Update Sunday, August 9, 2015.
Yelena Zheng of Jaywalking Birdwalking Jabberwocky who wrote the guest post Chikuhodo Z-1 versus Koyudo Fuwafuwa had requested that I post a quick comparison for Koyudo Fuwafuwa and the fu-pa14, so here it is, finally. These photos do zoom, so click on them to see a larger version.
In these photos, the Fuwafuwa was freshly washed whereas the fu-pa14 was not. But in general, the former is very slightly larger than the latter in circumference, and with hair being about 1mm longer as well. Both are the same density though. The fu-pa14 still feels a touch softer to me, that said I love them equally and I switch one off every other week to give it a rest. I'm so, so, so happy to have both ^.^
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Original post Thursday, June 18, 2015.
These are some of my most-anticipated Koyudo brushes thus far, aside from the two fan brushes which CDJapan (not affiliated) still has yet to ship. I do wonder how long the waiting list is for those? Hmm... :X
In this batch: Fuwafuwa Brush (top white box), fu-pa14 Black Handle (bottom pink box, not mine, but I had permission to take a couple of quick photos ^.^), H007 Kinoko Wood Handle (center top), H Series Macaron Pink (center bottom), fu-pa07-p, and fu-pa13-p.
- Fuwafuwa Goat Saikoho, 12,000JPY: my god this brush is just exquisite to look at, to hold, and to use! It was one of those love at first sight kind of thing -- I got the notice email from CDJapan, clicked on the link to see it, and added it straight to my cart and never looked back. I know Koyudo does much much better, as in this Goat Saibikoho 5-Piece Brush Set that goes for a jaw-dropping 300,000JPY, but since I'm not loaded this is a piece of heaven for me and I shall treasure it forever ^.^
According to CDJapan, the ferrule is brass, and the handle is made of slivers of "Ebony (black), Hard Maple (white), and Pao Rosa (red)." Holding the brush, I feel the weight of the wood handle, which has been sanded so well it's satiny to the touch.
And the saikoho hair, wow! It almost didn't feel like goat hair, that's how soft it is! Being that it's indeed goat hair, I use it for translucent powders and it just blends like a dream. Boy do I worship this brush, and yes I cannot recommend this brush enough. If you're new to Koyudo and want to try a goat and a mixed squirrel hair brush, go straight for this Fuwafuwa and the fu-pa14 and skip the rest ^.^
CDJapan already did a comparison between the Fuwafuwa vs. fu-pa14 (basically similar in size, density, and shape!), so instead I compared Fuwafuwa versus fu-pa01. The Fuwafuwa is not as dense as fu-pa01 but is way softer! Even then, perhaps Fuwafuwa and fu-pa14 don't feel as dense as fu-pa01 probably because both have much longer hair.
After washing, the Fuwafuwa poofs out to a 50% increase in circumference ^.^
- fu-pa14 Gray Squirrel & Goat, Black Handle, 9,000JPY: I've already reviewed this brush, but I thought I'd post a picture of the black handle. Handsome, isn't it? I'm so, so, so tempted to get me one also...
- H007 Kinoko Gray Squirrel & Goat Sokoho, 7,950JPY: I bought this brush to use in conjunction with fu-pa14. It's denser and larger than the Sakura022, less dense than fu-pa14 and just as soft. Love!
Here's a comparison between fu-pa14 vs. H007 Kinoko. H007's hair is about 5mm longer than the fu-pa14, which means more spring ^.^
Here's another comparison, H Series White Kinoko vs H007 Kinoko, and totally dwarfs it in all aspects with the exception of softness. Yes, H007 Kinoko is softer than White Kinoko, which is to be expected since it's gray squirrel mix.
- H Series Macaron Pink Goat, 4,800JPY: I had reservation about getting this brush, mainly because I don't know what I would use it for. But as soon as it arrived, I slapped myself silly for even doubting this gem. Yes, this is a gem and I'm shocked it's only 4,800JPY as it's worth a lot more. Because you see, it's basically a fu-pa01 with a kabuki handle being just as dense and with the same hair length. And get this - the brush head is actually larger than the fu-pa01's, somewhere between the fu-pa01 and the deka fu-pa, and way softer, just a tad below the Fuwafuwa above when it comes to softness, probably because of the density and shorter hair. You didn't expect this, didn't you? Me neither! I'm so, so, so happy I got this brush. If you like the idea of an on-the-go fu-pa01 but find it too big and clunky, take this brush with you instead! It's ideal for portability!
More comparisons among the Koyudo kabukis: H Series White Kinoko vs. H007 Kinoko vs. Macaron Pink. The Macaron Pink is the densest of all three kabukis. After washing, it poofs out to a slightly larger circumference than H007 Kinoko too.
