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Wayne Goss

Wayne Goss Luxury Lip Collection Review

May 6, 2020

I’m excited to share a look at the Wayne Goss Luxury Lip Collection today with a first impressions review and swatches! As a long time fan of his brushes I was thrilled to receive a package from Beautylish including a preview of his entire lip launch. The items launched on 5/5 and by now quite a few colors have sold out but I expect there will be a restock. I was hoping to get my review up before the launch but I decided to swatch and lip swatch all the lipsticks and glosses and it took me forever! I hope you will find this a helpful resource. A lot of the shades are nude and neutrals – as always they will look very different on you if you have different skin tone than me. I’m very warm and golden/olive. The three products he has in his lip collection:

The High Shine Gloss

The High Shine Gloss is available in 7 color options. Three are shimmers and the rest are more like creams. They have a sponge tip applicator with a minty smell. Texture is medium with a cushiony feel. I like that there’s enough density/thickness so they stay put on the lips. There’s a bit of stickiness to them but it’s not uncomfortable or heavy. Pigment varies by color, but in general I would say they run medium-sheer.

Tulip is a sheer beige with a hint of sparkle, this one contrasts with my natural lip tone and my lip lines show through, it works better on top of lipstick or a liner
Hyacinth is a medium peachy pink cream
Cherry Blossom is a medium pink with a hint of sparkle (on me it almost looks identical to Hyacinth, the difference is subtle on me)
Petunia is a medium nude pink cream (my lips but better)
Antique Rose is a sparkling beige with champagne and rose gold shimmers
Hibiscus is a metallic pale pink shimmer
Chrysanthemum is a metallic copper rose bronze

Texture is smooth on all the finishes even the shimmers.

Swatched on bare lips. Photos taken with a flash. The sunlight kept shifting so there are slight variations in my skin tone as I took them outdoors.

The Luxury Cream Lipstick

The Luxury Cream Lipstick are excellent in formula and among the best I’ve tried! They’re ultra smooth, comfortable, have beautiful flawless pigment and wear beautifully. I think they are just as good as the Tom Ford regular lip color if not better. There are a lot of lighter colors in the neutral nude category. They do look similar at first glance – but if you struggle finding the perfect undertone for a natural lip I think you will appreciate Wayne’s careful selection of colors.

Colors include:

Camellia is a pale light peachy nude cream with yellow tones
Dahlia is a peachy cream
Daisy is a light pink beige cream
Lotus is a beige peach
Magnolia is a cream pink
Lily is a perfect muted neutral-nude pink
Amaryllis is a medium pink with coral tones
Orchid is an orange terracotta cream
Carnation is a soft washed blue-based rose
Zinnia is a warm but soft red pink berry

Swatched below on bare lips, also taken outdoors with flash. I highly recommend looking at other YouTube or Blog swatches to get the best sense of how these look on different skin tones and lighting. They are creamy and have a subtle natural shine finish (which I love). Lasting power is quite good and while I have not been able to test each shade, I did try Lily for an extended part of the day – it lasted through a bag of chips, 3 cookies and 2 cups of coffee. There was some color transfer but it stayed put an in tact which was impressive.

The Essential Pencil

The Essential Pencils are products I haven’t put to an extensive test but still wanted to share swatches. I only tried two on the lips but in swatching these, they have a smooth non-tugging texture. Pigment is opaque and full. They glide on really beautifully!

Vintage Pink is a pale pink, significantly lighter than my natural lip tone
Natural Berry is a soft pink
Mauve is a warm pink
Sepia is a muted pink brown
Cinnamon is a dusty red

By the time I finished lip swatching the Lipstick and Gloss my lips felt a little raw. I decided to do swatch comparisons instead of lip swatches next to a few popular colors for reference. I hope this helps you! Left to right for comparisons are Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk, MAC Lip Pencil in Boldly Bare, Stripdown and Whirl, Pat McGrath Permagel Done Undone, Victoria Beckham Beauty Lip Pencils 2, 3 and 4.

Formula-wise the Wayne Goss Essential Pencils have the best smooth glide. There’s no tugging which isn’t usually a deal breaker for me as I apply liner in a feathering motion. I do really like the texture of his lip pencils and will be trying them out more in the upcoming weeks.

Two on a full face including his Luxury Cream Lipstick in Lily and High Shine Gloss in Hyacinth below:

I hope you found these swatches helpful! I literally just received these so I haven’t been able to test these very long. First impressions are the Lipsticks are really quite phenomenal formula-wise. My favorite colors are Lily and Lotus. For the High Shine Lip Gloss I think the shimmers in Antique Rose are beautiful! I also like the everyday wearability of Hyacinth or Cherry Blossom (both are nearly identical on me so I don’t think you need both).

