Koyudo BP006

Let me Super Size you with the Koyudo BP006,  with its 5.5cm diameter at the surface you better be warned, it’s a beast. Goat hair (Saikoho, Hakutotsuho), similar hair as the Koyudo White Mushroom, 7800 JPY (approx 75$), this brush feels like a fairy tale and you may feel like a shrunken Alice when you use it 🙂
They have a smaller version at approx 63$ but the difference in surface is only 0.5cm smaller. Link to the BP series here

The bristles are 6cm long, it’s not utterly firm as you can imagine by the length of the hair and the large size of its surface,  it has medium density and medium flexibility, it’s not powerful enough to pick thicker and harder products efficiently, this brush is meant for soft powdery textures, will not deliver high coverage at all but will work with bronzers, highlighters and powders in a more subtle manner. I have Bobbi Brown Golden Light and with that brush it makes a nice combo, the application on the whole face is even, buildable and very pleasant.

For Summer this will be fun to use with bronzers or sparkly highlighters on the legs and the shoulders, I could use it in the decolleté but unfortunately (or fortunately) I don’t need to draw any more attention in there.  I have tried it on the arms and shoulders and the application is subtle but visible enough, just one advice though, be careful who you cuddle as sparkles do transfer 😉

The Koyudo White Mushroom is denser, firmer, is very slightly softer but since every brush is handmade there could be small differences. If I had to choose between these two, of course I would keep the White Mushroom not only because I love the shape of this kabuki but also because I can do many more things with it that require more strength and control.

Here is the surface of both, the White Mushroom is more tapered and the BP006 more splayed out.

Compared to the Hakuhodo J104 the size difference is important, both are extremely soft but the BP006 bristles are slightly thinner, this can be a plus or a con, depending on what you are looking for. The J104 is firmer and has more power in picking up the product and buffing it.

“Flat and round” is one of my favorites shapes (specially smaller blush brushes), here are some bigger options, the 3 on the left are grey squirrel only, the others are goat hair.

The original Guerlain Meteorites brush is, to say the least, hard and pokey. The bristles feel like swords on my skin, which in a way is excellent for meteorites because some of these little balls have to be “stabbed” to release any color or powder at all. I enjoy using Meteorites but just for fun, seriously I am not a huge fan of the process and result, simply because I am never sure how much product I am really picking so at the end it’s a waste of time (it also depends on the Meteorites you are using).

If you want a very sheer and subtle layer, you can use brushes that are soft because they will mostly grab the little macro particles of meteorites, but if you want to be highlighted or glowing, it’s better to use harder bristles that will have more friction against the pearls…

There is another brush who deserves to be mentioned, similar in softness, it’s the Tanseido I received as a present from Tanseido Manager (President’s wife) while I was visiting. I am not sure which one it is but if I rely on the dimensions it’s the WC20 (link here). Since it’s shorter, it has more power to pick product and since it’s smaller, I have more control on the placement.

The Hakuhodo J104 is just in the middle in terms of size and precision, softness is not an issue for any of these:

My daily preference goes to smaller brushes for highlighting, I already have a glow delivered by the Laura Mercier moisturizer and the Ellis Faas foundation, I don’t need to apply an all over highlighter on a daily basis. I use more smaller brushes for that purpose, for example this little group from Hakuhodo, the choice will depend on how pigmented the highlighter is, if it has sparkles, etc. Sparkles are better handled with a stippling type of brush, more subtle application and the sparkles won’t sink into the bristles.

If I could handle it, I’d rather wear a more matte foundation and then use an overall highlighter simply because the foundation would last longer and have more grip, I can’t often do that because of my very dry skin I have to “overdose the moisturizer”, as a consequence I wont use an overall highlighter but place it more strategically only where needed (cupids bow, inner corner of the eyes, on the temples and/or above the cheekbones).

This BP006 is more of a bronzer brush or a setting brush for me but if you use a highlighter for an allover glow, that could be an appropriate brush for you.

Speaking of Meteorites, there are several choices out there :

Some pressed powders are more pigmented than others, or more sparkly, or creamy or matte, BUT, we are not performing a heart operation here and we don’t need surgical precision. If the brush picks too much product, dust it off, if it doesn’t pick enough with one swipe, try several. For this kind of big powder brushes I am not that picky, where I am more picky is with contour or blush brushes. With non-dyed goat brushes you can also use them with cream products (Cruel Gardenia), the white brushes are in general non dyed.

As I said, although I enjoy Meteorites some times, I believe there are better and cheaper highlighters out there so don’t suffer if you don’t have them, but enjoy them if you do 🙂

This is to put the BP006 brush in the same dimension scale as the compacts…

Bigger than the compact but no problems to use it together:

About the boxes, there are several sizes :

Perles du Paradis is 7cm wide so no worries to fit the beast there:

The medium sized compacts (6cm) you will have to be careful, you can get it right :

But if you are in a hurry, you may not want to do that :

It does pick product, not as much as firmer brushes but it also works :

The Hakuhodo J104 and the smaller box (5.5cm) :

Picks more but also these pearls are more pigmented :

I have tried on a black paper, with the same product and two different brushes, you probably see it better than on skin, the J104 delivers more coverage but the BP006 is still picking up enough product to do the job!

Left Koyudo BP006 – Right Hakuhodo J104

Since many people is curious to know, we would love to know what brush you use with your meteorites or your powder, setting or finishing 🙂