Starting a brush collection- brushes 5 and 6, blush and lips

After finding myself disappointedly underwhelmed with the previous brush I obtained, the one I was most excited about, the powder brush, I changed my attitude towards this process. Even given the extensive research and thorough thought I put in my selection process, somehow I managed to convince myself to take it easy and have as little expectations as possible, which is difficult because decisions are at least partly based on the (high) expectations you develop (followed, or preceded, by cost and practicality). I considered the fact that when choosing a blush brush, I’d for the longest time been debating between two Chikuhodo brushes, the Z-4 and G-1, neither of which was a clear winner, and instead of making me happy and excited, were causing me stress as I pondered which one would be least disappointing. That probably sounds terrible, as I am sure they are magnificent tools, just for someone else. The reason I’d convinced myself it had to be one or the other, was because the online distributor of Chikuhodo is based in Sweden, that’s like ordering from my next door neighbor, it felt safe(er)… However, it was evident I just really didn’t like either one of the brushes, and this choosing the lesser of two evils was causing a ridiculous amount of distress, even to me, especially since there was a blush brush out there that I was quite frankly enamored with. A brush whose shape was perfect in my book- the handle, a sleek work of art, perfectly proportioned, and made with the only type of hair I would be willing to purchase, 100% grey squirrel (since I now had a squirrel/goat blend brush, I knew it simply had to be softer still). So, rather than continuing to beat myself up about which Chikuhodo cheek brush I’d resent less, I took the plunge and decided to order exactly what I wanted – the Kyureido Fine Kalla KK-002.

I made this decision back in August. As all of this is extremely expensive to me (in general, but to me especially), I wanted to see if there was any way for me to order my Fine Kalla brush(es, yes, I’ll get to that) via someone in Japan, who would send it to me as a private person so I wouldn’t have to pay sales tax on it, again. Yes, again.

This is my theory, if Japan or wherever wants to sell me a product including their sales tax, I shouldn’t be required to pay it in my country, and if my country wants to add its own sales tax, I shouldn’t have to pay the tax of the country it comes from. I’m happy to pay VAT on products here (ok, “happy” is a strong word, I grunt and do it, because it’s so high, and pretend I don’t know how much more affordable things are abroad), however, the companies that go through the process of importing goods, will have purchased them from the country of origin without their sales tax and for a better price for buying in bulk. I pay the postal/delivery fee separately, there isn’t a single moment throughout the process which in my opinion should entitle a country to more tax, they didn’t do anything! They didn’t make the product, artisans in Japan did. They didn’t sell me the product, a merchant on Rakuten did. They didn’t deliver the product, EMS did. All paid for. Contribute in some way, maybe then I’ll give you my hard-earned peanuts. Anyway, that was my little rant on that subject. Moving on.  

A friend of mine from university had recently returned from Japan after spending a few years studying and working there. I thought perhaps she had a friend willing to help me out. As it turned out, it would have been better if I’d made my damn mind up a month or so sooner and she could have gotten it herself before leaving. There was a friend who was happy to help, but we ran into difficulty because of something I hadn’t even fathomed being an issue. I assumed I could paypal her friend the cost of everything, but as it turned out after a month of no success, Paypal works differently in Japan. If memory serves me right, as of 2010 it cannot be used between two non-businesses, as in people, it can only work as a means of paying for goods or services, if the recipient has a business account with Paypal. Bummer. I looked into wiring the sum, but if I covered all of the bank service fees on both ends, it would be over 30% of the sum, which defeated the purpose unfortunately…   

By this point I was disappointed, because I’d been so proud of myself for making a decision, and I was really excited about receiving my new brush. Everything was going so well, and now I had to re-strategize. Which I did. I placed the order myself on Rakuten and had it shipped to a friend in the US, where they didn’t apply any additional customs fees, with whom I exchange parcels regularly anyway, and would just ask to include my preciouses at some point. From then on it all went rather quickly. Oh, the KK-002 happened to be out of stock when I placed the order, and the nice seller said it would take two weeks. It was fine by me. And then, out of the blue, he (she? I don’t know) emailed me a day or two later and said the brush was back in stock and that my parcel had been sent. Woohoo!

I first learned of the Fine Kalla brush on SMT. I never particularly cared for the Suqqu cheek brush (I don’t dislike it, but I don’t like it either) and I was having the most toxic time trying to convince myself I would like the Z-4, whereas the moment I saw the KK-002, especially compared to the ones mentioned above, there wasn’t a single hesitation in my mind – it was just gorgeous! Well, according to me. I kept drooling over it and thinking, my god, it’s perfect. This torturing myself over A or B seemed so stupid, when the answer was obvious, C!