You can find the Wayne Goss Luxury Lip Collection available at Beautylish. I am hoping they will be able to restock the sold out colors soon!

Many thanks to Beautylish for sending the collection for review.

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Wayne Goss The Face Set and Eye Set Review

June 6, 2017

Wayne Goss has added new brush sets to his collection in a 6-piece Face Set ($250) and 5-piece Eye Set ($130). The Face Set actually launched in earlier this year back in March and sold out within a few weeks. It’s scheduled to restock today at Beautylish at 10 AM PST/1 PM EST. In addition to the set, they’ll have each brush available for purchase separately. The Eye Set is still available as a set for now. I’m hoping they’ll consider launching them individually.

By now I’ve accumulated quite a few brushes from dozens of brands. I’ve found only a small handful of new launches different or unique enough to have that wow factor. The latest launch that really impressed me was the MAC 140S (best powder brush ever) but when it comes to brushes I feel like I’ve already found my favorites and I buy multiples of a few so I don’t have to wash them as often (especially when I have an armful of swatching that I do). Wayne Goss brushes however are completely different and I’ve been so impressed with every one I’ve tried from his line. If I had to start over my entire brush collection I would pick his brushes to do it. At first glance they seem like they could be standard brushes just with a well-designed size handle and shape. Once you put them on your face you will really see the difference in how soft and smooth they are. You’ll also notice that they pick up product better and application is SO MUCH better. For years I’ve loved and relied on MAC brushes, in particular the #217, 219 and 239 for the eyes. They’re classic staples and perform well, but once you’ve tried brushes from Wayne Goss, Hakuhodo or Chikuhodo you’ll be floored.

The brushes are handmade in Japan and are cruelty-free. A look at each set and a few comparisons for size/shape reference. I was sent these for review by the Beautylish team but I would have no hesitation splurging the full retail price on both sets. Up first is The Face Set which has 6 brushes.

From the bottom to top, these are designed for both powder and creams. I took a few of these with me on recent trips along with other brushes and these were ones I reached for the most. They’re unbelievably soft and layer product beautifully without disturbing what’s underneath. There are certain uses for each one, but I used each of these for almost anything: powder, blush, creams, highlight, etc.

10 looks almost identical to 02, just with white natural hair, this is a tapered brush that you can use for highlighting
11 is one I used for setting powder, Wayne Goss uses this for his buffing technique, I haven’t tried it that way yet, but I found it perfect to set powder (pressed and loose)
12 is a flatter more dense brush but still fluffy, this is good for contouring and blending
13 is another cream or powder brush, it’s a shorter almost dome like brush, I tried this with cream contours and it blends them out perfectly better than a sponge or fingers for a natural blurred finish
14 is a light fluffy brush, I love this for more intense shimmers or blushes because it gives the face a light even wash of color
15 is a fan brush, I rarely use fan brushes but this is another good one for a light wash/veil of color anywhere

Comparisons to:

Up next is The Eye Set. Out of the 5 brushes I thought I’d only really use 2 based on the shape. I gave them all a test run and found them surprisingly versatile.

Shown from top to bottom:

16 is a skinny tapered brush that you can use to sweep product all over the lids, it fluffs out a bit after you use it
17 is similar to 16, but 17 is shorter and a tiny bit smaller with less of a point, this is a good blending brush
18 is my favorite, it’s the widest that resembles the MAC 217 in shape and size, the softness is something you have to touch to really understand, it’s the perfect all over wash brush for me
19 is a slim tapered brush I thought I wouldn’t use, but it’s great for precise blending and detail application
20 was a surprise for me as well, I didn’t think this would be useful for my eye shape, but it’s a smaller version of 19 and the 20 is perfect for a soft smokey eye to line/smudge, it really doesn’t seem like it would work for that because of the length, but it’s just perfect

Close ups:

Comparisons:

A look at how I tested each one with the Natasha Denona Sculpt and Glow Palette (review soon), Tom Ford Warm Soleil Eye and Cheek Palette (review here) and one of my favorite setting powders the Charlotte Tilbury Air Brush Flawless Powder (shade #2). The brushes were all versatile with powder and cream formulas. With powders they worked well with all textures whether they were shimmer, matte or glitters. With creams they apply product without any streaks which is just amazing. To date only Tom Ford brushes have done that for me and the Wayne Goss brushes are similar in performance and quality.

