Brush review: Wayne Goss brushes

Hello ladies & gents! Yes, indeed I was one of the fastest-finger-first types that pre-ordered my Wayne Goss brushes from Love Make-Up before they sold out back in September. I didn’t order the full collection (though now I wish I had) and I skipped the eye brushes as my existing eye brushes from MAC/ Crownbrush/ Royal & Langnickel do me just fine.

I chose the following:

I have used all but the tapered powder brush on every shoot I’ve worked on in September and October so far. Overall I love these brushes, but as with most things, some you love just a little more than others.

Angled foundation brush

Wayne showed the samples in his teaser video a few months ago, saying something like ‘this is so soft and so gentle yet firm, you just won’t have tried anything like it before’… the man cannot lie. It is beautifully soft and gentle while still buffing foundation in for a perfect finish. The angled element is just perfect for the curves of the face, whether under the eye (yeah, I got lazy when using it on myself), around the nose, along the cheekbones, the sides of the forehead… basically any curve on your face. This brush is most definitely my favourite. So much so that I have commandeered it from my kit and it’s now in my personal make-up bag. I’ll have to buy a  replacement for my kit when they are back in stock.

Tapered powder brush

I’ve used this a few times, and I did really like it for powder contouring, or for layering powder blusher over cream or gel blusher. The reason I haven’t used it as much on recent shoots is either because the shoot briefs have been for no blusher (yes, I am talking about a specific photographer I love working with. Why why why do this to me on every shoot?) or because I’ve been using my trusty Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush and so have used the special waterbrush that goes with it. That said, I have used it for powder contouring and it’s really good for those who have a tendency to be heavy handed with blusher. The brush picks up a light amount of product and so you just cannot get the ‘dolly cheeks’ look unless you’re really, really trying!

Lip brush

I tend to use angled eye liner brushes for lip work but I have used this lip brush on all of my shoots for applying gloss over the top of lipstick. It is a nice, densely packed rounded-end lip brush and it picks up product (in this case, gloss) and you can lay it down nicely over lipstick without disturbing or smudging the lipstick beneath. I have used it for lipsticks as well but only when I was trying it out on myself. It gave me enough precision for my own everyday wear but for HD-camera ready lips for photoshoots, I’ll stick with my angled eye liner brushes and use this for gloss over the top.

Push liner

Oh. My. Gosh. This is super-tiny but perfectly formed. It is great for tight-lining as it really gets into the base of the lashes and in-between them. I have use it a lot for smudging out a thin line of kohl at the base of lashes to give appearance of thicker lashes and it really does the job. I’ve also use it with cream shadows on the lower eye line and been cheeky and used the same brush to set the lower lashline with powder shadows. It really does work with all eyeliner mediums (or should that be media?) and is by far my favourite eye liner brush.

The brushes are expensive, but the quality is seriously worth it. If you’re not a pro make-up artist, then I would consider carefully which brushes are best for your own make-up application needs. Although you do make a saving if you buy the full set, compared to buying individually, you may find that you personally don’t use all of the brushes.

My advice is to have a think about what I’ve said, then read a few other reviews to help you make your mind up. Once you’ve decided whether you want a full set, or just specific brushes, head over to Love Make-Up and get yourself on the mailing list to be notified when they are back in stock. Once a new batch is released, they will sell out again. Fast.