- fu-pa07-p Goat, 5,760JPY: since I apply sunscreen powder everyday, I've been buying goat powder brushes to switch off and not wear out the brushes that I reach for over and over. This is another one of those, very soft. That said, I think the Fuwafuwa above has pretty much ruined all the fu-pas for me, even the BP013, because every time I touch them I'd think, damn, it's not as soft as...
- fu-pa13-p Goat, 5,040JPY: so this brush is a bit, umm, oddly-shaped ^.^ I bought it for use with bb creams but it feels not dense enough, and thus too soft to blend a cream. But we'll see, perhaps I'm just not used to it yet. Perhaps with time it will grow on me, but right now I'm thinking it's kind of meh...
See my previous posts:
- My Koyudo Favorites (as of end of February 2015)
18 comments:
I love your Koyudo reviews and they helped me place a massive order before the price increase. The Fuwafuwa brush hasn't interested me until your review and now I want it. I am so glad that they didn't increase the price of the macaron when they had their price increase because it has always been on my to buy list.
I also love your reviews on the UV powders, they seem to have disappeared in the last few years in the US. I just bought the Privacy one and can't wait to try it.
Hi Anonymous,
Thank you for reading and commenting. I'm so happy to know my reviews are helpful. ^.^
How do you like your brushes? Do they match/not match your expectations? Any favorites?
OMG yes definitely try the macaron brush. I can't believe I've been discounting it, and now it's one of my favorites!! And the Fuwafuwa definitely tops that favorite list. Just wow...
Oh, and tell me if you like the Privacy powder too. I have to stop myself from reaching for it so often because, well, I have to be fair to the other powders LOL
Cheers,
D.
I counted my Koyudo brushes earlier today and I have 33, which is more than I realized. I really think that they were an exceptional value for money before the price increase and now I think they are on par with Chikuhodo and Hakuhodo.
My favorite brushes are the first version of the red squirrel cheek (the others aren't as dense) and the first version of the Canadian squirrel cheek. I also think that Koyudo does black goat amazingly well. I have Hakuhodo and Chikuhodo black goat brushes and am less than impressed with. I don't even use those brushes and one of them was the expensive Chikuhodo MK-3. I also really like the C019 which I bought due to your review, it is my new favorite cream blush brush. Another brush I cannot live without is the Deka Fupa since I use it every day as my finishing brush. It really makes my makeup look seamless.
I prefer white goat eye brushes so Koyudo isn't really my favorite for those, Hakuhodo is. I don't regret any of my purchases from Koyudo, the quality of all of the brushes is exceptional. I have around 4000 Yen in CDJ points so I will see if the macaron makes the cut this next order.
Hopefully I'll get the SPF powder soon, I am sure I will love it because I can't say no to another layer of SPF.
Sorry to write a novel but I could talk brushes all day.
Hi Anonymous,
Completely agree! In fact, my humble opinion is that Koyudo brushes are of better quality than most Chikuhodo brushes and some of Hakuhodo brushes, not in the least in terms of quality versus price, even after the huge increase. Koyudo continues to lengthen my list of favorite, with the latest being the Fuwafuwa and the 2 new kinoko and macaron. I have a feeling that when my fan brushes arrive, they'll go right onto this list as well.
Interesting that you use the C019 for cream blushes. I have tried this but prefer a firmer brush for the purpose. But otherwise this brush is one of my favorites as well (too many favorites, I know... -.-").
Agree with the white goat eye brushes from Hakuhodo also! Now that I think about it, most of my favorite eye brushes are from Hakuhodo ^.^ From Koyudo I would recommend the kolinsky ones instead, perfect firmness and softness and super versatile and durable. Can't complain even if I wanted to.
And don't apologize. Go ahead, write that novel and talk brushes all day. I'll join you xD
Cheers,
D.
:D another fuwafuwa owner. How does it compare to the white kinoko? I'm thinking of getting that next but it might be redundant
Hi Yelena,
The fuwafuwa feels more luxurious due to the weighty but satiny wood handle and much much denser hair.
If you're a collector, I'd definitely recommend the white kinoko, but if you're looking for something portable, I'd really recommend the macaron, which is smaller, also with super duper dense but shorter hair, and so so very soft. The macaron's also a fraction of the white kinoko's price, so you don't feel bad taking it with you on the road and really use it :)
Hope this helps,
D.
Yes and no. Is the kinoko smaller by more than 5mm? And how does the quality of its hair compare to the fuwafuwa.
The macaroon is honestly one of the last ones on my (very) extensive to-get list because of the dye and the shortness being harder to clean and dry.
Actually, the white kinoko's hair is 5mm *longer* than the fuwafuwa's hair. However, the fuwafuwa is denser (think fu-pa14, only saikoho goat hair).
I have been silently following for awhile, and I must say, I really do enjoy your blog especially when you mention Japanese brushes.
It's nice to see a pretty thorough review of the fuwafuwa brush. In all actuality, when it was first released, I didn't really see a personal appeal to it though I found it very interesting... just like what anonymous posted.