It was a very nice, peaceful place to be. I didn’t panic or lose sleep over whether or not I’d like it once I got it, as I have and do with a lot of beauty items and tools still, fretting I’d wasted money and all my time choosing and prompting the growth of grey hair will have been a colossal waste, they will turn out to be not as good, or worse, terrible (it’s happened, more often than my delicate psyche can stand at times). Sometimes a fail is a fail, it’s bad enough on its own, but when it stays with you and continues to make you sad and angry, it’s worse. It’s hard to just go “oh well” and move on, but there’s only so much heartache material loss deserves (if it does at all, but I think the less resources you have to begin with, the bigger and harder to handle a waste of money is. I just need to start earning a better living and give my brain a rest when a brush or eyeshadow doesn’t work out =p). 

I mentioned there was another brush, the sixth and final one in total – the lip brush. I’m tempted to say it is the brush I put the least amount of thought into, but once I tell you what the process was, that statement will have little merit. Quite simply, I had but a few and in my opinion, simple requirements – one, I wanted it to be a portable, retractable brush; I wanted it to be a square shape, because that’s what most professionals suggest; and finally, I really wanted it to be made of kolinsky hair. Why? Because it’s supposed to be the best kind of hair for this type of brush due to the hairs’ unique shape. Not that weasel hair isn’t great, or synthetic can’t be good, but I was looking to have just one, for now at least, and I wanted the best. Why retractable? Well, there are two uses I have for a lip brush – if it’s no longer possible to apply lip colour from the bullet and I need to scrape the product (of which there is still plenty!) out, and if I’m wearing a very bold, bright colour and need to be extra precise in the corners, as well as reapply it when I’m out. Having something compact, portable, and most importantly, securely closed, was key. I didn’t really care too much about its appearance, although, let’s face it, I clearly have a preference for black all over or black with gold detailing etc... What I thought to be such an easy list of requirements and simple task, turned out to be anything but.

There wasn’t a single suitable brush either on Kohlindo.se or Hakuhodousa.com, one had kolinsky lip brushes that weren’t retractable, and the other retractable brushes that weren’t kolinsky. I know, first world problems… Now that I look closer, the Chikuhodo M-8 should have worked, I must not have noticed it or I must not have liked the idea of ordering only one little brush and paying shipping. I know, it’s these sorts of things I toss and turn over at night. I remember considering the GS-7, even though it’s much more than I’d be comfortable spending on a lip brush, but at the time I still thought my blush brush would also be a Chikuhodo, and the same logic, ordering at least two items to justify the shipping cost, was prevailing. Cost and sensibility got in the way, so instead, for a time I seriously considered a retractable weasel brush from Hakuhodo (in, ugh, silver - so blasé…), this is when my fantasy list got a little out of control, I threw my six brush concept out the window, so that wouldn’t have been the only thing I’d be ordering from them, but I snapped out of it!

Ever since I’d been eyeing the KK-002, I also gave careful consideration to the rest of Kyureido’s line. I think the Fine Kalla design is gorgeous and if I could have not one but two of their brushes, all the better! And it would make shipping sense (I know, I’m a broken record…). I was all set on ordering the KK-008, but realized just in time that it wasn’t what I thought it was. It was a kolinsky hair, square shaped lip brush, and I knew it wasn’t retractable, however, I didn’t know that it wouldn’t have a cap, because of the way the brushes are photographed. They have another lip brush, the KK-010 that is retractable and would have been perfect, if not for its shape, which comes to a sharp point rather than being flat and square. I would have been blissfully unaware if I hadn’t noticed this when looking at the line sold as a set in a brush roll, where you can clearly see what’s what. Since I was definitely set on getting the KK-002, I scattered to find something else on Rakuten. Obviously, this didn’t actually mean all of Rakuten, just the particular store that carries Kyureido among other brands. I guess it could tell what I was looking for, the internet worked its analytical magic, the Fine Kalla KM-015 appeared in a suggestion bar and that was that. I honestly had never seen it before! I think the same seller might have carried the M-8 which I very, very briefly considered, but even though rusty burgundy and gold isn’t necessarily my favourite colour combo, the KM-015 ticked all my boxes and was a lot more affordable at that. The blush and lip brush from Kyureido with shipping to the States was 10440¥.

