After the YANO Face collection, the Yano eye collection is now here! Designed by Beautylish and handcrafted in Japan by Kumano’s artisans, these eye brushes are now also joining the catalog as permanent. They are already available as a set, as well as individually, on their website.

I have received these brushes as a gift, they were stuck somewhere in transit so unfortunately they took a while to reach me. I washed them the minute I received them and I have been using them every day since then. I took out some other brushes from my collection so I can show you how these differ or how they dupe each other.

It’s important to repeat why they have chosen the name YANO for the series: the easiest way to go to Kumano is to take a train from Hiroshima to Yano (10-15 mn) then a short taxi ride and you are in Kumano. Yano is THE way to Kumano.

By the way, one day I took the wrong train … after so many trips I somehow managed to get on the wrong train, that day there was something going on and obviously I did not pay attention! When I realized this train was not heading to Yano it was too late, it was quite a distance, I was looking at Google maps and wondering how far it would go in the opposite direction before it stopped! I was very late for my appointment, they weren’t mad, just laughed at me kindly 😛 They wanted to come pick me up at my hotel in Hiroshima but I really wanted to take the train!!
It’s actually really interesting to get lost, one of the most fun things to experience in Japan, specially in such areas where there are no tourists, you get to see the most “personal” Japan! Love it! I have quite a few -a lot- touching stories of the times I got lost in Japan 😀

The YANO Eye set

Just like the Face set, these 5 eye brushes form a great team, complementing each other in functionality and precision. The handles are made out of maple wood and lacquered with a shiny black paint, they are meant to be used only with powders since all of them contain squirrel bristles or a mix.

They all have round ferrules except for the Brush 09. Its ferrule is flat, it wasn’t that obvious in the promo pictures so it’s important to highlight it.

The price of the entire set is 180$, they range from 32$ to 40$.

The brushes in the set:

• Yano Series Brush 06
• Yano Series Brush 07
• Yano Series Brush 08
• Yano Series Brush 09
• Yano Series Brush 10

 

YANO 06 and 07 – the two Tapered Eyeshadow brushes

I am going to group them in the same table and same picture, since they are really the same style and you can better see the size difference when they are all together side by side.

Specs:

	YANO 06 Large Tapered Eyeshadow	YANO 07 Tapered Eyeshadow
Total brush length mm	155	152.5
Bristle length mm	25	22.5
Ferrule width mm	8	7
Hair type	Gray squirrel	Gray squirrel
Price $	40	38

The Yano Brush 07 is a quite unusual shape, thin, long and very tapered, the layers of bristles are bundled in way that the point feels flimsy and kind of uncontrollable. There is a different approach to have with this brush and we may need to adapt a different technique. After I rolled the brush on the shadow, I tried to film with the front phone camera to see if I could show you… please excuse the quality.

You’ll get the strongest application in the very deep of the crease, diffused towards the upper lid. The mobile lid will remain clean, then you can lay down anything else you want there without having to clean that area. Optimizing the “free space” on the lid is actually quite fantastic.

If I use this brush with very contrasting shades it can be more tricky to obtain a similar even placement on both eyes straight away, but with the shades I would naturally use on the crease, there is no effort.

I am a control freak -with my brushes-, I love to use a strong brush that is easily controllable. This little 07 is not something I would use on a daily basis, however, the brush offers a fun artistic experience which I find quite relaxing, the softest you could ever imagine, and it does make me happy when I use it.

The Beautylish/Chikuhodo Crease brush from the Sakura set that came out in 2015 is the most similar brush to this Yano 07, even though the Yano 07 has slightly longer bristles and a thicker ferrule (6.1mm vs 7mm).
I find the Yano easier to use because it has a bit more body and firmness, it is not only more disciplined in the movement, but it has also a bit more strength to blend and to lift my hood when swiping the product inside the crease.

The Surratt Small Smokey is the smallest with a ferrule of 6mm, a smaller body and point, if you need even more precision and a placement that is more concentrated in the very center of the crease, this brush will offer that.

The Yano 06 is a type of brush I would use more regularly, for powdering with precision, for the base color on the whole lid, for a one wash of color look, or for a soft blend.
It feels nicely dense in its core while the point has movement since it’s so tapered.
If you love to powder over your concealer, this brush is really nice because 1) it has enough firmness towards the tip for the situations where you want to place/push the powder with precision to target a small perimeter 2) it’s so soft that it’s ideal around the eyes.

