Archived Post
Sonia G. The Fundamental Brushes Now Available
Sonia G. The Fundamental Brush Set
The Details
Turn your makeup application ritual into something you look forward to every day. Designed by a brush expert for ease of use and efficiency, this artisan-crafted brush set from Sonia G. features optimized shapes and plush, silky bristles for a full face of makeup.
Now online
Sonia G. Brushes, $32.00 to $75.00 (Permanent)
The brushes are now available to purchase individually (prices below), and they can also be purchased as a set ($362.00).
- Pencil One Blue squirrel, pencil brush ($36.00
- Crease One Blue squirrel, pointed crease brush ($38.00)
- Builder One Dyed Saikoho goat, for shimmers and metallics (32.00)
- Worker One Dyed Saikoho goat, for blending eyeshadow ($36.00)
- Base One Hakutotsuho goat and PBT, for liquid and cream face products ($65.00)
- Face Two Saikoho goat, smaller face brush ($48.00)
- Sculpt One Hakutotsuho goat, large fan brush ($75.00)
- Sculpt Three Dyed Saikoho goat, for highlighter ($32.00)
First petty thought: Who is Sonia G?
Second, upon seeing price: Who does she THINK she is?!
Third, and most petty: Too bad these didn’t come out a couple weeks ago, so Kylie Jenner could compare her brush set to this one.
Sonia has her own blog. She loves brushes and have many high end, mostly furry brushes. I equate her with getting quality brushes. I don’t think you can compare her or her brushes with Kylie. These brushes are likely made in Japan. Quality fur. I don’t think they are janky either.
Sonia is not a friend of mine. Everyone has a right to be an entrepreneur.
I agree. From what I’ve read, she has done lots of research, because of her passion for brushes, and travelled to the factories. It’s too bad we haven’t heard about her before this, because her brushes probably are top quality. I’m just sad they are sooo pricy, because I’m really curious to try them. I’ll wait for their review before investing in the set. I live in Canada, so the cost per brush is probably $50+ I love my Wayne Goss brushes, they are totally worth the money. I look forward to seeing the review of Sonia’s brush set!
I to never ever heard of Sonia G. I bought one brush because of my curiosity. And it blew my mind!!! I got the Worker one shader/blending brush. Blew Wayne Goss crease brushes out the water. Not even comparable.
This lady is a brush EXPERT! That brush made my Mac eyeshadows apply like viseart shadows.
Julie, may I please ask if you have experienced any jabbing with your brush. I’m having issues with mine, and I am not sure if it’s how I’m using it. I have washed it a couple of times but still feel the hairs poking at me. It’s discouraging because I expected clouds on my eyes. However, their performance is spectacular. I want to make her brushes work for me because of how well they pick up and move the shadow. But for some reason I feel prickly bristles. And it’s with more than this brush. Any pointers on maybe something I’d doing incorrectly?? THANK YOU!
Agree! I love reading Sonia’s blog about brushes (even though i havent done that for a long time). She is not as well known as our Christine Temptalia but her blog is also informative. I actually like the set and i dont think the price is bad for natural hair brush set. I just don’t have the budget right now. I also agree with Beth that the brush should be offered individually along with the set.
Sonia G’s blog, Sweet Makeup Temptations, is unbelievably comprehensive re: Japanese makeup brushes. This price is in line with the prices of the types of brushes she typically purchases. Knowing her, I’m sure these are high-end Japanese brushes made from very high-quality hair (blue squirrel is super pricey, for instance). Here is her personal brush collection from 4 years ago: https://sweetmakeuptemptations.com/2013/09/30/inside_my_brush_collection/. She really knows her stuff when it comes to makeup brushes.
Holy crap!!! She is super impressive and that brush collection is to die for. Thanks for sharing.
Oh my gosh, yes–her collection is enormous!!! I was dying when I saw the whole thing the first time! And she hasn’t stopped buying since then–I can’t imagine the size of it now! She really helped me pick out a great (but much, much smaller 😀 ) collection of brushes.
