SUQQU may not be the most accessible brand yet (here’s hoping they’ll expand to a good stockist in the U.S.), but they live up to the hype and are lovely brushes for those who wish to indulge. I can see why the Cheek brush is constantly out of stock at Selfridges. I know readers have recommended Ichibankao for ordering Asia-exclusive beauty brands, and they also have SUQQU brushes available (but I haven’t personally ordered from them, though I have been tempted!). I have no complaints; they’re outstanding, high-quality brushes. I’ve been putting them through testing since October, and I haven’t had any issues with shedding, smell, or re-shaping after washing. I’ve washed all of the brushes numerous times since then, and they’re still as soft and silky as they were to begin with. The shapes are well-done–more distinct from many brushes I own but they’re still useful, versatile shapes that I can easily use.

Cheek Brush

SUQQU Cheek Brush (£80.00 / ¥15,000) is a small, rounded blush brush that flares outwards from the ferrule and then tapers to a rounded edge. It is made out of gray squirrel hair, and it is supremely soft, silky, and smooth against the skin. No matter the direction or pressure, the brush never felt rough or sharp. It had moderate density with a feathery quality to it, which made it particularly suitable for use with more pigmented or very soft-textured powder products. This is useful if you’re more heavy-handed when applying your blush, even if you don’t mean to be, as it is hard to overdo your cheek color with this brush. It works well to blend and soften edges of various powder products for cheeks and face. I really liked it for highlight, though, as it gave me similar results that I get with a fan brush but with more precision–diffused, luminous, but never metallic.

• Sizing: 34mm in length, 19mm in width, 15mm in thickness (it’s round); total length of 15.5 centimeters.
• Most similar: Chikuhodo Z-4 is similar in its smaller size, but it is wider and flatter (thinner) with less roundedness; where the Z-4 looks more like a blush brush, SUQQU Cheek looks more like a highlighting brush

• Sizing: 50mm in length, 36mm in width, 26mm in thickness (it’s round); total length of 13 centimeters.
• Most similar: Chikuhodo Z-1 is slightly smaller, while Chikuhodo Z-9 is wider/flatter and a bit overall–they all feel the same in regards to softness.

Eyeshadow Brush M

SUQQU Eyeshadow Brush M (£48.00 / ¥8,000) is a medium-sized, domed brush with a very rounded edge. It’s like a much larger and wider take on a pencil brush or a really squat, densely-packed crease brush. It can apply quite a bit of color even though it’s made out of gray squirrel, if desired. There’s no doubt it’s one of the softest pencil-like brushes I’ve tried, as it swirls and taps, sweeps and blends and never, ever feels pointed. The bristles move together in a way that feels silky across the skin. Though it probably will make some cringe, but this is such a good shape and brush for applying cream eyeshadow into the crease, particularly for blending out the edges (I really liked it with Laura Mercier). I tend to favor other brushes for initial application and only use this as a buffing tool, just because it makes it cleaner when I use it for blending. It’s lovely for blending out powder eyeshadows as well, and it is nice for highlighting the inner tear duct/corner of the lid. I’ve also had good luck using it to buff out creamy concealers underneath the eye or tapping brightening powder underneath the eye.

• Sizing: 12.5mm in length, 6mm in width, 6mm in thickness (it’s round); total length of 13 centimeters.
• Most similar: Chikuhodo Z-10 is much more tapered towards the end and comes to more of a point; IT Cosmetics No. 105 is longer, so it has more spring, but it has a similarly-sized rounded edge (it is also a synthetic option)

Lip Brush L

SUQQU Lip Brush L (£32.00 / ¥6,500) is a thin, rectangular lip brush that can line, fill, and blend with great precision. Its greatest attribute is that it never feels sharp, even when using the edge get a really crisp line of color. The bristles are extremely well-cut so that you don’t get skips and drags, and they move together for the most part. I like that it doesn’t come to a defined, tapered point, which is one of the things I like least in lip brushes, and the length is nice, as it gives you enough real estate to get product on it and cover lips without it taking an eternity. All that said, I rarely use lip brushes, so I wouldn’t consider myself a lip brush authority, so please keep that in mind!

• Sizing: 10mm in length, 6mm in width, 0.5mm in thickness (it’s round); total length of 17 centimeters.
• Most similar: Hakuhodo 270 (I don’t have it) appears similar based on photo/listed measurements; Tom Ford also has a more rectangular-shaped brush

Suqqu Cheek Brush  

Suqqu Cheek Brush  

Suqqu Cheek Brush  

Suqqu Cheek Brush  

Suqqu Cheek Brush  

Suqqu Cheek Brush  

Suqqu Cheek Brush  

Suqqu Face Brush  

Suqqu Face Brush  

Suqqu Face Brush  

Suqqu Face Brush  

Suqqu Face Brush  

Suqqu Face Brush  

Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush M  

Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush M  

Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush M  

Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush M  

Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush M  

Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush M  

Suqqu Lip Brush L  

Suqqu Lip Brush L  

Suqqu Lip Brush L  

Suqqu Lip Brush L  

Suqqu Lip Brush L  

Suqqu Cheek Brush  

Suqqu Cheek Brush  

Suqqu Cheek Brush  

Suqqu Cheek Brush  

Suqqu Cheek Brush  

Suqqu Cheek Brush  

Suqqu Cheek Brush  

Suqqu Face Brush  

Suqqu Face Brush  

Suqqu Face Brush  

Suqqu Face Brush  

Suqqu Face Brush  

Suqqu Face Brush  

Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush M  

Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush M  

Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush M  

Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush M  

Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush M  

Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush M  

Suqqu Lip Brush L  

Suqqu Lip Brush L  

Suqqu Lip Brush L  

Suqqu Lip Brush L  

Suqqu Lip Brush L