Yes, brushes have never felt so luscious.

I finally took the plunge and ordered 10 Hakuhodo makeup brushes. I ordered directly from their website. Hakuhodo offers international shipping at a flat rate of USD12 for USPS First Class Mail which takes approximately 10 business days without tracking nor insurance. An alternative would be paying USD39 for USPS Express Mail which takes only 5 business days including tracking.

Because my order was rather huge, it’s only reasonable to opt for USPS Express Mail – I felt more secure doing so, knowing I was able to track the parcel.

My order arrived just under 5 business days, in a carton box containing two light purple Hakuhodo paper boxes – much like pencil cases. Each of the 10 brushes were individually wrapped in a clear plastic sleeve. Nothing damaged, nothing left out – everything was in great order.

In this post, I will show you which 10 brushes I ordered and some thoughts of them – not exactly a review (yet) thus this post is filed under “shoppings”. Please note that all brushes shown in this post have been washed – I couldn’t withstand the excitement to try them the very next day.

I will do a subsequent brush favourites 101 post in due time – hopefully some, if not all of these lovely brushes will be featured.

To begin, I have the 5 Hakuhodo brushes from their G Series. According to the website – this series of brushes will be the wave of the future trend. The brushes of G Series have new possibility, including the brush blended blue squirrel with goat, the brush used for liquid foundation and eyebrow brush and lip brush which are large and easy to use.

From left to right with information extracted from the website;-

• G5556 – 4mm Powder & Liquid Brush (round/angled)
  • Use: Powder, Liquid or Cream Foundation
  • Hair Type: Goat & Polyester
• G5518 – Highlight Brush (round)
  • Use: Highlight
  • Hair Type: Kazan Squirrel
• G5521 Highlight Brush (pointed)
  • Use: Highlight
  • Hair Type: Blue Squirrel & Goat
• G5524 Eyeshadow Brush (pointed)
  • Use: Eyeshadow
  • Hair Type: Kazan Squirrel
• G5507 Eyeshadow Brush (round/flat)
  • Use: Eyeshadow
  • Hair Type: Horse

These 5 G Series brushes come with a black wooden handle and silver nickel brass ferrule. There are a few which comes with a black chromium brass ferrule.

Absolutely in LOVE with the G5556 – 4mm Powder & Liquid Brush – it does its job extremely well and I am truly surprised. This brush comes in a shorter, 2mm version which provides more coverage. This one I have here, is perfect for applying my everyday foundation, be it liquid or powder.

It’s able to apply foundation onto the skin evenly, leaving a flawless and natural result without a need to blend over with sponge or finger tips. Foundation appears adhered to the skin without signs of streakiness.

The other 5 Hakuhudo brushes I picked are from their Kokutan Series. Kokutan refers to the ebony wood used for the handles and apparently, the more you touch a Kokutan handle, the nicer the luster it attains.

From left to right with information extracted from the website;-

• Kokutan Finish Brush L
  • Use: Finishing, Powder or Highlight
  • Hair Type: Blue Squirrel & Synthetic Fiber
• Kobutan Eyeshadow Brush T
  • Use: Eyeshadow
  • Hair Type: Blue Squirrel
• Kokutan Lip Brush RS
  • Use: Lip
  • Hair Type: Weasel
• Kokutan Eyeshadow Brush SL
  • Use: Eyeshadow
  • Hair Type: Weasel
• Kokutan Saikoho Kinoko Brush (small)
  • Use: Highlight
  • Hair Type: Goat

These 5 Kokutan Series brushes come with a matte black chrome brass ferrule and its signature ebony wood handle which are exceptionally smooth to the touch.

The Kokutan Finish Brush L alone costs USD116 and there is absolutely nothing I dislike about this brush even of its high price point. Simply LOVE. I have been using it everyday, I had to put it aside for a while so I can rotate my brushes evenly. It’s the most opulent brush I have ever touched. Even my mighty Shu Uemura Natural Brush 27 has been put to rest.

Kokutan Saikoho Kinoko Brush (small) is adorable and functional at the same time. I use it for blush, highlight or contour but I wish the handle can be a little bigger/longer so I could hold it properly.

Overall, I am very pleased and impressed with the quality of all the brushes. I bought these brushes with no regrets, knowing they will serve me for years with proper care (they better!). I finally understood all the highly positive reviews coming from all around the world. I guess, one must really own them to appreciate their top-notch craftsmanship and fineness.

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Hakuhodo makes hundreds of brushes, I spent a few days deciding which I want. Yes, a few days. I went through all my brushes to see what I might need and what I am missing.

Although I love the brushes I have purchased but not all of them are must-haves. If you are looking into purchasing, it’s good if you have a rough idea of what brushes you may want to pick up. Set a limit, say 5 brushes to begin with or give yourself a budget of USD250 to spend.

Or you may want to consider purchasing them in sets. Their brush sets range from USD136 for a set of 5 brushes from their Basic Series to USD684 for a set of 17 brushes. They also have a Kokutan Portable Mini Set retailing at USD327 which I am considering.

I highly recommend checking out their foundation and highlighting brushes.

Having said all the brilliant things about these Hakuhodo brushes, there is bound to have something bad to mention, right? The only thing I don’t like is – all these brushes are not numbered thus I won’t be able to tell which is which straightaway. And I guess it will be virtually impossible to differentiate the brushes when one owns 20-30 of them from Basic, K and G Series?

Thank you for reading.