First look at Hakuhodo makeup brushes – are they worth it?

Written by Jenny Wu
Jenny Wu

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  1. Ashley says:

    I didn’t know that Hakuhodo had any more affordable prices! It was great to know.

  2. I’ve never tried any of these brushes but they sound so amazing. I really need to try at least a couple of these brushes soon. Thanks for tempting me…Hehe

    Ann-Marie | http://facetocurls.com

  3. An says:

    I’m the same like you, my whole life I worked with brushes like RT and some unknown brands just because they just worked fine to me. When I came on Instagram I saw several people who invested more than 200 dollars on a Japanese brush set, say whuuut? A whole new world opened infront of my eyes. My first ‘expensive’ brush purchase was the Air brush by Wayne Goss. So happy with it and I finally can say that quality is really noticable when you pay more for your brushes. I’m not sure if I will get more japanese handcrafted brushes. All the brushes you got here look very similar to my 5 euro brushes from a small Dutch webshop haha! they are synthetic but i’m very with them!

    xx, An – http://thebeauparlour.com/

    • Jenny says:

      Oh yes, Japanese brushes can definitely cost you hundreds of dollars, especially if you go with the more expensive brands like Chikuhodo and Suqqu (I’m pretty sure 1 Suqqu brush will set you back at least $100!). I do wish these Hakuhodo brushes looked prettier, but then again, I chose to go with their basic series instead of their fancier (aka more expensive) series, so I can’t complain ????

  4. Dasynka says:

    These brushes seems amazing! And you look so pretty :)
    With love,
    Dasynka
    http://dasynka.com

  5. Kathryn says:

    Wow, it really does look like they blend super well! I’ll definitely have to look into these brushes, they seem like great high quality options. Thanks for sharing the review!

    Kathryn • simplykk.com

  6. I am so happy you shared this post, because I own quite a few of Hakuhodo brushes too and was thinking about reviewing them! I enjoy your post a lot Jenny, I have two of the brushes you have featured here and they are so amazing. I own MAC brushes and you are so right – although MAC is (strangely) more expensive, those from Hakuhodo’s own brand are much softer and are simply fab.

    Naya // http://www.partyparrotblog.com

    • Jenny says:

      Thank you for your kind comment Naya, it’s great to hear someone who has both MAC and Hakuhodo brushes confirm that the latter really is softer :) I’d love to read your review and learn more about Hakuhodo’s other brushes!

  7. Camilla says:

    I’m so glad you posted about this because they are really not as expensive as I expected! I would really like to up my eye game and like you, the real techniques are just not cutting it anymore!

    Camilla / Gracefulface.com

    • Jenny says:

      Yay, so glad my post helped! Ever since I got these I haven’t touched my Real Technique or e.l.f brushes again, definitely worth the money spent!

  8. Amy says:

    ‘Expensive as shit’ haha! These brushes sound good and you look lovely. A brand to keep an eye on!

    Amy – http://amyevans.blog

  9. These brushes sound fabulous! I really need to invest in quality brushes like these!

  10. Emily says:

    I’ve actually never heard of these brushes before but they sound pretty good! I love that you swatched them with RT brushes. I would have never though to do that! Haha. You can definitely see that these ones help transfer more pigment on to the skin. They are definitely pricey, especially that blush brush! I don’t think I own any real hair brushes, but these would definitely be the ones I’d pick up. :)

    -Emily http://www.coatandcoffee.com

    • Jenny says:

      I feel like Japanese brushes aren’t as well known, but they’ve definitely developed a cult following – for a good reason too! I figured it would be easier to see the difference on my hand and on paper, plus it’d be easier for me to photograph as well :P

      Believe it or not the cheek brush is one of their less expensive ones, many of them are over $100, which seems to be the norm for Japanese face brushes D: Thank goodness the eye brushes were much more reasonable!

  11. Marina Rosie says:

    I loved this post Jenny, honestly, these brushes sound amazing. The blush brush looks SO fluffy! I’ve stuck with my Morphe and RT brushes for quite a while so I might have to give these ones a whirl! You do look on point there Jenny, stunning! xx
    Lots of love,
    Marina Rosie xx

    • Jenny says:

      Thank you so much Marina, so glad to hear that you enjoyed this post :D These are definitely some of the fluffiest and softest brushes I’ve used so far, and I can’t recommend them enough!

  12. And now I want to try them. XD I always got the cheaper ones. I too love the Elf ones!

    • Jenny says:

      The elf ones were great when I just started wearing makeup, you can get an idea of which brushes do what and which shapes work best for your face! On the other hand, Hakuhodo brushes are definitely what I recommend when you want to upgrade your beginner brushes :)

  13. Kiran says:

    I agree although they sound great and of high quality their design is super basic and looks almost cheap I hate to say. Hopefully they come out with some more aesthetically pleasing collections, but they look like Morphe brushes so it seems unreasonable to ask for such a high price when they don’t look as good as they are? Does that make sense? But I did see a real difference with application and that is really interesting, good tools go a long way! Fantastic, in-depth review, loved it xxx

    ALittleKiran | Bloglovin

    • Jenny says:

      Thank you so much Kiran! I do agree that Hakuhodo’s J series are really basic looking, but if you want something prettier, they also have ones with vermillion handles and 24K gold ferule. The price goes up exponentially for those though!

