Love for Brushes

[AMK721]

I'm developing a love for brushes of all kinds.  I bought a few higher end brushes and they are amazing.  They are incredibly soft and my makeup glides on like a dream.  There are so many interesting shapes. I am really interested in creating a beautiful brush collection.  Show your brushes and share any cleaning and storage tips and let us know which ones are your favorites.

[Mochapj]

No problem @Cahlee.  I'm not even from the US but I completely understand 😞

I am hoping they will add more to the link - on your promo from IG one of the tags says CDJ 'originals' but I don't think I saw any of those, so maybe there are still things to come 🙂

[Cahlee]

@Mochapj Bad news 😞 , the brushes found currently on the sale page are the only brushes that will be part of the sale. CdJapan updated their Instagram description to clarify. 

[blackkitty2014]

I'm sad. The giant mushroom brush is not on sale. 😞 I think I will get the Edna and BP16. I love fu-pa14 so much that I need to have the 2nd one. I kicked myself for passing the 20% off yrs ago when the Edna only 6000 yen full price. I'm still bitter about it lol

[dioradict]

@blackkitty2014 - The Sale just went live 😉

[blackkitty2014]

Thx you @dioradict. 🙂 I didn't realize the mushroom brush is also on sale until after I hit order. I might have to just don't think and order the mushroom one 🙂 Tag @DiVWA, just in case you're interested 

[dioradict]

@blackkitty2014 You are welcome :). What is the mushroom brush called? I am thinking of fu-pa 14 back up now **decisions ** 😉

[blackkitty2014]

White kinoko (mushroom). Here it is @dioradict. I paid about $110 yrs ago. It is 8800 yen now. It is a good deal 😉 I got myself a fu-pa Edna 😉 and couple others.

[dioradict]

Thanks @blackkitty2014. This looks nice 🙂 I want to get the Gray Squirrel mushroom one but may want to compare with this and decide 😄

[blackkitty2014]

I'm such a sucker for kabuki brush. I have the grey squirrel mushroom in my cart for the longest time. I think it is a bit smaller than the white mushroom and bigger than the H005 which I also love. I use my kabuki brush with meteorites 😉 it is hard to choose.

[Mochapj]

Aww poop! 😞

Oh well. I guess I should be glad I already have the ones I wanted that are included in the sale. 

[vhm333]

This is dangerously exciting. Do you have any specific recommendations @Cahlee? I have a decent mix of hakuhodo, chikuhodo, suqqu, surratt, wayne goss and tom ford brushes as far as Japanese brushes go. 

I hear koyudu brushes are even softer if that's possible so I'm curious about that.I have very sensitive skin and most brushes will irritate me slightly. My Z-1 felt slightly scratchy today which was odd, but I think my skin was having that kind of day.

On the other spectrum do they have a decent selection of goat brushes as well?

Your brush pictures were gorgeous. I got into brushes far more than makeup and I love the information in this thread. You and @Mochapj have become my ultimate brush resource. Thank you both! 

[Cahlee]