Sonia is a brush connoisseur. I always read her blog before buying a high end brush. She knows her stuff! I’m confident that these brushes are high quality.
Helena, I had the exact same reaction – Who is Sonia G (and why should I want her stuff?) but I figured that, given my age, I was just hopelessly out of the loop!
Should have been sold individually IMO as many people are not familiar with who she is and will probably not jump to pay over $350 for her brush set. Also, they’re not exactly the most original shapes are they? Generally nonplussed by this release ?
I think they will be released as singles in January!
Beautylish does sell them separate. I am ordering several of Sonia’s brushes.
I am going to get several too. Beautylish send package fast.
Sonia G, I think I kinda know who you are. But girlfriend, you have got to be kidding me with your asking price for these janky looking brushes.
Sonia’s blog really helped me out when getting into Japanese brushes. I’m so tempted to purchase and play with what she designed. My wallet however is crying from the Christmas shopping I just finished so that’s a no for now. Lol.
Same here! Her knowledge re: makeup brushes is incredible–all my Japanese brush purchases have been fantastic for me thanks to her reviews. These are gorgeous, and I’m sure they are exceptionally high quality, knowing how dedicated to brushes she is.
These are gorgeous! These were my first high end brushes, so the ‘bar’ was set high. Just bought the WG Anniversary set and having both of these sets is good enough for me right now. I bought the Sonia G on the Beautylish 3 payment plan so that the price would be easier to swallow! 🙂 No regrets…..
Ooh, those have got to be the _perfect_ brush purchases! Enjoy!!! 🙂
I just refuse to buy animal hair brushes. There is no need to harm and exploit animals at this day and age for something as trivial as makeup brushes.
The animals are not killed for these brushes.
How do they harvest the hair? Do they brush the hair out? If that’s true then that sounds pretty tedious and not reflective of the asking price for these brushes..would be a lot more.
I sure hope they are not killed! But not being killed is not good enough is it ? The animals are still held in cages for their entire life so that their hairs can be collected for makeup brushes. They are still handled as objects, as property. They surely do not lead a fair and happy life. Just because they are not killed we should not oppose their mistreatment ?
Agreed! I only use synthetic.
FYI, Seraphine:
CF goathair brushes really do NOT harm the animal–heck, they are pampered, really, and the coat is collected in ways that neither hurt nor traumatize the animal. Some brush co’s use this type of goat, like Wayne Goss’ CF collection. I know that there are others, too–or, as you say, plenty of really good synthetics, too.
I am so grateful for Christine to post this. We have voices and all can be heard. Had I not bought brushes from Suqqu and Surrat, I would get this set. Not only are makeup brushes come from animal hair, so are calligraphy pens and many other products from the Japanese brands. I like my fur brushes, and will continue to do so. Good for Sonia.
I’m sorry–but that’s not quite true. The BRUSHMAKERS say that they don’t kill the animals for fur–and that’s correct. What they don’t say is that they buy leftovers from FURRIER companies–which most certainly cage and kill the animals. I mean, for the love of heaven, how MANY squirrels do you think would have to be caged and “brushed” and vacuumed, to get the amount of hair needed, to make ONE lousy makeup brush, never mind a set being sold commercially?
Goss is selling cashmere/etc., goat hair brushes, which are absolutely CF, because the animals and coat are more valuable alive and with the hair/coat growing. I have NO affiliation with any company, blogger, etc., and wouldn’t know Sonia G if I ran into her with my car. But don’t kid yourself about the animals used for these brushes–they are absolutely KILLED for your eye makeup and beauty.
The following was a comment I entered today when Christine added the comment on one of her blog entries….”Please respect other members of this community who may spend more or less than you. It’s about discussing and thinking about own personal limits without judgment of others’ choices nor insulting someone who does or doesn’t want to spend more or less.”
