HAKUHODO SJ103, S J110, S 106, S J104

It’s been a while since I raved about these series! Christmas is approaching and you may be wondering what could be a great brush gift for yourself or your beloved, what about a vermilion and white brush? it goes with the theme 😀

The first essential shopping rule around this holiday season is to first budget the Limited Edition items you are lemming, this year I have only been seriously tempted by the LE Chikuhodo Lumiere set (lovers of the Chikuhodo Z-1 will understand), the other Christmas collections are interesting but not that innovative if you are already far into love addiction, if you are quite new to Japanese brushes the upcoming sets are interesting, it depends what you already own or what you actually need. Or “Need 2.0”.

I needed the 4 brushes that you see here, very bad. I cannot believe I even waited so long before getting them but they were truly hunting me. Now I feel happy, satisfied, excited to share my love for them.

Hakuhodo S J103, S 106, S J110, S J104

I don’t have that many pictures to show you today, actually I don’t have a lot of free time and on top of that, my private life is chaos, a good chaos most of the time but that doesn’t allow me to enjoy sharing all the time I want with you all.

So, I’ll try to anticipate your questions and go straight to the point 🙂 If you have any other questions do not hesitate to ask, I will reply even if not immediately! The sizes and more details are also on Hakuhodo‘s website.

The Hakuhodo S J104

B-J104 (top), S J104 (bottom)

The S J104 is similar to the B-J104, the specs are the same, on the Hakuhodo website it’s showing two similar B-J104 brushes (H4079 Saikoho goat and H3842 goat), I will ask their customer services what the difference is and report here when I get the answer.

My B-J104 is not exactly like one of these because I bought it in Japan and the handle is shorter (they did not had the longer version when I was over) but other than that, I think it’s the same brush.

The difference between the S J104 and the J104 (or B-J104) is quite important, the S J104 is denser and splays out like heaven, it’s more airy than the B-J104 and is also Saikoho goat (softer goat). If you want a bigger surface, less firm, you better go with the S J104. It looks like they both have quite similar-ish density but the bristles of the B-J104 are firmer and more directional, the bristles of the S J104 are softer, finer and have more elasticity.

This S J104 is a stunner, one of my very very (VERY) top fav brushes ever. Price is 112 usd, not cheap but I am confident to say that the upgrade from the normal B-J104 is a necessity in spite of the additional cost, it’s so worth it, it looks so much more classy and lush and the quality of the hair is more refined.

Koyomo Pink powder, Koyomo Hananuri, Hakuhodo S J104, Koyudo BP006, Hakuhodo B-J104

In comparison to the S J104:

• The pink Koyomo powder (8100 Jpy) is similar softness, less dense and has a smaller surface.
• The Koyomo Hananuri is softer, less dense but much more expensive (48600 Jpy).
• The Koyudo BP006 is a bit softer, a bit less dense, bigger, costs 9360 Jpy. It’s a gem but it feels like the head deserves a better handle, Koyudo, please give this brush a handle that goes with this beautiful hair… There is another post on the BP006 here in case of interest in that brush.

Hakuhodo S 106

Another very very loved brush that goes to my very top fav list.

There is no “J” in front of its name, probably because there is no equivalent in the J Series, the J531 is similar, also Saikoho goat hair but it doesn’t have the same sharp angle, that shorter angle allows more blending power but don’t hurt your brain with it too seriously, doesn’t change that much.

S 106, J531

The J531 is incredibly soft, I am tempted to say softer than the S 106 and 35usd cheaper. This J531 an excellent brush and also softer than the Tom Ford 05 but I am enjoying the additional blending power of the S 106, again, it doesn’t change that much… but it still does 😀

S 106, J531 sideways

Side to side with the Tom Ford 05, the TF and the S 106 have more strength in the bristles, in terms of functionality you get a slightly heavier application.

Hakuhodo S J103

I washed this S J103 several times and it stays nicely firm and directional, if that’s something you prefer then you have a winner. The S J103 is Saikoho goat, the J103 is goat and synthetic fiber, 115 usd vs 88 usd.

Well, can I please have the vermilion handle paired with the Wayne Goss holiday brush? I very much prefer the WG because it splays out more, I can cover more surface, it’s more effortless versus a more pointy version, but then it depends what you are after. If you prefer precision, better a more pointy and firm like the Hakuhodos, if you want just one versatile brush (like my mum needs today) then, a Wayne Goss brush is much more appropriate, my mum would locally overdose her powder if you don’t give her something easy to handle but she still wants to reach the corners of course! 🙂

By the way, the Wayne Goss holiday brush that you see here is going to be relaunched but now it is integrated into his current collection, Beautylish are going to launch it shortly but since I have it, here is the link for early access: Beautylish Wayne Goss 00

Hakuhodo S J110

The J110 is a soft, wonderful little gem (54 usd), the S J110 is also a gem but it costs 77 usd, a bit more expensive. In terms of hair quality, there is no reason for the J11o to be jealous, it’s truly as good if not better.  Both brushes are perfection, it will be a matter of wallet capabilities and/or handle preference.

This Saikoho goat hair (both brushes have it) is really soft but since it’s so dense it will deliver a medium to heavy application, since the shape is slightly rounded you can either cover a little surface or a bigger one depending on the angle you use.

There is one similar Hakuhodo Kokutan (JSG) at 67usd, the combination of ebony with the white bristles is to die for, but in case you are wondering, it’s not the same shape, the Kokutan is flatter and not as dense and is a mix of goat and synthetic fibers, it will deliver a lighter application of blush and depending on the pigmentation of the blush, I’d rather use something more airy like the Kokutan. It’s often a compromise you’ll have to do, either you pick a denser brush to have more blending / buffing power and to work nicely with light to medium pigmented products, or you pick something not as densely bundled like the Kokutan but on the plus side you won’t need as much blending power as the application will be more controllable… I hope this makes sense 🙂

We can keep in mind that whatever the brush we use, we are always able to dose how much product we pick, or the type of pigmentation we love, or we can easily control how heavy our hand is…  so at the end, we are quite flexible and often get brushes because we love the way they look!

The down side of these brushes is that they are expensive, they are quite fragile (handles) and they are white so the maintenance to keep them white and beautiful can be a pain…

Which one is your favorite? The one I use the most is the S 106, it’s so functional, efficient and I have nothing (exactly) like it, I could not live without it for those technical reasons. My second favorite is the S J104, it’s simply stunning from every angle, my eyes smile when I look at it 😀