Hakuhodo G543 and Koyudo H011

I saw the Hakuhodo G543 a long time ago and I was incredibly tempted but I wanted to read more reviews before I order it, unfortunately there aren’t many reviews of it so I had to take the risk…

I also wanted to compare this Hakuhodo G543 with the Koyudo H011 that looks very similar, both are short-hair kabukis meant for powder and liquid foundation.
Sometimes, like today, I feel frustrated because I cannot find the right technique, the one that will really tell you if these brushes are really good and why… These two brushes are totally outside my comfort zone, I am trying to review them for you today, but let’s say that today is just the beginning of a series of testing and experimenting with a follow up review later on.

The Hakuhodo G543 costs 94 Usd, is made of Sokoho goat hair.

The Koyudo H011 costs 65 Usd and is made of goat hair.

They both look divine and I hope the pictures make you want to touch them
They are soft, extremely good quality, I will try to give you a closer look to each one of them.

This is a view from the top, you can see how densely packed they are :

Another view where you can see the density of both brushes :

The Koyudo H011

It’s made with goat hair, softer than the Hakuhodo G543, very fine hair, longer and with more flexibility than the Hakuhodo. The hair length is 2.2cm, really soft as silk, which can be good or less good depending on how you will use it. I was never expecting it to be so silky, when I ordered it I was looking for a similar brush as the Rae Morris Radiance but the hair is completely different.

The first time, I have tried this brush dry but with liquid foundation,  it’s so dense that for me it’s difficult to control the application. Even if I first apply the foundation roughly with my fingertips, then I blend with this brush, still not easy to have an even coverage but I think the problem is also me, I have to tell you that I am having a lot of problems mastering these brushes and it’s going to take me some time…

The second time, I tried to use it very slightly damped and with liquid foundation. Better. The coverage is even, compared to a blending done with a dry brush, it’s more dewy, it doesn’t emphasize my facial hair so much and you can clearly see that the foundation is not sitting on the skin, it’s a natural coverage but it takes me some time to complete the application, mainly because it’s new for me and I am not used to this technique at all.

The third time, I used it with mineral powder foundation, swirl then tap the excess off, then apply with a stippling motion and buff. I did not like the result, too drying for my super dry skin, not flattering for me at all. I did not even try to go to heavier than sheer coverage because I could see that the result was not dewy at all and I did not like it.

Bottom line : I prefer when the brush is slightly wet and the great thing about that is that you can wash your brush and use it just afterwards (you just need to gently dry it with a towel), no need for it to completely dry in between each usage. My problem is that I am not  used to this technique, it reminds me of the Beauty blender sponge, it too time consuming.

I have to keep on trying again, unfortunately I cannot say today if I really love it or not. I will need more time but I will keep you updated on my progress, if by any chance you have found some reviews or you have any other recommendations for me, or ideas, please let me know !

The Hakuhodo G543

This is such a funny brush, it’s so tiny, the hair length is 1,8 cm. Much denser than the Koyudo, it’s so densely packed that I did not know if and how I could use it on my dry skin. The Non-Blonde loves it, but I am actually still wondering how to use it properly

The first time, I tried it dry, with liquid foundation. Did not like it, again too time consuming and I was feeling that the foundation was sucked inside the head before I could have enough transferred on my skin… Need to try again though…

The second time, I tried it wet, with foundation. Much better. It becomes softer and more flexible when damped and I tried it with a stippling motion, the result is dewy, the foundation does not sit on the skin and it doesn’t emphasize my facial hair…  this is important for me with the quantity I have –  spanish roots :p

The third time I tried it with powder, it’s just not appropriate for my dry skin at all. Not meant for me.

Bottom line : I need to keep on trying again and again until I find the perfect technique !

You can see the size difference with other similar kabukis :

If you wonder where the Fu-pa02 comes from, I can tell you that it could come from this Hakuhodo G543 and the Koyudo BP013 :

You probably already know the Koyudo FuPa-02, it’s a gorgeous brush, very unique and amazing for liquid foundation. It really looks like it has both Hakuhodo G543 and Koyudo BP013 DNA. The density of the FuPa-02 is exactly in between these two, same for the softness, same for the size.

I have to tell you that today I have tried the Koyudo BP013 for the first time, it’s the kind of brushes that when you see it, you don’t realize the potential but I had the feeling I had to order it, so insanely happy I did !

I tried it with the Mac Mineralize foundation, it’s a thick cream formula. I am not often impressed like I was today : a match made in heaven. Exactly what I was looking for, in terms of coverage, ease of application, flawless finish. I ran outside with my mirror to double check the result, I was speechless ! This is it ! The brush I was looking for for my Mac Mineralize foundation, I am in my third “pot” but it doesn’t contain that much actually.

Before I was using the Sigma F80 and the coverage was a bit too obvious and thick so I was in the hunt for the perfect brush made for this foundation that gave me enough coverage with a comfortable wear. Mission accomplished

It has a little sister, the Koyudo BP014 that is good to have for the corners of the nose or smaller zones, together they are the best army.

This is a picture with many other similar shaped brushes, the Koyudo BP016 is not made for foundation but it’s an excellent blush brush, softer than the BP013.

Here the Koyudo BP013 on the left, the Fu-Pa02 in the middle and the Koyudo BP014 on the right :

The hair of the BP013 is not soft like the Tom Ford bronzer or the FuPa-02, is a bit more coarser but in a “good way” coarser, delivers a fantastic result, I had enough coverage (sheer to medium) without looking like I had foundation on at all !

The hair of the Koyudo FuPa-02, you can see it’s thinner and softer :

The Tom Ford bronzer brush is even much thinner and softer :

I am so happy that I have this BP013, an incredible fantastic surprise ! of course the surprise is even bigger when you don’t have high expectations…

About the Koyudo H011 and the Hakuhodo G543, I am not disappointed but I need to work with them a lot more, I will update this post when and if my experience with these two brushes evolves…