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51 Comments

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xamyx

I actually really like the UD ones that come with palettes. I find I get almost no fallout with even the most glittery shadows when using the flat side.

Sylirael

I’ve been impressed with it too – I may not own many brushes, but I’m used to palettes coming with those dinky little foam applicators, so UD was definitely a step up!

I find the blending end kind of sharp and scratchy in my crease though…it’s certainly betters the an fingers for blending my crease, but I fell like it should be more comfortable…!
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Kat

I don’t have names of brushes necessarily, but I need a precision crease brush (I have small eyes) and a dense flat brush. Others are cool, but without these, eyeshadow is out.

Tigerlily

MAC 239
MAC 217
Laura Mercier Pony Tail (crease)
Chanel # 24 (lining)
MAC 228 (inner corners highlighting)
Jemma Kidd Highlighter (brow bone)
MUFE 5SB (brows)

Mariella

MAC 217, Smashbox #15 Detailer and an un-numbered Sonia Kashuk white handled brush that is similar to but a bit smaller than the MAC 239. And I use the Quo smudger brush every single day to smudge my liner.

grlnxdor

elf Professional Eyeshadow Brush and realTechniques essential crease brush. Both of these “cheapies” suit my needs.

tzwiggy

MAC 239, Suqqu M, Hakuhodo J5533, Hakuhodo J142, Hakuhodo J5529, Hakuhodo B533BkSL, Hakuhodo G5510BkSL, MAC 227, Paula Dorf Eye Definer.

Btw, going to the Hakuhodo website to double check numbers was not a good idea. I ended up ordering more brushes!

Christine

LOL! Which did you buy?

I actually was browsing the other day to see what other brushes to buy but came up… empty handed? I didn’t look that hard admittedly!

tzwiggy

Only a few that was already in my cart from last time. J5529 (backup), G5520 and J544. I also ordered Po815Sap Japanese Style Pouch for travel.

I noticed that they have a brush called BJ142 now (with a different model number) that looks exactly like the J142 and have the same description. I really wonder why they have two apparently same brushes!

Christine

Weird! I just looked at the J142 and BJ142 pages, and literally it’s the same info except model # and the name.

A review for the G5520 is actually going up later today, haha!

The J544 is a possibility on my list.

Christine

This is my “maybe” list but not sure yet… Any thoughts?

1x J5543 (backup)
1x J501
1x J505
1x J531
1x 100 (B or J?)
1x J5541
1x J544
1x J5547
1x B512
1x J4003
1x J134
1x J4006
1x J242H

tzwiggy

I’d say definitely yes to the J544 (different bristles than the rest), B512BkSL (blue squirrel blends are usually very good), J4003 and J4006.

I would go for J100 rather than the B version, I personally prefer the white goat over the black colored goat.

I don’t have the best experience with their eyeshadow brushes with horse bristles (except for pencil brushes and ones with shorter bristles like the G5510BkSL which I use for the lower lash line). The J242H might be good with creams, but I haven’t tried that myself.

I really don’t know about the rest of the brushes. It’s the kind that you have no idea about the size before you see them in person. I would probably order the J531 because it’s angled and then skip the J501 because they are so similar in size. It all depends on how similar in size and shape they are compared to the rest of your Hakuhodo brushes and if you’re buying them just for reviewing purposes or for personal use.

If you feel like splurging G5519BkSL is an amazing brush that you should seriously consider. It’s made with blue squirrel and delivers a somewhat sheer application. Great for pigmented blushes.

What do you use the J5543 for? It looks like I might need it, lol. And if it’s so good that you actually want a backup…

Christine

Thank you for your wisdom!! 🙂

Yeah, I hear you – a lot of the face brushes I feel like, “GAH! I need to see you in person…” I was thinking J100 over B100 as well – I have had better luck with the white goat hairs over the black ones, but black bristles are just nice so you don’t have this moment of panic if you forget to wash right away. I had the J242H on my list for creams, since most of the Hakuhodo eye brushes I have (possibly all) are natural, so I was thinking maybe one synthetic one for creams. Not that I don’t have great brushes for cream eyeshadows, though. 😉

J5543 is basically a dupe for the Tom Ford Cheek Brush, which I love for blush! But it is a dense brush, so it may apply too much product for some. The Tom Ford brush is slightly denser. It blends out blush really well, which is my favorite aspect of it! I can’t use my MAC 116 or 129 too often (unless the blush is REALLY pigmented/soft), because the bristles irritate my skin – I notice that the more blending I do with either of them causes little bumps and dryness to occur in the areas I’ve used them.

At the price point for Hakuhodo, I buy with the intention of using going forward, not merely to review and then put away. $20 or $30 brush, here and there, review only is no problem. $80+ needs to be potentially something I can continue to use!

tzwiggy

I doubt that you’ll use the J100 for very pigmented products so you don’t have to worry about bad staining.

Have you tried any of the white goat hair brushes for cream shadows? According to Hakuhodo they should work well for this purpose even though they’re made of natural hair.

