Hakuhodo + Sephora Pro Otsubu Large Teardrop Pointed Powder Brush

 Purchased (Affiliate Links)

Among my purchases from the ongoing Sephora Sale is the Hakuhodo + Sephora Pro Otsubu Large Teardrop Pointed Powder Brush that I just had to have. It's not that I actually needed another makeup brush, because I have more than enough brushes, but I have collected Hakuhodo brushes for many years and couldn't resist this one given its inherent affordability.

Hakuhodo + Sephora Pro Otsubu Large Teardrop Pointed Powder Brush is a very nice synthetic pointed powder brush with a tapered head that is perfect for contouring, applying bronzer, blush and other powder products. The head is densely packed with soft and fluffy synthetic bristles that effortlessly pick up, deposit and blend powders, and the tapered pointed tip allows for precise control. The bristles are neither too soft, which lends itself to being floppy and ineffective, nor too taut, which lends itself to being harsh and potentially scratchy against the skin. It has a beautiful red lacquered handle (I think that it is wood) and a sturdy metal ferrule with a matte black finish. The brush is well-balanced, comfortable in the hand and very easy to use.

As I have said before, if you are a collector of Hakuhodo brushes, you probably are quite accustomed to using their animal hair bristles, though they do have quite an impressive collection of synthetic brushes as well, and therefore you may already have a preference for animal hair brushes. However, if you are among the many people who prefer to use synthetic brushes, then this brush is definitely worthy of your consideration, and it lives up to Hakuhodo's legendary quality.

According to Sephora,

A revolutionary line of brushes created through a collaboration between the Sephora Pro team and traditional Japanese craftsmen. The brush shapes were chosen for their precision, control, and ability to function as multitaskers.

Otsubu Large Teardrop Pointed Powder Brush is a pointed powder brush to apply powder, contour, or bronzer.

These beautiful brushes feature an innovative synthetic bristle material—the first to benefit from exclusive technology—that creates a softer, fluffier feel with actual bounce while retaining the benefits of synthetic bristles. As a result, these brushes are soft as cashmere, yet deposit more product onto the face due to less absorption and are more hygienic than natural hair. The result of the first ever collaboration between a beauty company and highly-skilled traditional Hakuho-do craftsmen, these brushes benefit from the expertise of the Sephora Pro team and are handmade in Japan using a traditional, 200-year-old manufacturing technique. This ensures the highest quality design, materials, and assembly for astounding results. 

 The whole brush measures about 8 inches long.

 The brush head features soft and densely packed synthetic bristles.

This brush does not contain animal hair and it was not tested on animals.

 The sturdy red box offers elegant presentation, and therefore makes it a great gift.

Overall Assessment:While I certainly didn't need to buy another makeup brush, this Hakuhodo was a worthwhile purchase for me. It is still available, and on sale– therefore ,if you are interested you don't have to miss out. It's beautiful red box and red handle also makes this a nice Valentine's or Galntine's Day gift.

$32.00 (Regularly $49.00) from Sephora (Affiliate Links).
Purchased. All views expressed expressed are categorically my own.
Copyright © 2019 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

Hakuhodo + Sephora Pro Ougi Fan Cheek Brush | Review

Purchased (Affiliate Links)

Among my recent purchases from the Sephora Sale page, are a couple of fantastic Hakuhodo + Sephora Collection Pro Brushes, and as someone with a penchant for Hakuhodo brushes (and who happens to have purchased many of them over the years)– I was thrilled to be able to pick them up so affordably. The Hakuhodo + Sephora Pro Ougi Fan Cheek Brush is my favorite of the two, and the one that I am featuring in this post. If you are seeking some deeply discounted beauty products, or amazing makeup brushes, then take a look at some of Sephora's current items on sale!

