MAKI-E SERIES – THE FACE BRUSHES

We introduced our first Maki-e brushes in December 2023 with the Sunset Cranes eye set, then the Summer Koi eye set came in June 2024, and in November 2024 the Japanese Gardens eye set completed this Maki-e eye series.
In parallel, the Maki-e face brushes were also under development, and they required a significant amount of time. These face brushes you’ll see today were originally planned for 2025 but we wanted to take our time to create something exceptional and extremely fun to use. We hope that you will love their aesthetics and functionality.

We had to work with different artisans we hadn’t worked with before, also create new tooling and processes, I wish you could see just how exciting this project has been for all of us. When we looked at the finished brushes, these were exactly what we all hoped for!
Even if these are very small releases, they are extremely important for everyone behind the scenes. Projects like this one give us the rare opportunity to collaborate with exceptional master artisans, build new relationships, explore new techniques, and develop the tooling that helps shape what we’re able to create in the future. Behind a release like this, there is a significant impact even if these brushes are done in small quantities.

We understand that they come at a high price point, the cost reflects the materials used, the techniques, the amount of labor and all the artisans involved in their making. For those reasons, and because of the low availability of the materials (like saibikoho and wcs), this is a very limited edition release.
If you’re drawn to these shapes or materials, I can guide you towards similar designs or other variations currently available in the collection. I’ll also let you know if there’s any potential for comparable brushes to be released in the future so I may share a few spoilers of what’s ahead.

I will directly jump into the details, starting with the brushes (heads and ferrules). There is a separate section for the handles, the Maki-e and the packaging. You can continue reading, or you may use the direct links below should you wish to jump to a specific section:

Maki-e Face Brushes: The Brushes – Description, details and pricing
Maki-e Face Brushes: The Handles and the Maki-e
Maki-e Face Brushes: The Packaging
Maki-e Face Brushes: Availability and link to Beautylish

THE BRUSHES

There are only 3 Maki-e face brushes for this series: the Sunset Cranes, the Summer Koi and the Japanese Gardens. They will be available individually and they are packaged separately, in their own paulownia wooden box.

Each brush features a different material for the bristles and is designed for a different purpose. We tried to use the same materials that we used on the Maki-e eye sets, this was possible for the Summer Koi and the Japanese Gardens, but we had to opt for a different material for the Sunset Cranes brush. Saibikoho goat bristles was the most exceptional option available to us, and it was indeed a match made in heaven – both in terms of the shape that it gives to the brush, and its functionality.

When designing brushes with materials (bristles) that are rare and come in very small quantities, we thoroughly consider the unique characteristics of the materials that we work with: the type of bristle, the length, the structure and so on. This allows us to develop a design that fully maximizes the performance of the brushes. In these three brushes, the designs were thoughtfully matched to the specific bristles.

I made sure to capture clear close‑up photos, and I also took some outdoors so you can see the bristles in different lighting. You can click on the smaller images to view them full‑size.

THE MAKI-E SUNSET CRANES FACE BRUSH

The Maki-e Sunset Cranes face brush is a very big powder brush bundled with saibikoho goat bristles.
The Sunset Cranes eye set released in 2023 was bundled with blue squirrel bristles, however, as I mentioned earlier, for bristles this length we had to opt for a different material. Saibikoho goat bristles was the most exceptional material available to us, and this brush design truly brings out the full potential of these very special bristles.

Saibikoho is a type of goat bristles. There are several types of goat bristles, such as Ototsuho, Hakutotsuho, Sokoho, Saikoho, and Saibikoho. There are others as well, including different grades within each type, but I’ll mention only these today since they’re the most commonly referenced.

Saibikoho is exceptionally rare and considered the most precious, it’s extremely expensive. These bristles are extremely fine and silky, and selecting bristles that qualify as Saibikoho is an incredibly meticulous and time‑consuming process. Each strand must meet strict quality standards, and this particular brush contains an unusually large amount of bristles, which significantly increases the overall cost.

The bristles are 45mm long (50mm long if you measure from the bottom of the ferrule’s arch). The working surface is approximately 5cm x 3cm, this will vary depending on the pressure you use.

The ferrule has an arched shape. This ferrule tightens the bristles at the core but still lets them gently flare and relax along the edges, creating a smooth consistent flow.

It’s a very large and dense brush, the bristles will open and splay out considerably. It can appear intimidating at first, but the pinched ferrule gives the bristles strength just where they need it, and the elongated surface makes the brush more versatile than one might expect.