My response was: “As for counseling us not to judge and critique others, I think that is a brilliant idea. That last paragraph should be put on every blog entry. I don’t like it when those who judge me for buying my fur brushes or my dislike for made in China products. We all have right to our opinion and choices. We should be kind to each other. And Christine is kind enough to give us our voices. Other bloggers, if they don’t what someone wrote, they don’t post it. That alone, is worth the price of admission.”
As for being kind to the animals,
I was being “tongue in cheek” when I made that comment. Our voices are heard on Temptalia. We can kindly disagree, but it is offensive to judge and “scold” others as you and others have directed to me.
Assuming that you’re responding to me–I didn’t “scold” you. You flatly stated that the animals “aren’t killed for their fur.” I simply…clarified that the facts are that the brushmaking companies claim that because THEY do not kill the animals, or cause animals to be killed, directly, for their brushes, that they are CF. That’s..dissembling at best, and an outright prevarication at worst.
In the very best of cases, in “CF” brushmaking, as someone else posted, the animals have lives that I don’t think you’d want for your pet. In the typical–not worst, mind you, the typical–instance, the brush companies buy the leftover coats, pelts, and scraps from furriers, to make the brushes. That’s why they claim that they are CF–because to their minds, they are not causing the animals to be killed, specifically for the brushes. Obviously, they’re supporting an industry–the fur industry–that does kill the animals for nothing but clothing/coats/etc., so their claim is, to my mind, specious at best.
So: I wasn’t “scolding” you. I was correcting what I view as a misstatement, about the animals NOT being killed. For 98% of the real-hair brush companies, they most certainly ARE. If you’re okay with that, hey, great. But for those women and men who aren’t okay with that, they should hear some information, BEFORE they leap on an allegedly CF brush–that isn’t. I think that’s a perfectly fair statement to make, and it’s perfectly good information for brush buyers to have, BEFORE they fall in love with an “oh-so-soft” brush.
Oh my gosh, these are gorgeous!!! I’m a longtime follower of Sonia G’s blog (Sweet Makeup Temptations), and I’ve relied almost entirely on her when making brush purchasing decisions. I’ve got a fantastic set of brushes thanks to her advice! Her knowledge is incredibly comprehensive. If I had the cash, I’d snap these up in an instant–I can’t imagine she’d ok anything that isn’t top-notch in terms of quality for her own line. For anyone wondering, the price is in line with that of the Japanese brushes from other lines that she purchases for her own use. Obviously, it’s extremely pricey, though.
Absolutely gorgeous works of art. Cant justify the price unfortunately ?
I’m debating whether or not to get these. The price point is surprising high considering Sonia G is a very specialized beauty blogger and less ppl would know her than someone like Wayne Goss. I compare the set with the takumi series 7pc set since the facial brushes are goat hair, probably less hair in facial brushes because of type and shape, but much better eyeshadow brushes…so the prices aren’t too crazy after comparison. The logo is rather ugly though, could have a better design.
What’s also interesting is Sonia mentioned WG is a friend and did lots of reviews of his brushes. But now they are competitors, 2 of the smaller facial brushes look to be very comparable between the 2 brands. So the gossip girl in me is burning to see how this will turn out and if WG is gonna review these brushes.
I believe Wayne Goss did review the brushes and also referred to her as a ‘friend’. I do not get the vibe from either one of them that its competitive. I bought the fundamental set and the new additions as well as the WG Anniversary set. I can honestly say that I reach for the Sonia G set more, it feels good in my hand and has the right weight. I also do a fair amount of traveling so I do take my WG on the road with me. Can’t go wrong with either set. She is not as well known but I do think that is about to change…..
There was a feature article on her that was linked to a beautylish email. Well worth the read. There have also been articles addressing obtaining natural hair for brushes in the Japanese traditional lines, alluding to a more cruelty free practice than one would imagine. I’m skeptical. Iirc, this woman is a true connoisseur of Japanese brushes, which she reviews, lives in Switzerland… where, if I might opine….correctness is part of the national culture. I believe Sonia created this collection in Kumano, with master craftsmen. Suspect most of us can not afford these, but that they are likely to be exemplary.
