Wayne Goss does an important tabletop demo on sun care and skin care.
I’ve been frequently traveling the past few years but more so in the last 6 months. I thought I had become proficient in all transit procedures but my luggage was lost in a perfect storm of two missed connections, fortunately, I had the divine foresight to remove my laptop from my luggage before my carryon parted ways with me.
When my luggage finally arrived at my hotel looking rather tired and forlorn, I opened the contents of my bag to a relief that my valuables were all there apart from one very carefully wrapped linen scarf that I kept my sacred makeup brushes.
Like anything, experience points make the difference in the tools that you use. When first learning the Guitalele (for example) any cheapo 80 dollars eBay investment will do and does perform quite well for my limited knowledge of how to do basically anything guitar related. However, as I practice I hope that this will change. It certainly was the case for me and makeup.
Any serious artist will groan aloud when they hear that a collection of brushes were stolen. The fact that mine is used on my face shouldn’t make much a difference, especially with the significant increase in Drag acceptance. One brush could cost up to 70 dollars and when you are obsessed with a hobby, quality starts to matter!
The first thing I did when I arrived at my destination was to go to Walgreens and try to find some kind of outfit for the next few days as I was at a conference and couldn’t let myself go wearing the same comfy set of stretchy pants I strategically wore on the plane… I was able to find the basics all in one place late at night and felt grateful to be an American where my consumer needs could be satiated even at 11 pm on a Thursday. I felt as if I was somehow parachuted into unfamiliar territory with only a few square bits of plastic (debit card) to use in my environment for survival. In a weird stressful way, solving that problem was oddly exhilarating.
But as I looked in the mirror of the fluorescent Walgreens bathroom in my 10 dollar replacement dress (which got compliments later on) and saw how tired my eyes were and the jet-lagged hair - dull and limp from recycled air - I knew I had to get SOMETHING to make myself feel more comfortable in this body that I more or less was dragging around at that point.
I don’t bag on drugstore makeup because it’s usually pretty workable if you know what you are looking for. I can confidently find my way around the drugstore aisles and find which will work for me in a pinch… I bought a light whipped foundation in my shade, a small contouring pallet, eyeliner, mascara, and the cheapest application brushes that I could justify spending on.
Back in the hotel, I almost immediately discarded the brushes. They were cheap synthetic fiber and left invisible little hairs in the crease of my eye that were impossible to see but exquisitely painful to endure if you happen to want to blink your eye every now and then. I went to apply with my hand and fingers.
After calling the airline when I got back home to my beautiful 3 bedroom apartment in the Bronx, I received the news that I could buy new brushes and then make a report and wait for 12 weeks on whether the airline would honor the receipt or not. I knew I couldn’t go without as I am going to be a guest speaker at an art auction in a little over a week so I knew that I had to figure something else out and fast.
I was caught between spending the money on high quality and risking that the airline would say “tough tiddies” or cheaper more available brushes that were less risky. In my heart of hearts, I already knew where to go. I poked around online for a bit but saw nothing that gained my TRUST in the artistry of makeup apart from what I had already researched in regards to Wayne Goss.
Wayne Goss is a brilliant YouTuber who unlike most of the Instagram/youtube beauty babes with their sugar skull contouring, Wayne Goss gives highly perceptive artistry tips on how to correct, enhance, and diminish traits on the face, as well as any of the old masters of the Renaissance, could do with oil on canvas. It does take skill and experience to create a visage on a three-dimensional surface that is essentially alive and reacting with the environment. The face is mass in movement and therefore makeup becomes interactive and involved in the flexibility of that movement.
So I ordered the Wayne Goss Anniversary Set Volume 2 (limited edition) and The Brow Set because these would replace MOST of the brushes that were too soon taken from me by an airline that will remain unnamed.
The Anniversary Set Volume 2 contains 8 brushes handmade by artisans in Kumano, Japan from pure white (undyed) goat hair. These eight brushes are:
Brush 01: a dense duo-fiber brush for fast, flawless foundation applicationBrush 02: a tapered sculpting brush for highlighter, blush, and bronzerBrush 03: a fluffy eyeshadow brush that doubles as a precision highlighter brushBrush 04: a silky-soft crease brush that works with any eye shapeBrush 05: a finely pointed pencil brush for detail work around eyes and lipsBrush 06: an eyeshadow blending brush that softens pigment in a single swipeBrush 07: a flat eyeshadow brush that packs on pigment and works wonders with concealerBrush 08: a small push liner brush that works color deep into the lashline
The Brow Set contains 3 brushes also crafted in Kumano, Japan. They are:
Brush 21 – The Hero: A short, flat brush for applying all types of brow products—wax, powder, pencil, pomade, or gel—with precision and ease. Create natural, hair-like strokes with the fine tip to blend color seamlessly into brows. Brush 22 - The Multitasker: This multitasking tool includes natural bristles to groom, shape, and define brow hairs for an endless array of unique styles. The fine-toothed comb separates lashes and de-clumps mascara. Brush 23 – The Pre-Show: An upscale take on the classic spoolie, the soft, dense bristles on this cone-shaped brush are designed to distribute products smoothly into the brow. It’s also perfect for applying mascara.
The goat hair brushes from the Anniversary Set Volume 2 had some minor shedding as I tested them rather vigorously on my hand. The number 01 seemed to have the most shedding but also took the most of the circular blending technique and the others will mostly be used in a different method.
The hair is bundled in a tapered layered way which will promote excellent longevity to their lifespan. There are a few wisps that wander off from the heads of the brush but I think that mostly was done in the shipping and will some relaxing they will fall more so into place.
The Brow Set comes with different courses of boar bristles (I believe). Brush 22 has longer course hair and slanted plastic teeth for the reversed side. I like that these are of course natural hair and not synthetic as I find that synthetic has a tendency to become brittle and break easier. The plastic teeth are fine and tapered but seem durable enough. I ran my nail across the tip to see how flexible they are and they seem to be alright… The plastic and can be moved without much force. Brush 23 - The Spoolie is slightly bent at an angle to allow precision combing of the lashes. The angle itself seems almost perfect and intuitive. Many props to Wayne Goss and Co. for that.
The real test with any quality brush will be how it holds onto the wand. The metal seems durable and the promise of 20 artisans from Japan give me hope that it will last, but it’s been my experience that sooner or later my makeup brush heads always seem to pop off.
The packaging from Beautylish was DIVINE. I opened the package and was treated to a very stylish black box that fit the inside of the cardboard perfectly. Inside the black box, my eyes were treated to a handwritten note thanking me for my purchase, a crushed velvet drawstring pouch, a light black canvas bag which carried two tubes of my brushes inside.
I was apprehensive about how my brushes would arrive and if I would have to get a new brush roll, but luckily Wayne Goss saved my pennies a bit longer with their stylish carrying arrangement. The brushes were gorgeously wrapped in black tissue paper that felt like origami to unfold and was tied with thick black cotton ribbon.
As I opened up my package all I could say was “Oh Wow” and I heard myself becoming my tiny Italian grandmother who coveted craftsmanship in all of her purchases. This demand for quality made her the most stylish and beautiful woman I have ever come across in my days on this wide green Earth. If you are serious about makeup and it’s application as an art form then I am pleased to give you my suggestion to purchase from Wayne Goss. He is a deserving entrepreneur in the beauty industry whose videos are meant to enlighten the people (for free) and the advice is actually worth more than gold. I included a very important PSA about a lie that the beauty industry tells us to get our money while putting us at risk for serious health risks such as skin cancer. If you haven’t heard of Wayne Goss I urge you to find him and subscribe.
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