Oct 30, 2011

Hakuhodo Brushes V.


i've saved the best for last - this is my latest Hakuhodo-haul, few of you are probably already curious since i've shown some of these brushes in recent FOTD-posts. i have made the most exciting Hakuhodo-order in a long time! about two months ago i checked the website and discovered some new and really interesting brushes that i definitely wanted to try, and then there was this super thrilling (and super expensive) blush brush that i craved for since it was released about half a year ago so i finally splurged for it, too.
i just totally love Hakuhodo brushes, everytime i check the website and order something my craving list still doesn't become shorter because i would discover even more amazing stuff that needs to be possessed in a near future!
have a look at my previous reviews of Hakuhodo brushes here, here, here and here.
Hakuhodo brushes are available on hakuhodousa.com. they ship worldwide with a flat rate of 12$ (uninsured).

G5517BkSL Eye Shadow Brush round


the G5517BkSL is a tapered round brush for crease colour application. it's made with horse hair, which is smoother, thicker and more resilient than goat hair. it feels very soft against my lids but the tapered shape and the compact bristles let it work directionally. it's nice to darken the crease, however i have expected it to be even stiffer and might have to search further.
this one costs 18$.


pre-wash
post-wash

comparison

Louise Young LY38 Tapered Shadow Brush - Hakuhodo G5517BkSL - Hakuhodo S142
Louise Young LY38 Tapered Shadow Brush - Hakuhodo G5517BkSL - Hakuhodo S142



G5552 4mm Powder & Liquid Brush round/angled


the G5552 is a new kind of duo fibre brush. i have never seen anything similar to this, so of course i was very interested to try it even if i'm not the biggest fan of duo fibres. it's a round packed brush with short, soft white goat hair and densely packed synthetic fibres inbetween. it has a flat top surface but is angled. if you know the new Shiseido foundation brush, this has a similar shape and size but the Shiseido is a dense brush with synthetic taklon fibres.
Hakuhodo offers different sizes of this brush with different lengths of the synthetic fibres that reach out of the white goat hair. i chose this particular one with a small diameter and longer synthetic fibres (4mm longer than the goat hair) because i wanted to use this brush specifically for cream blush.
in normal skunk brushes,  the white fibres stick out about 8mm-10mm, making the brush much looser.
the brush head fits perfectly even into smaller cream blush pots like the YSL Crème de Blush and the medium length synthetic hairs allow a dense application of the colour but enough movement to blend it softly. the bristles grab the ideal amount of product dabbing the brush lightly onto the cream blusher, then i would dab the product onto my cheeks. the dense hairs make it look blended right away, i only do very small circular motions to fade the blush softly. the angle is nice to do brushing motions and to get a better overview of what you're doing in the mirror without your hands in the way.
the dense brush gives you a lot of control but doesn't drag the skin at all, it feels very soft on the skin. overall i love this brush over every small skunk brush and am glad that i never have thrown my money out for the MAC 188 or 130.
this brush smells a lot like goat when it arrived, but the scent washes out very well. it doesn't shed and the white goat hair ensures no bleeding of dye which could interfere with your colour application.
it's absolutely worth the 42$ i've spent, it's of superb quality. the handle is very short but feels sturdy and weighty in my (small) hands.
my absolute fave for cream blush, i'm happy that i bought it right now when i'm pretty into cream blushes (Giorgio Armani Blushing Fabrics and Le Métier de Beauté Creme Fresh Tints).


pre-wash

post-wash


comparison

Sigma SS188 - Hakuhodo G5552
this is the surface of the brush with cream blush and tapped once onto paper - you can see the bristles that touch the face are much looser with the traditional duo fibre brush compared to the Hakuhodo G5552.



G5557 2mm Powder & Liquid Brush round/angled


the G5557 is a bigger version of the brush i've shown you above. but since i chose this brush for application of liquid foundation, i went for shorter synthetic fibres. they only stick 2mm out of the white goat hair. the synthetic bristles that touch your face are very soft and dense compared to traditional duo fibre brushes, they allow a lot more control and create a flawless, airbrush-like finish with high coverage quick and effortlessly without tugging the skin like dense synthetic flat top brushes do. i'd say this is the perfect hybrid between a skunk brush and a synthetic flat top brush.
you could use it with stippling, swirling or swiping motions and would always get a streak-free result.
another fact that i like about this brush better than normal duo fibres is that this brush is made with soft hair, Hakuhodo didn't skimp on the hair quality of the "filling" material. the white goat hair is packed densely to give the synthetic hair more stability, but it's so soft that it doesn't feel prickly when it touches your face (which is very often the case with other skunk brushes, and if you use them in circular motions to buff in the foundation, the natural hair will most likely touch your face also). plus, it's not dyed so there is no colour to bleed.
it doesn't shed and washes nicely (but needs a day to dry). very interesting brush, great for foundation application - especially the creamier formulas.
this brush costs 69$.

