Sonia G Fusion Series Brushes

Sonia G dropped a new 5-piece brush set only a few weeks ago: the Fusion brush series, designed specifically to work with cream and liquid makeup products. With the current trend of cream and liquid cheek products, the brushes were an instant sellout, but luckily they will be restocked next week!

The brushes are permanent to her line and are sold individually as well as in a set, exclusively on the Beautylish website.

I will try not to merely sit here and repeat the details that Sonia G already shared on her blog here – go check out her post for detailed information about the specs of each brush, reasons for her chosen designs, materials, maintenance, and functionality. But to summarise, all five brushes are made with a mixture of natural hair (un-dyed sokoho goat) and two types of synthetic fibres (PTT and PBT). As with all her brushes, they are handmade by artisans in Kumano, Japan.

One of the brushes, the Mini Base, was first released in her limited edition Keyaki brush travel set in December 2020. I have that brush and have been loving and using it to death, so I knew these brushes were going to be a hit for me, hence why I not only got the full Fusion set on launch day, but also added in an extra Soft Concealer brush to use with cream and liquid eyeshadows.

It is also worth noting that three of these brushes, the Soft Concealer, Mini Base, and Classic Base, are the same brush in three different sizes (same density and shape, just variations in the ferrule width and length of the bristles). This was a great move by Sonia as this design in perfection.

All five brushes deliver an airbrushed, streak-free finish without absorbing much product at all. They are super soft and poke-free on the skin, and require little pressure on the face in order to effectively blend, and therefore barely move your skin underneath! Perfect for those of us with sensitive skin, and just anyone with skin really.

Sonia has really hit the nail on the head with this blend of hair/fibre types, and I hope she continues to expand this range. (waiting patiently for a holy grail spot concealer brush…)

Comparisons

Before I get into my review of each brush, lets look at some comparisons with other cream/liquid product friendly brushes I have in my collection.

First, the base brushes.

Although the Jumbo Base might seem a lot smaller than foundation brushes you potentially already own, the slanted angle of this brush means it covers a larger surface area than it appears in the above head shots. More on that later.

The Sonia G Base One brushes and the Rephr 17 all have a flat top, whereas the fusion brushes are all rounded at the edges.

The Classic Base is similar in size to the new Base One brush, and has continued to bloom the more I have used it since taking these photos after their first wash.

While we’re on the topic, the new Base One brush is smaller in area and has about double the clearance (height difference between synthetic and goat bristles) compared to the original Base One brush. The result is a less dense and more flexible brush. It is a lot softer on the skin than the original and can be used in buffing motions without disturbing dry skin or sunscreen underneath. The duo-fibre bristles are a mixture of sokoho goat (shorter bristles) and nylon (longer bristles). It does absorb quite a bit of product to offer a lighter coverage, so is great for me with medium-full coverage foundations that I want sheered out slightly whilst still covering redness on my face. If this is a problem, I would opt for one of the Fusion brushes, but I certainly have a place for all these brushes in my collection. The Base One isn’t really for thick consistency products due to the airiness of the tips, but works great with all liquids!

The Zoeva 110 is synthetic and is much stiffer and denser than the Classic and Mini Base brushes.

The Sigma P82 is synthetic only, shorter, denser, and stiffer than the Sonia G brushes.

Jumbo Base

The Jumbo Base is a dense and stiffer foundation brush that delivers a full coverage application whilst remaining gentle on the skin. You can see the slanted tip in the picture above. This brush blends product out super fast with zero effort. It almost absorbs none of the base product into its bristles – it’s quite impressive really! I like to use it in short sweeping motions. It has the largest surface area out of all brushes in this Fusion series.

It is particularly handy for applying sheer and light coverage base products such as a tinted moisturiser where you don’t want to lose any of the already light coverage. It also works well with stick foundations with stiffer textures that need more help to be dispersed across the face. This is a brush that can work with any foundation consistency and coverage, but be cautious if using it with medium-full coverage foundation, especially if you are used to applying them with a sponge that absorbs half the product, as you may need to use a lot less product or risk having a cakey looking face.

