Chikuhodo Sakura Set (Beautylish) ($245.00) includes six brushes that come in a brush roll with a zippered pocket and several slots for brushes that ties together for traveling. They have shorter handles than some might be used to, though they are in line with most Japanese branded brushes (and are consistent with Chikuhodo’s Z-series). The brushes feature a metallic red ferrule and a glossy red handle with cherry blossoms.

The brushes are good quality, and I had no issues with using them thus far. I can’t comment on how the brushes will hold up over time, so the durability ratings you’ll find on these brushes are based on initial washings (I washed each brush six times) as well as my experience with Chikuhodo’s brushes in general (including durability of last year’s Sakura set, which is fully intact and I still use some brushes from that set). I do, however, like Chikuhodo’s brushes a lot, though I tend to lean toward the Z series for brushes I personally use and reach for (but I have some favorites from the GSN range, and I am not well-versed in the Passions series).

I like the set, but I’m not keen on the inclusion of the brow and lip brush–I feel like they are a way to increase the number of brushes but without adding a lot of cost, and these are both brushes that can be easily replaced with a number of other brushes at lower price points. The brow brush is also substantially thicker than the majority of brow brushes on the market, making it less than ideal for doing detail work, creating individual “hairs,” or brushing product through the tail of the brow (depends on how thick the tail of your brow is, of course). The lip brush is functional, but it is synthetic, and there are many quality synthetics available at lower price points.

Thoughts on Value

In assessing value, I think it’s obviously there relative to purchasing comparable brushes individually, but as with all sets, value is truly subjective, because if you would only use two of the brushes, you are better off getting individual brushes that really fit your needs. I find that the softness and feel of the bristles (particularly of the goat hair) are most comparable to Chikuhodo’s Takumi series, where the T-1 Powder Brush is made out of Saikoho goat and retails for $125; T-5 Highlight is made out of Saikoho goat hair and retails for $52; T-3 Foundation is made out of Saikoho goat hair and retails for $65 — and these align the closest to the face brushes in the set. I’d say that Chikuhodo’s GSN-10 is closer to the Blending Brush included in the set but not quite the same in size, but it is made out of goat hair and retails for $21. Chikuhodo’s lip brushes run around $30 (both the Passion and Z series), while the Passion PS-5 Eyebrow brush is also made out of badger hair and retails for $22.

If you bought these individually, they would run you $315. That being said, the Takumi T-1 Powder Brush is much, much larger and fuller (it’s a huge brush), and I think that a fairer assessment of value would be closer to $70-85 for the Powder Brush included in the Sakura set as a result. The T-5 Highlight is fuller as well (19mm vs. 16.5mm) but not as significantly different than the powder brushes, so I think it would be similarly priced. There’s a little value to getting them together, but I don’t think it’s enough if you won’t love all of them.

If you are more inclined to purchase your brushes individually, these are the ones I would recommend in lieu of the Sakura set but having similar shapes and functionality for the four goat hair brushes in the set. Please note, I might reach for other brushes not listed below due to personally preferring slightly different shapes or styles (that aren’t similar enough to the ones in the set). All of the brushes listed below are high-quality brushes that I’ve tried and tested over long periods of time. I tried to include synthetic options as well, for those who prefer synthetics.

* Indicates the brush I personally reach for MOST often for this function. ** Indicates the brush I personally reach for the second most often for this function.

Alternatives: Medium-to-Large Powder Brushes

• SUQQU Face Brush ($191.00) is a large, rounded face brush that works well with tapping, sweeping, and buffing motions, squirrel (review)
• Chikuhodo Z-Series Z-1 Powder ($178.00), a medium-to-large-sized rounded brush–best for medium and large faces, tapping, sweeping, soft buffing; softer than T-1 (gray squirrel vs. saikoho goat hair, which accounts for the softness) (review)
• Chikuhodo Takumi T-1 Powder ($125.00), a very large, dense, rounded brush–best for larger faces, light tapping, sweeping motions, goat hair
• Tom Ford Bronzer (05) Brush ($115.00), a large, slightly fatter brush that works great with loose and pressed setting/finishing powders, goat hair (review)
• Marc Jacobs Beauty Bronzer Brush No. 12 ($78.00), medium-to-large, lightly fluffy, domed powder brush that comes to a rounded, tapered edge, synthetic
• Make Up For Ever #128 ($52.00), large, flat brush, best for sweeping, patting (doesn’t work as well for buffing/circular motions), synthetic fibers (review) *
• IT Cosmetics No. 307 Velvet Luxe LBD Powder ($48.00), large, flared powder brush that works best for buffing and circular motions, synthetic fibers (review) **

