I was finally able to get my hands on the Rouge Bunny Rouge 012 Contour brush, every time I wanted to order it, it happened to be sold out… is that because it’s really that good ?
So here it is now and since I have the other two RBR face brushes, I take this opportunity to briefly review the three Rouge Bunny Rouge face brushes together.
If you don’t know it already, RBR make wonderful eyeshadows and blushes, expensive, but you’ll love them. Their makeup brushes are not bad at all but if you had the possibility to try Japanese brands like Hakuhodo, Koyudo, Chikuhodo, Suqqu, you’ll find that it’s quite difficult to find better elsewhere.
Face powder 001 – Goat hair
Base of the ferrule : 2,5cm, hair length : 5cm
I have to admit that when I ordered it a long time ago, it was mainly because I thought I could use it for bronzer application. I don’t reach for it anymore, today I have better brushes for that purpose.
This brush is meant for bronzer, powder, or finishing, it’s not the softest brush, I find it softer than a Mac, but not as soft as a Hakuhodo. I just have to mention that my Mac face brushes often feel a bit scratchy, I don’t know if that’s normal, I know for sure they are authentic but I find the quality of the ones I purchased quite disappointing, that’s also why I started looking for softer brushes in other brands.
This brush is not a must-have, there are better big brushes out there. The Chanel 3 has exactly the same type of hair, it’s just flatter and larger, I have the same problem with this Chanel, although they are not bad brushes, I don’t find them that soft. Today I reach for the Hakuhodo K022 instead, goat hair and costs 34 usd, smaller but I like it so much better. If you really want to splurge on a large powder brush, the Hakuhodo K002 is the one you should pick if you are looking for a brush the same size, it’s also 2,5cm at the base of the ferrule and 5cm hair length, costs 82usd, but just so worth it.
I believe that you can get the RMK powder brush for the same price than the RBR face powder, don’t even think, get the RMK instead ! If you can go higher, get the Hakuhodo K002. If you need a cheaper alternative, then the Hakuhodo K022 is the best option of the 5.
Blush Powder 002 – Squirrel hair
Base of the ferrule : 2.3cm, length of the hair : 3.7cm
Nice size and shape, I can use it for both blush and contour, very soft and lovely to use. I reach for it when I don’t want to think, works nicely with any powder product, any pigmentation. It’s not my top favorite blush brush but it’s one that I use very often. When I received my Chikuhodo Z-8 it blew all the others out of the way… still, this RBR brush is really good.
If you have access to the Chikuhodo Cheek brush, I think you should try it, this is one of the best brushes I ever had but it’s just so difficult to get your hands on… so sad !
The Tom Ford and the Hakuhodo are both goat, they are both denser and firmer than the RBR.
My recommendation is that if you can afford a Tom Ford, get a Tom Ford, but RBR and Hakuhodo are both extremely good and soft.
Contour Powder 012 – Squirrel hair
Base of the ferrule : 2.2cm, hair length : 3.2 cm
I love this brush for several reasons, first it’s the smaller of the three RBR reviewed and today I’d rather use smaller blush or contour brushes.
The other reason why I love it so much, is because I got some powder blushes that are more difficult to pick up and blend, like Addiction blushes or the new Guerlain duos just to mention a few, to work with these products I need a firmer brush but still has to be very soft and comfortable to use. This brush is a gem for those reasons.
In the picture, I put some similar brushes for comparison although they are not exactly the same size and shape. The TF is a very good contouring brush but I use it with cream contouring products, the contouring powder products I have are very pigmented and this brush would pack on too much powder product. The Chanel is also a very good and well made brush, good for both contouring and blush. The Hakuhodo K001 is the smallest, it’s made of blue squirrel and horse and costs 36usd, very soft and flexible but still good for blending, a very good option for precise blush, contour and highlight application.
Bottom line
I love the RBR 002 and the 012, I do use them very often and I do recommend them, but your choice should be based on the budget you have, the size, density and the type of hair and also the result you want to achieve. I will quote some Hakuhodo recommendations below but I have to admit that I don’t really go into so much precision when I select a brush… 🙂 …do you ?
Goat haired brushes give you a glossy finished look, while squirrel haired brushes give you a matt finishing look.
Goat hair :For those with oily skin. You can expect covering effects on pores naturally as fine powder can be applied evenly over the pores. In addition, you can get lustrous shiny skin by sweeping gently with the whole surface.
Blue squirrel hair :For those with dry, or sensitive skin. Blue squirrel hair is not resilient; therefore a finished look will be more matt-looking as powder is lightly applied to your skin. The hair is very delicate so it is the basic rule to use the brush surface by laying the brush down. Blue squirrel hair is suitable for loose powder application, however as the hair is very delicate, blue squirrel hair brushes are not suitable for powders containing oil.
