There's nothing I love more than tapered and poofy brushes for highlighting. I may or may not have a strange fixation with tapered brushes in general, be it for the eyes or face. Fluffy round brushes are also a favorite, but today we're going to focus on these ones. One thing to note is that although most of these are labeled as highlight brushes, they are multipurpose and can be used for many other things like setting under eye concealer, contouring, blush, and powdering small areas of the face.
Tanseido YWC 14, Wayne Goss 02, Hakuhodo G5521, Hakuhodo J5521, Mac 165 (LE), Chikuhodo Z-2, Pat McGrath 03 Buffer Brush
Excuse the dirty white bristles, you'll see those frequently on my blog as I'm too lazy to wash them before taking photos :P
I also didn't include the Chikuhodo GSN-4 because that is way too big for a highlight brush. I use it as a blush brush.
Let's take a closer look.
Tanseido YWC 14, Wayne Goss 02, Hakuhodo J5521, Hakuhodo G5521, Mac 165 (LE), Chikuhodo Z-2, Pat McGrath 03 Buffer Brush
Chikuhodo Z-2, Mac 165, Hakuhodo J5521, Hakuhodo G5521, Wayne Goss 02, Tanseido YWC 14 (PM 03 Buffer Brush not shown)
Pat McGrath 03 Buffer Brush, Chikuhodo Z-2, Mac 165, Hakuhodo J5521, Hakuhodo G5521, Wayne Goss 02, Tanseido YWC 14
These are all goat and squirrel hair. My favorite? Keep reading and you'll see :)
The Tanseido YWC 14 (3000 yen) is labeled as an eyeshadow brush, but as you've seen above next to all the other brushes, it is nearly the same size as them and is way too large for the eyes. This brush is made out of silky smooth sokoho hair, which is typically nowhere as soft and smooth as the highest grade that is frequently used in Kumano fude: saikoho (there's also saibikoho but that's too expensive and brands don't typically release it), however, it feels like saikoho. No joke, if I was given this and didn't know what it was made out of, I would've guessed saikoho. Since the hairs are so silky, they don't pick up product as well as a coarser goat brush like the Mac 165 below. I would reserve this and the squirrel brushes in this post for soft products. This is the least dense out of all the brushes in the post, has some airiness to it yet still has a good snap to it. There are no wavy hairs on the outer layer, a common trait of sokoho hairs and the taper is perfectly arranged all the way to the tip. It is medium in density and not floppy either. As a highlight brush, I'm inclined to say that it applies precisely where you want it and no more. It will not go outside of the lines or area you want to highlight at all, so if you're into precise highlighting, I highly recommend it. Lots of highs in this post. Personally, it is a little too small for me as a highlight brush so I've tried to use it to set my under eye concealer on several occasions. I'm not sure how I like it as an under eye setting powder brush, so I'll have to play with it some more to see. All I know is that I love the feel and handle. This handle is also the longest of all the Kumano fude I own. The only thing that drives me insane is the names are so weird and hard to remember. Fude companies don't typically label their brushes, so I had to put that blue tape over it and write the name down to remember it. (Edit: you can request Tanseido to put the brush names on their brushes now. I asked in 2016 after this post was made.)
Wayne Goss 02 ($35) is made out of blue squirrel, although to me it feels like a mix of goat and blue squirrel. This particular one is from the anniversary set which was limited edition and sold out, which is why it has the pink lettering as opposed to the regular gray lettering. When compared to his recently released Air Brush, it is nowhere as soft. On a level of 1-10 and the Air-Brush is a 8, the 02 is a 6.5-7. A quick note to mention is that his 03 brush feels exactly the same as the 02, except it's for your eyes (I use it to blend). It's like a mini-me of the 02. It is a nicely packed brush, which makes it dense and there is little flexibility (in a good way). The taper is near perfect and definitely better than the Hakuhodo G5521 I compare it to below. Since the 02 is made out of blue squirrel, it will not apply products as pigmented as goat hairs will. Goat hairs naturally pick up more product and apply a heavier layer. This is a brush you could use to tone down those in-your-face highlighters like Becca's Champagne Pop or Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminators. It works excellently for setting under eye concealer as well. I would not use this or any one of the other squirrel brushes for hard pressed products like Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes. I like it enough to keep it, but I was expecting it to be softer since so many blogs and reviews were talking about how soft it was. My skin is extremely sensitive though and my definition of soft will vary from others. Picky picky.
Wayne Goss 02, Hakuhodo G5521
I was certain I would love the G5521 ($35), since I got the J5521 first and love it to bits, but I was a little disappointed. Do note that this dyed version is discontinued and has been replaced with an undyed version that costs $53. This brush is made out of blue squirrel and goat and feels exactly the same as the Wayne Goss 02. The head is a little shorter and stubbier, with the taper not being as sharp and perfect. It is medium in density and has a floppier head than the WG 02. Definitely airier than the WG 02 too. I admit I was disappointed with the brush because I was expecting it to apply highlight just like my J5521, but this brush has squirrel in it and therefore will not apply as pigmented. This can be used just like the Wayne Goss 02. I haven't felt the undyed version of it yet, but based on the other undyed versions with squirrel and goat hair mixes, I don't think it will be any softer than the dyed one I have. I would actually recommend the Wayne Goss 02 over this brush. The sleek black handle and higher taper of the WG is a lot nicer in my eyes.
