My Brush Voyage Diary

First Entry: The Bisyodo Short Series Eye and Lip Brushes

For those of you unfamiliar with my recent schedule, and as I briefly referenced over on Instagram, business travel has occupied much of my time lately. Between meetings and demanding workdays, I have spent much of my downtime visiting libraries and cafés whenever the opportunity presents itself. You can check out my post HERE.

Earlier today, I attended a business meetup at an unusually lively little café, the sort of place where conversations overlap endlessly and people seem to lose all awareness of time. Every table was occupied. College students sat beneath industrial lighting with glowing laptop screens open in front of them while groups of friends crowded around coffee cups and half-finished conversations that appeared in no particular rush to end. The entire space carried a constant movement to it that somehow never felt overwhelming. What I remember most vividly, however, is the scent. Dark roasted coffee drifted through the café with a faint smokiness that blended into warmer oak-like notes reminiscent of old libraries, worn pages, and places people unintentionally remain inside for far longer than planned. I think I knew almost immediately that I was going to like it there.

My group settled around a long communal table that somehow managed to feel both hidden and entirely exposed at the same time. We had enough privacy for conversation, though not enough to disappear into it completely.

For this particular meeting, I brought along one of my more unusual clutches, a piece printed with the movie poster artwork from one of my all-time favorite cult classics, Jawbreaker. I underestimated how much attention it would attract. What began as a quick observation about the clutch somehow unfolded into a much longer conversation, and within minutes, the formality surrounding the meeting had almost entirely disappeared. It was quite funny.

Hidden inside that wonderfully nostalgic clutch sat my Bisyodo Short Series brushes. After all, they are the reason this diary entry was written in the first place. The Bisyodo Short (BS) Series features a comprehensive range of mini face and eye brushes, incorporating powder (P or FP), cheek (C), highlight (HC), eyebrow (EB), eyeshadow (ES), shadow liner (SL), and lip (L) brushes alongside smaller detailing tools such as mascara (M), and brow comb (BC) brushes. At first, I simply appreciated how easy they were to carry around during travel. Eventually, however, I became far more invested in studying the differences between the brush shapes, hair types, and performance characteristics, and it began to feel like beauty anthropology to me. The entrepreneur in me can’t help it.

First and foremost, I need to express my thoughts about the eyeshadow brushes. Right now, I currently own the BS-ES-01, 02, 03, 04, and 05. Out of the entire series, the ES-01 has developed the strangest role within my routine. Although intended for eyeshadow application, the rounded shape and broader surface area has always felt slightly oversized against my eyes, so somewhere along the way, I began using it for concealer instead. Most mornings, this is the brush I use beneath my eyes, around my T-zone, and across my chin where I prefer complexion products to look less corrected and far more believable against the skin. The rounded head combined with the Saikoho goat hair changes the appearance of my concealer entirely. Rather than leaving behind patches of product or obvious areas of correction beneath natural lighting, the brush seems to disperse product in a way that allows the complexion to remain skin-like and undisturbed. The finish never appears excessively perfected or overly cosmetic, which is probably why I have become so attached to using it.

Ironically, on the occasions when I do use the ES-01 for eyeshadow, it is almost always with cream formulas. Even then, I barely press the bristles into the product itself and apply everything with a restrained hand to avoid excessive buildup across my eyelids. I have also developed a deep liking to using this brush around the outline of my nose. This includes contouring. The rounded structure reaches narrower areas of the face with an almost addictive level of ease, blending contour and distributing finishing powder without leaving behind the overly sculpted or excessively powdered appearance that smaller detailing brushes can occasionally create.

Another aspect of the Short Series that I did not expect to become so attached to is the sizing itself. For example, the BS-ES-01 measures only 106 mm in total length with 18 mm bristles, yet the brush never feels frustratingly small during application. If anything, the proportions are probably part of the reason it keeps ending up inside whichever cosmetic bag or clutch I happen to be carrying that day. Over time, it stopped feeling like a brush I occasionally used and turned into one I seem to carry and travel with almost absentmindedly. Also, I probably should not admit how bonded I have become to the remaining eye brushes either, particularly the BS-ES-03. The brush combines Kolinsky with pine squirrel hair, which gives powder shadows an unexpectedly delicate appearance across the eyelids. After enough use, the differences between the hair types become impossible not to notice. Some feel lighter against the skin, others disperse pigment with more intensity, and a few almost seem to blur powder shadows into the eyelids without leaving behind obvious edges.

As beautiful as these brushes are, I still find myself treating most of them with a certain level of caution. I try to reserve the majority for powder formulas whenever possible since repeated exposure to cream or liquid textures can gradually alter more delicate natural hair over time. That is, with the exception of ES-01. It exists slightly outside of those rules for me. Since it consists entirely of Saikoho goat hair, I became far more adventurous with it fairly quickly. Realistically, I tend to test the limits of my brushes vastly more than I probably should anyway.

The face brushes deserve just as much attention, but somewhere over the past few years, I developed a rather ridiculous infatuation with lip brushes, though Bisyodo’s remain some of my all-time favorites to collect and use. I simply can no longer apply my lipstick without a brush, and out of the entire Short Series, the BS-L-02 has gradually become one of the brushes I treasure most.

There is something deceptively simple about the BS-L-02 at first glance, yet the brush becomes far more impressive the longer I use it. The tapered curvature, proportionate length, and Kolinsky bristles work together in a way that makes lipstick application feel unusually precise without leaving the lips looking excessively overdone. Lip color seems to settle more naturally along the lips, the edges appear less harsh, and the overall finish flatters the fuller shape of my lips in a way I appreciate more each time I use it. For whatever reason, Bisyodo brushes always seem to apply my lip products in the exact way of how I prefer them to look. And although the 02 remains my personal favorite within the Short Series, that preference certainly does not diminish my appreciation for the 01. The BS-L-01 remains the brush I reach for most often when applying glosses. Its flatter shape paired with the Kolinsky bristles keeps gloss from collecting too heavily across the lips, which becomes noticeable once you begin paying attention to how differently gloss behaves with various brush shapes and bristle types.

Truthfully, I still have a decent amount of brushes from this beautiful collection that deserves discussion, particularly the face brushes, but somewhere between coffee, conversation, Valentino pages, and becoming far too emotionally invested in tiny makeup brushes yet again, I completely lost track of time. So, I suppose the remainder of this diary entry will have to wait for another afternoon. And now, off to yet another hotel with my lovely Short Series packed away beside me once again.

𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥:

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