      As much as I like beautiful packaging, for me the quality of the brushes far outweigh its appearance so I’m willing to sacrifice one for the other (though trust me, I’d love to have my cake and eat it too, for cheap, haha). But to each their own, in the end it’s whatever makes you happy! :)

  14. Shelise says:

    I’ve never heard of these brushes but I do have a few real techniques ones along with the beauty blender which I love, I must admit sometimes I just think the hair on the brush can determine its quality! These look great x

    S x | SHELISES WORLD

    • Jenny says:

      I love the beauty blender as well, it’s definitely my go-to for foundation and I don’t think a brush will ever replace that :P Totally agree with you that the hair on a brush can make a big difference, some of the cheap brushes feel so scratchy on the skin!

  15. Amy says:

    I neeeeed to try these! I am horrible about using brushes but lately I’ve become sold on how useful they can be. These look really wonderful!

    xx, Amy
    http://www.theluxilook.com

    • Jenny says:

      These are definitely some of the best makeup investments I’ve made, especially since if taken care of, a brush can pretty much last forever? Or at least a really, REALLY long time! :D

  16. Samantha says:

    I’ve never given much thought to brushes – until last year or so, I was using my fingers for my foundation *GASP*. Then I got a ton of bareMinerals brushes and I’m still figuring out what to use for what (but from my inexperienced eyes, they are great so far). Love that these are so affordable though; all the ones I see are sooo expensive, Japanese or not.

    Sam | My Beauty Cloud

    • Jenny says:

      Aw I totally get where you’re coming from, to tell the truth I still use finders for my foundation sometimes, especially when I’m feeling lazy :P It’s crazy how expensive some brushes can get, so it’s awesome when you can find something reasonable and still works well!

  17. Girrl I’ve been wanting to try their brushes for ages because I always hear good things. You’re right though, expensive as shit definitely comes to my mind when I think of Japanese brushes, which has stopped my from buying them. I’m still using ELF and Real Techniques with some MAC ones, but I do want to invest in some really good quality brushes soon. I know where to start looking :)

    xx
    Nida | Caked To The Nines

    • Jenny says:

      I can’t speak to the other Japanese brushes but these definitely live up to their hype and so much more affordable than say Chikuhodo or other brands! You’ll definitely notice a difference, especially coming from ELF brushes :P

  18. Cat L. says:

    Jenny, you sold me on the J series!!! I can’t believe how reasonably priced these are and I agree with you 110%: the right makeup tools make a world of difference. I need to set aside some time to peruse their online store and pick some of these up! Great post! I remember seeing your unboxing on Instagram Story and was hoping you would do a post about these as well! And by the way, you look absolutely stunning in that selfie! If these brushes can make me look as flawless as you do, sign me up! Pronto!

    ~ Cat L.
    http://www.CatsDailyLiving.com

    • Jenny says:

      Thank you so much for your sweet comment Cat! The more I use my brushes the more I love them, they really are one of the best makeup investments I’ve ever made. I would love to see which ones you pick up (if you end up buying that is) and how you use them, because you create some of the most beautiful makeup looks ever!

  19. Nina says:

    I’ve never tried any of these brushes but they sound amazing.

    Nina’s Style Blog

  20. Dammit, dammit, dammit….why are you doing this to me?! Shireen, calm down, you have tons of good brushes, deep breath. ????

    No bueno, all the chanting and kumbaya, whatever yoga thing is not working…I need to get my hands on at least a couple of these brushes. It took me a long time to click on this post because I know I will be tempted and you know what? I am bloody tempted. You’re right about one thing though, the eye brushes in this J-series is cheaper than Wayne Goss and I already have my eyes on three of them. ????????

    • Jenny says:

      So I totally LOLed at your kumbaya comment, and er, I will make it up to you by posting about things I don’t like in my next post? It’s been a while since I’ve ranted about things so it’ll be good to get it out of my system, haha

      You know what, I was actually looking at Wayne Goss’ eye brushes too before I stumbled upon Hakuhodo, and then well, you know the rest of the story. Seriously though, no regrets, maybe except for that $30 brush that has been sitting pristinely in my brush holder. I WILL FIND A PURPOSE FOR IT IF IT’S THE LAST TIME I DO.

      • When you find the use of that brush then please let me know? I have a similar one from Sigma that honestly I struggle to find what to do with it. I probably end up using it for art and craft with my 3 year old. The makeup brush God might strike me though. ???? And yes, I love rants and negative reviews! What can I say, I’m a cranky old woman or at least I’m heading that way as my husband repeatedly told me.

        • Jenny says:

          Err, so I tried using it for my outer v, and it’s not bad if I want a more smokey/smudged look. I still won’t use it as much as the other 4 but at least it’s not totally useless now? ????

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