Sonia G Worker Two and Pencil Two Brushes

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

The beauty community's resident brush expert Sonia of Sweet Makeup Temptations launched her own line of brushes a few months ago and last week, released a few more. The initial offering was tempting but when I saw the new brushes I was absolutely taken with Worker Two and Pencil Two.

The red to black gradient handles are unlike anything else in my brush collection! Four coats of pigment over maple wood. Very pleasing weight to each brush. The white goat hairs are fantastically soft, smooth and elastic. While I have pencil and blending brushes, these two brushes don't feel like close shape siblings; rather like a very distant cousin that only comes around for weddings and funerals. I'm really liking Sonia's strategy of the same brush heads made in different materials. Pencil One is blue squirrel while Worker One is dyed goat, which would give quite a different user experience.

First Pencil Two, $28.

It's a very rounded pencil that is short enough to really give the user control, but big enough to diffuse color. It's too big for me to use around the lower lash line, I use this more in my crease. It lets me blend out transitional colors, but without going too far north.

Left to right: Takumi T-8, Energy QZ8, Sonia G Pencil One, Artnet 123, Sunflower (Flower? Hollyhock? I'm not 100% sure on the translation of this brand name) F10

These are the closest brushes I could find in my arsenal in terms of size and shape. Every pencil I have is much more tapered and has longer hairs.

Worker Two, $36.

Left to right: Energy QZ7, Qin Z225, Shoushoulang M05, MAC 217, Sonia G Worker Two.

The brush that I think people are the most familiar with and would want to see directly compared to is the MAC 217, which is generally regarded as the most quintessential blending brush shape. My MAC 217 is ancient, as evidenced by the sad, worn out silver lettering. MAC 217 is much flatter, the bristles are longer and flare outwards. The Shoushoulang is like a thinner MAC 217. The Qin and Energy brushes are of a similar density, the brush head is also rounded, but they are smaller in every dimension and not the slightly flattened, wider shape of Worker Two.

I would absolutely be ecstatic if in the future a brush was released that was this exact shape and density but at only 75% of the size. I think it'd make it more versatile for those with hooded eyelids, shallow creases, and with smaller amount of mobile lid space.

The hairs are so soft and dense, I tend to over blend when I'm working with these two brushes. It takes just a few strokes to diffuse color; the amount of motion that I usually use would actually go too far and remove pigment back from the lid. I think that if I went with the dyed goat Worker One instead of white goat Worker Two, that would easily remedy my tendency to overwork with white goat.

These are by far my thickest handled brushes, most my brushes are 60% the diameter. It's been a learning curve to use brushes that have thicker handles than those to which I am accustomed. I fumble a bit when I switch between my other brushes and then reach for one of the Sonia G.s. It's like if your steering wheel was twice as thick as usual or your mug handle nearly doubled in diameter. The car is still operational and your hot beverage still drinkable, but it's a bit of an adjustment, especially at the get go.

I've used these brushes every day this past week to really get a good feel of how they would work for me, and I'm overall really pleased. I don't have criticism, only a plea for smaller sizes to accommodate my personal preference for smaller eye brush heads. The quality is absolutely top notch and as such, command top shelf prices at $28 for the pencil and $36 for Worker Two. When I use these brushes, I can appreciate every consideration Sonia has put into her brushes. Without a doubt, these are some of the finest brushes in my collection and I'm very keen to get more from her line.

Have you tried any brushes from Sonia's line? Her full lineup can be found exclusively at Beautylish.

Product featured was purchased by me. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.