it becomes feasible, but it will be with different handles and only for a small selection of these brushes.

Spoiler alert: In April we will exceptionally have a few Soft Pencils available individually (some with the Summer Koi and some with the Sunset Cranes handle) more details to come soon.