Hakuhodo - makers of MAC brushes

Pinkdollface

Well-known member
I've never used any MAC brushes. I've only used Body Shop brushes, but now I'm trying to upgrade. I think their face and body brush is good, and I still intend to use it. Their blush brush is okay, but sometimes the application isn't accurate. The foundation brush gets streaky. My needs at this point are a brush to use with EDSFs because the face and body brush from the Body Shop doesn't pick up anything, and a new liquid foundation brush. I'm debating just getting a new Body Shop blush brush because this one from Nars is not the math. It kicks up too much powder. So it sounds like MAC 187 is a must regardless. I can use that with the EDSF if I want to use it as a bronzer. I like a heavy application for foundation, so I'll go with the G5557 for that, and then J544 for multipurpose usage. It's cheaper than the J110, so that's a plus. Okay! I think I got it now. Thanks so much for your help.
I assumed you had the 187 since you mentioned it my bad. Hakuhodo does have a dupe for it the J4001. It can work for normal bronzer too and other powder that you would apply on a large area. I don't like it for setting powder though. I think its too flexible for that purpose. I would wait with that brush though and see if you like the others first. I'm happy to help and I just love brushes and talking about them!
 

Pinkdollface

Well-known member
Still haven't been able to try my new g5554 grr. We're in the hospital for a family emergency. As soon as I try it I'll give my update too. @pinkdollface has more time in the Haku world so I trust her judgement and reviews :)
Ow no I hope everything will be fine :( That's so sweet that you trust me on these brushes :) I'm for sure not an expert on them, but I know what I like and look for in a brush. That doesn't mean others want the same so I try to explain how I personally feel and why.
 

mosha010

Well-known member
Ty ladies. My fiancé's uncle just passed away of a massive aneurism. They were trying to make him hold on with machines so we can donate his organs but nah he was ready to go and his heart stopped. Ty for the nice words, he lived a happy crazy life we shall be so lucky of living.
 

Ajigglin

Well-known member
Ty ladies. My fiancé's uncle just passed away of a massive aneurism. They were trying to make him hold on with machines so we can donate his organs but nah he was ready to go and his heart stopped. Ty for the nice words, he lived a happy crazy life we shall be so lucky of living.
So sorry to hear that. I'm glad to hear he had a happy life, though. That's all we can ask for.
th_cheerup.gif
 

Pinkdollface

Well-known member
Ty ladies. My fiancé's uncle just passed away of a massive aneurism. They were trying to make him hold on with machines so we can donate his organs but nah he was ready to go and his heart stopped. Ty for the nice words, he lived a happy crazy life we shall be so lucky of living.
I'm so sorry :support:
 

LC Balthazar

Well-known member
I already washed the brush and tried it, I was so impatient, lol. I applied The Perfect Cheek with it, wich I wasn't completely sold on when I applied it with MAC brushes. But with this one - just lovely! I feel like it applies it much more evenly. It will be great for blush, contour and highlighter I'm sure. The softness really is amazing, most of my other brushes seem scratchy now. OMG, what have I done?! :worms:  That's exactly what I feared would happend, I definitely need more. At least a powder brush, a blush brush and some eye brushes.
That's how I started. Now all my Mac brushes feel SO crappy in comparison.... :(
Once you go haku...
Ty ladies. My fiancé's uncle just passed away of a massive aneurism. They were trying to make him hold on with machines so we can donate his organs but nah he was ready to go and his heart stopped. Ty for the nice words, he lived a happy crazy life we shall be so lucky of living.
Condolences Mosha!
 