The Chicca Smoky M is the closest in size, same ferrule and same hair length, but the Yano is denser, this allows the Yano to move with more discipline across the lid. They dupe each other in functionality even though I obtain a bit more of an efficient layering and blending with the Yano.

The Wayne Goss Artist Small is a closer dupe to the Chicca than the Yano. The WG has a bit more flexibility and airiness versus the Yano. When using both, you’ll definitely feel a more feathery-like application with the WG.

The Chicca Smoky L is just a big version of the M, much fluffier in comparison to the Yano 06, more airy and it covers a wider surface obviously. If will work more on the surface while the Yano will be able to push and polish the product more.

In general, with regards to the Yano 06, the main difference is that it has more strength towards the tip and fluffs less than it’s similar alternatives.

 

Brushes mentioned:
Yano Brush 06 – gray squirrel – 25mm bristles length – 40$
Chicca Smoky L – gray squirrel – 30mm Discontinued
Wayne Goss The Artist Brush Small – 25mm bristles length – 45$
Chicca Smoky M – gray squirrel – 25mm Discontinued
Yano Brush 07 – gray squirrel – 22.5mm bristles length – 38$
Chikuhodo/Beautylish Crease brush – 20mm bristles length – Discontinued
Surratt Small Smokey – gray squirrel – 20mm bristles length – 60$

YANO Brush 08

• Total Brush Length: 150 mm
• Bristle Length: 17.5 mm
• Ferrule width: 7mm
• Hair type: gray squirrel and saikoho goat
• Price: 32$

This is the blending brush of this set, and the only one with a mix of goat and squirrel bristles. I can easily imagine that they added the goat bristles to increase the efficiency of this brush at the very top.
It does not feel softer than the brushes in this picture because the others are 100% squirrel so it’s normal, although I have eye squirrel brushes that are less soft than this Yano 08…

This is a brush we can use for the transitional shade or for blending. I have very little upper lid space, it fits just ok for the transition but it’s on the bigger side. Since it’s flat-ish/domed, and you don’t have a point to play with, you can not easily gauge the precision. This domed shape has benefits that a point doesn’t so it is great to have a variety of shapes in the set. A domed shape brush that fluffs out like this 08 is usually going to deliver a more diffused application more even in intensity across the whole work area.

 

The Chikuhodo Blend Brush is longer and softer and has a similar shape – although not as flat as the Yano 08 but they actually cover a similar area when blending.

The Yano is a stronger blender and the Chikuhodo is a softer brush. You may wonder which one is best for you. In terms of the experience, if you want a softer brush you can go for the Chikuhodo. Cost per use, the Yano 08. In terms of results, it depends on the powder formulas. Some formulas look better when worked and polished with a stronger brush, some will look quite patchy and spotty if we use softer brushes. In general, if you see that a shadow is not performing well, try to switch brush and see if it changes the application.

It’s good to have soft brushes but it’s also relevant to own a stronger brush that can deal with more tricky formulas. If I need to chose between two similar brushes, I would try to see which one is the most versatile and effortless. However, because I am also a collector, if I am missing a brush in a set I will try to add it if I can 🙂 that’s the reason why I bought the Chikuhodo Blend Brush because this Chikuhodo is not a brush I use often, I prefer faster working brushes, with more power at the tip.

The Wayne Goss 04 and the Hakuhodo S142 are similar to each other, both are smaller than the Yano 08, they allow a bit more precision and a more concentrated -less diffused- application in comparison to this Yano.

The Wayne Goss 03 is absolutely amazing, full and dense so it feels amazing on the lids, almost like a massage therapy 😀 I added the WG in this picture for you to have an idea of the size versus the Yano 08, it’s very likely that you own the WG 03.

