I noticed recently that I’ve accumulated an insane number of makeup brushes. I know, I just have one face, but I am always curious about what’s out there and how I could find an even better product. Hence my insane brush accumulation. So, I decided to try to blog about 1 brush in a week, just to share my thoughts on brushes that I like or dislike. Operative word here is “try” 😛
I already have a number of reviews about various makeup brushes over the years. It’s one of the things I don’t give away nor toss if they don’t work for me, unlike makeup or skincare. Perhaps it’s because they don’t really expire, so I just keep them on hand 🙂
So that’s the niceties out of the way, I’m going to tell you a little more about the Wayne Goss Brush 1 face brush.
I was going to start with one of my most used brushes but it turns out that they were all unwashed and this was clean, so here we go 😛
The Wayne Goss Brush 1 is one of the original brushes launched by makeup artist Wayne Goss who makes videos under his popular Gossmakeupartist channel. For those who may be used to a flat paddle type brush, a round brush like one, with its slanted tip may be a novelty. However, for those who are already familiar with Japanese makeup brushes this is a familiar shape and style. It won’t come as a surprise therefore to learn that Wayne Goss brushes are made in Japan and of very high quality.
The WG Brush 1 is round, with a slanted, flat tip. The bristles are a mix of goat hair and synthetic fibre and this is in fact, a duo-fibre brush. What makes it different from a stippling brush is the density and length of the hair. It took me a while to warm up to this brush, but once I did, I love it 🙂
Close up, you can see the different hair in the brush. The shorter bristles, with the slightly off-white colour are the natural goat hair, while the longer white bristles are synthetic. It is actually quite short and dense, and works very well to apply any liquid or cream product.
I use this WG Brush 1 mostly for applying liquid foundation. I use the 5 line foundation method which is truly one of the best tips I’ve ever learned. Most days, I use the lighter coverage method of drawing the foundation on my skin with my finger and then using a brush to blend in circular motions.
The WG Brush 1 does this quickly, easily and literally blends like a dream. If you want more coverage, dab it on the skin and if you want to blend product out, use circular motions. The bristles are lovely and soft with a nice spring to it, so it doesn’t feel scratchy against the skin. Importantly also, it doesn’t make foundation look streaky when you blend, and it actually does the work very quickly despite its diminutive head size. I tried using it in downward strokes as Wayne recommends and I don’t like the effect because I find it streaky. So, do the stipple/dab and circular blending method and you won’t look back.
I do however, find that due to the duo fibre nature of this brush, I can control the coverage of the foundation I’m using. I can therefore have a light to medium coverage by blending with the flat surface of the brush, allowing the flexible synthetic bristles to do the job, and I can increase coverage by dabbing it on skin where I need more coverage. While this is true of many duo-fibre brushes, what makes this unique is the length and density of the bristles. The short bristles offer more control and the density of the bristles allow for more even coverage.
I sometimes use this brush to blend out my concealer as well, and it does a fabulous job. All in all, I think this is a very good brush to own if you don’t have one that’s similar because once you use a foundation brush like this one, you’d never look at a flat paddle brush again 🙂 Or rather, that’s me anyway 😀
Quality like this brush however, doesn’t come cheap. It retails at £30 (approx RM150) which I wouldn’t consider pricey for a good quality, well made brush, but as an initial outlay, does hurt the wallet somewhat. I won’t tell you about it lasting forever if well taken care of, or that you’d get back your value many times over because you’d be using it so often, because we can never justify things like this. You either are already convinced or you aren’t. All I’d say therefore is that this is an excellent brush and if budget allows for it, go ahead. But if budget doesn’t, don’t fret, there are others out there 🙂
In a nutshell
The Wayne Goss Brush 1 is a fantastic duo fibre brush that has short, dense bristles and does an excellent job with applying liquid or cream foundation for a lovely smooth finish. Using it in circular motions blends foundation very smoothly and seamlessly and gives a lovely finish to the skin. Dabbing it on allows for more coverage on areas where you need it, or if you just want a heavier coverage all over. The brush is incredibly soft with a lovely springy feel and feels fabulous. A good one to own if your budget allows for it and the all-black handle and ferrule looks amazing too!