The Hakuhodo + Sephora Pro Ougi Fan Cheek Brush is a very nice synthetic cheek brush that is perfect for contouring or applying blush. I use it with powder blushes and it works very well. The head is densely packed with soft and fluffy synthetic bristles that effortlessly pick up, deposit and blend every blush that I have tried with this brush. It has a beautiful red lacquered handle (I think that it is wood) and a sturdy metal ferrule with a matte black finish. The brush is well-balanced, comfortable in the hand and very easy to use.

If you are a collector of Hakuhodo brushes, you probably are quite accustomed to using their animal hair brushes, though they do have quite an impressive collection of synthetic brushes as well, and therefore you may already have a preference for animal hair bristles. However, if you are among the many people who prefer to use synthetic brushes, then this brush is definitely worthy of your consideration, and it lives up to Hakuhodo's legendary quality.

According to Sephora,

A revolutionary line of brushes created through a collaboration between the Sephora Pro team and traditional Japanese craftsmen. The brush shapes were chosen for their precision, control, and ability to function as multitaskers. 

Ougi Fan Cheek Brush: A universal blush brush to apply blush, contour, or for a natural, no-makeup look. 

These beautiful brushes feature an innovative synthetic bristle material—the first to benefit from exclusive technology—that creates a softer, fluffier feel with actual bounce while retaining the benefits of synthetic bristles. As a result, these brushes are soft as cashmere, yet deposit more product onto the face due to less absorption and are more hygienic than natural hair. The result of the first ever collaboration between a beauty company and highly-skilled traditional Hakuho-do craftsmen, these brushes benefit from the expertise of the Sephora Pro team and are handmade in Japan using a traditional, 200-year-old manufacturing technique. This ensures the highest quality design, materials, and assembly for astounding results.

 Note the densely packed synthetic bristles.

 This brush does not contain animal hair and it was not tested on animals.

Overall Assessment: This was a worthwhile purchase, and I have been getting a lot of use from this brush.

$25.00 (Regularly $40.00) from Sephora (Affiliate Links).

Purchased. All views expressed are categorically my own.

Copyright © 2019 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

SEPHORA EXTRA 20% OFF SALE HAUL | SHOP THROUGH JANUARY 1

 Purchased (Affiliate Links)

I already told you about how I struck gold in my most recent Sephora Sale purchases, and I am so excited share the actual products that I purchased with you! EXTRA 20% OFF ENDS JANUARY 1, 2019. Use Code: TWENTYOFF

If you are seeking some deeply discounted beauty products, amazing makeup brushes, or a stunning Makeup Bag from Clare Vivier– then you really need to check out Sephora's sale. Most of what I selected was already up to 50% Off, but with the added 20% Off the deals were amazing. The prices that you see in the cart below are before my additional 20% discount was applied. The regular sale price for everything was a grand total of $125.00, but with the additional 20% Off it was $100.00 (and the regular prices $227.00).  

I purchased 5 makeup brushes from the Sephora Collection, of which two are from their amazing collaboration from Hakuhodo. I have been using all of them for about a week, and I am keeping all of them because they were really worthwhile purchases. 

The extra 20% Off continues through January 1, and it is definitely worth checking frequently because they keep adding new products to the sale!

THE EXTRA 20% OFF ENDS JANUARY 1st! USE CODE: TWENTYOFF

ITEM AMOUNT

SEPHORA COLLECTION PRO Airbrush Blender #78 ITEM 1655471 Price: $19.00 $19.00 Qty: 1

SEPHORA COLLECTION Clare V. for Sephora Collection: Agnes Clutch ITEM 1919257 SIZE 11.75" x 6.5" Price: $15.00 $15.00 Qty: 1

SEPHORA COLLECTION hakuho-do + SEPHORA PRO Large Teardrop Pointed Powder Brush (Otsubu) ITEM 1699800 Price: $32.00 $32.00 Qty: 1

SEPHORA COLLECTION hakuho-do + SEPHORA PRO Fan Cheek Brush (Ougi) ITEM 1699826 Price: $25.00 $25.00 Qty: 1