Edit: the undyed hair mix is softer than the dyed ones.
Wayne Goss 02, Hakuhodo G5521, J5521
Can you tell this J5521 ($38) is well-loved? The lettering has completely faded away, something I didn't know about Hakuhodo brushes when I first got them. They fade away within the first two weeks of usage. After that I started putting clear nail polish over the letterings of all of my new Hakuhodo acquisitions. This is my all time favorite brush for highlight. The bristles are super soft and if I'm not mistaken, it's goat saikoho. Undyed goat is the best and I recommend it to all skin types, but if you have sensitive skin like I do, stick with undyed saikoho. The shape used to look like the WG 02 and G5521, but for some reason, it doesn't keep its shape after use which is the only flaw of this brush. Looks more like a pom pom now anyway. It applies product perfectly and pigmented. It is medium in density and has an airy feeling to it when being used. I love myself some in-yo-face highlight so I frequently to pair this with ABH's Hollywood Illuminator and Becca's Champagne Pop. While the hairs are pillowy soft, they still manage to pick up a good amount of product unlike the Tanseido YWC 14. I considered getting a backup, but haha, I have too many brushes to have backups of anything. Holy grail status, ladies and gentlemen! If there's any brush you should get after reading this post, it's this one!!!
Edit: I got a backup lol.
The Mac 165 ($34) was a limited edition highlight brush released in 2009. This was my favorite highlight brush before I got into expensive fude and there's a good reason. Once upon a time Hakuhodo was the original equipment manufacturer for Mac Cosmetics and their brushes were good, but not as good as Hakuhodo's brushes themselves. My brush says Japan on the handle, which means Hakuhodo was still producing brushes for Mac back in 2009. A few years after that, Mac decided to change companies and their brushes are now mainly produced in China, Europe, with a small amount still being made in Japan. The quality went way down. Back to the 165, it is made out of dyed goat hair and is soft enough for me to use on my face. I'm guessing it is dyed sokoho or ototsuho. I'd say it's around a 5 in terms of softness. Rather than call it a pom pom shape, it looks more like a fat onion bulb. It's the densest out of all the aforementioned brushes and has the coarsest hair. This allows for picking up the most product yet still managing to blend nicely. Although the head is dense, it still has some airiness to it. When washed, it doesn't bleed dye which is a huge plus. It applies product just like the J5521, except it's less soft. Mine has been with me for many years and I wish Mac would release this brush again permanently (made in Japan)! I've read online that they re-release it a few times a year and is now labeled as a contour brush.
Wayne Goss 02, Chikuhodo Z-2
Chikuhodo Z-2 ($65.91 or $78, depending where you purchase it) is made out of gray squirrel and has a completely tapered head. It is the most tapered out of all the brushes in this post. The hairs are also a lot longer than the rest, which means it will apply product more sheerly. When compared to the Wayne Goss 02, it makes the 02 look like the baby. The Z-2 is softer than than the WG 02 and the densest of all the brushes. This has some flexibility to it, I'd say about 5 from a scale of 1-10. It definitely isn't flop city. I've tried it highlight, blush, and contour and wasn't too happy with the results but other people seem to like it quite a bit. It's just not a brush that works for me but may work for others. The handle is more luxurious feeling than the rest of the other brushes since it's lacquered wood. It is also the most expensive out of all the brushes. If you're starting out and don't have $66 to blow on a brush, I'd suggest the J5521 or Wayne Goss 02 instead.
The Pat McGrath 03 Buffer Brush only comes in the limited edition Skin Fetish 003 set ($72) and is the equivalent to the Hakuhodo J4002BkSL ($33). I'm pretty sure Hakuhodo is the OEM for this brush, as the ferrule and handle look identical to Hakuhodo's as well as the feel of the bristles. Hakuhodo labels the J4002 as a foundation, highlight, and blush brush. I would never use this for foundation since the bristles are too long and head too small. It does, however, work smoothly with cream blush (Illamasqua!). The fibers on the top are also great for glittery highlights as it won't apply the glittery chunks onto your face (sheer application). One thing to note is that instead of having her name and brush number engraved or lasered into the handle, it is merely a sticker. This is by no means a "buffer brush" as it cannot buff product into the face like a domed and dense brush head can like the Hakuhodo J210. The bristles are 32mm/1.26 inches long with the duo fiber part making up about 30% of that space. The top is more floppy than anything, but not as bad as I imagined it to be. This is also not a dense brush, being the least dense amongst all the ones mentioned today. That being said, it still handles highlight quite well. Another one of those toning-down brushes where it won't pick up a large amount due to the synthetic fibers on the top, yet still disperses and blends product nicely. From the feel of it, it seems like sokoho on the part that has goat. I was expecting to be disappointed by it considering how floppy it looks but I am pleasantly surprised!
