Monday, April 14, 2014

Chikuhodo Brushes : First Look


If you guys watch my YouTube channel, then you will have seen the box that these three bad boys came in. If you don't watch, then you have no idea what I'm talking about. Regardless, a few weeks ago, I decided to make the investment that is Chikuhodo brushes. If you are not "that into" makeup, then these brushes will seem completely ridiculous to you and even if you are someone who spends a lot of time at the makeup table, the price point may be enough to scare you away. The three brushes pictured above cost me a grand total of $150 and that was with a discount. 

So, what makes these brushes so expensive? Everything about them, basically. I've pulled this from Chikuhodo's site:

CHIKUHODO Co., Ltd. is a makeup brush manufacturer, which adopts traditional Japanese brush making style and is located in Kumano, Hiroshima prefecture. Receiving orders from many domestic and overseas client companies, CHIKUHODO has been engaging in manufacturing of all types of high-quality makeup brushes. Today CHIKUHODO has grown into the No.1 company in original equipment manufacturing (OEM) of makeup brushes in Japan.We feel so grateful to many top-ranking makeup artists both inside and outside of Japan for giving us precious opinions and knowledge, which we feel has lead us to come so far as a high-quality makeup brush manufacturer.We will continue delivering high-quality makeup brushes and bring satisfaction to all our clients and users through an all-out effort by the whole employees in our company.Your continued support for CHIKUHODO is greatly appreciated.

Not all of Chukuhodo's brushes are ungodly expensive and there are actually affordable options, but they come from a different series of brushes than the ones pictured above. The Z-series, which the three brushes come from, is one of Chikuhodo's more expensive lines. The Z-1 brush (which is not pictured as I don't own it) comes in at $226.

The Z-series, aside from the lip and brow brushes, is made of 100% Gray Squirrel. If you are a vegan only type of brush user, then stay far, far away from Chikuhodo. I've never owned squirrel brushes before, so it's safe to say that these are by far the softest makeup brushes that I have ever owned. My friend once let me touch her red squirrel face brush once and that was so soft that it felt as if I weren't actually touching anything. These aren't quite that soft, but pretty damned close.

What I'm trying to get at here is that unless you are obsessed with makeup, a true professional makeup artist, or someone who loves to collect makeup brushes... these might not be for you. However, if you fall into any of the above categories, keep reading for some good old fashion brush porn.







This post is just a first look at these brushes as I have not even dared use them on my face yet (mostly because I wanted to make sure I could get photos of them in their most pristine state). I cannot wait to start really using these and write some reviews for you guys so that you can know all about these brushes.

I got mine in a special set from Now E-Project, which is an official retailer of Chikuhodo and the easiest to order from if you're located in the US. There is a $100 minimum on any order and shipping is $35... so if you're interested, it's best to place an order over $300 (free shipping after that most of the time) or get together with some friends and place a group order.

Questions or comments? Let me know down below!

4 comments:

  1. These brushes are so unrealistically expensive and I thought Sigma brushes were up there. Anyway though these brushes do look nice, I would prefer Sigma or MAC. Great post though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's true that these brushes are expensive, but there are very real reasons as to why they are so expensive. Along with being 100% gray squirrel, they are also handcrafted by masters in Japan, which is something that Sigma and MAC can't say. Sigma and MAC brushes are created in mass production and while there isn't anything wrong with those brushes, the Chikuhodos are just a higher quality brush. Like I said, if you're not a serious brush addict, then these probably aren't for you, but if you are a brush addict or a serious makeup artist, then these are definitely an investment worth making.

      Delete
    2. Ok, I definitely understand the price when the brushes are hand crafted as opposed to being mass produced and natural haired brushes can be expensive. Pricing understood. But why get natural haired brushes if they soak up product and are much harder to clean?

      But I can understand if you're a brush fanatic and you just really wanted those brushes.

      Delete
  2. How soft is the Z-4? I love how the Z-10 looks, it looks neat for smaller eyes. I'm so sad that Kohlindo.se closed, there's no EU seller now for Chikus :\

    ReplyDelete