Brush hair: Goat and Synthetic fibre
Pros: Brush head feels lovely and soft against skin, Dense and short bristles allow for good control when applying liquid or cream foundation, Applies foundation very smoothly and evenly with a lovely finish, Very luxurious and well made
Cons: Pricey, Only available online
from 2 sourcesand shipping can be priceyWho will like this: Anyone who enjoys using natural hair brushes, Anyone who wants a good and easy to use foundation brush with a low learning curve
Some of you who are more familiar with makeup brushes may have noticed the similarity between the Wayne Goss Brush 1 and my favourite Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush, and a Hakuhodo brush. Let me do you a quick comparison 🙂
Wayne Goss Brush 1 vs Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush
Left: Wayne Goss Brush 1 Right: Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush
Some of you will remember that I love the Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush. Yes, I still love it and I still use it almost daily. But how is it similar or different to the Wayne Goss Brush 1?
The key difference lies in the bristles. The Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush is fully synthetic and the bristles are all of 1 length. I find that this allows for a heavier coverage of product on skin. The surface of the brush is also more dense and applies product more heavily on skin.
By contrast, I find that the Wayne Goss Brush 1 has a slightly lighter coverage. The tip of the brush is more flexible and it blends out product more. So the coverage isn’t as heavy on skin and you don’t get as much product deposited on skin.
The head size is almost the same, with the WG Brush 1 being a little larger in diameter. The looser bristles also adds to the fluff factor as compared to the much denser Shiseido brush. I don’t find that this makes much of a difference in terms of application. Both apply foundation quickly, easily, smoothly and evenly.
Which do I prefer? It’s a toss up. But if forced to choose, I’m going to say Shiseido Perfect Foundation brush simply because it’s a lot more accessible and for us here, more affordable. In terms of performance, both brushes are excellent and I won’t be able to choose so don’t make me! Sunny of Mostly Sunny however prefers the WG Brush 1.
Wayne Goss Brush 1 vs Hakuhodo B 5554 (G5554)
Left: Wayne Goss Brush 1 Right: Hakuhodo B5554 (G5554)
Fans of Hakuhodo brushes may notice the similarity between the WG Brush 1 and the Hakuhodo foundation brushes. I recently purchased the Hakuhodo B5554 (G5554) brush and I had the opportunity to check out the other sizes, and I am quite convinced that the WG Brush 1 is from this range and possibly even from this brand. That might explain the quality par excellance!
The brushes in the Hakuhodo G Series foundation brushes also come in duo fibre goat hair and synthetic bristles and feel beautifully soft and springy as well. I believe that the Wayne Goss Brush 1 is similar to the Hakuhodo G5552 brush.
Left: Hakuhodo B5554 (G5554) Right: Wayne Goss Brush 1
The difference between the Hakuhodo B/G 5554 brush that I own and the WG Brush 1 is the density of bristles and the size of the brush head. The Hakuhodo B/G 5554 has longer, slightly looser bristles. I was told when I purchased this that this will offer lighter coverage of foundation, which is something I wanted, as I already have the Shiseido Perfect Foundation brush.
The WG Brush 1 will therefore apply foundation with a slightly heavier coverage than the B/G 5554. There is none to prefer in this situation. Both are similar brushes that apply product in a slightly different manner and both have their place, depending on your personal preference.
Do you own any Wayne Goss brushes? Do you like using foundation brushes like these or do you prefer flat paddle brushes?
The other Wayne Goss Brush I reviewed earlier is one I love a lot too. That makes it 2 for 2 so far, which is pretty impressive! I never really got the hang of using a brush to apply foundation till I started using a round, flat top foundation brush and now, I can’t live without one. In fact I have 4! LOL 😀 Yes, I’m a makeup brush fiend and thrilled about it 😀
Paris B
Wayne Goss Brush 1 Price: £30 Availability: Beautylish.com
Thanks for the comparison with the Shiseido — I like that brush too. WG brushes are out of my league at the moment but maybe one day… 😀
You’re welcome Teresa 🙂 My first thought was how similar it was to the Shiseido brush! If you have it and love it I don’t think you really need the WG but hey, need and want are 2 different things eh? 😉
Now i want a brush like that!!!! Or rather, I NEED a brush like that 😛
I’d love a WG or the Haku but they are so hard to get, who knows I may just succumb to the Shiseido right?
LOL Yes you do 😛 Get from Hakuhodo when they’re here? 😉 Or get the Shiseido. It’s cheaper!
