Hey fam!

I’m writing a series of posts on Japanese Makeup brushes that I’ve purchased over the last few months. They are from different brands but manufactured in Japan. I am someone who has always been interested in good instruments, like pens/pencils, paintbrushes, makeup brushes, cooking utensils, etc. While I look for functionality, I always am fascinated by design, color, craftsmanship, presentation, etc. So sometimes I do get pulled into buying something for its design, or for the color. The reason I am saying this is while Japanese brushes have functionality, they also have all the other things I’ve mentioned above. But to get everything in one, the price per brush can become a bit expensive. So, this is not everyone’s cup of tea.

If you are someone that sees makeup as just something that you apply, get it done with, and move on with your day, you might not notice how a good brush makes a difference. And, you might not consider how a natural haired brush will differ from a synthetic brush. In the realm of brushes, you will find different shaped ones, brushes made with different materials and designs, etc. Below are some that I’ve picked up so far from Hakuhodo.

J4005: This is a large concealer brush made out of synthetic bristles. As you can see, the shape is interesting and it almost looks like a paintbrush. This is a large brush, but great to contour your nose, or to apply concealer right underneath your lash line or the inner corners. You could even use this for cream contour and really sculpt out your cheeks, but you would’t be able to blend with this brush.

B125R: This is a duo fibre brush. It’s made out of goat hair and synthetic fibers. I initially bought this to blend concealer, but it didn’t work for that. The result was a very streaky application. But, this works great with cream eyeshadows. Being that it is duo fibre, the brush won’t absorb a lot of the product. It’s small enough that it fits in a good size pot and covers enough eyelid space.

J116: This brush was a surprise to me. I honestly bought it on a whim, and I didn’t know what I’d use it for. Surprisingly, I really like using this for cream blushes. The brush is made out goat hair, but since it is un-dyed, you can used it with creams. I really like it for blush, as it disperses the perfect amount of cream blush and being that it’s a bit fluffy, I can easily blend.

i021: I do not like this brush. I bought it as it’s a large eyeshadow brush, and thought that it would be good for cream eyeshadow application. But the brush head is so large that it doesn’t fit into the pot that I have very easily. I haven’t used it for anything else yet. This brush is made out of synthetic hair.

G5339: This is labeled as a tapered eyeshadow brush, but this is great for under the eye powder application. It disperses the perfect amount, and it gives you more control over the application. This is a great one to have, but it doesn’t cover a large surface area so you might want to think about that!

J212: I bought this brush to use as a large concealer brush with blending capabilities. I really do enjoy this brush. It’s pretty big, and would work well for concealing on the face. I use it to apply liquid concealer underneath the eyes, stipple the product, and then blend. You could use this for contouring, or applying highlighter as well! I’ve ordered two more brushes from Hakuhodo for concealer, so will report back.

G5557: This brush is great for liquid foundation. It’s a duo fibre brush made out of goat & synthetic hair. I found that this brush doesn’t absorb a lot of product and really blends foundation in well. It’s a dense brush but also is airy, being that it is duo fibre. If you have the budget for this type of foundation brush, I’d definitely say this is a great duo fibre option.

The price range for the brushes that I’ve written about are between $25-$75. I won’t say you need a specific brush because everyone’s price point is different. I’ve found some other brushes that I like as well, and usually I like to have multiples of a certain function of brush around, so I don’t have to keep washing mine.

The other thing to think about is if you are allergic to animal hair, you may want to consider natural hair brushes.

All of these brushes can be found on https://hakuhodousa.com.

Hope this helps, and there is more coming!

-K