Hi folks! Hope you've been well and looking forward to the new season (yay for spring down-under!). I've just become a new mum(!!), so apologies for being MIA. I've got so much to share in terms of new autumn collections, fave hair care products and makeup remover, but I just haven't had the time. Hopefully, I shall start getting them up over the coming weeks - maybe not all unfortunately, but at least a few *fingers crossed*. In the meantime, I thought I'd quickly share one of the latest and exciting products to have arrived at Indigo Kir Royale HQ and my first impressions of them. It is the Sakura (Brush) Collection by Chikuhodo and Beautylish. The first time these were released, they'd sold out pretty much instantly, so I was lucky to be able to pre-order the next time they'd restocked. They only just arrived recently after some delay. They appear to be out of stock again, but you can sign up for an email notification once they restock again. So do that if you are interested!
I'm already a fan of Shiseido, Hakuhodo and particularly Suqqu Japanese brush brands (you can do a search for these on my blog for reviews - see reviews here and here for example). This is my first venture into the Chikuhodo brand, which is quite popular among makeup brush lovers, so I'm thrilled to finally try them.
Here's a little something about the brand:
From its humble beginning of creating paint brushes for doll manufacturers, the Kumano, Japan–based Chikuhodo has built a reputation as one of the most respected makeup brush makers in the world. Every single brush is handmade over the course of a week, passing through more than 100 artisans and 60 steps. The result: the softest brushes your skin has ever felt, which are also expertly designed to make your favorite products work even better.
THE BRUSH SET
This limited edition collaboration between Chikuhodo and Beautylish features five exquisite brushes – designed by us and handcrafted in Japan.The set features:
A Powder brush, made of Saikoho goat hair and gray squirrel. Perfect for contouring, highlighting, and applying a setting powder. The soft angle allows you to emphasize your most flattering facial features without disturbing your foundation.
A Cheek brush made from the hair of gray squirrel. It is designed to work with your favorite blush or highlighting powders.
A Crease brush made from the hair of blue squirrel. The unique shape makes it easy to blend the perfect smoky eye while the precise tip allows you to get deep into the crease.
A Shader brush made from the hair of blue squirrel. The soft edge of the brush is curved and dense enough to deposit and shade your favorite cream or powder shadows.
A Detail brush made from the hair of fitch. It is the ultimate detail brush. The precision tip is ideal to blend the smallest kohl liner or create the perfect lash line. It can also be used for applying concealer, lip color, or adding a highlight to the corner of your eye!
Above (from bottom): Powder brush, Cheek brush, Crease brush, Shader brush and Detail brush.
Above: the black lacquer handles with exquisite, floral art work in metallic paint.
Below: The set also comes with a small Chikuhodo pouch that you can easily wipe clean with a damp cloth. It has a velcro closure. There's also a bigger, zip pouch from Beautylish in black, which I can see using as a makeup case (pictured in the first two photos above).
Below: the Chikuhodo Detail Brush - with a very short and pointed brush shape, which is unique in my brush collection.
BRUSH COMPARISON PHOTOS
OVERALL
I'm very impressed with the quality of these brushes so far. The set contains the basics and essentials you would need on your dressing table and on-the-go. However, I will say that I personally prefer a more rounded fluffy eye blending brush than the very pointy crease brush for my everyday use and my larger, rounded eye lid space. Otherwise, I think that it's great for more precise, crease work, or for those with smaller eye lids or monolids. The detail brush is an interesting one and is a great multi-purpose, precise brush. There's no doubt most of the brushes in this set will join my everyday staples. I reckon these brushes are on par with Suqqu in terms of softness and quality, but are denser. Simply beautiful. Chikuhodo is a luxury brand, but Suqqu is a lot more expensive in comparison (probably around 30% more expensive) and Suqqu is also more expensive to ship (to Australia at least) from Selfridges (you can also get Suqqu from Ichibankao online). So I recommend trying Chikuhodo out if you are a makeup brush lover like myself, or looking to venture into amazing, luxury Japanese artisan makeup brushes. I'm afraid I've now ventured into a new brand that I won't be able to resist buying more brushes from in future! >_< ;-)
Have you tried Chikuhodo brushes? If so, what is your fave brush(es) from the brand? Do share in a comment below! :)