Koyudo BP 035 pine squirrel shader eye brush review

I bought the Koyudo BP 035 eyeshadow shader brush a little more than two months ago and wanted to share my thoughts. I purchased this brush from CD Japan for 2730 yen, approximately $22 USD. Many pine squirrel eye brushes on the market retail for more than the Koyudos, making this line a contender when looking for relatively affordable brush upgrades and versatile brush shapes. The Koyodo BP 035 is from the oddly named High Class Series, which features black ferrules, white handles, and magenta printing on the handle.

Details

• Material: Pine Squirrel 
• Length: 13.8cm (5.43in.)
• Hair Length: 1.3cm (0.51in.)
• Shape: Flat shader eyeshadow brush with a crimped ferrule and rounded tapered edge, works well with linear or circular strokes (similar shape / concept to the MAC 239, but a bigger and more fluffy)
• Great for: Sheer or soft application of color on the lid or for an all over wash of color, diffuses color and pearlized finishes beautifully, also works well for shading the outer lower lashline

Comparisons

I don't own any dupes for the Koyudo BP035, but I thought it might be helpful to show a common brush and the closest I have in shape. On the left is the Hakuhodo J5523, a fluffy oval blending brush similar in shape to the MAC 217. Most makeup addicts have a brush similar to this in their collection, so I wanted to show it for reference. The J5523 has a more narrow ferrule, longer bristles, is more rounded, and is less dense than the BP035 (center). On the right is the Bdellium 777 (green bambu collection), which has a more narrow ferrule, fluffs more towards the end, and is more stiff than the BP035.

The BP035 maintains the same width from the ferrule to the tip and has a rounded, tapered edge. As expected from pine squirrel, the BP035 is luxuriously soft.

Overall, I highly recommend this brush. I find the Koyudo brushes I own to be of equally good quality to the comparably priced lines from Chikuhodo and Hakuhodo. The BP035 shader does its job beautifully and is a dream to use. I don't see myself shopping for any more shaders of this size, except maybe to pick up a second one of these.

If you want to see what else I purchased in my CD Japan haul and learn more about Japanese brushes, click here to keep reading.