Japanese brushes - Chikuhodo, Koyudo, Hakuhodo, Suqqu, etc

[Chuchie]

[@]karlaedith[/@] : you must one day get it! It's was love at first site. I mean, I absolutely drooled over it. Hands down my favorite brush. Lol. Funny enough, I still want the z-9 and the mk-1 even though they're like 90-99% similar! Ugh. And I've decided to skip the z-1 because I will one day buy the suqqu face brush. ALL THESE LEMMINGS! And as for the cheek brushes... They're quite different so it depends on your preferred application style + available blushes. I love the T-4 because it's a fluffy perfectly round Pom Pom poof ball. I have a thing for perfectly round brushes. I wonder about the similarities between the z-3, koyudo bp022, and Takumi T-3

 

[Vineetha]

Posted the same in the Hakuhodo thread! Reposting it here!!

 

[Chuchie]

Posted the same in the Hakuhodo thread! Reposting it here!!

How are your wayne goss brushes? Do you love them? Im actually contemplating buying those exact two posted in your picture (02 and 11). I also wanted the 13 but it was sold out within the first day of it's release on Beautylish. Haha.

 

[Danish]

Hello, I'm new to Japanese brushes. The brushes I have are from MAC, Bobbi Brown and Real Technicques. I need to buy more brushes (because I'm using the same kind for different color eyeshadow) and would like to venture into Japanese brushes. But the more I read the more confused I get. I found this forum and thought that maybe someone could help me out I thought I would get some better versions of the brushes I use the most and start out that way. Since I don't know any of the Japanese brushes I have no preference for either Hakuhodo, Koyudo or Chikuhodo. From my research I got the impression that the material of the handles is determining the price. I'm fine with a simple handle - I just want a good quality brush. I also got the impression that if you have sensitive skin it's better to get squirrel hair than goat hair. I have sensitive and dry skin. These are the brushes I want to get dupes/better versions for: MAC 217, MAC 242, MAC 239. And for a brush I don't own, but have been thinking about getting - the Nars Yachiyo Kabuki Brush. I would like to get either Hakuhodo, Koyudo or Chikuhodo. I live in Europe and would have to order online. (Or maybe I could ask my Japanese friend to get some for me when she goes to Japan the next time? Are the brushes cheaper in Japan and easy for her to get hold of?) What I found out in my research is that for the MAC 217 the Hakuhodo J5523 is a dupe. For the MAC 239 the Hakuhodo J004G is a dupe. Do you agree? What would you get if you wanted to get a better version of the 4 mentioned brushes: MAC 217, 242, 239 and the Nars Yachiyo Kabuki Brush? Thank you!

 

[Chuchie]

What I found out in my research is that for the MAC 217 the Hakuhodo J5523 is a dupe. For the MAC 239 the Hakuhodo J004G is a dupe. Do you agree?

Hello Danish! (Welcome to the start of a new addiction)

Aha. I think you're spot on in your own personal research! But I'll try to add a bit more input if you don't mind.

In terms of hair quality, you are right. It is recommended that squirrel hair would be more fitting for sensitive skin. Below are things you should consider for each type. It's worth having both types of hairs in your brush arsenal because they are good at different things

Squirrel hair:
1.)INCREDIBLY SOFT. Feels like silk or air on the skin. (This can sometimes translate to floppy if the hair is TOO soft)
2.) More expensive than comparable goat brushes
3.) Very delicate hair quality (treat these brushes WITH care)
4.) It can't be treated like a workhorse brush due to its delicate hairs. Usually it's good to have a few in rotation to lessen the burden.
5.) ONLY meant for powder products since the hair is delicate.
* Gray or blue squirrel is the most popular and most available. Pine squirrel tends to be scratchy (hit or miss). Canadian squirrel is the workhorse of all the types of squirrel hair, however, it's harder to find and tends to be expensive as its usual found in sets.

Goat hair:
1.) can handle different consistencies of product (cream, powder, liquid)
2.) Easier to find densely bundled brushes with good resistance, spring, bounce, etc
3.)Goat hair brushes for eyes tend to easily be considered workhorses. You can use multiple products and don't have to be so delicate with them
4.)Cheaper than squirrel hair
5.)Quality varies among japanese brands depending on hair grade. Being goat hair doesn't mean its rough. Goat hair can be really soft. It's about quality.
* For future purposes these are the types of goat hair from least soft to most soft: ototsuho, sokoho, saikoho, and saibiko. You really want to aim for sokoho and saikoho. They are really soft and most affordable. Ototshuho can be scratchy and saibikoho is usually 3 times the price since the hairs are so rare and delicate... this is delegated more as a collector item.

MAC 239 dupes: J004G - softer than the mac but has slightly less density
Wayne Goss 18- I know you asked for just these brands but his brushes manufacture in japan. His quality is outstanding as well.

MAC 217 dupes: J5523 - basically an exact dupe
Koyudo bp033 - exact dupe but the gray squirrel hair version
*notable mentions: Hakuhodo J142 and Chikuhodo T7

MAC 242 dupe:
I use the koyudo bp034. The Koyudo bp034 is made out of kolinsky hair which is the most durable/flexible beating goat and squirrel hands down when using for cream products for the eyes. Someone can probably add to this since I don't own the 242 but merely speculate.

Nars Yachiyo:
Hakuhodo Yachiyo (L) - has the same concept but the hairs haven't been dyed.
I prefer other brushes to yachiyos in general though

I hope this helps!
One last thing: I would definitely order koyudo and chikuhodo from : http://www.cdjapan.co.jp They take out japanese taxes and give you the honest retail price. However if you want your name engraved on either brands' brushes (which you can!) Then I would order from: www.visageusa.com for chikuhodo and http://www.koyudo.co.jp/ for koyudo. Koyudo's website is in japanese however. Wayne goss can be found on beautylish.com and hakuhodo can be found on http://www.hakuhodousa.com.

