Love this brush - so much so that I purchased the S110 (the flagship version with the 24ct gold plated ferrule and vermillon handle).

It's a very dense, rounded goat hair brush that is great for blush, applying bronzer or buffing in mineral powder foundation etc. As it's goat hair it can also be used for cream products. Compared to my MAC 129 I have almost no shedding with the Hakuhodo. After washing the brush does fluff out a bit and become even more round, which I like since if a brush is too dense I find it more difficult to apply a sheer wash of colour.

I bought the more lux version of this brush, J210. It's AMAZINGLY soft and is just the right size for blush or contour. It feels just like the Tom Ford cheek brush and applies blush just as well. The shape is a little more round like the Mac 209, slightly larger. I am in LOVE with this brush and the J series of Hakuhodo.

This is the perfect brush for contouring cheekbones-- infinitesimally larger than the MAC 109, on the small side for a face brush. When I make The Fish Face it nestles right into the hollows. It isn't quite as soft as some of my other Hakuhodos but it still feels incredible on the face. It's also extremely dense yet awesome at blending powder. I will definitely buy again if something should happen to mine (god forbid).

This brush is not as soft as my other Hakuhodo brushes. If I tried it w/out knowing what brand it was I would never even guess that it's by Hakuhodo. I've tried it for blush, bronzer, powder foundation, liquid foundation and while it performs well enough I'm just not crazy about the way it feels. My Sephora Collection Pro Contour Brush #74 and Royal & Langnickel Baby Dome are way softer than this brush (highly recommend the two brushes I just mentioned!). I heard this brush has a Mac dupe but this one is a lot softer and it thought.. Damn, the Mac one must feel like a toilet brush! It's not as expensive as other Hakuhodo brushes so I don't regret purchasing it but if you're on the fence - there are better less expensive brushes! continued >>