In my experience all of the expensive and large face brushes are really good quality, so I’m pretty sure you’ll get some use with every single one of them one way or the other. Either for blush, bronzer, setting powder or finishing powder and depending of how pigmented the product is.

Before I order brushes online I usually take a measuring tape and compare length, thickness and shape between the brushes I already have and the ones I consider ordering. That way I avoid ending up with brushes that are too similar to each other. Obviously density is impossible to measure, though. Anyway, my point is, I’m pretty sure you already have something very similar to a few of the larger face brushes you listed, so if those are intended mostly for personal use, I’m not sure you really need them.

Ooh, and you have convinced me that I need J5543. Tom Ford Cheek Brush has been on my wish list forever, but I think I’d rather get the Hakuhodo version. I’m pretty pale so I think I’m better off with a less dense brush.

Christine

You talk of need like that’s REALLY relevant 😉 I need another brush like I need another lipstick, LOL! I have a weakness for crease and blush brushes.

I have used a couple with them, but I will admit that I do prefer synthetic brushes for creams. I tend to like really flat, firm brushes, too, and I don’t have any by Hakuhodo that fit that bill (I use MAC’s 249 usually).

I do the same in regards to measurements – I take the brushes I LOVE and look for either similar lengths/widths (if I’m trying to replicate) or to figure out if I want something bigger or smaller. I also look at brushes I never use or don’t like because they’re too big, small, long, short, etc.

Gemma Oxford

I actually only use my old eye brushes I got in a Fearne Cotton gift set a few xmasses ago, I seriously need to get myself some proper eye brushes. At the moment I can’t live without my fluffy brush (there’s something so satisfying about blending) and my standard flat eyeshadow for patting it on x

xamyx

Anything by Real Techniques, Sonia Kashuk, or e.l.f., as well as Essence of Beauty & Posh. I also love the brushes that come with UD palettes.

I find different brushes work best with different products, so while I may use one particular brush 90% of the time, I’ll have to use a different one if I’m using a more finicky product. Conversely, there may be a brush I really don’t care for with most products, but find it’s the only one I can use with others. A lot of people have fun experimenting with makeup & color, but I find experimenting with brushes to be more fascinating!

I’ve been playing with more cream shadows lately, and love the whote handled SK concealer brush formlaying down color, and the RT deluxe crease brush for blending through the crease. Oddly enough, I don’t reach for the RT brush very often for powder shadows, instead opting for one of the double-ended brushes from my UD palettes…

Glendaly

Mac 239 for packing shadows, 217 for blending and 219 pencil brush for defining crease and smoking out eyeliner.

Veronica

MAC 239, MAC 217, Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, Real Techniques powder brush, e.l.f. angled brush, and Japonesque liner brush. I’ve got lots of others that I use, but these are some of my favorites. 🙂

Fazila

MAC 239, 217, 224 and 219, real tecniques angled brow brush( i guess thats what it is called. Its in purple starter set). Have ordered Sigma brushes so will see how they are..

Michelle

Not a lot of love for Sigma here, huh? I find I cannot do without my Sigma E40 for blending and the E65 for drawing a precise winged line!

Christy

My favorites are Hakuhodo J5523 (blend/crease), Hakuhodo J242g (laydown), and an EcoTools small flat angled brush I use for applying shadow as eyeliner. I’d really like to have several each of those two Hakuhodos!

VeronicaV

I have large lids. Think Cher. I like the BB eyeshader for blending and sheering. It’s huge, but if I’m in a hurry, it’s great for taking down color quickly. Prescriptives Soft Shadow for laying down base color quickly. Shu in 7.5BL for blurring out small areas quickly. It’s pretty stiff and I have no idea what it was made for, just grabbed it out of a bin and a light hand is necessary. Liking a newer Sephora Pro Smudge right now, since there is no MAC in my local area. Prefer the Sephora Pro Crease to my old BB Essentials Eye Blender. Had that BB for a good 10 years and I think I got one that was not cut right. Now that I have the Sephora, I am going to trim the BB so I can get some use out of it. I use my 10 year old plus (more like closer to 15 years) BB Eye Shadow almost every day though. I have a Smashbox eyebrow brush that I absolutely need every day. I have a double ended Laura Geller that came with a palette and I prefer the eye lining side to my MAC 266, as well as the shader side to my MAC 217. They are denser and tighter, and still soft. Flat Deluxe Liner from Who’s the Fairest. I love my MAC 211. One day soon, I am going to focus on something for the outer V thing and crease. I just recently have become more adventurous and I’ll be looking at your recs for help. 🙂

Nikki

Sonia Kashuk Large Shader Brush (all over lid)
Essence of Beauty Crease Brush (outer V)
Sonia Kashuk Large Crease Brush (blending and applying transition color)
Essence of Beauty Fine Crease Brush (highlight color)

Mikki G

I use those Essence of Beauty brushes I got at CVS, and they work just as well if not better than other brands. I have to remember to use them more frequently!

Mikki G

MAC 217 and a combination of Real Techniques, a set from MadeULook by Lex, and a few from BH Cosmetics and ELF. Don’t judge. I can’t really do without that 217 though!

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