Outdoors, on a beautiful wintery day…

FUNCTION AND PURPOSE

This brush is designed specifically for powder products. It works beautifully with finishing powders and bronzers when you want a soft, diffused result.
It feels really soft and looks very airy, but it’s actually very dense and holds its shape really well. Thanks to the way the bristles are bundled and to the high density, we can feel the strength of the bristles right at the surface.
When working a product with the surface of the brush, the bristles flex gradually, they have give but the brush still gives you impressive control as you work.
You could set your entire face in one soft and slow swipe, but if you play with the pressure, the surface or the angle, it gives you quite a lot of possibilities.

These are really fine saibikoho bristles so it’s important to use moderate pressure, to observe how the product is being picked up. If a product requires you to use excessive force on these fine bristles, it may cause them to break.

COMPARISONS AND OTHER OPTIONS

This brush is similar to the Traditions TF1 and the Mini Essentials Arched Powder, I will be showing you some other options below.
If you love saibikoho bristles, it is possible that in the future we will have other saibikoho brushes coming with the Superstars handles.

Sunset Cranes vs Traditions TF1

The Traditions TF1 is bundled with saikoho goat bristles dyed using Kakishibu fruit dye. This technique is extremely special and the TF1 is a wonderful brush, stronger and more versatile than the Sunset Cranes face brush.
The surface is narrower, if offers more precision and strength.

Sunset Cranes vs Mini Essentials Arched Powder

The Traditions TF1 is a wonderful brush and it has often been requested in a shorter handle. We made a short handle version with this Arched Powder brush for those who loved the TF1 and wanted a similar type of brush for travelling.
This Arched Powder from the Mini Essentials is bundled with a blend of Kakishibu dyed saikoho and brown dyed saikoho bristles, this is an incredible mix, effective and very special. It’s airy yet so predictable and strong at the same time.
The TF1 is the one offering the most control, strength and precision, then comes the Arched Powder, and then the Sunset Cranes.

Sunset Cranes vs Mini Keyaki Niji

The Mini Keyaki Niji has a wider ferrule, pinched to a really narrow profile. The Niji is a strong and wonderful tool to buff, polish or fix a placement. It is big but the shorter bristles and narrow profile make this brush fun and quite versatile. It’s the only face powder brush that I take with me on trips when I can only carry the bare minimum. The Niji is not just a brush to buff or polish, it is a good brush to use with bronzer and blushes that are a bit harder to work with, this is the case for the ones I take with me on trips but be careful, because it’s actually very dense.

Sunset Cranes vs Niji Pro

The Niji Pro is a bit more compact in comparison to the Mini Keyaki Niji, but I wanted to show it to you here besides the Sunset Cranes, I know many have the Nijis and this will give you a better idea of how they compare in terms of size. The Nijis are really strong brushes, made for buffing, for polishing although depending on the products, they can be paired with blushes or bronzers.

Sunset Cranes vs Hinoki

This Hinoki brush was released in 2022, it’s a gorgeous medium sized powder brush, with extremely soft saikoho bristles.
If you own this Hinoki brush, you know that it’s not a small brush and yet, the Sunset Cranes looks like a giant beside it. Another spoiler is that you may see a brush similar to this Hinoki in the near future with different materials.

Sunset Cranes vs Fundamentals FAN L

The Fundamental FAN L is a fan brush bundled with hakutotsuho goat bristles, these are much thicker in comparison to the saibikoho bristles of the Sunset Cranes. This is intentional because hakutotsuho bristles are what give this brush its amazing structure and strength, the bristles are still soft on the skin, but much stronger and firmer in comparison.

SUNSET CRANES – TECHNICAL SPECS AND PRICING

THE MAKI-E SUMMER KOI FACE BRUSH

The Summer Koi Face brush has been bundled with kakishibu dyed saikoho goat bristles, just like the previous Summer Koi eye set.
If you are not familiar with kakishibu dyed bristles, this dye comes from the persimmon fruit that we sourced locally. Dying with this fruit is a technique that dates back to the 13th century, it is credited with being insect repellent and having anti-mold properties.
What I find truly amazing, is the way these kakishibu bristles interact with the products, I am obsessed with how soft they feel yet how they perform, how they blend, how powerful they are with the products. It’s also wonderful that we can use these natural kakishibu bristles with powders and also creams.

This Summer Koi face brush features a slanted ferrule and a slanted shape, but the two slants aren’t exactly parallel. The bristles are intentionally a bit longer at the back, creating a purposeful asymmetry.

This ferrule has a triangular pinch, it doesn’t give a triangular shape to the surface, it makes the surface of the brush slightly wider at the back compared to the front.

