Sonia G. Smudger & Worker Brushes Reviews & Photos

Smudger One

Sonia G. Smudger One Brush ($36.00) is a small, flat eye brush that is made out of blue squirrel hair and is designed for building “dramatic intensity” and adding “definition” to the eye. It’s intended to function a lot like a traditional pencil brush but “flat.” The brush head looks almost like a small, shader brush as it comes out of the ferrule, but it tapers to a flatter, wide “point” that works well for smudging eyeliner or applying more precise eyeshadow along the lash line.

I also liked using it for more precise lid color application (perhaps just for the inner lid) or applying eyeshadow under my brow bone, particularly when I was going for a more precise laydown of color. I still found that I tended to opt for a traditional pencil brush (including the brand’s version) over this for applying and smudging out color on my lower lash line.

I preferred this over the Smudger Two, as it was more comfortable against my lash line (not just softer), and I could feel the more pointed shape of the brush head, but it did not feel sharp at all.

Per the brand, the handle has a total length of 147mm with a brush head length of 7mm and width of 9mm. As part of the core range, the handles are wider than average (the PRO range has thinner, more tapered handles). You can safely assume that the brush has held up beautifully over many washings and uses; if there are any issues from washing, shape changes, and the like, they’ll be called out specifically.

Smudger One

A+

Product

Fitness

Durability

Construction

100%

Total

Smudger Two

Sonia G. Smudge Two Brush ($28.00) is a small, flat eye brush that is made out of Saikoho goat hair, and it was designed to work with “tricky eyeshadow textures” and to be an “ultra-soft smudging brush.” It is the same shape and size as Smudger One but goat hair is much more resilient than blue squirrel, which is why it can be used with creams as well as powders and will pick up more product more readily than Smudger One.

I found the edge to be a little sharp against my lower lash line, both gently going back and forth along my lower lash line as well as using short strokes to smudge out color, and at times, the brush felt just slightly pokey. I don’t notice it as much along my outer lid/outer corner or at all when I’ve used it to apply more precise brow bone highlighter (right under my brow arch). While I didn’t use it as much for smudging, I liked it for packing on color on my lash line, particularly things like glittery, liquid eyeshadows. The brush did pick up product more readily than the Smudger Two, and it was particularly good at distributing cream eyeshadow without sheering it out.

Smudger Two

B+

13.5

Product

Fitness

Durability

Construction

89%

Total

Worker One

Sonia G. Worker One Brush ($36.00) is a larger, denser eye brush that’s is made out of dyed Saikoho goat hair, and it was intended to be an “eye blending brush” that can “soften” as well as “contour and define.” It’s described as a multitasking brush that can be used for blending, crease work, and laying down color.

It’s absolutely a workhorse of a brush–it can pack on eyeshadow, blend it out on the lid or in the crease, deposit and blend out transition shades as well as brow bone shades. That being said, for how I tend to apply products, which often means applying four to eight eyeshadows per eye, it’s too large to achieve the level of precision I need for that. If you’re someone who often applies one or two shades on the lid or likes a more diffused crease color, it works well for looks like that (as a multi-purpose brush).

I tend to reach for this to apply product to my brow bone, inner tearduct, and for gentle blending of edges at the end. The denseness and larger, more rounded edge helps it gently diffuse edges well, especially for stiffer powders and more matte finishes.

I loved the shape and feel enough that I bought a second one, but I was really happy when the brand released the Worker Three, which is a smaller version of the Worker One/Worker Two (but it is undyed hair like Worker Two) along with the Worker Pro, which is smaller (but a little fluffier–doesn’t have quite the denseness of the Worker One, Two, and Three). I end up using the Worker Three and Worker Pro for more lid/crease work but Worker One/Worker Two for highlighting my brow bone, blending crease and transition shades (but less for initial laydown of color), and highlighting my inner tearduct.

Per the brand, the handle has a total length of 160mm with a brush head length of 15mm and width of 10mm. As part of the core range, the handles are wider than average (the PRO range has thinner, more tapered handles). You can safely assume that the brush has held up beautifully over many washings and uses; if there are any issues from washing, shape changes, and the like, they’ll be called out specifically.

Recommended

Worker One

A+

Rec'd

Product

Fitness

Durability

Construction

100%

Total

Recommended

Worker Two

Sonia G. Worker Two Brush ($36.00) is made out of Saikoho goat hair, and it was designed to be used with both cream and powder products to “soften, blur, and diffuse pigment without over-blending.” It is nearly identical to Worker One, but it uses undyed bristles, which gives the brush an ever-so-softer feel and seems wispier against my skin. Otherwise, I find the quality, density, and functionality to be the same as Worker One. I prefer the dyed bristles as they’re still incredibly silky against my skin but look cleaner between washes.