This is the last set of eyeshadow brushes I have to review, until I add more to my collection. These are all the flat round paddle shaped brushes.
I have three large paddle shaped brushes. So I'll start on the left and go right with Wayne Goss #17. I can't find online anywhere the technical hair type it is made of, but it feels like goat that might be dyed. It doesn't bleed with washing, it's not squirrel, it has more spring and is a touch stiffer than squirrel. It's super soft though like the Hakuhodo white goat hair is. It's large, covers a big area and is great for a large lay down of color. It may be too big for people with small lids. It's short enough to be more precise than a longer haired similar width style brush. It also picks up the most color of the 3 in this style I have. It retails for $32 on Beautylish and I use it quite a bit.
Next is the Koyudo BP028 large eyeshadow brush. It has a longer flat paddle shape. It's made of pine squirrel and retails for around $25. I have no other pine squirrel, but it feels soft and gives a diffuse application. At first I thought this brush was a mistake to buy, I thought it would be too long for me, but after using it a while, it's quite nice for a diffuse base. Koyudo is a little less known than Hakuhodo or Chikuhodo, they make excellent brushes, again from Japan. The only site that delivers to the US that I know of is here. I have a few other Koyudo brushes that I will get to eventually. It's less wide than the Wayne Goss 17 but longer by about 30%, softer and less dense. I was going to swap or sell it, but glad I kept it, it gives the lightest base application of the 3 large paddle brushes.
The Chikuhodo Z-5 is a large flat paddle shaped brush. It's as wide as the Wayne Goss 17, but longer. It's length is in between the Wayne Goss and Koyudo. It's made out of gray squirrel and retails for $43. It's super soft, gray squirrel is one of the softest hairs, only beaten by red squirrel. It's the medium of the three as far as density goes. The Koyudo is the least dense, with Wayne Goss being the most so it picks up the most pigment. I use this brush quite a bit.
Next is the medium paddle shaped brushes. The Hakuhodo J127 is on the left. It's made of horse and retails for $19. It has a medium density and can be used for a basic lay down, or more detail than the large brushes above. Hakuhodo has different series of brushes which the first letter represents, the number after is the shape, so the J127 is the same shape as the B127 below. Just different hair. So if you like a style or shape of a brush, you can see if it comes in a cheaper hair. As long as that's the hair you want in that particular brush.
The Hakuhodo B127 is a medium flat paddle brush. It's on the right and made of Canadian squirrel. Canadian squirrel is rarer and usually a touch more expensive, it blends well and has good spring. It's the least dense of these two. It retails for $34. It does a nice soft base lay down. I use it less than the larger ones above, but it has it's uses. They're the same size and similar enough, you don't need both.
Last is the two smaller flat round paddle brushes. On the left is the Hakuhodo BJ004G. It is made of white goat hair and retails for $20. It's similar to MAC's 239, which I don't have anymore to compare. Honestly, the brushes made in Japan are the best quality and once you try one next to MAC, you'll never go back. MAC feels rough and scratchy after using Hakuhodo, and Hakuhodo is really comparable in price. Hakuhodo's white goat hair is of amazing quality, it's soft and a good hair to for powder, creams or even liquids if you want to. I use this one a lot under my brow bone.
On the right is Wayne Goss #18 which retails for $26. The website again doesn't list the hair type. It's just a touch less dense than the Hakuhodo BJ004G. They're the same size and have about the same function. You don't need both, the Wayne Goss gives maybe the slightest lighter application, but otherwise the same. I don't think this one is dyed goat, it feels slightly different, and it has a more dark and light mottled appearance, kind of like Canadian squirrel.
Beautylish's website says you can use it for concealer, I have not tried it for that use, maybe I will. However, creams are not good for squirrel hair so I need to check on the hair type before I ruin it. Or try concealer with the Hakuhodo BJ004G instead, in which goat hair is safe for creams. Squirrel hair is only for powders as it's more delicate.
Again, I will say how much I love brushes from Japan the quality is above all else. I will never go back, and I highly recommend Hakuhodo, Chikuhodo, Wayne Goss, Koyudo and Tom Ford. I haven't gotten to Tom Ford yet, they are made in Japan and I only have face brushes, which I will review one day. Part of the reason brushes made in Japan are so great is that they don't laser cut the hairs on the end of the brushes. Japan hand bundles them with the tip of the hair on the end, which makes the end not feel scratchy or hard. Other brushes will bundle them first, then cut the hair on the end after which makes the ends of the brush thicker, and rougher. Wayne Goss can be bought at Beautylish, they're the only distributor at this time in the US. Koyudo has a Japanese website if you can read it, I find CDJapan which I linked above the best place, they have a point reward system too. Chikuhodo can partially be found at Beautylish in the US, otherwise the series not available there are on the Visage(formerly now-e project) website here. Hakuhodo also has a Japanese website, if you can read it, they do have versions not available to buy on the US website.
I have not yet talked about brush hair types. I did a lot of research to find out what the use of each hair type was. Once you understand it, it helps you figure out what you want as well as need out of a brush. Check out 'fudes' or brushes on Hakuhodo's website here or Visage's website here. Just remember squirrel is delicate and for powder only. Goat, horse and weasel are OK for powder, cream or liquid. Synthetics are great for liquids. Brushes will also combine hairs, you may get a squirrel brush with some goat hair to make it have a stiffer feel, or combine synthetic with goat etc.