Chikuhodo Z-5 eyeshadow brush review & alternatives

Today's brush review is the Chikuhodo Z-5 100% gray squirrel large eyeshadow brush. As you would expect from the name, the Z-5 is from Chikuhodo's Z series, known for its high quality squirrel hair and shiny black ferrules and handles. The brush also bears the phrase "by Tesshyu", in acknowledgement of Chikuhodo Chairmain Tesshu Takmori. Tesshu Takmori is one of the most well known brush artisans globally and was the founder of Chikuhodo Co, ltd. You can read more about him and the history of Chikuhodo on their website and in this New York Times profile.

I purchased my Z-5 from CD Japan for about $33 (4,000 yen + 320 yen tax in Japan), but prices will vary based on retailer and current currency exchange to yen. You can also purchase the Chikuhodo Z-5 from Beautylish ($44) and Visage USA ($43).

Brush specifics:

• 100% Gray Squirrel, extremely soft and supple
• Full length: 135mm (short handle) 
• Hair length: 16mm, hair thickness approx. 6mm
• Ferrule width approx. 15mm
• Large oval brush head footprint with rounded tips and a gentle taper
• Excellent quality construction - I have used this almost daily for 3 months and washed it several times with no change to the shape and no shedding

Hakuhodo K022 round powder brush review & comparisons

Hakuhodo K022 powder brush

I have had the Hakuhodo K022 powder brush for over a year now and wanted to post my thoughts. The K022 is marketed as a powder brush, but I use it most often for bronzer. In the US, you can buy it on the Hakuhodo USA website (not an affiliate link) or in their retail showroom in California for $38.

BESTOPE 4pc eye makeup brush set review

I love buying makeup brushes and I'm a sucker for a good deal. I picked up the Bestope 4 piece eye makeup brush set on Amazon for about $5. It was a bit of a gamble because I couldn't find many reviews on if Bestope makeup brushes are good (or not), but I gave it a go anyway. I have seen the price of the 4pc set vary over time, from $5 to about $8, so keep an eye on the price in your cart for a few days before buying.

The set contains:

1. Small Tapered Contouring Face Brush- large pencil brush, I use it for concealer
2. Small Flat Blending Face Brush - flat top stipple / blending brush, this shape is difficult to use and not very practical, it works decent for small area highlighting with a cream product
3. Small Round Blending Face Brush - round top buffer / blending brush, much too large to use as an eye blending brush, I use it for setting powder over concealer, could also work well for nose contouring or applying an all over lid base / eye primer
4. Small Angled Contouring Face Brush - slightly angled version of the round top brush, the angle is not cut enough to add value, basically functions as a lopsided round top buffer

Sigma brush review - E25, E50, E65, E15, F70

Let's get this out of the way - I paid for all of these myself, I have no coupon code for you, and Sigma has no idea who I am. I know I always get suspicious reading reviews of products made by companies that engage in the YouTube / Instagram blitz, so I wanted to get info out and up front. I own 5 Sigma brushes: the E25 blending brush, E50 large fluff, E65 small angle, E15 flat definer, and F70 concealer. Each of these brushes are similarly priced, coming in around $14-16. My oldest Sigma brush is about two years old and the newest has been in my collection for about 9 months.

UBU Undercover Lover concealer brush No. 21

I have been on a concealer kick lately, trying out lots of concealer samples and playing with different application methods for the concealers in my stash. I never used to use a brush for my undereye concealer (for no sane reason), but I have grown into the notion lately. I own quite a few brushes, but very few suitable for concealer. Due to my acknowledged laziness with brush laundry, I always seem to run out of clean concealer brushes. (True to form, the UBU No. 21 brush was dirty when I took these pictures.)

I impulsively picked up the UBU Undercover Lover concealer brush on my most recent Ulta trip for $2.99, hoping it would do the trick. The UBU Undercover Lover (ewww, gross) is a synthetic bristled medium sized flat paddle-shaped brush.

Real Techniques Nic's Picks brush set review & comparisons

When I saw that the holiday limited edition Nic's Picks Real Techniques brush set had 5 brushes I didn't own AND they had pretty silver handles, I had to jump on it. I picked mine up from iHerb for $30. I have also seen the set for sale at Kohl's and other retailers.

Nic's Picks set includes 5 synthetic brushes with limited edition silver handles:

1. Duo fiber face brush (also in the Duo Fiber Collection, LE)
2. Cheek brush (set exclusive)
3. Angled shadow brush (set exclusive) 
4. Base shadow brush (also in the Starter Kit, permanent)
5. Eyeliner brush (set exclusive)