Alternatives: Flatter, Tapered Cheek Brushes

• SUQQU Cheek Brush ($97.00), small-to-medium brush with low density, feathery feel, best for applying, sweeping, and blending, works well with blush and highlighters, squirrel hair (review) *
• Chikuhodo Z-Series Z-2 Highlight ($78.00), small-to-large, tapered brush that’s more rounded in the body but comes to a tapered edge, moderate density, gray squirrel hair (review) **
• Chikuhodo Takumi T-5 Highlight ($52.00), a small-to-medium brush with a tapered edge, saikoho goat hair, ideal for more specific placement, moderate blending
• Hakuhodo G5545 Blush Brush ($63.00), medium blush brush with a flared, rounded edge with only a slight taper, flatter, best for sheer to moderate pigmented powder products for application, good for blending in sweeping and patting motions, blue squirrel/goat hair mix **
• Real Techniques Blush Brush ($8.99), a medium-to-large, tapered blush brush, rather full and rounded in the body, synthetic (I have not found a lot of go-to cheek brushes that are synthetic, but this is the best thus far and I’d give it a soft recommendation)
• Real Techniques Setting Brush ($7.99), a small, rounded and lightly tapered brush ideal for highlighting, under-eye setting, and soft blush application, synthetic

Alternatives: Dense, Rounded Foundation Brushes

• Chikuhodo Takumi T-3 Foundation ($65.00), a flat-topped, small-to-medium in size brush that is best for buffing and swirling motions, saikoho goat hair
• Tom Ford Cream Foundation (02) Brush ($72.00), medium-sized brush that has a similar shape, best for buffing, sweeping, pulling motions, goat hair (review)
• Marc Jacobs Beauty The Face II Sculpting Foundation Brush No. 2 ($48.00), medium-to-large rounded cream foundation brush, good for sweeping, pulling, light to moderate buffing, synthetic
• Real Techniques Expert Face Brush ($8.99), medium-sized, rounded edge, great for buffing, sweeping, general application, very easy to clean and manage as it is synthetic (review) *

Alternatives: Small-to-Medium, Tapered Crease Brushes

• Hakuhodo J142 ($19.00), a small-to-medium sized crease brush with a tapered edge, moderate fullness in the body, goat hair (review) *
• Tom Ford Eyeshadow Blend (13) ($56.00), a small-to-medium sized crease brush with a tapered, lightly rounded edge, moderate fullness, goat hair (review)
• Wayne Goss Brush 19 ($27.00), a small-to-medium sized crease brush with a tapered edge, moderate fullness in the body, goat hair (review) **
• OCC Tapered Blending Brush ($22.00), a small-to-medium sized, rounded, lightly tapered brush, synthetic

The Powder Brush

The Powder Brush (Sakura 2016) is designed for use with loose powders and is made out of Saikoho goat hair. It’s a medium-to-large powder brush with a domed, tapered edge that is a little longer but didn’t feel floppy or like it had too much give. The brush head was mm in 36.00width, 51.50mm in length, and 22.00mm in thickness, while the brush had a total length of 7.09 inches / 18.00 centimeters.

The brush works well for patting, sweeping, and blending out powders on the face, particularly loose and pressed setting and finishing powders. It had moderate-to-full density, so it held its shape well and was easy to work with on the face. I liked how it was large but did not feel oversized to me, so I think it is a good size for most faces for powder application. The brush feels incredibly soft and smooth against my skin, and it is definitely softer than last year’s Sakura powder brush.

The Cheek Brush

The Cheek Brush (Sakura 2016) is supposed to be used with powder and cream blushes, bronzers, and highlighters. It is made out of Saikoho goat hair. The brush was small-to-medium in size; not the smallest but a little shy of typical medium from what I’ve seen. The shape of the brush flares out slightly from the base and then flares back in to a rounded, tapered edge with graduation of length down the front and back of the brush, which helps with blending and diffusing color across the skin. The brush head was 26.4mm in width, 39.00mm in length, and 16.5mm in thickness, while the brush had a total length of 6.57 inches / 16.70 centimeters.

I found it useful for applying blush, highlighter, and bronzer on the face, but I liked it best for powders as I find denser brushes better for cream applications (you need that extra density to get the product onto of the pan, in my experience). The brush itself is soft, smooth, and silky against the skin, and I never felt individual bristles using it, regardless of direction. It is best for blush, as the size is most suitable for that, but it can be used to apply highlighter if you keep the product concentrated on the edge and then sweep it on. The brush will work best for someone who likes to sweep and pull their powders on the face, rather than buff in circular motions.

