Koyudo Brushes Part XII

After declaring I'd skip the rest of the Koyudo Somell Garden Collection, I ended up going back for the Somell Garden Kinomi Series instead. While I wasn't too keen on the "fruity" dyed goat hair in the original Somell Garden brushes, I really liked the dark walnut handles in the Kinomi Series. After all, this walnut handle was the reason I picked up Somell Garden Lemon x Walnut Face Brush. In addition, I got a retractable lip brush from the M Portable Series, because it was about time I own one or two ^.^

Somell Garden (top) versus Somell Garden Kinomi (bottom).

Screencraps from CDJapan Instagram feed.

In this batch, from left to right: Somell Garden Kinomi Series Almond Powder, Macadamia Eyeshadow, and Pistachio Lip Liner/Concealer (I skipped the Hazel Foundation because it's polyester), and M Portable Series M015 Silver.

Koyudo Brushes Part XI

Spent the last of my CDJapan points (not affiliated) on these Koyudo brushes, because I just can't stay away from Koyudo no matter how hard I tried. I got a backup of fu-pa01, the Soft Version, a Flat Top Kabuki Brush, and indulged in one Somell Garden Lemon x Walnut Face Brush.

Koyudo Brushes Part X

After picking up some small eyebrow brushes, I thought I was done with Koyudo. Boy was I wrong, because they went and released this wicked handsome Japanese Cherry Birch Mizume-zakura Series.

From left to right: Face Brush, Blush Brush, and Large, Medium, and Small Eye Shadow Brushes.

'Tis the Season of Giving - Makeup Brushes

Updated Friday, February 24, 2017.

Last several brushes to go for charity!

I started buying brushes around the beginning of 2014, and since then some have become my daily go-to's and others haven't been touched. I've stopped buying brushes I think I need--I now know what I need and only buy those. So here's to hoping someone else might find the below brushes useful. 

IMPORTANT:

1. All sales are final. No returns or exchanges.

2. All proceeds will go to charity:

- The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). See their ratings.

- The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). See their ratings.

- Doctors Without Borders, aka (MSF, Médecins Sans Frontières). See their ratings.

3. Paypal payments in USD only.

ORDERING DETAILS:

1. To order, please leave a comment and spell out your email address (to avoid spam). I will contact you privately.

2. All orders will be sent via USPS Flat-rate boxes with tracking and insurance. I hold no responsibilities for lost packages.

3. Shipping fee varies.

- Domestic: Small ($6.80), Medium ($13.45), Large ($18.75).

- International: we'll work something out privately.

4. My home is smoke and pet-free.

5. This is how I care for my natural-hair brushes.

6. All brushes will be washed before sending. Please allow 3 days for thorough air-drying. If you prefer to do your own washing, please let me know.

7. These brushes have been wrapped in custom brush rolls and stored in drawers, in a dry and cool corner of my bedroom. 

Photos are *not* current--they were taken when the brushes were first bought. Click on images to zoom. Follow links for more photos and reviews.

Koyudo Brushes Part IX

Along with the Chikuhodo wide eyebrow brushes, I also bought a few more smaller brows brushes from Koyudo.

In this batch: Black Angle Brow Brush, BP045, and C013.

Koyudo Brushes Part VIII

Yes, more Koyudo brushes. But we're nearing the end of my Koyudo collection, save for one last hurrah that I'll guest-post for Yelena's blog. So stay tuned ^.^

Anyway, by last hurrah I mean I've gone through my wishlist for Koyudo, unless they come out with another fantastic release like the Fuwafuwa *wink* I have a set of brushes that I use daily for a whole week, then I switch off to another set, then another, and so on. The brush set is for daytime makeup routine, which includes a mineral sunscreen powder all over the face, filling in the brows with brow powder, eye base, a sheer wash of shadow below the crease, blushes, and lipstick applied directly from the tube.

Which means this daily daytime brush set must include:
1. A super dense powder brush to buff on sunscreen powder: Koyudo Fuwafuwa, H007 Kinoko, H-series Macaron, fu-pa07, BP013, BP022, H-series White Kinoko, fu-pa14, fu-pa01, and fu-pa02 -- notice these are all Koyudo brushes! All my other powder brushes are too fluffy and "light weight" and are better at finishing than buffing.  
2. A cheek brush
3. An eyebrow brush, preferably slanted
4. A medium eyeshadow brush

For nighttime, I just freshen up the powder and blush, or if I hadn't apply makeup that day then I do the whole bb cream and sunscreen powder routine. Then I layer on more eye shadows primarily the medium crease shades and liners, and wear a more pigmented lip color. This is where all the other brushes come in, those for bb cream, finishing, highlighting, lay-down, lining, etc. So yeah, my brushes get lots of use, and I try to buy different brushes to switch off with.