cindypltnm81

Well-known member
They are still drying but I'll post to give an idea
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G5543, J110, 210, G5545, K020
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G5543, J110, 210, G5545, K020
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i cleaned all my brushes tonight, took me 2 hrs suprisingly, I am planning on getting rid of some of these becasue its really overwhemling me now but ima try and post the hakuhodos soon, prob tomorrow morning for me
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J210, J110 comparison front
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J210 comparison J110, top
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J210, J110 side
Yay, i finally got my Nikon and was able to take some pics, I'm not very camera friendly so i prob should have done these during the day but i woke up super late watching Scandal up to 5am eeek So here's my Hakuhodo story, I started purchasing Hakuhodos about 2 years ago because I started seeing my MAC 165 bristles bending and I was sad because it was LE. So i googled! I found that the G5521 was a really good dupe for it and I started doing more research about them. Now, the only time I had heard about Hakuhodos were from You tube Gurus and they always spoke about the S100 series I think that's why people steer clear because at first glance they are very expensive. I did more research and realized there were more series and that brushes from the other series had prices comparing to other lines I already tried out like NARS, MUFE, MAC and some Chanel. So I was all about buying brushes with the same prices but far more superior quality. Hakuhodos are the softest brushes but that's not what sold me what sold me is that they blend so effortlessly and beautiful. I feel like my blush and highlight glow within now using these brushes.  So I started making a wish list about every 2 wks according to my paycheck to replace my mac brushes, so i just looked up mac dupes and made a wish list of brushes that each transaction I would order were to be no more than about $100 at a time. If i ordered eye brushes I would get about 5 and face maybe 2-3. Most expensive brush I bought from Hakuhodo so far has been my B103 it was $72 but I myself justified it because its a multi-tasker , i use it for powder, contour, highlight and bronzer. I saw this in the S series first and it was way more but what I do if i like a brush I drop the letter and search just the number and it brings up the brush in other series and if its in a set. The brushes are the same except that the fertles and handles are different. The 24K gold brushes are obviously going to be more expensive. I like my brushes all one color so i was going to stick with the black handles but that's just me. So for example there is the S142 i looked up 142 and it came up with the J142, yes it wasn't the blue squirrel hair but it had the same shape just in goat hair instead and was prob $30 cheaper, I cant live with that.  I'm not saying go spend $100 on brushes every 2 wks for a year like i did I'm just saying that's how I got all my brushes. Its something that I wanted and chose that I wanted to invest in them. I have dry sensitive skin so I opt for the blue squirrel brushes but I'm not saying you have to hakuhodo has plenty of variety within each series. I have most of the brushes I want i my collection, each one of them have a purpose to me even if i have 3 blush brushes.  My favorites of all are def my G503 for contouring G5538 for highlighting J110 for blush B002 for powder Eyes J5522 for allover eyes to blend with crease J533 to blend and smudge my under eye J5529 for detail crease work G5533 to blend out my crease its soooo soft Okay hope this helps, when I first started buying Hakuhodos this post only had posts about how crazy expensive they were or the fact that its ridiculous the fact that the Japanese state that they should comb through the brushes to dry them out, but living in Japan for the past 2 years I understand their pride in craftsmanship an culture. They are very humble and dedicated to their craft and you can def tell in these brushes. I am always in awe every time I get a new brush they are like that new car smell every time. I am so glad that more people are starting to share input because the site can be very overwhelming. Hope this helps! L-R G545, B002, G5521, B103, G503, 214, 210, G5545, K020. K001 L-R yachiyo medium pointed, J210, J110, G5543, J4002, J544, G5538, J4003, G5552- 4mm, G5555- 2mm J544, G5538, J4003, G5552- 4mm, G5555- 2mm J110, G5543, J4002, J544 yachiyo medium pointed, J210, J110, G5543 L-R G5515 G5514 J220G J242G G5529 J146 J142 J5523 G5533 G5522 G5539 J125 L-R B264 B522  G5520  J533 B5528 G5505 J121G G5529 G5526 G5522 G5523 G5533 B264 B522  G5520  J533 B5528 G5505 J121G G5529 G5526 G5522 G5523 G5533  My storage! Its from muji
How did I miss this lovely collection of your brushes! Well these are the brushes I'm ordering this weekend? Are these good picks? Need your opinion. G5557-2mm Powder & Liquid Brush round/angled (does this apply better than the mac187) I have the sigma f80 but it is too densely compacted for my liking with foundation application. Do you think this brush is worth it? B505BkSL Blush Brush M round and flat G544 Powder & Liquid L round/flat B206BkSL Powder Brush round and flat
 