Thanks for the review, the Wayne Goss brush looks so lovely. Do you remember how much you bought your Hakuhodo brush for? I bought the Shiseido brush recently and would be putting it to use soon because I hardly wear foundation. Where would the RT Expert Brush fall in comparison? I also bought that from iHerb and now waiting for it to arrive 🙂
Gosh I have no idea Victoria 😛 It was pricey. Maybe in the region of S$50 or thereabouts? Something like that. I do like the Shiseido brush because I have better control over the brush head, since it’s flat. With the Hakuhodo or WG brush, the looser top fibres can sometimes slow me down because I find it a bit streaky and have to blend a little more. I have less problems with the Shiseido since all the bristles are the same length. Still, I hope you like the Shiseido brush! I use it for everything – foundation, BB cream, concealer even! The RT Expert Face Brush is a little different. I didn’t include it because it doesn’t share the same shape but I’d rank Shiseido over the RT simply because I find myself using the Shiseido brush or its similar brushes more often. The RT brush is quicker for me and offers a little less coverage than the Shiseido so it’s pretty much up to you which you’d like 🙂 p/s you can use the RT brush for cream blush too! 😉
I had my eyes on the WG Brush 1 when it was launched, but I have so many foundation brushes already and I do have only 1 face too!! Anyhow, on a daily basis I generally rotate between my Real Techniques and Sigma brushes and the Beauty Blender. What I do want to try now is the RT blender which I’ve been reading is as good as, if not better than the BB. Mayhaps you will review this?
Haha I feel you Honey. We all only have 1 face yet here we have multiple brushes to do the same thing hehe… women eh? 😉 I never fell for the Beauty Blender hype I’m afraid. I tried a similar product from Sonia Kashuk and while I did like the airbrushed effect, I personally just felt it was far too much work for me. If I’m using a thicker foundation like the Revlon Colorstay then I find the BB (or similar) does give me a nicer effect but for my lighter foundations that I wear more often, less so. Still I was very keen on the RT blender sponge thingy and I might get it from iherb one day. If I do, I’ll be sure to review it but I won’t be able to compare it to the BB coz I don’t have that one 🙂
Hey Paris! Thanks for the review. Do you have a sense for how this brush might compare to the Shiseido-type knockoffs (I think I remember seeing one at SkinFood or something not that long ago)?
Also, on a slightly unrelated note, I am a HUGE fan of yours who’s been following the blog for years. I just relocated to Malaysia from the U.S. I would love to do a meet-up with you and your other fans around the KL area (if that’s where you are). What do you think? 🙂
Hiya! First off, I can’t believe you’ve relocated here! I’d definitely love to meet up with you – let’s work something out and see who else joins us 🙂
As for how this might compare, the only Shiseido “knock off” I have is by Dior (here). I know, weird! So I can’t tell you how I find the others that are similar in shape. I would however say that it will depend on the density of the brush and the length of the bristles. The longer the bristles and the less dense, the more flexible it is and that doesn’t work well in my experience. If so then I think the WG brush is better. But putting WG and Shiseido, I think they’re comparable except that the Shiseido gives better coverage while the WG works a little harder at that. Hope this helps!
Oh, I’m really close to retiring my flat paddle of a foundation brush. The brush soaks up on product, and is a nightmare to wash afterwards because foundation goop sticks to each bristle (and I always wash my foundation brushes after each use).
I believe the brushes in this post wouldn’t absorb much and would blend better too due to their shape. *Waits for pay day*
Haha I never got the hang of flat paddle brushes. Always felt they applied product too streakily. The nice thing about round brushes is how they act like buffing brushes so it’s like application and buffing in one go 🙂 If you wash your brushes very frequently, let me warn you that these dense round brushes are a PITA to wash and dry! Just a heads up 😀
Hey Paris, eee I see my name up there! Thanks for linking me!
I haven’t changed my mind about this one. Whenever it’s clean, it’s the foundation brush I reach for. I have been thinking about grabbing a backup!
Most welcome, Sunny! It was good to give an alternate point of view from someone who has both the Shiseido and WG brushes 😀 I think it’s a great little brush although I also think you could get your backup from Hakuhodo! It might even work out a wee bit cheaper hehe… 😉
I’ll look into that, but Hakuhodo seems trickier to get here than the other two brands!
Well the website ships internationally! 😉 Not a problem at all hehe
I’ve pretty much stopped using brushes for foundation these days since they seem to cause my foundation to sink into my pores. And when I went to a department store counter to ask about this, they told me to stick to using sponges so I can tap it in.
I think it’s probably because I’m too heavy-handed with the brush.
Sorry to hear that brushes make your foundation sink into pores 🙁 I find that paddle brushes do that to me and are streaky to boot! But these sort of round brushes act a little like a sponge because you dab it on rather than swipe product on and then you can buff it out too. The Shiseido brush isn’t pricey to be honest and if you can get one from Shiseido 131 from Japan drugstores, it’s even cheaper and pretty much the same product! So if you can, give it a go and let me know if you like it? 😀
I never used this type of foundation brush, but now I need to. It sounds amazing!