SEPHORA COLLECTION PRO Contour Kabuki #82 ITEM 1673847 Price: $19.00 $19.00 Qty: 1

SEPHORA COLLECTION PRO Contour Highlight Brush #80 ITEM 1675792 Price: $15.00 $15.00 Qty: 1

samples Yves Saint Laurent Y EDT ITEM 2023786 Price: $0.00 $0.00 Qty: 1

Hourglass Ambient® Lighting Powder Hourglass Ambient® Lighting Powder in Luminous Light & Ethereal Light ITEM 1930973 Price: $0.00 $0.00 Qty: 1

SEPHORA DEAL ALERT: MUST-HAVE MAKEUP BRUSHES ON SALE | EXTRA 20% OFF

Purchased (Affiliate Links)

I struck gold in my most recent Sephora Sale purchases, and I am so excited that I wanted to share my great savings with you! If you are seeking some deeply discounted beauty products, amazing makeup brushes, or a stunning Makeup Bag from Clare Vivier– then you really need to check out Sephora's sale. Most of what I selected was already up to 50% Off, but with the added 20% Off the deals were amazing. The prices that you see in the cart are before my additional 20% discount was applied. The regular sale price for everything was a grand total of $125.00, but with the additional 20% Off it was $100.00 (and the regular prices $227.00). There are so many amazing finds that you can pick up lots of stocking stuffers and bigger Christmas presents at deeply discounted prices.

THE EXTRA 20% OFF ENDS DECEMBER 20. USE CODE: ROUGEFIRST

ITEM AMOUNT

SEPHORA COLLECTION PRO Airbrush Blender #78 ITEM 1655471 Price: $19.00 $19.00 Qty: 1

SEPHORA COLLECTION Clare V. for Sephora Collection: Agnes Clutch ITEM 1919257 SIZE 11.75" x 6.5" Price: $15.00 $15.00 Qty: 1

SEPHORA COLLECTION hakuho-do + SEPHORA PRO Large Teardrop Pointed Powder Brush (Otsubu) ITEM 1699800 Price: $32.00 $32.00 Qty: 1

SEPHORA COLLECTION hakuho-do + SEPHORA PRO Fan Cheek Brush (Ougi) ITEM 1699826 Price: $25.00 $25.00 Qty: 1

SEPHORA COLLECTION PRO Contour Kabuki #82 ITEM 1673847 Price: $19.00 $19.00 Qty: 1

SEPHORA COLLECTION PRO Contour Highlight Brush #80 ITEM 1675792 Price: $15.00 $15.00 Qty: 1

samples Yves Saint Laurent Y EDT ITEM 2023786 Price: $0.00 $0.00 Qty: 1

Hourglass Ambient® Lighting Powder Hourglass Ambient® Lighting Powder in Luminous Light & Ethereal Light ITEM 1930973 Price: $0.00 $0.00 Qty: 1

Milani Illuminating Face Powder 03 Beauty's Touch- It Might Just Be a Dupe for MAC Play it Proper Beauty Powder-- REVIEW & SWATCHES

Every now and again, a drugstore makeup line does something so right that were it not for the utilitarian packaging one would swear that it was a high-end luxury product. Such is the case with the Milani Illuminating Face Powders. Of the three shades available, I chose the obviously cooler leaning pink Beauty's Touch 03.

The first, and visceral, reaction is clearly solicited by the embossed roses that look like a gorgeous tightly grouped wedding bouquet. It is so gorgeous that if it were in a Guerlain or Chanel compact that you would be willing to pay upwards of $100.00 for this lovely piece of makeup artwork. The creamy dreamy buttery soft finely milled texture will have you waxing poetic about the many virtues of this wonderful multitasking illuminating face powder. When swirled together it is a lovely soft baby pink. For the über fair, this can double as a blush, but for everyone else this will make for one beautiful and luminous highlighter. Medium to darker skin tones may find this too light- therefore the other shades will likely hold greater appeal.  I have been applying it with my beloved Hakuhodo S113, and frankly if I didn't know any better I would swear that this was a prohibitively expensive luxury beauty powder. If you were among the people who missed out on MAC's Chen Man repromote of Play it Proper-- then this is a pretty good dupe!

