THE MINI ESSENTIALS – SPECIAL EDITION #1

When the Mini Keyaki Vol 1 Brush Set first launched in 2020, short-handled brushes weren’t in particularly high demand—though to be fair, none of us were traveling much that year! Today, however, these mini handles have become very popular. Some love them for their travel-friendly size, while others appreciate how the shorter handles make it easier to get closer to the mirror. And some simply enjoy having their favorite brushes in both short- and long-handled versions!

At this moment we have beautiful workhorses featuring the Mini Keyaki handles, for example the Mini Niji, the Buffer Pro, the Sheer Buffer and more. All these Mini Keyaki brushes are not permanent, however, thanks to your interest and support, we are occasionally able to bring a selection of the most highly requested back in stock.

All our brushes are handmade in Japan, so production naturally takes time. Restocking a specific brush with the exact same materials isn’t even always possible—it depends on the availability of each component at any given moment: the bristles, handles, and ferrules. A number of other factors that can affect the process along the way – there are a little more details about these processes on my previous post should you wish to read more about it.

That said, we truly want to offer a permanent collection featuring exceptional brushes and handles that we can consistently restock. With that goal in mind, we’ve been developing a mini capsule collection that introduces adorable new red-to-black mini handles.

MINI KEYAKI HANDLES VS MINI BLACK AND RED HANDLES

The Mini Keyaki handles are made with Japanese Keyaki wood, then finished with tonoko powder using traditional techniques. The wood’s grain is still visible beneath the surface, enhanced by the tonoko finish that gives it a refined, silky feel.

These new mini brushes share the same handle shape and size as the Mini Keyaki series, with the same luxurious finish as our full-size black and red handles.

The black and red handles stand out for their exceptional depth and dimension, this is achieved through highly specialized lacquers and techniques. A unique clear lacquer coating enhances this effect, and creates this luxurious, multidimensional finish.

This is what a brush handle looks like before it’s assembled. On the top layer of this Mount Fuji stand, you can see how the full-length face handle compares to the mini face handle.

The short handles that will go on the mini face brushes are 60mm long – so they are 35mm shorter in comparison to the full-length handles.

For the eye brushes, or the smaller face brushes, the handles will be either 70 or 80mm long depending on the brush, so 25 or 35 mm shorter in comparison to the full-length handles.
If you already own some of the Mini Keyaki brushes, these are the exact same length and shape.

We adapted the gradient on these mini handles so that there is a balanced proportion of black and red, but other than that, these showcase the exact same lacquers and finish as the full-length handles.

I’m lucky to be in close contact with the artisans and to have watched their work unfold at every stage. No matter the finish, each handle reflects months of dedicated craftsmanship — a complex, carefully executed journey from start to completion.

THE NEW MINI ESSENTIALS

We aim to have 8 permanent brushes in this Mini Essentials series: 4 face brushes and 4 eye brushes. They will be showcasing these mini black and red handles.

The 4 new permanent Mini Essentials Eye brushes will launch in November 2025 (date still to be confirmed).
The 4 new permanent Mini Essentials Face brushes will be released in 2026. In the meantime, we are excited to introduce these new mini handles with a few special edition face brushes!

While we’re still working on the permanent face brushes, we were able to create some customer-requested shapes to release first. Due to artisan availability and limited materials, these brushes are made in small batches that we won’t be able to replicate. 

• The Special Edition #1 brings together two mini face brushes, born and inspired from the kind requests of my customers. These two mini brushes will be available starting on October 20th. All the details about these two brushes can be found further down in this post.
• The Special Edition #2 brushes are two mini face brushes that were made using a unique combination of bristles that were only available at that moment in time. These two mini brushes are planned to be available in November 2025 if all goes smoothly.

TIMELINE SUMMARY

THE MINI ESSENTIALS – SPECIAL EDITION #1

Today I am happy to introduce the two mini brushes in this Special Edition #1, the Oval Hybrid and the Soft Concealer.

THE SOFT CONCEALER

The Soft Concealer in this Mini Essentials series is the same brush as the Soft Concealer previously released in the Fusion series, only the handle is different in length and shape.
The Fusion Soft Concealer is a brush that many of our customers appreciate travelling with, and we have received countless requests to release it with a shorter handle!

We were exceptionally able to make this possible for this special batch — if you’ve been waiting for this brush in a mini version, now is the perfect time!

PURPOSE AND FUNCTIONALITY

It is a dense brush with movement, the bristles flex easily while it stays locked on the target area, it glides and adapts to the surface of the skin without pulling or irritating. You can navigate and work the product around the eyes, the nose or where you need the control and precision similar to the size of a fingertip.

This brush was designed to be used with creams and liquids, it is very comfortable on sensitive skin so it’s a wonderful tool for those who need a very soft brush for the application of concealer. It can also be used with highlight depending on the precision that you aim for, or you can use this brush to place your cream products before you blend them.

The skin around my eyes is very sensitive and has quite a bit of texture, so I have to be careful with the brushes I use in this area — yet I still need to be able to blend products effectively. This is the brush I reach for most often when my skin is not feeling great, which also happens to be exactly when I need concealer the most! Whether I’m applying corrector, concealer, or setting powder, I know I can use the right amount of pressure, and it will feel more like a gentle, therapeutic massage than a rough abrasion.

THE OVAL HYBRID

The Oval Hybrid is a stippling brush with a combination of natural and synthetic bristles. It’s a version of the Sheer Buffer, but with different technical specs to function within a narrower perimeter and with a little more intensity.
This layer of synthetic bristles that extend further act as a shield, they help us to gradually transfer the desired amount of product onto the skin before we start diffusing it.