Once you try brushes like these Gio, you’ll never look back! 😀
Hi Paris, I was checking Ecotools’ website and found a very similar shaped brush. I haven’t tried it yet, but does this look about right? Ecotools tends to have quite good quality, but I don’t know how this US$8 brush would compare to your favorities.
http://ecotools.com/brushes/face-tools/skin-perfecting-brush
How interesting Ayu that you should bring up the Ecotools brush because I have it! 😀 I bought it a while ago and my short report is that it is in no way similar to the Wayne Goss nor the Shiseido despite the similar shape. I in fact don’t like it because it’s so streaky for foundation! But I found another use for it 😉 I’ll share my thoughts on it soon. Thanks for reminding me. I’ll go wash it and bump up the review 😀
I used to have an Ecotools flat paddle brush. Used to. One day, I left it soaking in a cup of water for 8 hours (left it there, forgot, went to work) came home, all the bristles had fallen off 😛 It was a great one for lighter and water-based foundations like the Chantecaille Future Skin foundation. Then, I have the famous (infamous) Shiseido one that you mentioned. It’s great for thicker foundations like the Lunasol (the one with a squat square jar, I’m rubbish with names, sorry!) My favourite for application, funnily is actually the paddle one from Ecotools. It’s non-streaky and it’s just.right. The Shiseido one and also one from RT, I use to buff the foundation in for a more flawless/ air-brushed finish.
I’m now curious about the Wayne Goss brushes – have heard so much about them. And, I was right about my uh-oh moment when you tweeted you were going to start a series on brushes. 😛
ROFLOL!! You are the only person I know who has killed a brush this way LOL Unlike you, I never got the hang of paddle foundation brushes but then a lot of it comes down to our preferences on how we want our foundation to look. The Shiseido I find works better for slightly more coverage with the RT offering slightly lighter coverage. What I like I think about dense brushes like this is that we can apply and buff product at the same time, saving us loads of time! 😀 I’ve actually been happy about the Wayne Goss brushes I’ve tried to date. I’m pleased he went the route of high end, good quality, Japanese makeup brushes. There is a dearth of interest in that area and he’s raising that awareness. I like that!
I own this brush but somehow I haven’t gotten the hang of getting it to blend without streaks. I still need to use my fingers to smoother the streaks. Also, it seems to absorb liquid foundation fairly quickly and I get worried when I see foundation travelling up the brush, afraid that I won’t be able to wash it clean without getting water into the ferrule. It makes me feel compelled to wash it after every use (not supposed to use alcohol based cleaner – scared me when I find the tips turning whiter than original when I used one initially) and I wonder if that will reduce the lifespan of an expensive brush like this. I find myself enjoying sigma f80 more even though this is a multi tasking brush (love it for doing cheek contouring as explained in Wayne’s how-to video) .
Are you using the dabbing motion Mandy? I use this the same way I use the Shiseido. Dab and blend, dab and blend and it’s really quick. I also find it best used if you use my little foundation trick I shared here. You won’t end up using a lot of foundation at all. Or better yet, use the tip I shared further down where you use your fingers to draw the lines on your face and use the brush to blend. It’s pretty flawless each time and not streaky 🙂 Give it a try and let me know how it works for you k? 🙂
This is my favourite brush out of the whole set! It’s AMAZING!
Yay! Glad to know that – it’s an excellent brush!
I think i need that Hakuhodo one. Any other brush have you come across which has a bigger brush surface? I’m getting lazy these days and wish to get things done flawlessly fast. I’ve kind of stopped using my shiseido one for weekdays whereby i now adopt a under 10 min makeup face. 😉
Hmm I’m not sure of similar shaped brushes that are larger to be honest. I think the one from Hakuhodo is the largest I’ve seen. I saw some people like their Sigma F80 which looks a lot bigger so that might be an option? I haven’t tried it though. I actually find it really fast to use these brushes so I’m always a little curious why people seem to find it takes them too long? I cut down time by using my fingers to draw the foundation on my face with the 5 line method, then buff it all out with the Shiseido brush or similar and voila! Done in a minute or so 😀
I’m in the market for a flat rounded brush like that!! I hate the flat paddle brush!!! Urrrgghh!!
Get the one from Shiseido! 😀 Not expensive (although I’m not sure how much it is in BKK) and works so well 😀
Yes, ma’am! I shall check out Shiseido counter in KL! 😀