mosha010

Well-known member
G5554 : I been using the brush for a week now and it's perfect for my Mac face and body foundation. I used previously the sigma and the Mac 130 and they were either too dense or not enough. This is IT. It's amazing how perfect the coverage is with this brush and no brush streaks or accumulation of the foundation. It's so soft too! There is another g5557 that is for a more dense application if you need more coverage. @pinkdollface uses it and recommends it. I personally needed something for light to medium coverage foundations since I mostly use liquid foundation to cover my pores and a mild skin redness situation. I have not used this brush with denser foundations but I will tonight with my studio sculpt. I shall report back.
 

janette9687

Well-known member
B206BkSL Powder Brush round and flat
G5557-2mm, I have the G5555-2mm, this is very dense, it wont absorb your foundation but you have to apply your foundation in strokes vs swirling becuz it gives you a bit of resisteance but not much, its not comparable to the 187 I would think the J4001 would be the dupe for it. I like the G5555 a lot for foundation but I tend to reach more for my beautyblender only becuz im always in a rush when it comes to my makeup. This will apply it very airbrush like, the finish is beautiful.

B505- is on my wishlist i love the combination brushes and ive never had any duds from the basic series
G544- I have the J544 version and i love its so soft and dense enough for both power and liquids.
B206- sounds like it be a nice powder brush since its goat and you said you have oily skin before.

sorry for the late response.
 

cindypltnm81

Well-known member
G5557-2mm, I have the G5555-2mm, this is very dense, it wont absorb your foundation but you have to apply your foundation in strokes vs swirling becuz it gives you a bit of resisteance but not much, its not comparable to the 187 I would think the J4001 would be the dupe for it. I like the G5555 a lot for foundation but I tend to reach more for my beautyblender only becuz im always in a rush when it comes to my makeup. This will apply it very airbrush like, the finish is beautiful. B505- is on my wishlist i love the combination brushes and ive never had any duds from the basic series  G544- I have the J544 version and i love its so soft and dense enough for both power and liquids.  B206- sounds like it be a nice powder brush since its goat and you said you have oily skin before. sorry for the late response. 
Thank you Janette. You are always helpful. I completely changed what I ordered from them because with that site...once you start browsing, you can get lost! So for now I ordered the S113 brush (highlight) and the S104 to replace my now scratchy mac 150! Since I've been using hakuhodo brushes my Mac brushes feel less soft to me! lol my mac 134 still feels nice, the least bit scratchy, Slowly I'm converting to hakuhodo. Once my order arrives I'll have a eleven total brushes from them. They are truly a great investment.
 

cindypltnm81

Well-known member
S113 is smaller than I envisioned. But I used it today for highlight and it applied nicely. S104 is perfect powder brush and has now replaced my scratchy mac 150 brush. It's amazing how different high quality brushes feel on the face in comparison to what we assumed was cream of the crop (mac) or atleast I did once upon of time. Slowly but surely I'm replacing my mac brushes. I was looking chikuhodo brushes today...$100 minimum to purchase but my birthday is near so I might get 2 brushes from the passion series. The Z series are the top ones for chikuhodo but way too expensive. Well all of chikuhodo brushes are expenses. Has anyone tried their brushes? S113 (smaller than I like but still nice super soft).
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Pinkdollface

Well-known member
S113 is smaller than I envisioned. But I used it today for highlight and it applied nicely. S104 is perfect powder brush and has now replaced my scratchy mac 150 brush. It's amazing how different high quality brushes feel on the face in comparison to what we assumed was cream of the crop (mac) or atleast I did once upon of time. Slowly but surely I'm replacing my mac brushes. I was looking chikuhodo brushes today...$100 minimum to purchase but my birthday is near so I might get 2 brushes from the passion series. The Z series are the top ones for chikuhodo but way too expensive. Well all of chikuhodo brushes are expenses. Has anyone tried their brushes? S113 (smaller than I like but still nice super soft).
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I'm going to get some Chikuhodo brushes next month hopefully but I'll get them from Japan so it's more affordable. I want the Z-2, Z-4, Z-10 and G-16. The difference between these brushes and Mac is huge indeed and I'm also replacing my Mac. I still don't have the heart to sell my Mac brushes though. The S113 looks beautiful btw!
 