Outdoors, still enjoying a beautiful wintery day…

FUNCTION AND PURPOSE

These saikoho goat bristles are exceptionally soft. Since it’s flat and very dense, this brush is best suited to techniques that involve patting, gently stamping, or using short, controlled strokes to apply the product.

This brush can be used with powders and also with creams. However, because of the softness and the ease in the movement of these bristles, I wouldn’t use this brush for applications that require a substantial amount of cream or liquid product, as the product could sink too deeply into the bristles. It performs much better with products that remain on the surface of the brush, like for example cream blushes in a stick format.

I find this brush incredibly fun to pair with stick blushes. While this may sound like a very specific use, the market today offers an enormous variety of stick blushes, and many of us truly love them. I reach for them regularly, so having a dedicated brush for this step fits naturally into my routine. I also use it with cream blushes in pans but when applying the product onto the skin, I use patting movements and not swiping or swirling.
I created this prototype with the master artisan when we met in person, we played with the angle and the bristles and then I took the prototype home with me. I fell in love with this little brush since that very first day. It may not be the most versatile tool, but there’s something so special about it that I can’t imagine my makeup routine without it anymore.

The technique is simple: dab the stick blush directly onto the center of the brush until you have enough product, then gently tap the brush onto the skin to build and diffuse the color, repeating as needed. Because you’re lightly pressing the product rather than swiping it, the underlying makeup remains undisturbed. The surface of the brush is flat, but by placing the product in the center, the gentle flex of the bristles as you tap blends the color seamlessly.
If you already own a similar brush but haven’t tried this technique with a cream stick, it’s definitely worth experimenting. You’ll want a brush with a flat surface that has density and support but with movement, just so it doesn’t stamp the product too harshly onto the skin.

COMPARISONS AND OTHER BRUSH OPTIONS

This is a new shape so I don’t have anything similar in my collection. At this moment, a similar brush is not planned to be released in the future (even paired with a different handle).
However, we have the Traditions Kakishibu series should you be interested in brushes with this type of bristles – and if you haven’t tried these bristles yet, you really should.

Summer Koi vs Mini Base

I mentioned that I love this Summer Koi brush with cream blushes, the other brushes that I would recommend with these cream blushes are the Mini Base and the Mini Sheer Buffer, I will explain the nuances.

The Mini Base is extremely soft, it was designed with the Fusion bristle mix and to be used with cream products. This mix is amazing for those of us who have extremely sensitive skin as the bristles are extremely gentle (it’s a mix of natural and synthetic).

This Mini Base has movement but less airiness in the bristles, the area that will be in contact with the skin is smaller so we can say that it will work with more precision, opacity and control. In the case of a stick blush application for example, we will place the product in the center of the brush so the Summer Koi can work with the precision that we want.

Summer Koi vs Mini Sheer Buffer

The Mini Sheer Buffer is similar in size, their surfaces are almost the same size in diameter.

The Mini Sheer Buffer was designed specifically for cream blushes and cream bronzers. It allows us to gradually build the application, picking up the product with the stippling surface, and then blending it using both layers of bristles.

It has more movement in comparison to the Summer Koi and the bristles will splay out more easily.

When applying a product that has been previously placed on the top of these brushes:

– the Mini Sheer Buffer is going to apply it and blend it on a bigger perimeter because the bristles splay out with more ease
– the Mini Base is going to deliver a slightly more defined perimeter and opaque placement depending on the product, but it remains easy to blend
– the Summer Koi allows us to progressively build the placement and intensity, the edges remain diffused and it looks like a gorgeous glow from within. The bristles have gentle grip on the product so they won’ pick up too much but we need to be careful because if we work with too much product, then the blending with the same brush may move the underneath application

SUMMER KOI – TECHNICAL SPECS AND PRICING

THE MAKI-E JAPANESE GARDENS FACE BRUSH

The Maki-e Japanese Gardens face brush is bundled with white Canadian squirrel bristles (WCS) and saikoho goat bristles, just like the Japanese Gardens eye set.
Don’t be discouraged by the saikoho goat mix in here, this brush would definitely not be the same without it.
I was aiming for a brush with a strong core, with bristles that would bloom and a shape that would follow the structure of the face intuitively. This brush is extremely versatile and fun for blush, bronzer, for sculpting or for setting/finishing powders.

The ferrule is slanted and pinched. This face brush has a front and a back: the ferrule is slightly concave at the front and convex at the back. It is densely packed and extremely soft, it looks and feels like a cat paw.

The main working surface is situated on the front side of the brush, however, this brush is extremely versatile. Depending on the control that you need, you can use the front, the tip of the brush or the back, and also sideways.

