Chikuhodo GSN-03 Cheek & GSN-01 Powder Brushes Reviews & Photos
Chikuhodo GSN-03 Cheek Brush
Chikuhodo GSN-03 Cheek Brush ($96.00) is a large, dome-shaped face brush made out of gray squirrel and goat bristles. The brush head is 48mm in length, 38mm in width, and 22mm in thickness. It had a total length of 190mm with a pinched, metal ferrule. It’s such a large brush for cheek products; I couldn’t see this being useful for blush or highlighter for most, and only if you apply bronzer all-over would this be practical. It’s soft, well-cut, and hasn’t given me any problems with shedding or dye bleeding through over a dozen washes.
The brush head is dense but feathery against the skin, with the base being denser and firmer, and then as it tapers and flares outwards, it has more give. I’ve been using it primarily for applying loose setting powder and pressed finishing powders. The brush is well-weighted with good weight distribution, and it feels comfortable in the hand. The way the ferrule and handle are shaped, the brush isn’t prone to rolling off a counter/desk.
Chikuhodo’s sizing for some of the GSN brushes seems off–several brushes are a lot larger than the average is. Brush size and shape is always going to be a combination of personal preference, application technique, and face/feature size, but just know that this is the size of your average powder brush.
Chikuhodo GSN-01 Powder Brush ($127.00) is a long-ish, extra large, dome-shaped powder brush with gray squirrel and goat bristles. The brush head is 56mm in length, 43mm in width, and 28mm in thickness. It had a total length of 193mm with a round, metal ferrule. It is similar in overall shape as the GSN-03, just a good deal larger. It is longer, so it had a little more flex, and it wasn’t as dense as the GSN-03, which makes sense for powder application. I’ve used this for applying powder foundation, loose and pressed finishing/setting powders, and for general blending of face products as a last step.
The brush feels soft against the skin and moves more as one, so it feels like silk, when you sweep it across the face. I haven’t had any issues with the overall quality of the brush after washing it over a dozen times. It does take awhile to dry, because it is a larger brush (though not as dense as the GSN-03, it’s still moderately dense). Like the GSN-03, this brush has good weight distributed and feels balanced in the hand, so it is comfortable to hold and use. It reminded me somewhat of Hakuhodo’s J104, which isn’t quite as soft, but is a fuller, rounder, less dense brush.
Neither are brushes that I’ve fallen in love with personally, as the GSN-03 is too large for blush but too dense for how I like to apply my loose setting/finishing powders. The GSN-01 is larger than I’d like, and I really love my Make Up For Ever #128 for a large brush and use it for loose setting powder application.
GSN-03 Cheek Brush
PPermanent. $96.00.
GSN-01 Powder Brush
PPermanent. $127.00.
Chikuhodo GSN-03 Cheek Brush
Chikuhodo GSN-03 Cheek Brush
Chikuhodo GSN-03 Cheek Brush
Chikuhodo GSN-03 Cheek Brush
Chikuhodo GSN-03 Cheek Brush
Chikuhodo GSN-03 Cheek Brush
Chikuhodo GSN-01 Powder Brush
Chikuhodo GSN-01 Powder Brush
Chikuhodo GSN-01 Powder Brush
Chikuhodo GSN-01 Powder Brush
Chikuhodo GSN-01 Powder Brush
Chikuhodo GSN-01 Powder Brush
This resembles my MAC 116 a lot in shape but that one is a lot more scratchy..
And a lot bigger!
This is bigger, right?
Way bigger!
The powder brush sounds really nice. I don’t really need any new make-up brushes though. Which is good, because otherwise I’d be totally wanting these 🙂
Your wallet is happy 😉
Do you have any post with favourite brushes for blush? If not, which are yours?
http://www.temptalia.com/must-have-makeup-brushes-for-blush-foundation-contouring-highlighting-and-powder
Not cruelty free…. 🙁
Thanks for sharing!
Wow, this review is so on time! I’ve been collecting the GSN series brushes. These are the only 2 that I don’t have and I’ve been waffling over whether or not to get them (the price, yo). Part of me just wants to get them to complete the set. And the fact that they are so well made. Were those photos taken before you washed them?
What are your favorites? These are before I washed them.
My favorites are the gsn4, (which I use for blush. I think this is one of my all time favorite brushes. It picks up product of any texture, blends it perfectly and is so, so soft.), gsn9, gsn2 and the gsn13.
Thank you!!
Whoooo, way out of my budget. I’m not really a fan of the shape of the bristles anyway. It’s too long and flat and weird for me.
Interesting – the shape of both seemed very similar to most powder brushes (if anything, they’re very traditional, except for the size) to me!
Beautiful brushes!!
Glad you liked ’em!
I love the way these look! The design is so unique. The price is insane though lol. They’d have to knock my socks off for that kind of money
Yes, you are definitely going to be entering a different tier of pricing if you go Chikuhodo!
So expensive! They sound nice though especially the powder brush.
They’re definitely brushes you invest in!
I need some new brushes and would like to invest in some good ones, but these may be a little too much. 🙂 I would like something that has the same shape as the GSN-01, though! 🙂
I like the shapes but wish they were smaller!
You know, it’s probably good that I don’t own any brushes like these yet, because the Missing Persons Squad would end up finding me in some corner somewhere, just constantly, dreamily brushing it over my face…
Yes, I have a problem. 😛
Hahahaha!
The shape looks perfect, and the design are so classy. The idea of a white stick it doesnt looks nice, i prefer the black ones, when you use it lots of times it still looks like new…
With love,
The pink lemonade
The handles have a slight pearly sheen to them, so I think it works for white – it doesn’t look as stark, you know?
When will we stop using animals for our own vein cosmetic purposes? This is a cruelty-filled brush. If it’s not synthetic bristled and sustainable such as EcoTools bamboo handles, it’s not for me.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jolene!
I’ve done some research & seems like the Kakuhodo B002 = K002 (blue squirrel) is a super super soft brush that does not pick up a lot of powder & is perfect for setting a light veil of powder without disturbing the makeup already on the skin. I’m attempted to purchase it & replace it with my MUFE 128 brush that I have & love for setting the powder since it is by far the best brush i’ve ever tried for setting up powders. Having said that, I am not a fan of synthetic brushes since I find they just don’t last & I find that eventually I have to replace the brushes a few years later. Sine this 128 brush isn’t exactly cheap i would rather invest in Hakuhodo brushes instead.
Thanks for sharing! I’ve never had a synthetic brush or any brush fall apart, actually!