Highlighter Brushes

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! 

Fude/Brush Maintenance

An essential part of brushes is taking care of them. Natural hair brushes, especially squirrel must be handled more delicately than synthetic ones.

Brush tree for storing and drying

There are many ways to dry brushes, but the best way I've found is through a brush tree with the brushes upside down in a shady place. Please note that I don't actually dry or store my brushes in the bathroom. You don't want to do that as bathrooms are moist.

You can also use the tree to store your brushes for use like I did with the Hakuhodo S104. This is just an example, I don't actually do both at the same time.

I love this brush tree so much I bought a rectangular version as a backup :) You can purchase them from the Benjabelle website, but I just bought mine from Aliexpress for around $5-$6. I recommend the brand Ovonni, although it looks like the price went up recently so feel free to search and purchase the one within your budget. Amazon is now selling the Ovonni brush tree for $10.99 and offers prime if you don't like waiting for it to be delivered from China.

Soap

I am using generic mildly scented baby shampoo for most of my brushes and it has worked fine. You want something gentle and not too scented (unscented is the best). When baby shampoo doesn't make my white goat brushes completely white or if I want to do some bacterial cleaning, I would go in with the Dr. Bronner's Hemp & Tea Tree bar soap first, then do a second cleanse with baby shampoo to soften it. The Dr. Bronner's soap is drying, so I don't recommend it and wouldn't repurchase. 

I just tried my olive oil savon de marseille soap on two undyed goat brushes: Koyudo fu-pa07p and Koyomo Nadeshiko powder. It indeed made them very white and the fupa feels the same as before, however, it made the Koyomo feel squeaky clean, which was a bad indicator for me. Squeaky clean = drier. It does feel drier when used on the face ): It also broke me out so I definitely do not recommend it!

How long until I have to wash them?

According to Hakuhodo and Chikuhodo, powder and foundation brushes are to be washed once to twice a month. Once a month for powder and up to twice a month for liquid foundation. This applies for goat hair only as it is resilient and can handle the numerous washings. Horse, weasel and badger hair can also take the numerous washings. You can wash the eyeshadow brushes made out of all four types of hair once to twice a month as well. Squirrel hair on the other hand is very delicate and fragile, so you will want to avoid washing them as often as possible. Think the exact opposite for washing squirrel hair: once to twice a year. I know, this sounds crazy and gross, but the more you wash the hair, the more prone they are to breaking and splitting. Also, they won't get gross if you properly wipe them off after each use onto a kleenex or soft cloth.

As for the actual washing process, I use lukewarm-warm water under the faucet while trying to avoid the ferrule. After it's been properly washed, I gently squeeze the bristles and try to reshape them into the original shape and then hang on the brush tree. I check on them every couple of hours and reshape them with my fingers to ensure they've dried in the correct shape.

Brush guards

After drying, I put brush guards over the fude to reshape into its original shape if it dried weirdly. You can leave the brush guards over the fude for a day and it'll reshape nicely. Doing this after it has been dried is better since the bristles are completely dry before being covered by the guard. I don't recommend using napkins/tissue to cover the fude while it's drying as that will extend the drying time and can cause the glue in the ferrule to loosen over time.

Daily maintenance

For daily maintenance after using the brushes, I wipe them on a microfiber cloth soft cloth. It will get pretty dirty, but to me it's better than wiping on a kleenex and wasting paper continuously.

Koyudo Kumamon Brush

Just wanted to do a quick fun post on the Koyudo Kumamon brush! Honestly, Kumamon’s regular face actually kind of scares me but I fell in love immediately when I saw the kabuki brush. He’s the mascot of Kumamoto prefecture in Japan too!

The hair length is 23mm or 0.9 inches, so it’s taller than the Koyudo macaron and works very nicely for loose, mineral, pressed, and finishing powders. I have never experienced cake face with any Kumano fude. The hairs are sokoho, but feel extremely silky soft for sokoho and nearly as soft as saikoho. They are also almost completely straight except for some rebellious ones on the outer layer of the brush. There was no bleeding of dye when washed and “Koyudo Collection” is engraved into the handle. I also own the Koyudo Pink Macaron and if I had to choose between the two, I’d go with the Kumamon brush. The pink macaron is more densely packed which makes it better for liquid and creme foundation. It does a great job at powder too, but I prefer the less densely packed hairs of the Kumamon brush.

I am ogling at the Capbyara-san brush now!

In terms of purchasing, you cannot purchase this from CDJapan due to licensing, so the only ways would either be through a personal shopper like Toshiya (fudejapan) or purchasing in Japan. It retails 4680 yen including tax on the Koyudo website. I’ve seen it marked up on eBay too.

