Hakuhodo J142 Eye Shadow Brush Round & J5529 Eye Shadow Brush Tapered Reviews, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Hakuhodo J142 Eye Shadow Brush Round

Hakuhodo J142 Eye Shadow Brush Round ($18.00) is a thin, rounded eye brush with a tapered edge. It is easily most recognized as a brush to apply and/or blend out eyeshadow into the crease. The brush head is 18mm long, 6mm wide, and 6mm thick. The brush has a total length of just under 6 inches / 15 centimeters, and it is made out of white goat hair with a glossy black handle made out of wood. The ferrule is open (no pinching at the top). It is also available in the S-series for $40 (yes, that’s correct, it is made using blue squirrel instead of goat). The difference between the two is the handle; Hakuhodo has stated that the quality of the brush heads are the same across the series (read more here).

The brush is very well-shaped and works nicely to both deposit rich color into the crease as well as just for blending out the edges in the crease. I can definitely see this being a very practical brush and shape to have in one’s stash, and I imagine many would find use for it. It feels soft and silky against the eye, and even if you’re heavy-handed, it doesn’t feel rough or scratchy. The tip is just rounded enough so it doesn’t feel stiff or sharp but still defined enough to apply product precisely. Because these are natural fibers, this brush is best for powder products and will tend to pick up more pigmented than less. I didn’t have a lot of similar brushes to this (especially ones that were permanent!), because of how it tapers, and it was actually the least expensive ones in my stash. I usually reach for my MAC 226 when I want a brush like this, but I’ll be reaching for this instead.

If you’re a fan of the MAC 222 ($28, discontinued) or 226 ($24.50, limited edition), I think you’ll like it, as it is a combination of both of those for me–it has the more tapered shape and form of the 226 but with the some of the fluffiness of the 222; the 226 is more tapered and shorter, while the 222 is longer, less dense, and less shaped (with more of a rounded, domed edge than a tapered one). Tom Ford Eye Shadow Blend Brush (13) ($55) is very, very similar the J142 in shape and feel–the Tom Ford version is wider overall and as it has a wider opening. Hakuhodo’s brush handles are usually shorter than most other brands’ brushes (MAC, Make Up For Ever, NARS, OCC, Tom Ford). I don’t think the MAC 224 ($32) is comparable, as it is fluffier, larger, and flares outward, rather than tapering inward. OCC’s Tapered Blending Brush (004) ($22) is similar (and synthetic for those who prefer synthetic fibers) that rounds out more at the top in comparison. Sephora’s PRO Crease (10) ($20), NARS Large Dome Brush (13) ($33), Make Up For Ever #242 Large Blender, and Urban Decay Crease Brushes are all very similar to MAC 224: fluffier, larger, and flare outward.

J5529 Eye Shadow Brush Tapered ($16.00) is a tiny, thin brush with a rounded, very lightly tapered, edge. It’s like a shorter, narrower crease brush, but it is rounder and larger than a pencil brush. The brush head is 13mm long, 5mm wide, and 5mm thick with a total handle length of just under 6 inches / 15 centimeters. It has a round, open ferrule (no pinching at the top) and a glossy black, wooden handle. It is also available in the G-series ($21, blue squirrel hair).

The brush head had some splayed bristles upon arrival, and they’re still like that now, even after a few washes. The fibers are soft to the touch and feel nice against the skin when used to blend and apply product to the lid, but I did notice that if you pushed the tip against the lid (like a pushing or tapping motion, rather than a sweeping one), I could feel the fibers more. Not enough to be scratchy but not as “ooh, la la!” soft. This would work well for someone who had smaller eyes and normally finds crease brushes to be too large for them, as well as anyone who wants to do very precise color application. It also works well for softening color along the lower lash line. I don’t think it’s a must-have, relative to the shape of the J142.

The shape of the J5529 is one that I don’t have a slew of similar brushes for. I suspect that Make Up For Ever’s new 214 Small Precision Crease Brush ($25) or 218 Medium Blender Brush ($25) may be similar to this, but I don’t have them to compare. NARS also makes a Small Dome Eye Brush ($27) that appears similar but I don’t have that one.

The one thing I wish these brushes (and all the Hakuhodo brushes that I have) had were the numbers printed on the brush, and I also wish that the lettering held up better. I can, quite literally, scratch off the silver lettering with my fingernail.

J142 Eye Shadow Brush Round

PPermanent. $18.00.

J5529 Eye Shadow Brush Tapered

PPermanent. $16.00.

See more photos!