Bottom line amazing. Many of you might wonder if I think they’re worth owning even with all the brushes I already have. The answer is hands down yes. I’ve been one who always stuck with MAC because I found good ones that worked and they still do, but the Wayne Goss brushes take application to another level. Based on my personal preferences I would skip the fan brush #15 (because I don’t use fan brushes ) and the eye brush #19 (because it’s similar to #20). The brushes perform so much better than other standard brushes. If you already own a lot of brushes made in Japan you probably have some of the best ones on the market. I don’t own a lot with the exception of a few so I don’t have a lot of repeats.

You can find the Wayne Goss brushes available online at Beautylish. The Eye Set is in stock now, the Face Set (and individual ones) restock today at 10:00 AM PST. Have you tried these? What are your thoughts? If not what are your go-to makeup tools?

Many thanks to Beautylish for sending The Face Set and The Eye Set for review.

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The Wayne Goss Anniversary Brush Set (Limited-Edition)

October 16, 2015

Wayne Goss and Beautylish have teamed up to launch a collection of brushes called The Anniversary Set ($225 for 8 brushes). This special launch is timed to celebrate the second anniversary of Wayne Goss’s best-selling brush set- this one includes an updated release of the popular Brush 01 (limited edition) and introduces the new Brush 05 which will become a permanent addition to The Collection.

According to Beautylish, each brush has been meticulously handcrafted by traditional artisans in Kumano, Japan with jewel tone name and number lasering on the handles unique to the Anniversary Set. They are all made with cruelty-free natural bristles that have been selected for luxurious softness and then bundled uncut into a durable brass ferrule. I was able to preview the brush set last weekend in Santa Monica. I just received the brush set two days ago courtesy of Beautylish so I haven’t had much time to experiment in great detail but since it’s limited-edition I have a first impressions review on each the set today.

This is my first Wayne Goss Brush Set. I’ve accumulated a few individual brushes and they are well-loved in my collection. These brushes come with black lacquered handles that are medium-sized in length. They fit in my small hands nicely and are lightweight which makes them easy to use. There are eight brushes in this set for eyes and face. My quick take is that I think these brushes are very well made and the design and quality is excellent. They are extremely soft and the bristles are evenly distributed for flawless application. If you’re looking for a nice set of brushes to start a collection I think this is a very good place to start.

The eight brushes in the set include:

Brush 01 – The much-loved Brush 01, now three times larger for fast, flawless application of your favorite foundation. This elegant duo-fiber Brush makes blending creams, liquids, and powders to a poreless finish quick and easy. This one is limited-edition and exclusive to the set.
Brush 02 – A soft-as-silk Brush that seamlessly buffs powder products—blush, bronzer, highlighter, or setting powder—onto skin. Its tapered shape makes maneuvering around the contours of the cheeks a breeze.
Brush 03 – Fluffy, slightly pointed bristles make this Brush ideal for sweeping pigment all over the eyelid. It can also be used to highlight the nose and brow bone or to buff powder into the T-zone.
Brush 04 – Perfect for blending and distributing color into the crease of any eye shape. With its softly tapered silhouette, this Brush is also an excellent choice for concealing and setting the delicate undereye area.
Brush 05 – Completely redesigned with detail work in mind. The fine-point tip and supple bristles allow for the utmost precision when applying pigment to the eyes and lips.
Brush 06 – Topped with dense, dome-shaped hairs, Brush 06 effortlessly blends and softens eyeshadow in a single stroke. Use it to apply concealer to imperfections for a natural, even finish.
Brush 07 – Designed for lipstick or eyeliner, this small, flat Brush has just the right amount of stiffness for ultimate control. Apply precise amounts of color to the lips and eyes, or highlight specific parts of the brow bone and cupid’s bow.
Brush 08 – A tiny Brush with a short, flat tuft, ideal for tightlining the eyes with ease. Its unique shape makes working pigment directly into the root of lashes or brow hairs easier than ever before.

I have put these to the test for two days so far. Here’s what I tested each brush with and thoughts. First up is the Brush 01. I tried it with two liquid foundations. I thought the NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation would be a good one to try it with to see how smooth the finish would be. This is an ultra pigmented foundation and for the most part it’s flawless with fingers or a beautyblender sponge, but with most brushes streaks are visible. With the Wayne Goss Brush 01 it was pretty much streak-free with a few swipes. Brush strokes were still visible but required minimal blending and buffing to get completely smooth. I also tried it with the La Mer Reparative Skin Tint and it blended out product flawlessly. (Also shown below, recycled Diptyque Baies and RMS Luminizer Nail Polish.)