The Foundation Brush

The Foundation Brush (Sakura 2016) was created to be used with liquid and cream foundations, as well as cream contour products, and it is made out of Saikoho goat hair. It is a smaller foundation brush with a wider shape that has a rounded edge and has some depth that gives it a flat, working surface along the edge. The brush head was 26.00mm in width, 24.50mm in length, and 19.00mm in thickness, while the brush had a total length of 6.06 inches / 15.40 centimeters.

Of the four natural hair brushes in the set, this is the only one where I could sometimes feel the edges (a bit of sharpness) of some bristles when I used a moderate hand with a stippling or tapping motion. If I was only lightly stippling, it felt soft and smooth against the skin, as it did when swept, buffed, and pulled. Personally, it’s smaller than I like for foundation, as it takes longer with this brush, but if you have a smaller face, it will be a nice option for you. It soaks up more watery foundations more than I like, so I’d consider using fingertips to spread the foundation out initially and then using this brush to blend; or you can lightly spray the bristles with water (which gives it something to absorb first) and then work the foundation across the face. It is a bit harder to clean, as it is a denser brush, but the small size means it dries faster than most foundation brushes.

The Blending Brush

The Blending Brush is supposed to be used for applying and blending color in the crease and is made out of Sokoho goat hair. It’s a medium-sized crease brush that flares out from the base to a fuller mid-width and then tapers to a soft pointed edge. It had light-to-moderate density, enough that it can still deposit color with some precision but still fluffy that it can blend and diffuse color in sweeping and buffing motions. It’s a solid crease brush, but it’s one of the more popular sizes/styles, so it is also more readily duped by individual brushes. I noticed it tended to fluff up with half a dozen bristles that splayed out, so this is one you might want to use a brush guard or wrap for to help it retain its shape better.

The brush head was mm in 9.00width, 19.00mm in length, and 9.00mm in thickness, while the brush had a total length of 5.82 inches / 14.80 centimeters.

The Lip Brush

The Lip Brush (Sakura 2016) is designed for giving crisp edges and full coverage, and it can be used with concealer, too. This brush is made out of synthetic fibers. It’s a rectangular, flat synthetic brush that comes to a very flat, crisp edge. The brush head was 5.50mm in width, 11.50mm in length, and 2.30mm in thickness, while the brush had a total length of 5.55 inches / 14.10 centimeters.

I liked it best when I used downward, pulling motions on the lips for filling in my lips with color completely. When I used it more for lining and stayed primarily on the edge, I noticed some of the bristles separated from the majority of the bristles, which gave me a little less precision than I’d like. It’s also stiffer that it did not maneuver around the cupid’s bow with as much fluidity as I have experienced with other lip brushes.

The Brow Brush

The Brow Brush (Sakura 2016) is supposed to be used for depositing and blending powder or pomade brow products and is made out of water badger hair. It’s a small, angled brow brush that’s noticeable thicker and almost “fluffed” in appearance compared to the majority of angled brow brushes I’ve tried. The brush head was 5.52mm in width, 6.20mm in length, and 2.60mm in thickness, while the brush had a total length of 5.43 inches / 13.80 centimeters.

That thickness actually makes it much less suitable for working on brows for initially applying color (powder or cream), filling them in, or creating “hairs” with fine lines. I just didn’t think it worked well for depositing color, so applying color or filling in my brows with this brush often resulted in over-application of product, but I did like how it blended color after I had applied it with another brush. The thicker quality of the brush gave it the give and flexibility needed to diffuse and blend brow color without disturbing it too much, and the small size of it made it appropriate for blending within the brow’s natural shape without it being too easy to go outside the shape. I do, however, find a spoolie brush more effective and faster to use for that purpose.

Chikuhodo x Beautylish Holiday 2016 Sakura Brush Set

Chikuhodo x Beautylish Holiday 2016 Sakura Brush Set

Chikuhodo x Beautylish Holiday 2016 Sakura Brush Set

Chikuhodo x Beautylish Holiday 2016 Sakura Brush Set

Chikuhodo x Beautylish Holiday 2016 Sakura Brush Set

Chikuhodo x Beautylish Holiday 2016 Sakura Brush Set

Chikuhodo x Beautylish Holiday 2016 Sakura Brush Set

Chikuhodo x Beautylish Holiday 2016 Sakura Brush Set

Chikuhodo x Beautylish Holiday 2016 Sakura Brush Set

Chikuhodo x Beautylish Holiday 2016 Sakura Brush Set

Chikuhodo x Beautylish Holiday 2016 Sakura Brush Set

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Chikuhodo The Powder Brush

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Chikuhodo The Cheek Brush

Chikuhodo The Cheek Brush

Chikuhodo The Cheek Brush

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Chikuhodo The Foundation Brush

Chikuhodo The Foundation Brush

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Chikuhodo The Brow Brush

Chikuhodo The Brow Brush

Chikuhodo The Brow Brush

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