Current lemmings

If you haven't already noticed, I've got some serious brush/fude sickness. It's not even an obsession anymore XD

Here are my current lemmings and eye candy.

Every year, CDJapan releases some summer deals and this year I have my eyes on the two below.

First up is the Koyudo flat top kabuki brush. I love myself some fat and stubby white goat hair brushes! This would make a great foundation and buffing brush. It's a good deal considering the H010 Flat Top Kabuki retails $56.73.

Next we have the Koyudo Gray Squirrel Kabuki. Insert drool.

According to the measurements, it is the same length as the Chikuhodo Z-1, but fuller at 40mm instead of Z-1's 20mm. Denser than the Z-1 you say for a fraction of the cost? $80.36 vs. $151.27, nearly half off. I NEED IT! Koyudo does squirrel brushes excellently so I don't even need to ask myself if the Z-1 would be better. The only thing is that it's a kabuki brush, so it would be used less than one with a handle. 

Granted I already own the Z-1...but one can never have enough fluffies, right?

The Houkodou G-S1 below looks like a large laydown brush. Made out of canadian squirrel, many people seem to enjoy the G series from Houkodou. I only have one Houkodou brush which is the BZ-1. A review on that will come eventually!

Next up is the recently released Saikoho Sakura Birch Handle series from Koyudo/Kihitsu. I'm eyeing the eyeshadow L brush because it's nearly identical to my beloved Koyomo Pink Nadeshiko shadow brush that I use every time I do my eye makeup. Best crease brush ever. 

The Kyureido Fine Kalla 001 Powder Brush. Photo credits to fudejapan.

As if I need anymore squirrel brushes in my life. I actually prefer goat saikoho out of all types of animal hair for brushes, but squirrel is so luxuriously soft that it's hard not to get hooked once you feel them. This Kyureido brush is similar to the Suqqu face brush at again, a fraction of the cost. It costs 15000 yen which is about $142 whereas the Suqqu face costs $205 with $40 shipping from Selfridges in the UK. Alternatively, you could purchase the Suqqu face in Japan but it retails for more  there for whatever reason. Don't look at me >_>. I don't know why it would retail more in the country it was made and originated in.

The Stilazzi Finishing Buki Brush. 

I have no knowledge on the brand and where it's made in, but I did watch a YouTube video of someone who bought this and liked it. She did say that it wasn't as soft as a Hakuhodo squirrel brush like the K002, but it's a good value. This brush is made out of blue squirrel hair and is in the shape of what a buffing brush is supposed to look like, or closely related, unlike the Wayne Goss Airbuki brush. 

Koyudo Canadian Squirrel Blush Brush

Greetings to all the fude and makeup lovers out there! Fude means brush in Japanese, technically the old way of saying brush (calligraphy and makeup) and kyun is the onomatopoeia for the momentarily tightening of the chest caused by strong emotions. This blog will be centered on makeup and Japanese-made brushes. Do check out the fude subreddit for more information and reviews if you're interested!

First post will be showcasing the beautiful Koyudo Canadian Squirrel Blush Brush & Tom Ford's Pink Glow LE Palette. I don't have swatches for the Pink Glow palette, but I thought I'd do a review on the CS brush.

I want to start off with saying that this brush is more of a collectors piece than an everyday blush brush that you can use and throw around. Squirrel hair in general is fragile and cannot be mishandled. Canadian Squirrel hair is rare, not as rare as red squirrel hair, but still rare enough that Koyudo rarely releases with the finishing and powder brushes made of all Canadian squirrel hair. The hairs to this brush are all orange-brown until about 3/4ths of the way down. You can see the tremendous amount of work it took the Kumano fude artisans to put this piece together as the orange-brown hairs all stop at about the same place. It's perfection! 

Aesthetically speaking, the handle is made of Echizen Lacquer - wood handle with Echizen style lacquer over it and a Makie design. I love the black with the red flower and gold ferrule. The handle is quite short, comparable to the sm sized handles from Hakuhodo in Japan. 

The good thing about this brush is that it's softer than gray and blue squirrel hairs, has more resistance (spring), and blending power. It's not too soft like red squirrel and has spring to it so it allows for more blending than the rest of the types of squirrel hairs. I have yet to try any of the exorbitantly expensive and elusive white canadian squirrel brushes, but from what I've read, they are a bit softer than the cs and do a good job at layering pigments onto the skin whereas the cs is better at blending.

4/11/23 edit: it has become less soft after owning it for many years. I believe the conditioner washed off completely and now it feels less soft than red, gray, blue, and White Canadian squirrel.

I would rank the squirrel hairs for blending power in this order: Canadian squirrel, pine squirrel, gray squirrel, blue squirrel, and red squirrel. 