cindypltnm81

Well-known member
I'm going to get some Chikuhodo brushes next month hopefully but I'll get them from Japan so it's more affordable. I want the Z-2, Z-4, Z-10 and G-16. The difference between these brushes and Mac is huge indeed and I'm also replacing my Mac. I still don't have the heart to sell my Mac brushes though. The S113 looks beautiful btw!
Well right now I won't sell my mac brushes because they were still a scratchy investment. lol but I still have a few that are my favorite. My trusty 187, 134, 217 just to name a few! I tried using the 109 today to apply my foundation and I forgot how much it sheds :( too bad because it gives an amazing finish. I'm jealous...so when you visit japan are you set on the brushes you want alrdy? The Z series is top of the food chain for chikuhodo. But because I have oily/combo skin, I'm gearing toward the Capro (superior goat quality) hair type of brushes. I hope you share your purchases. I plan to order my 2 brushes next week but I think shipping will be horrendous because it's shipping right from Japan! At least hakuhodo is based in California. But I'm eager to try their brand nonetheless.
 

Pinkdollface

Well-known member
Well right now I won't sell my mac brushes because they were still a scratchy investment. lol but I still have a few that are my favorite. My trusty 187, 134, 217 just to name a few! I tried using the 109 today to apply my foundation and I forgot how much it sheds :( too bad because it gives an amazing finish. I'm jealous...so when you visit japan are you set on the brushes you want alrdy? The Z series is top of the food chain for chikuhodo. But because I have oily/combo skin, I'm gearing toward the Capro (superior goat quality) hair type of brushes. I hope you share your purchases. I plan to order my 2 brushes next week but I think shipping will be horrendous because it's shipping right from Japan! At least hakuhodo is based in California. But I'm eager to try their brand nonetheless.
I'm not going to Japan. I wish I could:p I'm ordering from the Japanese site and since they are closest to the source they are the cheapest option. The sites that do ship internationally are more expensive. Shipping brushes internationally isn't too expensive since they weigh little. Which forwarding company are you going to use? I'm pretty sure about the brushes I want. I have combi/oily skin to but after much debating I've decided I want to try other hair types.
 

janette9687

Well-known member
I'm jealous...so when you visit japan are you set on the brushes you want alrdy? The Z series is top of the food chain for chikuhodo. But because I have oily/combo skin, I'm gearing toward the Capro (superior goat quality) hair type of brushes. I hope you share your purchases. I plan to order my 2 brushes next week but I think shipping will be horrendous because it's shipping right from Japan! At least hakuhodo is based in California. But I'm eager to try their brand nonetheless.
Ha! thats how i feel about mine im getting rid of mine already, actually they are already up im selling my face brushes and a set of eye brushes, if you love the 217 i think the g5523 is even better i love them. I compare the sizes now when i get brushes becuz the do come smaller then expected. I think for now im good i have a brush for any purpose of makeup i can want im really trying to just love my brushes and stop hoarding so much. I actually really am loving my J5543 its my new mac 129 it does everything for me
 

cindypltnm81

Well-known member
Ha! thats how i feel about mine im getting rid of mine already, actually they are already up im selling my face brushes and a set of eye brushes, if you love the 217 i think the g5523 is even better i love them. I compare the sizes now when i get brushes becuz the do come smaller then expected. I think for now im good i have a brush for any purpose of makeup i can want im really trying to just love my brushes and stop hoarding so much. I actually really am loving my J5543 its my new mac 129 it does everything for me 
I loveee your collection too! I just want to get a few more and then I'm done. I will look at the g5523 brush for my next order because I have three 217's so I def want to see the comparison.
 
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