Hello! Sorry for taking a while to get back to you. I wanted to be wide awake when I answered and I needed to feel up some of my brushes before I responded. I have noticed of all my squirrel brushes my Surratt and Suqqu brushes tend to be the softest. The feel of the overall hair is very close in all of the brushes, however the hair near the ferrule is the main difference. So I guess the difference is caused by the changing methods of production (although I can't pinpoint what they would be). I have noticed that Chikuhodo often has bristles toward the base near the ferrule which are less soft and a little more stiff. Generally they aren't so much of an issue, but when the brush is being used and bent too much near the base you begin to feel them. The softer brushes that I own from Koyudo are all paddle shaped brushes. For whatever reason paddle brushes tend to have less of those less soft hairs near the ferrule. If you're looking for soft brushes I would highly recommend Koyudo's flat paddle brushes for the aforementioned reason. Especially BP019 (grey squirrel), or BP017 (pine squirrel). Both are perfect sizes for blush or perhaps even targeted powder placement (more so the BP019 for the second). If you're looking for something like goat the pine squirrel brush would be perfect. It's almost as soft as the BP019 but it has some of the resiliency of goat hair. The BP019 is a little more floppy and airy versus the BP017 which has some more sturdiness to it. Both of those brushes are going to be apart of the sale. Another brush I would recommend would be the white kinoko mushroom brush. This brush is made of goat and it does some have some of the rougher hairs around the base, however, it's so wide and fluffy that generally you won't encounter them. It's a great brush and will be apart of the sale. It's grey squirrel counter part will not be apart of the sale however, I would say it's worth the splurge as it is very soft even near the base. The fuwafuwa brush will also be apart of the sale. Aside from a beautiful collection worthy handle the hair itself is relatively soft. It's a little more dense and is not comparable to grey squirrel or Saibikoho hair however, it's great for blending out mistakes. Another brush I recommend for these purposes is the Fu-pa 14. This brush is grey squirrel but as it's much denser than any of the aforementioned squirrel brushes it looses some of it's softness. Still a great choice but something to think of if you have particularly sensitive skin.

As for myself, I have an equal mix between goat and squirrel. I use a mixture between liquid and powder products on my face which varies on the day. For that reason I find myself having a synthetic or goat counterpart for my squirrel brushes. The only sensitive areas on my face are my eyes and right around my nostrils. Everything else on my face can handle a variety of hairs very well. Since you have sensitive skin I would suggest some synthetic brushes. Both Marc jacobs and Artis have some awesome selections. Otherwise, stay far away from any brush using goat that is any grade lower than saikoho unless you need a rougher brush or the brush is not dense. 

Always happy to help. It gives me a reason to play with some brushes that are currently being neglected 🙂

[vhm333]

@Cahlee oh wow! I'm so sorry, I'm still figuring out this notifications business. Thank you so much for such a thorough reply. 

I'm going to look into all those suggestions! I love the Marc Jacobs brushes already - I've been wondering about the Artis ones. They seem a bit awkward but they're def intriguing. 

That's a very interesting point about paddle vs. other brushes and scratchier bristles near the base. I'm going to play around with different application methods and see if it makes a difference. 

You're incredibly helpful - thank you again. 

[blackkitty2014]

Yes yes yes 100x yes! 

[Meesh123]

Has anyone tried Laura Geller brushes? There's a sample sale in nyc and they are selling double ended brushes for $2 each! It's certainly cheap but I don't want to buy a bunch if they aren't that great. 

[Mochapj]

VISAGEUSA (a US distributor of Chikuhodo) is having a sale until the 31st:

Now through  October 31 , 2016   (PDT)  to take advantage of our Fall Celebration Offer:  15% off  on your CHIKUHODO purchases of $80.00 (USD) or more.*  (use code  FALLSPECIAL2016 ), or complimentary shipping on all purchases of $60 or more (use code  Fall2016 ).* Both offers are valid now through October 31th, 2016 (PDT) . 

[AMK721]

Thank you for letting us know about the sale @Mochapj!

[Mochapj]

This year's Chikuhodo Noel brush sets.

Spoiler

Violet:
Powder Brush (gray squirrel, sokoho)
Highlight Brush (saikoho)
Eyeshadow (ash squirrel)

Azur:
Powder (gray squirrel)
Cheek (gray squirrel, sokoho)
Eyeshadow (squirrel, weasel)
Eyeshadow (Canadian squirrel)
Eyebrow (water badger)
Lip (weasel)

[AMK721]

These are beautiful brush sets!  I'm thinking about getting another eyeshadow brush (or 2) and maybe another crease brush.  I can easily go overboard with getting more brushes then I need.

[Mochapj]

Just an FYI - these Chiku sets are available for preorder at CD Japan now.

[michelle164]

so tempted by the violet set ....