The natural bristles on this Oval Hybrid are shorter in comparison to the Sheer Buffer, the ratios are different and the ferrule is pinched, this gives its working surface an oval shape, hence its name.

We can take advantage of the oval surface and use the brush sideways for a narrower placement.

Working on the Sheer Buffer has been an incredible journey. It was so interesting for everyone behind the scenes, we kept trying different fibers and combinations, ratios, and so on, the process spanned 6 years with countless iterations leading us to its final design.
After such a long time in development, launching the Sheer Buffer was both thrilling and nerve-wracking! But witnessing the warm reception it has received from the Fude community has been a true joy, and we are all deeply grateful for your support!

Following the launch and success of the Sheer Buffer in June 2023, many kindly requested a version of this brush with a short handle. So, when we had the opportunity, we released a batch with the Mini Keyaki handle: the Mini Keyaki Sheer Buffer.
The Mini Sheer Buffer joined us later, it is also a stippling brush, but it’s much smaller and designed for a much more targeted -yet diffused- placement.

Since the release of the Sheer Buffer, we have been receiving quite a few requests for a brush similar in design, but that could offer a little more control with the navigation and a more sculpted placement in comparison, yet slightly bigger than the Mini Sheer Buffer.
This Oval Hybrid design proved to be the one that fulfilled this purpose best. Though technical constraints mean we can only create it in a small, limited batch, we decided to go ahead — it felt right to release it for those of you who had been wishing for it!

The Sheer Buffer remains very relevant because it’s going to work on a larger area faster and deliver a placement that is more sheer and more softly diffused. The Oval Hybrid is denser, it’s going to pick more product, work with more intensity in comparison, and keep the placement on a smaller perimeter.

PURPOSE AND FUNCTIONALITY

This OVAL HYBRID was designed to build the application of cream products with an opacity and intensity that is in between an airy stippling brush and a brush with a full flat surface. As you use and wash it over time, the bristles will relax and open up a little, allowing for a softer flow and more movement.

When applying a cream product with a dense flat brush, the contact with the skin is direct and the application can potentially show a strong demarcation, and this can be tricky to soften afterwards. When we aim for a softer, more diffused transition, a stippling brush can facilitate the whole process as it will not deposit as much product upon first swipe, it becomes easier to gauge the quantity and diffuse the placement. There are no harsh perimeters to the application, and we don’t need to waste our time trying to soften the edges.

Think creams, or cream bronzers or blushes that you wish to apply to give structure and dimension to the face, when you don’t need full opacity, and when an approach to build the intensity gradually is more appropriate for the situation.

The product will be loaded onto the stippling bristles, the first place where your brush touches is where the most product will land, from there, you stipple the product to distribute it and make small gentle movements or short swipes to diffuse it. Don’t use pressure, the buffing surface of this brush is quite dense, if you need to work with a product that is more difficult to pick, you can use more pressure so that the buffing surface can also get involved, but keep in mind that this brush is denser and firmer so there is more friction in comparison to the Sheer Buffer, the latter has more airiness and movement.
If you loaded too much product onto the synthetic bristles, wipe or tap the surface against the back of your hand to remove the excess.

THE MINI SHEER BUFFER, THE OVAL HYBRID and THE SHEER BUFFER

The Oval Hybrid is a stippling brush right in between the Sheer Buffer and the Mini Sheer Buffer, filling that gap in size and working with the same principle: building an application to the desired intensity, rather than overloading it upon first swipe.

SHEER BUFFER vs OVAL HYBRID

The SHEER BUFFER is a soft stippling brush that will apply cream products in a sheer diffused way.
The OVAL HYBRID is a soft stippling brush that will also apply cream products in a diffused way but concentrating the intensity of the placement within a smaller perimeter.

In comparison with the Sheer Buffer, the natural bristles on the Oval Hybrid don’t splay out as much, they are shorter and feel denser, with less movement.

The synthetic bristles are also a little shorter and the ratio is different.

Working with the Oval Hybrid brush sideways, allows us to achieve a more sculpted placement, or work on a narrower perimeter, in comparison with the Sheer Buffer.

The Sheer Buffer targets a larger area and delivers a softer and more diffused application in comparison to the Oval Hybrid.

MINI SHEER BUFFER vs OVAL HYBRID

The MINI SHEER BUFFER was designed for a much more targeted placement, to diffuse a cream product within an even smaller perimeter. There are stippling bristles as well here, but the buffing surface is more closely in contact with skin, this allows to concentrate the intensity of the product in a much smaller area.

If you only use cream blush -or if you want the most precision with the placement and blending of cream bronzers, the Mini Sheer Buffer is the best of the three for you, it’s small enough to fit in smaller pans, and the soft surface can seamlessly diffuse the products without the harsh edges.

If you love to use cream products (blushes, bronzers) and you aim for a sheer application, super effortless to diffuse, extremely natural, the Sheer Buffer is going to be the best.

If you navigate between cream bronzers and cream blushes, or if you’d love a stippling brush that allows for a more sculpted approach and intensity in comparison to the Sheer Buffer, the Oval Hybrid will be a fun brush to have.

SPECS

AVAILABILITY AND PRICING

We have been working very hard with everyone behind the scenes to create new stunning tools and we are extremely excited for next year’s releases and also, for all the upcoming amazing restocks!

Thank you so much for being here and for supporting us along the way, we are truly grateful and thrilled to be able to introduce these new, shorter handles and can’t wait to hear what you think. Please share your comments and feedback anytime—we genuinely value them!

These two Special Edition brushes will be available on Beautylish starting on the 20th of October 2025 at 10am PT.