This was my first IMATS or any sort of makeup trade show so I was very excited to visit the booths and test out the products in person! Unfortunately because it was very busy at the Yaby Cosmetics booth, I didn't have as much time as I would like to just to browse around and I was more ON A MISSION type of browsing! I know this is silly, but I felt special wearing my Exhibitor's Pass! hehehe~! But! Thank goodness I'm not a make up junkie or else I'd be so broke buying everything that's enticing! :) Onwards with my "investment" pieces....!
Before attending the show, I knew I wanted to check out the Hakuhodo brushes - the high quality Japanese hand-made brushes! I thought about investing in one or two...but when I finally got a chance to feel it, it was hard to decide WHICH ones to buy. These are definitely long lasting INVESTMENT pieces in my career as an artist - the nice Japanese man explained to me the glue is applied all the way along the ferrule (seen in the darker color portion of the brush below) and so if you wanted to dry your brushes upright, you CAN because the glue won't breakdown easily. I held up the goat and squirrel blush brush (not this one) side by side and at first I could not feel the subtle difference in softness~ I asked the nice Japanese man, and his reaction was: "Ehhhh? Please feel again!" and then I noticed it! From what I noticed, the series are separated by the handle type and length as well as the grade of the hair.
Blue squirrel fur is slightly softer, but I decided to go with the goat and synthetic blend of the Kokutan Finishing Brush (shown on the left). I was tempted to get the blue squirrel Kokutan Fan Brush, but I prefer a longer handle, and I just really like the shape of the brush. It's great for powder, highlight and contouring as well! I've been testing it out since my return and using it on my clients, and I have to say I love this brush and will treasure it. The softness makes it great for blending~ and I'm a fond of the natural look to begin with so...it suits me very well!
After deciding on the Finishing Brush, I was like: "Shoot I've already reached my budget for brushes...but I really ....need..." ....So I am perfectly fine with my current pencil brushes - except when I need to get to the outer V and closer to the eye area in a tight smokey eye look, I notice the bristles of my MAC pencil brush might irritate my clients - which led me to purchase the Kokutan Eye Shadow Brush T. The softness of the brush is the most gentle and comforting pencil or fine-point applicator for the eye-area. The trade-off is lighter application and it's harder to pickup the pigment. I mean, this is the trade-off for softer brushes in general - but the rubbing of the coarser brushes can create microscopic tears and can also scratch and irritate the skin. This is best for clients with very sensitive skin. I do take great care in applying products to the eye area, but a great tool can make it easier and more comfortable for my clients.
Lastly, I actually bought a Kokutan Pointed Powder Brush that has a smaller brush area and of course the wooden handle. The photo on the left is not the one I bought (For some reason I cannot find it on the website! Perhaps it's a newer product...?) and from the S series...So my brush is shorter (sorry I didn't take a photo of this...maybe next time! It's drying now after its weekly deep cleansing!!! ^^) with the wooden handle but the surface area it covers is smaller. I was drawn to the shape of the brush immediately and noticed how much EASIER it would be for me to use it to highlight. Usually I use a separate brush for cheek/forehead/chin and another for nose/cupid's bow. But now, I can just stick to ONE.
It was hard for me to reach for my wallet to buy all 3 brushes~ ! I was definitely a bit sweaty from stress! (lol...~ and I received sympathetic glances and also comforting words from the nice Japanese ladies processing my purchase! thank you, it was comforting!) One of the ladies told me: "It's OK! Work hard and come back next year for a few more!" And I was like: "I don't think I can afford to come back next year! *laughs nervously*"
While I was looking at the brushes, there were 2 girls looking and feeling all the brushes and saying: "omg this is sooo expensive!! I can't believe it!" And I said: "Well...this is really top of the line stuff!!" as the nice Japanese man nods fervently in agreement! These were 3 brushes I had NO regrets buying. I also bought 3 little brushes and a Kabuki brush and a $10 dollar brush roll (a steal!!!) from Royal brushes but I haven't used them much but I'm also very happy with those purchases! :) All in all, I'm happy I refrained from impulse buys in the 'tools' department, given how little time I had to shop (a little over an hour over the 2 day period~!) so I'm very happy! Until next time~~~ Have a great week!
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