Perhaps one of the most exciting things about this purchase, aside from the fantastic quality, is the fact that I had a CVS 30% off coupon, plus the cashier handed me an extra coupon for an additional dollar off. When all was said and done I got this beauty for $5.54 plus tax (making it a whopping $6.02)! I can barely get a latte for that price!

Isn't this gorgeous?!

Light swatch on top, heavier swatch on bottom.

New friends sitting side by side.

In order to produce this Milani swatch I swirled my finger in a circular motion around the entire compact. While it is clearly a touch darker than Play it Proper it could be lightened further by concentrating on the pigment found in some of the lighter roses. Therefore with a highly directed finger or brush you could lighten it up to a hue that approximates Play it Proper more closely. I love both of these powders, but am now less concerned if I hit the pan on Play it Proper- knowing that I can replace it with this gorgeous Milani Highlighter if MAC never repromotes Play it Proper! Who am I kidding though-- they have repromoted it before and it's so popular that I imagine that Play it Proper will be seen in some future MAC collection.

Overall assessment: It's as good as it looks!! I highly recommend checking this one out. Plus, Milani is a Cruelty Free company!
0.35 oz. for around $9.95 CVS, Walgreens. You can also order it from Milani directly.

Hakuhodo Mizubake Brush- Review & Pictures

Hakuhodo's Mizubake, which is part of the Japanese Traditions brushes, is a goat hair brush with a short cane wrapped handle, and it is definitely one of my most unique Hakuhodo brushes. According to Hakuhodo, it is made for the application of "face liquid and cream blush." I must confess that this little brush confounded me when I received it- so I studied it for a very long time before actually endeavoring to try it. I somehow thought that it wouldn't be a fantastic foundation brush, and didn't see it as a viable cream blush brush either because of the width of the flat head. Truth be told, I wasn't quite sure what to think of it, or how to best use it. So it sat, and sat, and sat. Then the other day I decided to try it, and that was when I discovered that all of my reservations about this beautiful little brush were misplaced.

The white goat hair is itself about 1" long, while the entire brush is a mere 3" long. The head is flat, deliciously soft, and delightfully fluffy. It is definitely too big and loose to be effective for picking up and laying down powder products-- you would pick up far too much product and likely make quite a big mess in the process. However, while I doubted Hakuhodo's claim that this brush was built for liquid formulas and cream blushes- I must now acknowledge that they were absolutely right. The Mizubake really surprised me in its ability to deliver a flawless airbrushed finish with my liquid foundation-- and I really mean flawless. There were no streaks, swirls, or lines of demarcation of any sort whatsoever.

My next test involved trying out the Mizubake's efficacy as a liquid/cream blush brush, and this is where I truly misjudged this brush. With doubt in my heart I pumped some Susan Thompson Cosmetics Liquid Blush onto the back of my hand and dipped the Mizubake into the blush and applied it to my cheeks. I expected it to produce a streaky mess that would need to be carefully blended out afterward, but much to my astonishment it applied and blended out my blush to perfection. For an exquisite review be sure to see what Gaia from The Non-Blonde has to say about this unique brush.

Overall assessment: I'm not entirely sure why I misjudged this brush before having tried it. I suspect it is because it is so different from all of the other brushes in my stash, and as a result I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. I was quite wrong in my initial assessments of what this brush was capable of doing.  I am positively delighted by this brush, and have been reaching for it on a daily basis since having made this discovery. It is uncompromising in its ability to deliver a flawless finish with liquid/cream foundations and blushes. In fact, it's such a great brush that I wish that I had picked up a second one before the price increase went into effect at the beginning of the year. I love this brush truly, madly, deeply!

$52.00 from Hakuhodo