For Brush 02 and 04, I tested them with highlighter and concealer. Brush 02 (left) is a small tapered brush. It’s super soft and plush making it extra gentle on the skin. The tip is slightly domed and rounded which gives a very soft blended look. I tried it with detail highlighting using the Charlotte Tilbury Norman Parkinson Dreamy Glow Highlighter (swatched here). The brush picks up quite a lot of product which is nice. Some brushes don’t catch enough powder for some reason, but this one does.

Brush 04 (right) is a small detail brush. It’s similar in shape to Brush 03 but the 04 is smaller. It’s designed for crease but I don’t have folds in the eye area so I decided to try it with concealer since it was suggested in the product description. I would never have thought to try a non-synthetic tapered brush with a cream concealer but it really works. I took a dab of the Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer in 07 and it gives a super natural blended application on spots and under the eye. I’m really impressed! (On the nails below is Chanel Rouge No. 19).

For the eye brushes I’m surprised I don’t own any of these yet. From left to right is 03, 06, 05, 07 and 08. I know tapered brushes are huge with many and are considered a staple. I prefer fluffier brushes but the Wayne Goss 03 is really quite lovely. It’s dense enough that it’s not flimsy and it picks up just the right amount of product to give a sheer all over wash to the lids.

Brush 06 is a flatter but rounded brush, it’s described as a one-sweep brush and it really is that. It’s perfectly sized to give my lids color with one swipe.

Brush 05 is a detail brush that’s been redesigned. I don’t think I own the original one so I can’t compare but it’s an amazing smokey detail brush that picks up pigment really well and applies it in the inner corners or under the lash line. For the bottom lash line I like soft blended colors so it doesn’t look harsh and this one is perfect. I think I will need to purchase another once it’s launched individually.

Brush 07 and 08 are also detail brush perfection. I own tons of smudge brushes and Brush 07 is definitely one of the better ones I’ve tried. It’s super dense but soft. The material picks up color really well and applies it onto the skin beautifully. I feel like I’ve been waiting for Brush 08 my whole life. I know there are tons of skinny angled brushes that people use and love for getting into the lashline. I’m super uncoordinated with those and can never really get the color into the lash line easily, there’s almost always a gap so I have to blend and layer a lot. This one makes detail application super easy. It’s super dense and non-flimsy and non-floppy at the tip. If Wayne ever made a slightly larger one that is also angled for eyes I think I would fall head over heels in love with it. (He has one for brows in his brow trio which is utterly perfect but I think it’s too stiff for my delicate sensitive lids.) I tested the eye brushes with different textures of eyeshadow from the Urban Decay Naked3 Palette (swatched here). I thought it would be a good one since it has a mix of matte, satin, shimmer, chunky sparkle and metallic. All brushes worked really well with multiple textures making them really versatile.

One last shot of the brushes lined up:

I’m overall impressed. I knew that this set would be very well made and each brush would be perfectly crafted but I wasn’t sure if any would be that different from the dozens of tools I already own. Sometimes brushes are just brushes and if you have a collection of tools that work, it can seem redundant to own multiple tools from different lines. The brushes in the Anniversary Set all are phenomenal tools I know I will reach for and use on a daily basis. The Brush 02 is one of the softest brushes I’ve ever touched (just as soft as the Tom Ford ones). If there were one that I would say I could skip, I would say Brush 03 and 04 are very similar, but I really like 03 for the lids and now that I’ve tried 04 with concealer I’m converted. I think the detail Brush 08 is absolutely genius – if you’re unsure about getting the full set, I would say hands down the 07 and 08 are must-haves for perfect smokey eye detailing.

You can find The Wayne Goss Anniversary Brush Set exclusively online at Beautylish for $225. It is limited-edition.

Many thanks to Beautylish for sending a set for review consideration.

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The Brow Set by Wayne Goss

September 23, 2015

I have a small but well-loved collection of Wayne Goss brushes. His latest release is The Brow Set ($55) which has three brow tools, all designed by Wayne and hand crafted in Japan. I’ve only been testing these for a few days but have fallen in love already. My brows are the most-neglected beauty-related area for me. I groom them with a recycled mascara wand and although I have a few brow products that I really like (the Dior Brow Styler, NARS Brow Perfector and By Terry Eyebrow Mascara) I have been in need of a good set of brow tools and the Wayne Goss set does not disappoint. (On the nails above, Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer in Daisy.)

There are three brushes in The Brow Set. They come cased in a cute black cylinder, wrapped to perfection in black tissue paper and a black bow which shows love and care. The presentation as usual, is beautiful.