Brushes mentioned:
Yano Brush 08 – gray squirrel and saikoho goat – 17.5 mm bristle length – 32$
Chikuhodo z-11 Blend Brush – gray squirrel – 15mm bristle length – 32$
Wayne Goss 04 – blue squirrel – 15mm bristles length – 28$
Hakuhodo S142 – blue squirrel – 18mm bristles length – 58$
Wayne Goss 03 – blue squirrel – 20mm bristles length – 32$

YANO Brush 09

• Total Brush Length: 145 mm
• Bristle Length: 15 mm
• Ferrule width: 7.3mm x 4.7 mm
• Hair type: gray squirrel
• Price: 35$

This is my favorite brush of the set, it’s a gem. The way it stays directional yet it splays out evenly, absolutely spot on.
In spite of its smaller ferrule, it’s quite full and dense so it’s very disciplined in its movement.
I can use it to lay down a shadow on the mobile lid, work with more precision towards the outer part, or in the crease, under the brow, it’s actually very versatile, not only super cute but also very mighty.

The Wayne Goss 06 and the Hakuhodo G5523 are very similar in shape but they have a larger ferrule than the Yano. When laying down a shadow, you’ll get a bit more control and precision with the Yano. I also noticed that it tends to deliver a more opaque/ vibrant shimmer shadow application in comparison to the WG or the Hakuhodo.

Brushes mentioned:
Yano Brush 09 – gray squirrel – bristle length 15mm – 35$
Wayne Goss 06 – blue squirrel – bristle length 15mm – 25$
Hakuhodo G5523 – blue squirrel – bristle length 16mm – 32$

 

YANO Brush 10

• Total Brush Length: 140 mm
• Bristle Length: 12.5 mm
• Hair type: gray squirrel
• Price: 35$

You are probably wondering how similar is this brush to the Suqqu S…. but we have to compare it to the old Suqqu S that I got many many years ago before they discontinued it, and the recent Suqqu S that came back a couple of years ago. These two Suqqu S brushes are quite different, one is more tapered than the other.

If you want to compare the Yano 10 to the very old Suqqu S, they look a bit similar, but they are quite different with the application. If we do an outer V application, the Yano is going to be more effortless, while the Suqqu S is going to be more bold and require more blending. If we do a bottom lashline application, the Yano is going to instantly deliver a diffused application while the older Suqqu S is going to leave very defined edges that you will want to blend – or not, depends what you are going for. So, if you want bold and more defined application, the old Suqqu S is good for that. If you want a more effortless diffused application, the Yano 10 is better.

Also, while the old Suqqu S does poke a little when I am having a difficult skin day, like today, the Yano does not poke at all.

If we compare the Yano 10 to the Suqqu S Recent version, well, you see these are two completely different brushes. this Suqqu S Recent is really nice and dense but it just doesn’t allow the finesse that the Yano 10 does.

The Chikuhodo Z-10 is a dupe for this Yano 10. The only difference that I see, and that is visible in the picture, is the sides around the tapered point of the Yano are fuller (denser), therefore, the placement is easier to control, more disciplined, but still nicely diffused.

We can also say that the Chikuhodo Z-10 and the Yano 10 have a similar ferrule, even though the ferrule measures slightly bigger on the Yano. I think this is because the material of ferrule seems to be thicker so it will naturally measure just a bit more. To be surgically precise: 7.03mm vs 6.96mm … and to be fair, this is also a tolerance margin at the ferrule provider level, so nothing that can be controlled. When it comes to this size of brush, which is handmade on top of that, there is no way to know if all the batches will be exactly like the brush I own.

Brushes mentioned:
Yano Brush 10 – gray squirrel – bristle length 12.5mm – 35$
Chikuhodo Z-10 – gray squirrel – 11.5mm bristle length – 36$
Suqqu S old – gray squirrel – 11 mm bristle length – ferrule 7.08 mm – n/a
Suqqu S recent – gray squirrel – 11.3 mm bristle length – ferrule 7.16 mm – approx 45£ (60$)

Bottom line

After some days of use, this is how I would rank them by personal favorites and how I would define them in one quick word, just for fun:

1. the Yano 09 – versatile
2. the Yano 10 – effortless
3. the Yano 06 – balanced
4. the Yano 07 – ingenious
5. the Yano 08 – functional

 

I hope this was useful and helps you somehow, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate! Thank you so much for reading!

 Link to the Beautylish Yano Series

Disclaimer: the prices of all the brushes mentioned here, specially the older ones, are just to give you a rough idea as it depends on when/where the brushes were purchased. Since the brushes are handmade, the measurements and shapes can slightly differ from brush to brush. Some of these brushes mentioned here may have been discontinued.