The Koyudo F-03 (newer version with mixed goat and synthetic bristles) is denser. It is actually the densest brush I have! It can also poke the skin and leans a bit scratchy, which a Sonia G brush would never do. That said both are superb face brushes, and I do like the feel of the short stubby handle.

Classic Base

The Classic Base is a great versatile brush, and my current favourite foundation brush. It has a medium density as far as foundation brushes go. The bristles have the perfect amount of flexibility so that they hug the contours of your face while blending with minimal pressure, and don’t push your skin around or disturb what’s underneath (spf for example).

It performs perfectly with all liquid and cream formulas no matter the format, consistency, or coverage. It does not absorb much product at all, but does more so that the Jumbo Base and is just enough to prevent cakey face while preserving the foundation coverage. I cannot explain how perfect this brush is for base makeup!

Again, the above picture was taken after first wash and the Classic Base has bloomed out in area since using it (similar size to the new Base One brush now).

The above picture demonstrates the variety of base products I have used the Jumbo Base and Classic Base brushes with. All work beautifully together, just use less product when pairing something like the Nars Sheer Glow or Armani Luminous Silk foundation with the Jumbo Base.

Mini Base

I have been using this brush for 7 months due to the Keyaki set version, so I feel I know this brush very well by now. It is the same as the Classic Base, only smaller.

This is my go to for cream and liquid blushers. With a mixture of stippling, swiping, and light buffing motions, I get a beautiful application of blush in seconds. Some may find this on the smaller size for a cheek brush, but I love how it can be used to concentrate the initial product on a smaller surface before blending out to perfectly cover the whole cheek. If I use the Classic base for blush on my small face, I quickly get a far larger application of blush than I intended. Paired with the Lisa Eldridge Enlivening blush formula, the product basically blends itself. I also use the Mini Base with cream/liquid highlighter and bronzer, both of which are matches made in heaven. These brushes wipe clean easily on a towel or microfibre cloth, allowing you to quickly switch between different products with the same brush – no muddiness!

I can also use the Mini Base as a small foundation brush, which is why I’m glad Sonia chose this size for the Keyaki travel set, as to me this is the most versatile brush of the Fusion series.

Soft Concealer

The Soft Concealer brush fits the under-eye area perfectly and gives a medium coverage of concealer. It is the same shape as the Mini Base and Classic Base, just smaller!

It works great with both liquid and thicker creamy concealers and offers a superb airbrush finish (no surprise).

I bought a second Soft Concealer brush to use for cream and liquid eyeshadows. It is on the larger size for this purpose, more appropriate for laying down eye primer, but it does work beautifully to blend out eyeshadow too as long as I don’t use large circular motions (the brush blends effortlessly so this isn’t necessary anyway). First I place some product on my lid with my finger (or by dipping the brush straight into the product depending on the formula), then I sweep the Soft Concealer brush over my lid to blend out the colour. It gives a soft blend so if you want more intensity on the lid then it is best to use a finger to begin with or go back in with a flat shader brush (or finger) and more product.

Jumbo Concealer

The Jumbo Concealer is a dense brush that mimics a finger when used in a patting motion. It is great for applying colour corrector and concealer right into the hollows of the eyes and anywhere that needs full coverage. It also works well for spot concealing when gently patting on product that is left over on the brush. Similarly to the Jumbo Base, the bristles absorb almost no product, lending to that full coverage finish.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I am blown away by the Fusion series brushes, their efficient and effortless application of cream and liquid products, the airbrushed finish they offer, the movement of the bristles, and their softness too! They dry clean really easily on a towel between uses so I can keep using them all week without the bristles sticking together, or switch between different makeup products without constantly needing to wash them. I have a fondness for the round shapes in the set, but really I love and use all of these brushes and am very happy to have picked up the full set. Congratulations Sonia on this outstanding release!!!