pre-wash

post-wash


comparison

MAC 187 - Hakuhodo G5557 - Sigma F80
here you can see how these brushes would stiple on liquid foundation: the typical duo fibre brush (MAC187) is much looser than the Hakuhodo G5557 and both are not as dense as the synthetic flat top brush (Sigma F80)



G5519BkSL Blush Brush


the G5519BkSL Blush Brush is my latest "heaven-on-earth-brush". an absolute splurge at 132$, but my best Hakuhodo brush so far - and probably the best in my collection.
the handle and ferrule prove of perfect craftsmenship and the brush feels sturdy and worthy in my hand.
it's a classic shaped, fairly large blush brush, slightly flattened and with a rounded taper. it's made of the most exquisite and soft blue squirrel hair. i could pet my face with it to fall asleep, it feels just like a soft breeze on the skin.
it's very densely packed, denser than any of my other blue squirrel brushes and is not as fluffy as my RMK or Lunasol squirrel brushes, however it has slightly more volume than my other Hakuhodo squirrel brushes (hope that wasn't too irritating).
my biggest concern was that it might be too similar to my Hakuhodo S111 Blush Brush that is also made with blue squirrel hair, but the customer service was very nice and helpful and even made comparison pictures for me so i could decide. the G5519BkSL is much thicker, more voluminous and a bit bigger compared to the S111.
while i would use the thinner brush rather in flicking/feathering motions, the thick brush head of this brush allows me to apply and blend with the tip as well.
i have been using and enjoying it constantly over the last month, it works with all of my blushers from the brightest to the most subtle ones (well, obviously i haven't tested the brush with all of them, but a representative selection). however i think this one would not work too well with firmly pressed, low pigmented blushes - but since i've separated from all the "bad" ones, i can't prove. i have used it with contour powder or highlighter with the same pleasing results. it applies like a dream, soft and blended.
while i can't say that my blush results look better than ever since i use this brush (well, i already own some really amazing tools) and would not recommend you to buy this only because you are not happy with you actual blush brush, i can wholeheartedly recommend you to splurge for this if you want something really exquisite to treat and pamper yourself, so you will already feel great when you are putting your make up on.
remember though, that a brush made of so delicate hair needs a certain level of care to maintain it's worth and quality. it should not be washed too often or treated with harsh chemicals and it needs to be stored with care.

my order of SUQQU brushes will arrive shortly, i will definitely compare them with the best squirrel hair brushes of my collection. stay tuned!

pre-wash

post-wash

Lunasol Cheek Brush N - RMK Cheek Brush - Hakuhodo G5519BkSL - Hakuhodo S111
Lunasol Cheek Brush N - RMK Cheek Brush - Hakuhodo G5519BkSL - Hakuhodo S111



Paula Dorf Sheer Crease Brush.


after Lisa Eldridge's shout out on the brushes by Paula Dorf as one of her favourite brushes, i "systematically hunted them down" and was always very pleased with them. only the Sheer Crease Brush and the Smokie Lid Brush were not easy to find, so Maureen helped me to purchase them. the Smokie Lid is still a work in progress, but today i want to share with you my thoughts on the Sheer Crease Brush first. see the reviews of my other Paula Dorf Brushes here and here.
the Sheer Crease Brush costs 29$ and is available at dermstore.com, beautybridge.com or pauladorf.com.
this is a round tapered blending or crease brush. it's made with very soft natural hair, by the hair texture, thickness and resilience i guess it's goat. the shape seems very similar to the tapered dome of the MAC 224 brush, but this is a bit shorter and fatter. it performs completely different, though. the MAC 224 i can only use to blend since i find it too fluffy/floppy to use in the crease. the Paula Dorf brush feels more substantial on the lids and has the same perfect press point/bounce/resilience like the Powder Brush which i also love. this resilience and the soft taper makes this brush ideal to apply and blend a crease colour at once, it fits snug into my crease area. i think this brush is a perfect hybrid between the Trish McEvoy Tapered Blending Brush (a great crease brush) which is quite pointed and my HG blending brush, the Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush.
the Sheer Crease Brush washes nicely and doesn't shed. the handle is relatively short but very sturdy. don't let the unattractive name print fool you, the Paula Dorf brushes are excellent tools.

pre-wash
post-wash


comparison

Louise Young LY38 Tapered Eyeshadow Brush - Hakuhodo S142 - Trish McEvoy #29 Tapered Blending Brush - Paula Dorf Sheer Crease Brush - Le Métier de Beauté Crease Brush - Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush - MAC 224
Louise Young LY38 Tapered Eyeshadow Brush - Hakuhodo S142 - Trish McEvoy #29 Tapered Blending Brush - Paula Dorf Sheer Crease Brush - Le Métier de Beauté Crease Brush - Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush - MAC 224



Stila #21 Powder Foundation Brush.


the #21 Powder Foundation Brush is one of the most popular brushes in Stila's range and also runs under the name Double Duty Cheek Contour and Blush Brush. it has got fabulous reviews all over the beauty-net and i was very interested for a long time. when i saw it at hqhair.com i had to buy it, i paid about 23£ during a promotion but it's normally 29£. after ordering, i still had to wait a long time since it was on backorder.
it's a round flat top brush made of goat hair. i've heard great things about it as a brush to apply liquid and cream foundation, i love the idea of using a natural hair brush for foundation application, but haven't found a good one yet. the shape is nice to use as a mineral foundation brush as well or to apply cream blush (but i find it too big for this purpose).

