Chikuhodo GSN Series GSN-2 Powder Brush

1 Review

1. 

   relievedGranola3

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   This review is long overdue. I absolutely love this brush and the lack of reviews so far makes me feel a civic duty (as an MUA-er of course) to get up and start proselytizing. This review is mainly from a lengthy response I wrote to someone asking for brush recs on the boards. But to make life a little easier, I wanted to post a review that would be easier for everyone to find.

   Now with that out of the way, this is THE brush as far as I’m concerned for achieving that seamlessly airbrushed look where everything – contour, blush, highlight, powder, bronzer – just melds together effortlessly into perfection..

   The Chikuhodo GSN-2 doesn’t get as much hype as the other Chikuhodo brushes (especially the Z Series which tends to dominate discussions because it’s $$$$ and squirrel hair). Now I adore my Z Series brushes but squirrel hair isn’t ideally suited to blending and buffing product into your skin. That’s why the GSN-2 was a total game changer for me. It suddenly made all of that so easy, my makeup looked so much more sophisticated – it was a mini epiphany.

   SIZE & SPECIFICATIONS

   The GSN-2 has a very dense, slightly domed top and feels very firm, almost bouncy against the skin. I’ve attached a pic of it and you can see that the length of the bristles is pretty short compared to a typical powder brush. This gives you a lot more control over your application, unlike longer haired brushes which can be too diffuse and feel almost floppy. Those sorts of brushes (often squirrel) are great when you want a diffused, more sheer application (eg with loose powder to set your foundation or with very pigmented blushes) but they aren’t going to do the work of blending and buffing for you.

   WHAT IT’S GOOD (AND BAD) AT

   The GSN-02, on the other hand, excels as an all over finishing brush. It is insanely good at buffing away any harsh edges and patchiness and just melding together your blush, contour, highlight, etc, so that you get that HD, almost photoshopped finish.

   Btw, it’s classified as a powder brush but I wouldn’t recommend using this for applying setting powder (and esp not powder foundation – it would look way too cakey IMO). If you’re pale and find most blushes too highly pigmented, this would also not be a good choice. The reason for all of this is because the dense, short hairs of the Chikuhodo GSN-2 will pick up a lot of pigment and give you an overly heavy application if you aren’t careful. What I do love it for is less pigmented bronzers – Tom Ford Terra was a total flop for me until I tried applying it with this and suddenly I saw the light. I’m on the fairer end of n15 and Terra refused to show up on me).Then I tried this and the rest is history…I still can’t get over what a great job this does buffing bronzer and contour into your skin so that it really looks natural, and emphasises your bone structure.

   DESIGN

   The longer handle of the GSN brushes will be welcome to many people, since the shorter handles that many Japanese brushes have can feel awkward to use (I have no issues with short handles but I can see why it’s annoying for some people). The GSN Series is recommended for makeup artists to use which is why, I imagine, they decided to make the handles longer.

   Details:
   – Made of Sokoho good hair. It’s soft but not marshmallow-y soft or, in Lisa Eldridge, speak ‘kitten-soft’. This isn’t a cotton ball brush – comparing it to something like the Suqqu cheek is a pointless exercise. Basically, expect it to be firm and slightly bouncy against your skin. Unless your skin is extremely sensitive, I’d imagine you would find this more than soft enough.

   Total length of brush (handle to tip) : 175mm
   Tip/Brush Hairs: 30mm