I don’t think I have ever heard of Sonia G and if I have, I didn’t remember her. I think the brushes look very nice but since I use only Artis, these aren’t an option for me.
Oh, I am so happy for Sonia to have created th ese beauties! Those of us with sensitive skin are rejoicing right now.
I will bet we all receive one in our Lucky Bag this year. Thinking about the softness of that large fan brush is making me very happy.
Congratulations, Lovely!!
I read the feature on her that came out from Beautylish (I had never heard of her before) and was immediately interested in her story and her brush collection.
Although these are priced high, she seems to be a brush expert (her collection is huge!) and she said she worked on this collection as a way to fill some of the gaps she has from her own collection and what she thinks is missing. I think this tells you that these brushes will probably be better for people who have more extensive collections.
That being said, however, I would love to buy one or two (either the “builder” or the “worker” to try out), but only after some reviews come out since they are priced so high.
These look very nice.They have definitely piqued my interest!Kylie Jenner’s response about her brushes being so expensive was that they are they highest quality real hairbrushes.I actually purchased 2 of the Kylie brushes because I was already ordering the new concealer and I love brushes so I wanted to see how they stacked up against some of the ones I own.I just received them yesterday I decided on the 5 and 8 brushes after watching about 5 YouTube reviews.The brushes say on the packaging that they are a mix of natural and synthetic hair.So basically she lied in her responses about the brushes being so expensive because they are not made of all natural hair.Not a single YouTuber I watched mentioned this and it is written on the packaging.These were not YouTubers that were saying the brushes were amazing either quite the opposite actually.The thing that astounded me is they just didn’t notice that important detail.Which makes me think of starting my own YouTube and blog things I’ve been wanting to do for years.I have had my blog name picked out for at least 5 years.Im a licensed cosmetologist and I worked in a salon for years doing makeup, skin, and hair color .My parents have a small business and for the past 6 years I’ve been helping them run their business because a main employee passed away from Leukemia and another went to back to Mexico to get a divorce and his child and can’t get back into the country.Makeup and skin is my passion. I’ve noticed a lot of us here know more product and pay attention to detail and small things only a true makeup connoisseur would see unlike a large percentage of beauty influencers.I have a based Instagram which is the only thing I’ve been able to really dedicate the proper time into due to being busy managing my parents business.
I purchased this set and think they are worth it and more. The hair quality is top notch, the bundling and shaping of each brush is superb, and the brush handles are stunning. Moreover, they perform with precision and ease. Read her blog and you will be impressed with the depth of her knowledge of brushes based on years of intense brush collecting and reviews. I have several hundred brushes, mostly Japanese made, and I know I will be purchasing more of Sonia’s brushes in the future.
Kay, I received my order of Sonia’s four eye brushes for her set. This is my first time purchasing and using Japanese brushes. I was expecting the most super soft experience on my eyes that I ever had, and I’m very sad that I’m having an issue. I’m wondering if you could help me with it since you have experience with these brushes. I am getting jabbed by the bristles. When I use the Builder One and lay down the shadow, I am feeling the bristles poke my lids. And I am also experiencing it with the Pencil One. Is getting scratched inevitable? I thought that paying near $40 for a brush would give me the softest touch. Am I working the brushes incorrectly. I am so sad and disappointed because I want to love these! I have been eyeing to buy from USA Hakuhodo for about a year now. But when I saw that Sonia launched her designs, I went with that instead. There are so many to choose from on Hakuhodo’s site. And I have always thought that Wayne’s brushes were the same as Hakuhodo’s but with a celebrity price tag. Sorry for the ramble….I hope you can offer some advice. I just received the brushes today and want to enjoy them for years to come. They are very beautiful! THANK YOU!!!! Denise
Hi Denise, I think part of the problem stems from your expectation that these brushes would be super soft. Super soft brushes are not the most precise or efficient. I have sensitive eyes and I know Sonia does, too, and I think she went with bristles that were soft enough to be tolerable and yet deliver the performance she was looking for. I tried using the pencil brush this morning to see if I could get it to poke, and yes, it did when I pushed hard. I think if you lightened up on the pressure, it would be comfortable and still deliver. This is a good brush, not the holy grail, but the best I have found so far, not softy and floppy on the tip, nor too hard and painful. As for the builder, this is not a lay down brush but is to apply highlight such as on the middle of the lid — it has to be used at an angle, almost flat with a patting, wiggling motion. I’ve been using the Worker brush for lay down and it works well. I suggest you hop on over to Sonia’s blog where she posts about each brush. Also, try shooting her an email if you continue to have problems. I envy you as you started with close to perfect brushes whereas I have collected hundreds, many of which are lacking in one way or another, and many have been much more expensive. Good luck!