Suqqu Cheek, Koyudo Red Squirrel Square Handle Blush Brush (ver. 3 I believe), Chikuhodo RRC-2

Performance-wise, the cs does take a few times of dipping back into the blush pan to get my desired level of pigmentation to show when compared to a goat or goat and squirrel mixed brush. I noticed it did apply my blush a little patchy when compared to the Hakuhodo B505 (goat and squirrel mix). Squirrel isn't the best for blending in my opinion, but it may also be due to the shape of the brush itself this time around. The head is flat, which doesn't allow for buffing power. When compared to something like the Suqqu cheek brush, it does pick up product and blends better. 

The brush is not very dense but it isn't floppy like the Suqqu cheek either. It will snap back immediately if you try to push the hairs on one side and let go. It will, however, apply blush precisely.

Koyudo CS, Hakhodo J110, Hakuhodo B505, Wayne Goss Air-brush, Hakuhodo K008, Hakuhodo S110, Chikuhodo Z-4

In the photo above, I have laid it out to compare with some of my other flat shaped blush brushes. 

The Hakuhodo J110 ($54) and S110 ($89; same brush head, different handles) taper outwards more and are fluffier. They are great for applying any type of blush (soft, hard, sheer, medium, and heavily pigmented) effortlessly. I typically use the white goat blush brushes like the Chikuhodo Takumi T-4 and J110 when I'm in a rush and need to get out of the house asap.

Hakuhodo J110, S110

The dyed Hakuhodo B505 ($88), which I thought would be too big for blush is actually not bad size-wise. It's pretty soft when you touch it with your hands due to the squirrel mixed in, but it does feel a little prickly when used on the face. My skin is super sensitive, so I have a lower threshold for facial pain. Those of you with non-sensitive skin would love this brush for both blush and powder. It does a great job at blending blush due to the goat hairs. I tried one side with B505 and the other with the Koyudo CS blush brush and the B505 was not patchy at all. Keep in mind that the goat and squirrel mix will give you a lighter application compared to a brush made completely out of goat hair. 

Hakuhodo B505, Hourglass Radiant Magenta Blush

The limited edition Wayne Goss Air-brush ($35, WB AB from here on out) is made out of blue squirrel hair and is softer than the J110, S110, and B505. It's around the same softness as the Koyudo cs brush, but the cs feels more elastic. This is not a brush I would generally use for blush because it has absolutely no blending power. In order for it to work properly, you can use my preferred application method for flat and oval brushes: pat three times across the cheek and sweep. It's marketed as a "buffing brush" but it doesn't buff well at all due to the shape. A flat squirrel brush like this is best for setting under eye concealer, powdering small areas of the face, and maybe blurring out harsh lines if you rub it across your face enough. You sweep with this shape. I tried contouring and blending out with it and it took a lot more effort than if I had used a brush shape and hairs more suitable for that kind of work. It's a nice brush to have for petting, but not a necessity. I wouldn't compare it to the Suqqu cheek at all as the Suqqu has an oval ferrule while the WG has a flat pinched one. For reference, the WG AB and Chikuhodo Z-4 are below.

WG AB, Chikuhodo Z-4

WG AB, Chikuhodo Z-4

The Hakuhodo K008 ($57) is made out of pine squirrel and is surprisingly pretty soft! Pine squirrel is not known for its softness, usually people associate it with being the roughest out of all the squirrel hairs. The K008 is the closest brush I have to the Koyudo cs, with the head shapes being very similar, give or take an inch for length. I would dare say the softness is comparable to the Koyudo cs, but has a little less spring to it. I tried this for setting under eye concealer and blush, and it performed well for powder, but for blush it laid the pigment down and then didn't blend out easily. Just left the pigment right where I placed it after being applied and looked like there was a line (similar to how the CS applies). It took some elbow grease to blend the blush out.

Koyudo CS, Hakuhodo K008

Hakuhodo K008, Koyudo CS

Chikuhodo Z-4 ($61.20) is another close brush that I forgot I had. Mine doesn't have a perfect taper, it's lopsided and 3D shaped as you can see, but it still does a good job at blending blush out. If anything, I'd say it resembles the WG AB but without the pinched ferrule and is denser,  which means that it does a way better job at blush than the WG AB. It's a great brush for powdering smaller areas of the face as well. 

WG AB, Chikuhodo Z-4

Overall, the Koyudo cs blush brush ($111.94) is a nice collectors piece to ogle at and display, is sold on CDJapan without being limited edition (for now), and is the best type of squirrel hair I've tried for blush.

4/11/23 edit: I prefer White Canadian squirrel for the softness and gray and red squirrel for performance and finish.