Outdoors, still enjoying that beautiful snowy day…

FUNCTION AND PURPOSE

This brush was designed for the application of powders only. I love everything about this brush, and this particular mix is perfection because the saikoho goat bristles bring the fullness and resilience that we need for this shape. It looks, feels and functions amazingly, it’s really special and so versatile.

It’s a dense brush but the bristles splay out and move effortlessly in any direction, they flex and adapt to the surface of the skin. It’s easy to pick up product, easy to blend and polish the application, and since the bristles stay open, it’s really fun to use with sheer, medium and with more pigmented products – just avoid picking up too much if you work with a highly pigmented one.

COMPARISONS AND OTHER BRUSH OPTIONS

There is nothing like this brush currently in my collection, but if you like this shape, there is a high probability that a brush similar to this one will come in the near future. We used the same ferrule, on a different handle, and with different materials.

Japanese Gardens vs Master Face

The closest in size is the Master Face but if you turn the Japanese Gardens sideways, then it’s a totally different brush. The Master Face is denser.

Japanese Gardens vs Classic Cheek

The Japanese Gardens has twice the bristles in comparison to the Classic Cheek.

Japanese Gardens vs Lotus Detail

Here is the Detail brush from the Lotus set, it was a limited edition brush and I know that many of you own this little angled brush so I wanted to show you how different it was in shape and size.

JAPANESE GARDENS – TECHNICAL SPECS AND PRICING

THE HANDLES

THE SHAPE AND THE LACQUERS

These brushes feature the same handle shape and the same lacquers as the previous Maki-e eye brushes, scaled to fit these bigger diameter ferrules.

The handle features a gourd‑like silhouette, which makes it one of the most challenging shapes to produce. Each handle is entirely handmade, and the curved form significantly increases the time required for every stage of the process, from shaping and sanding to the final Maki‑e application. Working on a three‑dimensional curved surface, rather than a flat one, adds an extra layer of complexity to the craftsmanship.

The handles are black towards both ends but the widest part is either lacquered red, blue or bronze. This is a very special gradient technique where you can see the base color peaking through the clear lacquers.

This multi‑layer coating technique is a similar one used on very high‑end, exclusive automobiles. The visual depth and multi‑dimensional effect it creates is truly remarkable, and being able to achieve this finish on Fude handles is extraordinary. The technique is similar to the one that we use for the PRO and SKY series but these handles require a longer processing time.
All our handles are made in Japan, and we always use the highest‑quality materials we can technically have access to.

THE MAKI-E ILLUSTRATION

You may be familiar with the Maki-e eye brushes already, we wanted to keep the same theme for the face brushes. This time, the Maki‑e on the face brushes was created using a different technique, one that allows for finer detailing and smooth gradient effects. It is more complex, it requires more time and more steps.

The logos and the illustration are both applied with a Maki-e technique.
You’ll notice that the Japanese Gardens face brush now showcases a logo in silver, this was suggested by our Maki‑e artisan, and we agreed that the silver finish gave the brush a more distinctive and harmonious look. The artisans have adapted the design to fit these handles and since these are thicker, it allowed them to enhance some details.

THE PACKAGING

Each Maki‑e Face Brush is presented in its own paulownia wooden box, wrapped with Japanese washi paper and adorned with a Mizuhiki crane.

The paulownia box for the Sunset Cranes brush is slightly larger and taller compared to the other two:

Sunset Cranes: 23cm*8cm*4.5cm
Summer Koi: 21cm*6cm*4.5cm
Japanese Gardens: 21cm*6cm*4.5cm

The washi paper for the Sunset Cranes brush features spirals to represent the sun, we have waves to represent the Summer Koi and Momiji (maple) leaves for the Japanese Gardens.

The paulownia box (kiribako) is spray‑painted twice with a black urethane resin coating, this creates a very smooth beautiful finish and the logo is then stamped in the center.
These boxes are crafted in Hagi, in the Yamaguchi prefecture, a historically significant region, especially for those interested in Samurai culture and heritage. If you ever have the chance to visit, it’s a very special place. The manufacturer is the same artisan who produces the paulownia boxes for the renowned Hagi Yaki pottery pieces.

AVAILABILITY

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this long post, and for your incredible support, for me, for the artisans and everyone else that was involved. We are truly grateful to have you with us, and we look forward to continuing this beautiful journey together!
If you choose to bring any of these special Maki‑e brushes into your collection, we hope they bring you joy and become a pleasure to use. Thank you!!!

These 3 brushes are limited edition and will be sold separately, they will be available starting on February 18th, 2026 at 10am PT on Beautylish.