Hakuhodo Haulage

I used to read Delicate Hummingbird religiously (and am gutted she no longer posts regularly, though her blog is still a phenomenal resource). I always marvel at her super lush looking brushes, particularly the Hakuhodo. But it wasn't until I stumbled across their promo video and just drooled over the care that they put into those brushes that I knew I had to own some (their marketing department totally got me, I hate when that happens!). My brother, most fortuitously, now resides in Tokyo, so I expect an entire carry-on of brushes on your return home, bro!

I ordered three brushes, the large pointed Yachiyo (a dupe of the NARS yachiyo), the S121G eyeshadow brush and the 212 Highlight brush (a favorite of delicatehummingbird herself). The order arrived very quickly and was shipped from a distribution center or HQ in Beverly Hills (no 2-week international shipping here).

The large pointed Yachiyo is wonderful and I use it regularly when applying pigmented blushes (Nars Exhibit A and Sunday Riley Intimate immediately come to mind). I find that it is quite easy to clean and, though I have had some shedding, I have not had any issues with the woven handle.

The Yachiyo compared to two others brushes in my collection: MAC 138 (left) and MAC 116 (right)

The highlighter brush surprised me, insofar as I find it terrible for highlighter but wonderful for setting powders. It is beautifully dense and absolutely perfect for bouncing powder onto the under eye area. I use the Le Metier de Beaute powder in Refresh and find that this brush gives the under eye area a natural finish, whereas other brushes often deposit too much powder and make me look crepey or cakey.

This brush is very similar in shape to a wickedly cheap Sonya Kashuk dupe which I've had forever, but is not even remotely comparable in quality. I find that the Hakuhodo brush is so much denser, that powder just sits perfectly on the tip of the brush. The Kashuk brush splays a bit more when used and I find that it just pushes product around.

The S121G eyeshadow is the most beautiful brush I have ever owned. I am absolutely smitten with that hot vermilion handle - if I could justify it, I would  throw all of my brushes away and have a set just of these. Unfortunately... this is one of my least favorite and least used brushes. I find that the brush is just thismuch too big for my lid, thismuch too tapered, thismuch too floppy, to be a good brush for me. I now only use this brush with my Giorgio Armani ETK pots to create a very sheer wash of color. Otherwise, it's a trophy brush that just looks gorgeous in my brush holder.

Here is the S121G compared to a SE MAC 227, Sonya Kasuk shader, and MAC 239. As you can see, I own nothing remotely similar.

After many months of use, I can say with certainty that theYachiyo and highlighter brushes travel EVERYWHERE with me - they have become absolute staples in my modest brush collection. For the price, the Yachiyo is only slightly the choice over the Nars version ($48 over $50, Hakuhodo prices have sky-rocketed with production cost increases). But, I'd pick the Hakuhodo for the white goat hair, since it won't discolor your face like some dyed brushes are wont to do. If you're intrigued about the brand and considering an order, you won't do too badly with either choice.

xx
K