The brushes have medium length handles, they aren’t too long but not too short. Each brush has a black lacquered handle. According to the information on Beautylish, these are cruelty-free and hand crafted. From top to bottom is: Brush 22 (double ended), Brush 23 (spoolie) and Brush 21 (angled flat tip).

Brush 21 is designed for use with all types of brow products (powder, cream, wax). I really like this one because it has a wider flatter tip compared to most angled brow tools. It has a stiff dense tip that makes application super easy.

Brush 22 is a double-ended brush that has water badger bristles on one side
and a fine-toothed comb to groom and define brows and lashes alike. These both comb and brush brows to perfection. I like that the comb teeth are short.

Brush 23 is described as “an upscale take on the classic spoolie.” I am usually not a fan of spoolie brushes because they are never sturdy enough to last long (hence the reason why I recycle my mascara wands). You have to see it to believe it, but it is indeed another level of spoolie. It’s extremely sturdy and well made – it feels like it will last a long time. It has a cone-shaped brush and is densely packed but the bristles are soft enough so it doesn’t poke the skin.

Bottom line a winning set. The brow tools are extremely well designed, sturdy and made with extremely good craftsmanship. At $55 if you break down the price per tool it’s an affordable $18+ per brush. I’m ordering another set for one of my friends right now.

You can find the The Brow Set by Wayne Goss exclusively at Beautylish. Do you have any favorite Wayne Goss brushes? Which ones? I am hoping he will release more white-haired brushes this holiday or in the next year!

Many thanks to Beautylish for sending the set for review.

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Wayne Goss – The Holiday Brushes (2014)

January 19, 2015

On the nails: Dior Lady

I’m late to the game with the Wayne Goss Holiday Brushes in White and Black ($85 each, limited-edition) but I am really happy I was able to get both as they were produced in limited quantities for last holiday (the white one is already sold out). These are exclusive to Beautylish and although I almost always purchase brushes I can see and touch in person, I made an exception and ordered them sight unseen after seeing it featured on @raeview’s Instagram (also featured on her December Hits/Misses video). I’m so glad that I did.

This year he released a Black and White version:

The Wayne Goss Holiday Brush is a large tapered powder brush. It’s dense, fluffy and ultra soft. All of his brushes are all hand made (cruelty free) and none of the hairs are cut – the two holiday brushes are the first that I’ve tried from his line for face brushes and I am really impressed. They both pick up just the right amount of product with just one or two swipes. I’ve tested it on pressed setting powder, bronzer, highlighter and blushes. The tapered shape makes it extremely versatile for all sort of powder face makeup. I really like these for blush and bronzer.

Above: Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow (review)

Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Powder in Candlelight (swatched)

MAC Sheertone Blush in Tenderling

For me, it’s been challenging to find a brush with this particular shape and size – most tapered brushes I’ve seen are quite a bit smaller. The MAC 138 is similar in size and density but the ones designed by Wayne Goss by comparison are much softer in texture and feel like silk on the skin. In my entire brush collection, my Tom Ford brushes are the softest that I own. These holiday brushes from Wayne Goss are just as soft.

Above: MAC 138, Wayne Goss Holiday Brush, Charlotte Tilbury Powder & Sculpt Brush

For my testing, the Black Holiday brush has gone through two washings already. It does fluff up a little bit after the first wash but it still retains its shape. I photographed it next to an unwashed/unused white one before I tried it. For me there was no shedding or color bleeding with the first or second wash.

If you’re crying over the fact that the White Holiday brush is sold out, I found both the White and Black versions to be identical in texture, density, softness and performance. I would still be crying if I didn’t get the white version since I have a soft spot for white fluffy brushes, but they are both identical and I probably didn’t need both. That being said I am really happy I have both, I’ve found them both to be very gentle on the skin and effective at pickup up product and giving you a super smooth and even makeup application with powders, bronzers and blushes. For me they are both worth every penny even though the price is on the steep side. They are well made and very good quality.

If you haven’t checked out the Wayne Goss Holiday Brush, I highly recommend you do soon. It’s limited-edition and exclusive to Beautylish. Have you tried any of the brushes from Wayne Goss? What are your favorites?

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Wayne Goss

Wayne Goss Luxury Lip Collection Review

The High Shine Gloss

The Luxury Cream Lipstick

The Essential Pencil

Wayne Goss The Face Set and Eye Set Review

The Wayne Goss Anniversary Brush Set (Limited-Edition)

The Brow Set by Wayne Goss

Wayne Goss – The Holiday Brushes (2014)

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