Hakuhodo Brushes II

i ordered a bunch of eye brushes from Hakuhodo some weeks ago, here i want to show you the first part.
for more info on the brand as well as ordering/shipping details take a look at my previous Hakuhodo post on my Hakuhodo brush collection so far.

as always, the brushes came carefully and nicely packaged and arrived within 7-8 days.

the first delivery was those 5 eye brushes (3 more to come ;) ):

212 Highlight Brush Round

pre wash - post wash

Paula Dorf Eye Blender - Hakuhodo 212 - Hakuhodo B214BkSL - MAC227

the 212 Highlight Brush Round is a slightly bigger version of my holy grail brush for under eye concealer, the B214BkSL. it's also a round dome shaped brush made of soft Ototsuho goat hair but the hair is a bit longer and the brush head a bit thicker than my previous version (2mm in length and 1.5mm in width, to be exact). it has the same density and softness, but is thanks to the longer hair slightly fluffier, so it handles liquidy consistencies of your concealers even better than the B214BkSL. but the difference really is only minimal, so if you decide for such a shape, you could go with either brush. now i have 2 to interchange or use one for other purposes like nose-contour, specific highlights etc.
it didn't smell too much of goat, but bled a tiny bit of greyish dye in the first wash. it shed 2-3 short hairs while washing, not during usage. it's sturdy and well made just like every other of them and holds the shape pretty well. it retails for 20$.

S142 Eye Shadow Brush Round

pre wash - post wash

MAC 224 - MAC 226 - Hakuhodo S142 - Louise Young LY38 - MAC 222

the S142 Eye Shadow Brush Round is from the flagship line, the S100-Series by Hakuhodo with vermillion coated handles and 24k gold rolled brass ferrules. this particular brush has a blending/crease-brush type shape, round and very slightly tapered. it's made of ultra-soft blue squirrel hair and is dense but very flexible. it's long natural ended hair comes to a point like the MAC 226 or Louise Young LY38 brush (but those two are actually tapered), but has a slimmer belly.
it's best for placing soft crease colours and blend them at once or sheer application of very intense shadows thanks to its softness. because it's rather tapered, it's not really a blending brush but it's suited for precise blending work, like blending colours together.
the quality is great, it didn't smell at all or shed any hair. also it didn't loose the shape after washing. you should be careful with the handle, though. my other S100-brush has a small chip of the lacquer at its sharp edge from careless handling ;) (like letting it fall down or putting into the brush glass too harshly ... oops :P).
this brush costs 27$.

B532BkSL Eye Shadow Brush Round and Flat

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post wash

MAC239 - Hakuhodo G532BkSL - Paula Dorf Eye Glimmer Brush

B532BkSL Eye Shadow Brush Round and Flat remembered me of the MAC 227 from its product photos, in fact i even thought it would be just the more luxurious version of it. when it arrived i noticed that they are quite different: the MAC 227 is rather fluffy, thick and wide and is a bit like a small face brush made of goat hair, while the B532BkSL is soft and smooth because it's made of blue squirrel hair. the latter is similarly wide with the same flat squared shape but a lot thinner, denser and with more bounce. 

i use it for lid colour application, i find it grabs a medium amount of product but applies it very well. blue squirrel hair is not made for intense colour application, just because it has a very smooth surface so it doesn't hold too much product - if you want intense colour application, go for weasel or sable hair. this brush applies evenly and sheer and is soo smooth to the lid but has a good resistance to use for blending at the edges. 

it's thin enough to apply eyeshadow on the lower lashline. thanks to its size it's also pretty convenient to use for the brow bone hightlight.

it washes nicely without bleeding or shedding and holds the shape very well. it costs 27$.

Kokutan Brush T

pre wash - post wash

Sigma ss219 - MAC 219 - Hakuhodo B533BkSL - Hakuhodo Kokutan Brush T - Da Vinci 4194 - Essence Smokey Eye Brush

the Kokutan Brush T is a round dense brush with rather short blue squirrel hair which comes to a pointed tip. it reminds of a pencil brush shape but is a lot softer than the classic pencil brush (which for me would be the MAC 219). it's thicker than my other small round brushes. i use it to deepen the crease area, it's perfect for precise crease colour application. very soft but applies quite intense and blends out at once. it has the ideal size, the perfect shape and the most appropriate press point for a quick and easy definition of my crease/lid fold. i'm glad i found it!

it washes well without bleeding dye and also kept the shade after washing and didn't loose any hairs until now. it retails for 42$. the Kokutan series is made with ebony handles and exquisite hair, mostly blue squirrel (sometimes blended with synthetic fibres), but also weasel or Sokoho goat. they say the handles get a beautiful patina the more you touch it.

G515 Eye Shadow Brush CM Angled

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post wash

Hakuhodo G515 - By Terry Eye Sculpting Brush

i orderd both the By Terry and the Hakuhodo G515 Eye Shadow Brush CM Angled at the same time and wanted to try out this (to me) unusual doe foot shape. but they can't be more different!
and Hakuhodo is the definite winner - while the By Terry brush is quite dense and exactly shaped thanks to its cutted goat hair, the Hakuhodo glares with softness by its Canada squirrel hair with natural uncutted tips. this is key if you want to apply with the surface where the hair ends. the G515 is more loose and flexible than the BT Eye Sculpting Brush. i just couldn't find a good use for the By Terry brush other than brow bone highlight application because i find it so harsh to the delicate eyelid area. in my eyes, the BT brush only wins in terms of handle design.
i use the G515 for crease/above lid fold application. i would apply with its angled surface in wiping motions just above my crease. it's very delicate to my skin and makes it soo easy to achieve a nice and even (and symmetrical!!) eyeshadow shape. i like to do cat-eye or fan-eye looks with this brush because it makes it so effortless!
this brush also washed nicely (it didn't bleed dye or shed) and fortunately it kept the shade pretty well. it costs 36$. there is also a bigger version (G513 Eye Shadow LC Angled) for 42$, but since i have a rather small lid space, i went for the smaller one.

notice the Hakuhodo brushes usually have rather short handles, average about 2cm shorter than common brushes. but the Kokutan series has especially short handles, average 3-4cm shorter than your common brush.

i hope this condensed post was helpful for you - if there are still questions left unanswered, you can always message me or comment. if you need some washing tips, you can take a look at my brush care post.