I think hakuhodo is cheaper in japan but if you use cdjapan for koyudo and chikuhodo, you're going to get the best price. Please note that I say this without consideration for shipping and VAT charges. But shipping from these sites is not horrendous either.

 

[Danish]

Hi Chuchie, your reply is very helpful I'm glad you mention the difference between squirrel and goat hair regarding what consistencies they can be used for and how much care they need. And also thanks for the website links and the information regarding tax, mentioning Wayne Goss etc. Thank you ;-)

 

[Bunch]

I'm thinking the expense is because it is made from Blue Squirrel. I've heard it's the best hair for makeup brushes.

 

[Odelia]

I just got an email from Beautylish about their soon-to-be-released new limited edition CHIKUHODO × BEAUTYLISH brush collection called the Sakura Collection. "Five exquisite brushes in five precise shapes —designed by us and handcrafted in Japan." Anyone have more info on the brushes? I wonder what they look like.

 

[Vineetha]

I just got an email from Beautylish about their soon-to-be-released new limited edition CHIKUHODO × BEAUTYLISH brush collection called the Sakura Collection. "Five exquisite brushes in five precise shapes —designed by us and handcrafted in Japan." Anyone have more info on the brushes? I wonder what they look like.

Yeah just got the mail and I signed up for it!! No idea about the brushes though!! Looks like there are 5??!!

 

[Odelia]

I just got an email from Beautylish about their soon-to-be-released new limited edition CHIKUHODO × BEAUTYLISH brush collection called the Sakura Collection. "Five exquisite brushes in five precise shapes —designed by us and handcrafted in Japan." Anyone have more info on the brushes? I wonder what they look like.

Yeah just got the mail and I signed up for it!! No idea about the brushes though!! Looks like there are 5??!!

I am soooo worried for my wallet! :haha:

 

[Vineetha]

I am soooo worried for my wallet! :haha:

Yup!!! :haha:

 

[shellygrrl]

I'm thinking the expense is because it is made from Blue Squirrel. I've heard it's the best hair for makeup brushes.

Blue Squirrel is uber soft and can bring up the cost of a brush, but "best" depends on purpose and preference. It's not the best hairtype for liquid or cream products, for instance. Hakuhodo's US site has a good breakdown of the varying brush hairtypes and what they're better suited for. http://www.hakuhodousa.com/index.php?itemid=10&catid=3

I just got an email from Beautylish about their soon-to-be-released new limited edition CHIKUHODO × BEAUTYLISH brush collection called the Sakura Collection. "Five exquisite brushes in five precise shapes —designed by us and handcrafted in Japan." Anyone have more info on the brushes? I wonder what they look like.

I've not received that email yet, but it sounds very exciting!

 

[Texasgulfcoast]

Trying to figure out what eye brush to buy next. I have the Hakuhodo j142,j5522, j5523 and absolutely love them. I'm ready for my next eye brush. Do I venture into the blue squirrel and stay with Hakuhodo S142 (it appears the S142bk is sold out--will it be back? dont' really care about the red handle)? Or should I try another brand...chikuhodo, koyudo or Wayne Goss? I have 1 Hakuhodo blush brush on it's way, a friend picked it up for me at the Makeup Show in NY.

 

[Chuchie]

Anyone have more info on the brushes? I wonder what they look like.

I saw this too. I am excited but I'm definitely on a no buy atm.
I hope it comes out next month when I have a little more flexibility.
I've splurged a lot this month on new Koyodo, Kyreido, Koyomo, and Wayne Goss brushes.
e___e I'm dried out.

 

[Yazmin]

I hope I actually have money to spend when these come out!

 

[niccig]

Trying to figure out what eye brush to buy next. I have the Hakuhodo j142,j5522, j5523 and absolutely love them. I'm ready for my next eye brush. Do I venture into the blue squirrel and stay with Hakuhodo S142 (it appears the S142bk is sold out--will it be back? dont' really care about the red handle)? Or should I try another brand...chikuhodo, koyudo or Wayne Goss? I have 1 Hakuhodo blush brush on it's way, a friend picked it up for me at the Makeup Show in NY.

The Wayne Goss 04 is really similar to the S142, I'm pretty sure, and I love it so much I have two of them!

 

[niccig]

Anyone have more info on the brushes? I wonder what they look like.

Aaaaagh I got that today too. I just got the MK-2, too - literally, it came in today. My bank account is going to cry. Hopefully they'll be selling them individually instead of just as a set.

 

[shellygrrl]

Got the email earlier. Beautylish noted on IG that the set will be out during the third week of June.

 

[mysteereous]

@Chuchie, thank you for your information on Japanese makeup brushes! I've come across a lot of the same information on blogs, forums, etc. but it is wonderful to have it all summed up in one concise post. Bonus: I now know about the different types of goat hair!

I've been wanting to purchase the Chikuhodo MK-1 and MK-2 (which would be my first Chikuhodo), but decided to wait until more info is available regarding Beautylish's The Sakura Collection. Excited to find out more!

 

[shellygrrl]

Got another email from Beautylish about their collab with Chikuhodo. The gist... Called The Sakura Collection. It's a five-piece set -- two face brushes, three smaller brushes for eye and detail work. Shapes are unique to the collaboration (you won't find them in the other Chikuhodo lines). Limited edition. Brushes won't be available individually. They will ship worldwide, including to other countries Beautylish doesn't ship to at the moment. Sneak peek is coming next week, and they're going to have preview events in San Francisco and New York.