I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favourite Hakuhodo Brushes.

The Kokutan Eyeshadow SL, G5522BkSl, B505BkSl, Kokutan Finishing Brush L, 235, G515

Let’s start with the biggest!

Kokutan Finishing Brush L – Blue Squirrel & Synthetic

If you asked me which brush was the most quintessentially Hakuhodo, I’d instantly say the Kokutan Finishing Brush L. It has that gorgeous Kokutan handle, it’s unbelievably soft, it has an almost unique shape; to me, this is the Hakuhodo brand contained in one brush.

But let’s not gush. In terms of function, it applies a thin veil of powder; it wouldn’t be much good at applying the amount of powder you’d need for a powder foundation. It is just lovely for setting powder. It’s also good for ‘finishing’; even if you aren’t using it to apply anything, it can brush over your freshly-applied make-up and get rid of excess powder, eyeshadow fallout, random bits of fluff etc. etc.

Some people seem to worry about the addition of ‘synthetic’ in this brush – a characteristic of the Kokutan series. I wish I had the pure blue squirrel finishing brush to compare it with as I can’t say for sure, but I would assume the addition of synthetic hairs add a tiny bit of stiffness. In general though the brush is extremely yield…prone, but with such a long brush head you can’t really expect otherwise. So perhaps the synthetic hairs add an incremental difference in stiffness, but they don’t affect the softness of the brush at all.

While its function may not seem too necessary, it is useful, but I suppose it’s really the luxury, softness, and ‘heirloom’ quality of this brush that makes me love it so dearly.

B505BkSl Blush Brush – Blue Squirrel & Goat (Sokoho)

I’ve already written about this brush here, and like I said in that post, it’s my favourite blush brush partly because of its crazy softness. While I love to try out new and interesting brushes (see above and below), I can also be quite traditional in my brush needs and my devotion to the ‘fluffy’ blush brush shape is a reflection of that.

I’m particularly fond of this hair mix. I think Hakuhodo are really on to something with it: it makes a brush that’s very soft (thanks to the blue squirrel) but that has the stiffness (from the goat) to apply pigment relatively well (especially compared to pure blue squirrel).

G515 Eyeshadow Brush – Canada Squirrel

I won’t lie to you, I bought this brush primarily because my brain went ‘oooh what a funny shape’ and my wallet responded by spitting out some money; it practically bought itself. After using it, I realise I love it. I think the shape, while intriguing, can also be off-putting – there’s a fear that its shape might be quite limiting. The slant of the brush means it fits exactly over the eyelid, with the longest part extending into the crease, which means it’s perfect for diffusing eyeshadow over the whole eye. But just because it’s perfect for this purpose, it’s not restricted to it.

It works to blend pretty much any area of eyeshadow. It is supremely soft (Canada Squirrel) and the hairs are very densely packed together. This means that as well as feeling nice, it also has a little bit of power behind it to move eyeshadow around, making it good for shaping eyeshadow as well as blending. Its density means that in a pinch, you could also use it to apply shadow as well.

This is a great multi-tasker, I’m constantly in awe of its results.

G5522BkSl Pointed Eyeshadow Brush – Blue Squirrel & Goat (Sokoho)

Ah, here’s that lovely hair mix again. Like the G515, I like that this brush also has a bit of push behind it (from the goat). Because of its tapered point it’s useful for detail areas, but its size can be off-putting. A lot of people think it’s a little too big, but I find that its pointy end gives it a versatility in size.

235 Flat Eyeshadow Brush – Weasel & Synthetic

This is a very basic brush, but it’s special because it’s so useful. I tend to hugely favour my super soft brushes, but this one can’t be beaten in eyeshadow application. It really packs on pigment. I never really thought that there was much variation in a mere application brush; with blending brushes there are so many different shapes and styles, and to me an application brush was just an application brush. However, since experiencing this brush’s application skills I’ve cast aside all my other lay-downs. Anyway, basically it applies eyeshadow amazingly well; it doesn’t absorb it or drop it everywhere, it clings to it until the moment of contact with the eyelid.

Kokutan Eyeshadow SL – Weasel (also the K005)

This brush is an absolute treasure. I want twenty of them. I use it for using eyeshadow as a liner, but a lot of people use it for gel eyeliner too. It is so so easy to control, and while it looks a little bit chunky for an eyeliner brush, it actually tapers gradually towards the end, so it draws a nice thin line. I think this tapering is what sets it apart from other push eyeliner brushes, others tend to stay the same thickness from base to tip, or splay out (and get even more splayed over time). It deposits pigment wonderfully. I usually use it for a normal thin line, but because of the great control with this brush, I can easily thicken and shape the line to my liking.

(next to the ecotools eyeliner brush)

Do you have any favourite brushes? And do you find you have silly patterns like me (my penchant for the marriage of squirrel and goat, for example).

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