the handle and ferrule are very sturdy and of excellent quality, such as the brush hairs. it's truly very soft, as soft as goat hair can get and the brush only contains of hair with natural grown, uncut endings. this brush feels just as soft as my flat top brush by Hakuhodo, maybe even a smidgen softer. it feels amazing against my skin, even in stipling or swirling motions. it has a perfect density-to-hair-length-ratio, is not too firm so it wouldn't tug and drag the skin (like the Sigma F80), not too loose/long/fluffy so it buffs in your product perfectly and the surface area has an ideal size.
all this makes this brush theoretically an overall love, but sadly i can't use it the way i want for now.

it bleeds a lot of dye while washing and sheds when i use it with liquid foundation :(  for this reason i don't use it with foundation yet, but i hope that this gets better with time, so i regularly wash it with my other brushes even if it wasn't in charge.
when i used it, i found that it worked greatly. didn't absorb too much foundation and created a flawless, airbrush-like finish quickly and effortlessly. however it was really unnerving to have to pick up all the hairs on my face afterwards even though it wasn't as many as with the MAC 109, for example.
well, this one is too good to give up on it. do you have any experience with the long-term use of this brush? i really want it to work for me.

check out The Non-Blonde's great review on this brush, also!

pre - wash

post - wash



comparison

Sigma F80 - Stila #21 - Hakuhodo G527
Sigma F80 - Stila #21 - Hakuhodo G527
Hakuhodo G527 - Stila #21 - Sigma F80



MakeUpShow Brushes 2.


ahh i'm so pissed at the Blogger-App! i have written a full review on this post in preparation and wanted to upload it on the road but the crap of an app has deleted all the text part!!!

ok, new try.

i have once shown you my brushes by MakeUpShow (here), a well known brush manufacturer in asia/china. the brushes have a nice quality and are reasonably priced. you can purchase them on mus.7bella.com, and when they had a 20%-off-sale few months ago, i ordered some more brushes to try.


F01 Big Fan Brush


- full length: 190㎜
- hair length: 55㎜
- width of the ferrule foot: 25㎜
i have always been wanting a large fan brush like this, initially i was eyeing the Louise Young Super Fan Brush but then i spotted a promising affordable alternative.
this brush is from the basic range of the brand, the Black Series and costs 21.90 S$/~12€ (before discount).
it's made with soft goat hair. the brush head is huge but not as thick as i anticipated. when it arrived, there were some little rust spots along the ferrule which made the brush look really crappy but they washed away easily.
the brush fluffs out after washing but it doesn't shed. i have to admit though, that i have bought it out of curiosity more than with a clear idea in mind what to use it for. it's surely nice to dust on a loose veil of finishing powder or all over bronzer, but since it's so big and fluffy it's not suited for directional handling like flicking off eyeshadow fall out or excess powder or targeted blush/bronzer application. and because i already have other favourites for these functions, this brush just stands around unused with the only job of looking interesting.

pre - wash 

post - wash



H06 Medium Shader Brush


costs 17.90S$/~10€
- full length: 122㎜
- hair length: 9㎜
- width of the ferrule foot: 8.6㎜
this is an eyeshadow brush from the High Series with short wooden handles (walnut). it's a classic shape, flat, thin and rounded at the tip. this brush is made with smooth sable hair, it's densely packed, quite firm and has a high resilience.  this makes it especially great to apply loose or cream eyeshadows (like the Illusion d'Ombre by Chanel) because it doesn't absorb a lot of product but releases everything that it grabs to apply an intense pigment. the fine tip is good for precise work like the lower lashline and the size is suitable for smaller eyelids like mine.
overall it reminds me of the MAC 242, but this one is more rounded and stiffer, the brush hair has less texture. i prefer the MAC one for its higher versatility, though. you can see a size and shape-comparison with the 242 below.
it washes very well and keeps the shape.




H07 Small Shader Brush


costs 15.90S$/~9€
- full length: 122㎜
- hair length: 6㎜
- width of the ferrule foot: 7.2㎜
this is actually a smaller version of the brush i've talked about above. it's a bit thicker than the Medium Shader and combined with the length-to-width-ratio this brush is even stiffer and firmer. other than for precise eyeshadow application, for example on the tearduct area, outer corner or lower lashline, i also like to use it's softly pointed tip to apply a dark eyeshadow as a thick liner (NARS Mekong!) or to apply brow powder. i really like the soft and slightly messy look the rounded and rather thick brush gives my brows, i like to use it on natural looks or in combination with really bold statement smokey eyes.



comparison
MAC 242 (it's dirty from hard work! ;P) - MakeUpShow H06 - MakeUpShow H07
MAC 242 - MakeUpShow H06 - MakeUpShow H07



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