How do you compare the Saikoho hair from the fuwafuwa to your Chikuhodo Takumi brushes in terms of softness? I noticed you generally like the hair quality of Koyudo better.
It's interesting too that you're still getting a feel of the fu-pa13p because I actually love that brush and yet I'm still trying to figure out the fu-pa 07 instead. Lol. I always use it so awkwardly that I unconsciously stay away from it.
Also, have you thought about purchasing any of the extreme sets such as the Canadian squirrel set(s)? I'm so sad because while I would love to own a "set", they're too expensive and I wouldn't use/love all of them. I'm still hoping they decide to sell some individually so people like me stand a chance.
Hi CC,
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment :)
The fuwafuwa is *softer* than all my Chikuhodo Takumi brushes. I would trade my T1 for the fuwafuwa in a heartbeat and without any regret. Yes, I very much prefer Koyudo's hair quality over that of Chikuhodo. That said, I don't own any Chikuhodo Z-series yet, so I might be eating these words later ^.^" I'm thinking of picking up a couple of the Z-series eye brushes to compare with my Koyudo squirrel hair eye brushes, so we'll see.
I need a firmer and denser brush to blend bb creams, which are generally thicker and creamier than liquid foundations, and I find the fu-pa13p too soft and not dense enough. I'm actually using the fu-pa07 for powder, and cream blushes too sometimes with just one side tip.
No way. It's a definite no for me when it comes to the extreme sets, not even as individual brushes. I see myself as a "user" and not a "collector". While I take good care of all my brushes, I also use the hell out of them, every single day, to apply at the very least sunscreen powder (I might need another fu-pa14 soon... :X). So my mentality is to "keep it real": were I to pay so much for something, I'm going to be afraid of using it to my heart's content (what if I ruin the hair, the lacquer, etc.), which totally defeats the purpose for me.
Cheers,
D.
D. as someone who has also been stalking your blog for a while and knows about your no-squirrel-because-fragile rule I would say you probably won't have to eat your words. I have both the z eye brushes. Both are very soft and the z 5 is pretty big so it's not a must have. I don't have a koyudo eye shadow paddle to compare it to though. Between the z-10 and c011 I actually do like the z 10 better only because of how I use it.... I use it to wing shadow on most days when I don't want to fuss with pencil or gel liner. I take a dark eyeshadow, pick up product, wiggle, flick and go. It's floppier than the c011 but picks up powder better so it's perfect for my shadow wing purpose but as a smudger it is worse than the c011 due to the softness.
I own the Z-1 also, and don't go for it often .... I use the fuwafuwa much more. Z-1 I use once in a while when my fuwafuwa is drying.
Hi Yelena,
I just bought the Z10 actually. Can't wait to try and wing powder shadows with it the way you do ^.^
Oh, I was thinking about picking up the Z1 too! How's the hair density in comparison to fuwafuwa? I used my fuwafuwa for sunscreen powder today. OMG luuuuuurv...
Cheers,
D.
Fuwafuwa is definitely denser or maybe it's just because the hairs on the z-1 are so much longer. That's not to say that I don't like our regret getting it is just not as good for my personally because I like buffing texture out and squirrel can't do that. Though I do feel like for powder sunscreen, the z-1 might be better for a even layer. It's floppy at the top but still has enough density in the main body to buff powder on. Being less dense, it won't eat product by trapping the particles between all the hairs. I can email comparisons pics. you'd like
Hi Yelena,
You are so kind for offering to send me pictures! Thank you so much!!!
Instead, would you like to write a guest post on my blog comparing the fuwafuwa versus Chikuhodo Z-1? Other readers might have the same questions I do and will benefit from your generous sharing of information ^.^
Just write up your post, email it to me along with your photos. You can watermark your photos if you'd like, or I will watermark them for you. Just tell me the text to watermark with (your name, your website if you have one, etc.).
Let me know what you think and I will initiate contact via your google plus.
Cheers,
D.
sounds good to me. may be you can also add you comparison of the fuwafuwa to the fupa 14. I'm very curious about that. I'm also very lazy when ti comes to watermarking (i don't do it at all XD) so if you could stamp my blog's url on that would be great :D
Hi Yelena,
Great! What's your blog? (may be spell it out so you won't get flooded with spam...)
CDJapan already did a comparison of fuwafuwa and fu-pa14 so I won't duplicate the work - http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/feature/wa_fuwafuwa
Cheers,
D.
Jaybirdwalking dot WordPress dot com
And I did see that post by cdjapan. I just didn't take it seriously because the brushes seem like they haven't been washed and dried. From all the blogs I stalked it looked like the fp14 puffed up to twice the original diameter! I'll probably get busy writing and taking pictures over the long weekend.
Thanks Yelena!
Just sent you an email and will look forward to receiving your guest post and photos.
I see. In that case, I'll do a comparison post between fuwafuwa and fu-pa14, just for you!
^.^
D.
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