Thank you for your encouragement and instruction, Kay! Thank you for poking your eyeball on my account! : ) I will continue to work with these brushes. I am grateful that I have these luxury brushes. Getting a little deep here: Simultaneously, this world is filled with so much need and over-indulgence. I feel guilty for enjoying putting on a made-up face. But it also is a time in the day when I gather my strength to face what lies ahead of me. I am such a thrift shopper overall. But I used my Christmas money and spent it on Japanese-made eye brushes instead of using it toward a bill. I think that was part of why I wanted these brushes to be over the moon. THANK YOU FOR HEARING ME OUT! Be blessed & beautiful!
I wanted to buy a new pencil brush and was waiting for these to come out individually to see the prices. I knew hers would be a bit more expensive than WG but it was almost double! Not to say they are not worth it but I ended up buying the WG for $20 as I haven’t seen many reviews for her set yet.
I am still interested in her foundation brush as all the ones I’ve tried have left streaks on my face (I usually use a BB).
Hope you are able to review these Christine!
Hi Sierra I have received the Sonia G. Brush set and I just wanted you to know as you were intersted in her foundation brush… it is amazing. I’ve never had a brush blend or buff foundation like this little beauty I almost look airbrushed, I’ve never looked airbrushed. It truly is fantastic. If your still on the fence I would urge you to buy it.
I will not purchase brushes with real hair regardless of price point. I have amazing synthetic brushes and can’t justify adding to animal suffering. These are pretty but I’m not interested.
Too happy, just purchased the two I wanted to try, Worker One & Face Two. Really would like Base One, as I can almost feel that it will lay on a mean foundation, but it’ll have to wait until later. Hmmm, birthday gift idea??? 😉
The brushes are now available individually. Sonia is a brush connoisseur, so when I heard she was coming out with her own brushes, I knew they’d be top of the line. If you think these brushes are overpriced, by all means, stick to Morphe, but Japanese natural hair brushes are in a league of their own.
Thank God! I too wanted her brushes when they released, but just couldn’t justify buying the set. Thanks (Christine too) for letting us know this!
So much love for Sonia and so proud she was able to release her own brush line. While I can’t afford the full set at the moment (not all the brushes fit into my makeup regimen anyway) I definitely have my eyes on Sculpt Three. I am well assured that these all perform phenomenally as she is quite the expert when it comes to brushes.
They’re available individually now! Much easier to justify. 😀
I just bought the set yesterday and am looking forward to receiving it!
Whoa, I see a lot of concern about her brushes, and I’ll just add this: she’s really nice and thoughtful individual from my exchanges with her. Also, her brushes are on par with if not better than Wayne Goss, Rae Morris, and we’re talking Hakuhodo level brushes. And i you don’t know her as others have shared, please do checkout her brush blog (and other high-end beauty products are discussed), but she definitely added value and a knowledgeable perspective to the brush world.
Couldn’t agree more! I feel like I learned everything I know about brushes from Sweet Makeup Temptations!
These look like they would be excellent quality.