On one of the MANY occasions that I was stalking the Hakuhodo website, and intently reading every word as though just reading about their amazing brushes would have a transformative effect on me, I was struck by this cute little G543 brush. For some reason I simply couldn't take my eyes off of it, and this makeup magpie really wanted to take it back to her nest! So I read and reread the description:
This powder brush gives you ideal glossy skin look. It may feel hard to the touch because of the high density and short hair. But you should be able to notice a soft and comfortable feeling when you let it slide smoothly on your face. This strong and gentle harmony will make elasticity and gloss.
There was really only one thing left to do- so I jumped over to see what Gaia from The Non-Blonde had to say about this unusual little brush that was unlike anything else that I have ever seen before. If you are unfamiliar with The Non-Blonde- get familiar!! She's an amazing blogger, and one whose opinion I truly value. She really knows her brushes (well, makeup and skincare too)! Gaia was the first to note that while this brush does a brilliant job with powder, and while that is its intended purpose, she made the brilliant discovery that this brush does a REMARKABLE job stippling and buffing liquid and cream foundation. As soon as I read that I knew that I had to have it. To say that Gaia's assessment was spot-on is an understatement.
This is an extraordinary little brush- in fact, it is probably my very favorite brush of all time. It is surprisingly small and unassuming- it is only about 2 inches tall with a matte black wooden handle, and the most densely packed head made of white goat hair (Sokoho). You might mistakenly think that since it is densely packed goat hair that it might feel rough or scratchy on the skin, but this brush is soft and so comfortable on the face that you might be tempted to continue to buff longer than necessary (be careful because you could actually end up removing the makeup that you applied!!).
It is more like a magic wand than a brush in the way that it provides the most unbelievably refined and flawless coverage whether applying powder, liquid, or cream based products. In the perfect world I would have one for each! It is hard to classify this brush and place it in a category of brushes-- it really is peerless. While it sort of looks like a Kabuki brush- it has such short and dense bristles that it doesn't really fit into that category of brushes.
Overall assessment: Simply a peerless brush. Amazing to use- rendering perfect results with powder, liquid or cream formulas every time. Because of the density of the tightly packed head it does take some time to dry after cleaning it. This is definitely a Holy Grail brush for me!
$94.00 Available from Hakuhodo
I just learned about Hakuhodo last month. I don't have very many brushes, less than 10 I believe. But I keep hearing very positive remarks about these brushes. I guess what holds me back is the price. Have you used this with liquid foundation? and what do they mean by "glossy" look...air-brushed? That would be nice.
ReplyDeleteI am OBSESSED with Hakuhodo brushes!! I am madly in love with them! I bought a bunch of them before the January 2012 price increase, and while many of them are now considerably more expensive- there are a good many that didn't increase very much, and a few that didn't at all. I just photographed all of them the other day (FINALLY) and am starting to review them. Hakuhodo makes all of MAC's brushes that are made in Japan (some of their brushes are made in France too). That said, Hakuhodo's own brushes are higher quality than the ones that they make for MAC.
DeleteThere is no question that you can spend a great deal of money on their brushes, but the quality is so amazing that it's worth it to me. I have to use self restraint with Hakuhodo! There are some brushes like their 210 brush (good for blush, and/or foundation that is similar to the MAC 109)is $36.00 (and the MAC 109 is $34.00). The 210 is a fantastic brush!!
http://www.hakuhodousa.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_18&products_id=146
Your guess is as good as mine about what they mean by "glossy!" My guess is that something was lost in translation. Glossy makes me think of buffing out a car to make it shiny :-) I think that it must mean a perfect air-brushed look-- which it most certainly gives. I have used it with liquid foundation, and it is extraordinary. The two ways that i have done it are: 1) putting my foundation on the metal makeup palette and picking up a small amount on the brush and applying it to the face; 2) Applying a small amount of foundation to my face with my fingers and then blending it with the brush. Since the head is so densely packed you only need to pick up the smallest amount of product. I also have their G5557-2mm which is an amazing foundation brush (I use it for tinted moisturizers as well). I will be reviewing that one next.
http://www.hakuhodousa.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=305
Hakuhodo brushes make makeup application a joyous event, but once you enter the world of Hakuhodo brushes nothing else will feed the brush obsession-- at least for me! I have to stay away from their website-- otherwise I start making lists of things that I want next!!
Thanks to you I spent almost 2 hrs today on their site..haha :) I created a small list of brushes that caught my interest. Your remarks on the look of liquid foundation using the brush sounds so promising! I would never have thought that they make MAC brushes! Wow. I have one MAC brush that I used to use all the time for liquid foundation but I later found it to be streaky...ugh So now I have just been using my fingers to apply liquid products but I feel sometimes the final look is not as nice or even. I will add this brush to my list!
ReplyDeleteOh dearest Nicolle- you are about to fall down a rabbit hole from which there is no return!! Sorry for enabling you! :-) Once you enter the realm of Hakuhodo it's all over!! :-) I started out with a couple and now I have 25, and there are more that I want!!! I just finished taking pictures of all of them so keep an eye out for the new reviews- I just posted this one yesterday:
Deletehttp://lolassecretbeautyblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/hakuhodo-5557-2mm-powder-liquid-brush.html
The G5557-2mm is an unbelievable foundation brush!
Yes, they make the MAC brushes that are made in Japan-- there are still MAC brushes made in France (and not by Hakuhodo) as well.
I have found most foundation brushes to be streaky-- so I know exactly what you went through as I had the same experience. These two Hakuhodo brushes are definite game changers for me.
They also do a really nice brush called the 210 (which is similar, but better, than the MAC 109)- and this is good for blush, but it is also excellent with foundation. I have two-- one for powder and one for liquid. I will be reviewing it very soon, but here's their link:
http://www.hakuhodousa.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_18&products_id=146
Normally I do not read posts on blogs, however I wish to say that this write-up very forced me to take a look at and do it! Your writing taste has amazed me.
ReplyDeleteThank you, quite nice post.
Thank you, that is very kind of you to say! Have a lovely weekend :)
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