In this batch: FPr001, FPr002, Pr002, Pr003, Pr010, and WPr002.

Koyudo Brushes Part VII

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.

Guest Post: Chikuhodo Z-1 versus Koyudo Fuwafuwa

After my last Koyudo post, I had an interesting discussion with Yelena Zheng of Jaywalking Birdwalking Jabberwocky on the subject of the Koyudo Fuwafuwa. I had wondered how it would compare to something like the Chikuhodo Z-1. Yelena owns both and kindly offered to send me comparison pictures, but being shamelessly demanding I asked her to write a guest post instead. So here I present to you Yelena's post. Be sure to click on the photos to zoom!

Thank you so, so, so much, Yelena, for being so generous with your time and for sharing with us all this thorough post, complete with pictures! 

Brush Comparisons

...for a few of my brushes, just to see how the different sizes compare ^.^ There are a few others but I'm saving them for the next post in this comparison series. Also, I'm sticking within the same brand for now and will do cross-brand comparisons later.

Keep in mind that despite these comparisons, each brush is handmade, and therefore yours may differ a little (or a lot, as in the case of Chikuhodo G-03 below) with mine.

From left to right: Chikuhodo Artist 12-2 Pine Squirrel/Weasel, 12-5 Canadian Squirrel, and 12-6, G-03, and G-04, all Gray Squirrel. 

Koyudo Brushes Part VI

Yes, more Koyudo brushes ^.^ These are some of the brushes I bought right before the price increase took place. The prices listed below are new prices, so I feel like a bandit having made off with a loot xD Anyway, after taking these pictures they all went into my summer wash (right picture), which included all brushes purchased before July 2014. 

In this batch, from left to right: BP013, BP018, BP022, Red Blush, Red Shader, and Red Angled Brow. 

My Koyudo Favorites

Now that I got the newest Koyudo brushes out of the way, I present to you a list of my Koyudo favorites, just in case you are considering slipping in an order before the new prices take effect. It goes without saying that these are my personal favorites, and my taste probably differ vastly from yours so weigh your decisions carefully.

I will list the brushes in order of the collection and then model number. Click on the brush name to see more pictures and reviews. There are several without photos and reviews. Those brushes aren't here yet, which means I haven't actually used them yet. However, I listed them here anyway - I bought them because I already own the smaller/larger version and love it, or I'm almost certain I will love them.

For each brush, I will also list the current as well as the upcoming new price in Italics, as it may help to see which can wait and which cannot. That said, keep in mind the new prices are inclusive of Japanese sales tax, so the CDJapan price may be a tad lower, though not much so don't hold your breath =.=.

FU-PA COLLECTION
- fu-pa01 Goat Sokoho, 4,457 => 5,961JPY


- fu-pa02 Goat Hakutotsuho, 3,505 => 4,665JPY

Koyudo Brushes Part V

Okay, I didn't intend to review these newer Koyudo additions until much later but an anonymous reader left a comment asking me about my Koyudo favorites, so she/he can hurry and get her order in before the crazy price increase. I do share her/his sentiment, having put in a huge order myself yesterday T.T

And before I post a list of my favorites, I figured I should review these first. So sorry to overload you with brushes for the past week, but here are more of my most recent Koyudo acquisitions. All prices listed are current, as the new prices won't go into effect until March 2, 2015.

Brushes in this batch:
- Left photo: BP020, BP040, Sakura022, Red Large Shader, Black Large Shader, Black Medium Shader, and Black Small Shader.
- Right photo: Brush Stand Pouch, H Series White Kinoko, and fu-pa14 Ena White Series.

Koyudo Price Increase!

So I'm trying really hard not to panic, but alas I am. Folks, tragedy abound - I just learned today Koyudo will raise their prices by as much as 40% for many items starting March 2, 2015!!! Actually, the new prices are already effective in Japan. Click on the Koyudo JP link below to go to their official Japanese website =O.O=

See this official notification on CDJapan's website. 