I was set for all of this to take a pretty long time – ordering online, waiting for a shipping price quote and confirmation, waiting for the brush to be back in stock, waiting for it to be mailed to the USA, waiting for it to be shipped then to Europe… Waiting, waiting, waiting… Perhaps that’s why I was so relaxed, because realistically, it was going to be a long wait and it would be foolish to worry for such a long time. But then, as I mentioned, the KK-002 was back in stock really quickly, in fact, I was blissfully unaware and asleep when it had already begun its voyage from Hiroshima to Osaka. I think it took less than one week to reach my friend in America. Oh you’ve got to love Japanese efficiency and quality standards!!! Those are my kind of people! The French and Italians could learn a thing or two from them about deadlines, keeping appointments and answering correspondences…  

I was the tiniest bit concerned about having an issue in customs because of the kolinsky lip brush. I don’t know exactly what the situation is, but the way I understand it it’s not necessarily that the import of this material is prohibited, but rather, highly regulated by the US, to prevent overuse of the hair, which is why Hakuhodousa.com don’t carry any of the kolinsky brushes Hakuhodo make. But I don’t actually know, all I know is that customs didn’t take away my KM-015 and I’m a happy camper!

After that, I think it took about two more weeks for the brushes to reach me. I remember going to get them the very day I got a notice of a new parcel from the post office and that it happened to be my first day off in a long time so that really cheered me up.

I probably shouldn’t, but I’ve used my brushes right away without washing them first (shock, horror!). The KM-015 is the only one of my brushes that is practically useless without a wash first as it’s stiff from the glue holding the hairs in place. Because my lips are too dry to wear any lipstick right now, I can’t give the brush a proper review at this time, but I will in the future. Otherwise, it looks absolutely nice. The body and cap are metal, and I don’t know if it’s dodgy construction (god I hope not) or just unavoidable with a retractable mechanism, but the golden part, the ferrule, is a bit wonky/shaky, nothing serious (and probably perfectly normal, I just don’t have anything to compare it to).

I did try using it despite the glue, just to feel it, and even tried to assign it some double duty by seeing if it would work as an eyeliner brush, which it kind of does! I noticed that the pricier angled eyeliner brushes by Hakuhodo were kolinsky, and my theory was that in a pinch, this could possibly work to apply a powder or cream eyeshadow as liner. I think the glossiness of the hair works better with more cream and liquid type products, it is possible to use powder, but the result is lighter, less pigmented than with a coarser hair brush. Honestly, it’s the same hair, so why shouldn’t it work? The shape is different – a kolinsky liner brush would be wider and the hair shorter, the length of the hair on the lip brush makes it a bit floppy, but again, I never claimed it could be a direct replacement for a liner brush, just a possible lifeline in a day to night look on the go perhaps. I can totally see myself having that brush, a bright lipstick and a dark plum shadow in my purse, having to choose which way I wanted to take my day look for a night out – dark eyes or a bold lip? Decisions, decisions =)…

I started playing with the KK-002 the moment I got home. It is as beautiful as I thought it would be and feels sensational. If you take anything ever away from my blog, it’s that you NEED a 100% squirrel face brush in your life, you just do! It is quite small, but I use it for everything, even powder. It’s made me stop myself over powdering my now dry skin from old habits, and instead placing product gently, lightly and strategically. I use it to give my eyeshadow a final sweep, then to place powder on my eyebrows (to prep the skin, make it as dry as possible for the pencil), the centre of my face and forehead, then bronzer, blush or both and blend the remains away into my hairline, making it perfectly clean to go back into powder the next time I apply makeup. My RMK face brush lay unloved for quite a while, but I’ve recently pulled it back out when I got my Kanebo loose powder and I prefer to apply it with that instead (I’ve noticed how scratchy the RMK feels on my face has a lot to do with what powder I’m using, with the Kanebo it’s not that bad, with Mac’s Studio Fix, ouch).

I’ve washed the KK-002 a couple of times and experienced none of the toxic smell or bleeding I did with the RMK. The brush has lost exactly 5 hairs, two when I just got it out of its plastic sleeve, and three the first time I washed it. That’s it. When you factor in the cost of shipping and the fact that a blush brush is much smaller than a face brush, that would make it by far the most expensive brush I own, although it’s just a few € more than the RMK. The only problem I have with it is something I mentioned in my post about blush and bronzer, and it’s that one of its main virtues, the softness of the hair, doesn’t work very well with my very light face colour products. It’s okay, it’s perfectly manageable. I certainly don’t want a rougher brush, so in the future I’ll simply opt for better pigmented cosmetics, knowing that with my beloved Fine Kalla, I am in no danger of overdoing it. Other than that, I love to look at it, I love to hold it in my hand and I love how it feels on my face. In a word, perfection.

So those are the final two brushes of the six I set out to get. I don’t remember precisely, but I think I got the first brush in April and the last ones in November. Not bad. Am I done? For now, yes. Is there anything else I want? Absolutely! The “Deluxe List” has been writing itself parallel to my hunt for the core six for months now. However, I still stand by my original concept where the ones I now own, in my opinion, are the most necessary. I can finally shift my obsessive nature towards something else, a new mission, and reward myself with brushes from the “Deluxe List” when I achieve something noteworthy ;). I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and that we're going to have a fantastic new year!