Review: Chikuhodo R-P6 Powder Brush

I’ve been on a little bit of a powder kick lately. A while ago (I think during the last Sephora sale?) I picked up another Ambient Lighting Powder, and not long after that I got a deluxe sample of the Guerlain Meteorites to test out. And then I decided I needed the new Rouge Bunny Rouge Diaphanous powder, because I’ve heard such great things about it. At the same time a few friends and I were coordinating a group order from Chikuhodo, so it should surprise absolutely no one that I felt the need for a pretty new powder brush. I’ve been wanting a grey squirrel powder brush for a long time, but the two I’d been drooling over – the MK-2 and Z-9 – have a price tag ($266 – and that’s before shipping from Japan!!!) that makes even a full-blown brush addict like me cringe. When the new R series came out (last fall, I think?) with some grey squirrel brushes and more reasonable prices, I set my sights on those. So that is how I ended up getting the Chikuhodo R-P6 powder brush.

A thing of beauty, right? I haven’t seen anywhere exactly what the ferrule is made of, but it feels like the same nickel/brass material that Hakuhodo uses. But what really matters is that it’s very sturdy, and joined perfectly to the lacquered wood handle. Not to mention the silver & black setup looks great with my other brushes – not that I really mind mis-matched brushes, but it’s nice anyway. The handle is pretty fat, but light and well-balanced so it feels comfortable to hold. The brand and brush number are printed in matte silver lettering. I can feel the lettering just a little bit if I run my fingers over it, so there’s probably a chance it could wear off over time. I normally put clear polish over brush lettering, but I’m going to leave this one alone for a while, for science. It’s shed 3-4 hairs since I got it, which isn’t an unreasonable amount. Like a lot of squirrel brushes, the hairs seem to cling together after washing, so I run a fine comb through it after it’s dry (yes, I’m a crazy brush lady, don’t judge me).

But most of all, those hairs! They’re so fine and silky, I just can’t even really put words to it. It’s dense, but still flexible due to the length and softness of the bristles. The brush head is pretty big, so this is definitely more of an all-over powder brush. The slightly flattened shape gives the tip an oval cross-section, which is really handy – you can sweep powder across large areas, or turn it sideways to get in smaller spots like along the temples. It’s fantastic with loose powders, and it also works well with pressed powders/Meteorites if you give it a good swirl in the pan. I’m also planning to test it out with bronzer, but uh, I don’t actually have any right now and I’m waiting for a Sephora order to come in.

I don’t really have any brushes similar to this one, but that’s not going to stop me from giving you a comparison photo anyway, at least for size & shape purposes.

Left to right: Tarte Bamboo Airbrush, Chikuhodo R-P6, Chikuhodo Passion Powder, Hakuhodo J104

The now-eproject website unfortunately doesn’t have full measurements for the brushes, but I’ve got you covered:

• Full length – 172mm
• Bristle length – 52mm
• Width of ferrule foot – 24mm
• Brush thickness at ferrule foot – 18mm
• Width of brush head at the widest part – 44.75mm
• Thickness of brush head at the fullest part – 35mm

In Short: It took almost no time for this to become my most-reached-for powder brush.

The Chikuhodo R-P6 ($99) is available from now-eproject.com (update: it is now $130 from Visage or $102 from CDJapan).Save