Chikuhodo Passion Series is Chikuhodo’s entry-level line of brushes made out of dyed sokoho goat hair. And while these are often proposed as ‘beginner Fude’, they punch above its price point in terms of performance and appearance. Speaking of their appearance, it is absolutely striking: delicious raspberry red handles are attached to glossy vivid magenta ferrules, and the hairs are dyed very dark (almost black, with some reddish brown hairs interspersed). Add to this their ‘naughty’ name, and I couldn’t think of a better gift for Valentine’s Day…. or any other day of the year, for that matter!
I purchased my three brushes from the CDJapan website, and they are respectively: PS-1 Powder, PS-3 Highlight, and PS-4 Eye Shadow (see the photo below). Other brushes in this line include: PS-2 Cheek (blush), PS-5 Eye Brow, PS-6 Edge (liner), PS-7 Lip, PS-8 Eye Shadow (smaller), PS-9 Shadowliner (smudger), and PS-10 Blending (crease). There is also a Brush Set consisting of seven brushes and a synthetic pouch. All brushes are made out of sokoho grade goat hair, except the PS-5 (water badger), the PS-6 (weasel), and the PS-7 (weasel).
The PS-1 Powder is a large powder brush with a pinched oval ferrule, that can be used for loose and pressed powders (setting, finishing, foundation, bronzer). The pinched ferrule means that the brush is not equally wide on all sides, but it is by no means a ‘flat’ brush. It still feels quite full and rounded, with bristles tapering to a point from whichever side you look. I have included photos from various angles to illustrate what I mean. The shape that you see in the pictures is for a brush that has been kept in a brush guard, otherwise it would have splayed out more after washing. I think this is a good, versatile powder brush, but I will reserve my final thoughts on the entire series for the last paragraph.
The PS-3 Highlight brush has a similar shape to the PS-1 Powder, but it is obviously much smaller (with the PS-2 Cheek coming in-between the two). It is, however, a more flat brush than the PS-1, relatively speaking. Besides highlighting, this brush could also be used for powdering and setting smaller areas, such as the undereye concealer. The bristles have a similar feel to the PS-1 Powder brush in terms of their softness/coarseness, which is consistent with what you would expect from the sokoho grade (as a reminder, this is the 3rd grade of goat hair softness/fineness that comes after saibikoho and saikoho). The dying process may somewhat improve the feel, however.
The PS-4 Eye Shadow is the largest eye-shadow brush in the Passion Series and it is also a large eye-shadow brush in general. Its shape is almost triangular, coming to a very prominent point, which makes it quite suitable for reaching the inner corner of the eyelid. This brush feels softer and silkier than the other two brushes as it only contains the very tips of the hairs, which are fine and thin. I would say that the softness feels even above its stated grade of hair. I like this brush very much.
Overall, I think all three Chikuhodo Passion Series brushes (that I own) have excellent ergonomics of the handles and nicely tapered brush heads. They are built to a high standard of Fude craftsmanship as you would expect from Chikuhodo, and they also look beautiful. In terms of their softness, they are obviously not as soft as saikoho brushes (except the PS-4, which I think is), but softness isn’t always the be-all and end-all of makeup brushes. Sometimes you want a bit more texture in the bristles so that they can better grip onto hard-pressed powders. Or maybe you are looking for that everyday brush you wouldn’t consider too precious or too delicate to use on a daily basis. You can also improve their feeling on the skin by keeping them in brush guards (the bristles will glide more horizontally against the skin and therefore feel more silky) and by generously conditioning them during the wash process. If, however, the softness is your primary criterion, I would suggest that you look at some of the saikoho lines instead (or even better the squirrel hair, such as the Chikuhodo Z Series ), but be prepared to pay (much) more. And if you are only interested in trying one of these brushes, I would suggest that you try the PS-4 Eye Shadow brush, which has quite a unique pointed shape, while also feeling super nice and soft.
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