15 comments
the cheek brushes look the most promising. I wish chikuhodo Z-8 wasn’t at a ~170 US$ price tag 🙁
That’s a very high price 🙁 … so sad, I wish Chikuhodo could be more affordable to us outside Japan and easy to order online !!!
I wanna add a good powder brush (or maybe two :p).. Which one would you recommend?
K002 or B509BkSL? Or any brushes from the J series?
Hi CC, sorry ! I missed your comment 🙁 wanted to check something about the B509 and then I forgot…
well both K002 and the B509 are great ! depends if you want a flat that would cover more surface and still be used sideways, or a round one… I would go for the K002, more use with this one and actually it’s so soft that I cannot see how other brushes could be better…
I don’t know yet about the J series, I don’t know exactly what part of goat hair they will be made of or if it’s baby goat or the density…, if they are like Tom Ford or similar, the will be stunning. I would take one J series to try, I honestly don’t think you could go wrong with Hakuhodo, whatever series you go for.
The J series are now online… I am placing a little order 🙂
Thanks for the detailed comparison. So K002 it is!! I keep telling myself that I only NEED one more powder brush but deep inside I actually WANT maybe 3 more.. 😀
I was late by a few hours (was sleeping!!) and now J5523 (which I really wanted) is sold out. I have already emailed their customer service and see when they are restocking this. Urgggh!! Next time I shall sacrifice sleeping time!
Your comparisons are AWESOME Sonia!!!
Hee, hee …I learnt something new here. I always assumed the 002 was goat hair and I never bothered to check…but I read now that it’s squirrel 😀
It’s not soft like my other squirrel brushes. It has the perfect texture for me when it comes to using the contour powders I use though.
I don’t ever use the RBR blush brush & I don’t own the powder brush…….BUT I am a MAJOR fan of the RBR 002 contour bush. I have others but this is the only one I reach for when I contour.
i’ve been reading your blog for a while and i understand you’re living in switzerland, just like me. can you tell me what your experience with buying hakuhodo and chikuhodo is concerning import and vat?
do you know prefer the chikuhodo z series to hakuhodo. or is there similar quality from hakuhodo? I already own the suqqu blush and face brushes, and really like them. i am looking for brushes of that quality or better. what is your opinion?
Great blog by the way.
Hi Louise, thank you 🙂
I have sent you some specific details for Switzerland.
To me the Chikuhodo Z-8 is a unicorn, probably my favorite blush brush in my collection, but I honestly don’t think it’s worth spending so much money having it imported or buying it on very expensive online sites… it’s very sad they are not more accessible. If I can one day I will get the rest of the Chikuhodo Z – series for sure. I will have some more additional Koyudo arriving soon and I will see how these are.
Although I have to say that the Chikuhodo I got are really outstanding brushes, if I had to choose between keeping one brand or the other, I would keep Hakuhodo.
Hakuhodo is globally good and with constant quality in general, choice is outstanding (there are some brushes that are unique) and shipping and custumer service is very good. Chikuhodo is really expensive with import taxes (kohlindo has a very good custumer service but with european staggering taxes they can’t offer lower prices) 🙁
Hi! “Blue squirrel hair is suitable for loose powder application, however as the hair is very delicate, blue squirrel hair brushes are not suitable for powders containing oil.”,so with the compact powders is not working?
Love your blog ,is so perfect,i found what i want erverytime!
Hi Ela,
it depends on the compact powders, some powders do not contain oils but to know that, most of the time you can only know it by researching or asking at the counters.
In general powder foundation brushes are goat hair so that doesn’t really apply for foundation and there is therefore no problem at all. Sometimes they are blends of squirrel/goat precisely to increase the resiliance.
Sometimes you will want to use very soft brushes with powders that you don’t necessarily know what the ingredients are, that’s not an easy task to really match a brush with a product and most of us cannot afford to do that.
My personal opinion is that I try to use brushes that aren’t that delicate with foundation but if I do, I use a microfiber cloth to clean them afterwards, that will remove most of the product and save them a bit better.
you are so sweet, I am glad you find what you are looking for, soon you may still find more 😉 many things are in preparation and hope I’ll see you here when it’s launched 🙂
And one question please:Rouge Bunny Rouge Face Contour Brush 012 look like MAC 109?-i LOVE THAT BRUSH ,BUT IS TOO SCRATCHY FOR MY SKIN.
Hmmm if you find the 109 to be scratchy for you, the RBR will be better but you may still be disappointed with the softness of the RBR. Its not that similar shape, a bit less dense.
The similar would be Hakuhodo 210 or J210, J210 (white goat) is much softer. The black 210 is again better than the Mac but not “that” much different in softness. An improvement for sure though.
My favs in the similar shape of the 109 are the Chikuhodo GSN04, or the ones that I mention here in Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=615495961843406&set=a.582184095174593.1073741825.365634836829521&type=1&theater
Great pointers on the different brush hair types and what they are good for!