***All screenshots from CDJapan (not affiliated!!!) and Koyudo JP.

Why such a drastic hike on prices? Well, I can think of a couple of reasons:

- Demand, demand, demand! Since stumbling onto Koyudo a couple of years ago, the Koyudo brand recognition has grown enormously thanks to bloggers like Sweet Makeup Temptation. I'm so happy for Koyudo and they're finally getting the recognition they deserve, after all their brushes are no less quality than Hakuhodo or Chikuhodo. At the same time, higher recognition means higher demand and guess who pays the higher prices? US. Yup, you and me.

- Japan is in a recession, and the yen really weak against the dollar right now, hanging at around 120JPY per USD1. Just for some perspectives, when I was in Japan back in 2012, the yen was at its strongest, at around 80JPY per USD1! 

Koyudo Brushes Part IV

Even more Koyudo brushes!!! Over the holidays my sister gave me her CDJapan points and so I treated myself to some Koyudo. Because, well, it's Koyudo! xD

So as I mentioned in my previous Chikuhodo post, that after the third repeat of the quick notes I'd stop so I'm just going straight to the brushes in this post. 

Brushes in this batch, from left to right: BP014, BP025, BP026, BP027, BP029, and BP046.

Koyudo Brushes Part III

Yes, more Koyudo brushes ^.^ I love them!

Quick notes for this batch: 

1. As usual, all brushes were photographed pre-wash. Unlike the Hakuhodo brushes, the smaller Koyudo eye shadow brushes are starched, which means measurements are totally off for those. I did take post-wash pictures for those. 

2. Despite some brushes being starched in the pre-wash photos, for visual folks like me a seeing is still better than nothing. CD Japan isn't too great about pictures and measurements of the Koyudo brushes.  

3. Again, cameras don't have the same depth-perception as our eyes. Measurements are only estimates and not so much engineer-precise, plus the starching of the brushes.

4. Brushes are listed by collection, then model number. 

Brushes in this batch, from left to right: BP002, BP034, fu-pa10-p, fu-pa11-p, Pr004, and Pr005.

Koyudo Brushes Part II

A few more Koyudo brushes to show you ^.^ No fu-pas this time although I'm saving my points up for them!

Quick notes for this batch: 

1. All brushes were photographed pre-wash. Unlike the Hakuhodo brushes, the smaller Koyudo eye shadow brushes are starched, which means measurements are totally off for those. I don't mind taking post-wash pictures, but it means lengthy delays and whatnot.

2. Despite some brushes being starched in the pre-wash photos, for visual folks like me a seeing is still better than nothing. CD Japan isn't too great about pictures and measurements of the Koyudo brushes.  

3. Again, cameras don't have the same depth-perception as our eyes. Measurements are only estimates and not so much engineer-precise, plus the starching of the brushes.

4. Brushes are listed by collection, then model number. 

5. I broke my no-squirrel rule for this batch too ^.^

Brushes in this batch, in order as pictured from left to right: BP016, BP024, BP033, and BP044.

Koyudo Brushes

Koyudo (晃祐堂) was established in 1979, only five years after Hakuhodo. But while Hakuhodo has reached worldwide recognition Koyudo is much lesser known, though they are surely getting there now thanks to fans like Sonia at Sweet Makeup Temptations. Sonia is the probably best online resource for Koyudo brushes, or just makeup brushes in general - she's a serious collector with an amazing collection! Go do some browsing on her blog if you're curious, but be forewarned you will get a lethal case of lemming!

Funny enough, it was from my sister that I learned about Koyudo. She didn't know I was looking for makeup brushes, but she does know I'm the free skincare/cosmetic dispenser of the family. So one day while browsing for anime goods on CD Japan (not affiliated) she stumbled across Koyudo's collections and promptly forwarded it to me. I did a google search for Koyudo, found Sonia and Sweet Makeup Temptations, and that was that. 

Unlike Hakuhodo now with an official USA online shop as well as a showroom and store in Torrance, California, CD Japan is the only online source for Koyudo brushes outside of Japan. My sister and I have been placing numerous orders and CD Japan is quite reliable. The only terrible thing they do is having this excellent point reward system. Couple that with the occasional promotions like extra or double points, or the campaign that ran last winter for 20% off all Koyudo fu-pa collection, which was a major piggie bank destroyer!

Brushes in this batch, in order as pictured from left to right: fu-pa01, fu-pa02, BP039, BP043, C008, C010, C011, and C019.