In honor of Respect for Aged Day (敬老の日, Keiro-no-Hi) in Japan, which is held on the 3rd Monday in September, we've put together a list of brushes that are best suited for mature skin, as recommended by Fude customers. These brushes cover a range of functions – powder, cheek, contour, eyeshadow – and are all blessed with silky-soft natural bristles to ensure they are non-irritating bristles. Expect smooth, even application of foundation with no streaking, powder with even coverage, and eyeshadow brushes with bristles that glide across eyelids.
Respect for the Aged Day is believed to date back to 1947 in a small village in Hyogo Prefecture, and was made an official public holiday in 1966. It is a treasured national holiday, a chance to show respect and honor the older citizens in society. The officially stated purpose of Respect For The Aged Day is: 老人を大切にし、お年寄りの知恵を借りて村づくりをしよう – ‘Let’s hold the elderly dear and obtain wisdom from them in order to build better communities’.
chikuhodo
Chikuhodo FO-1 Powder Brush
"I am in love with the fox hair of this line and plan on getting all of them! The bristles are silky soft like squirrel, but have the strength of goat hair, just a bit springier (SP?) I have mature, sensitive skin, especially around the eyes and these brushes feel wonderful on the skin!" (RuthM, USA)
houkodou
G-S1 Eyeshadow Brush, Sora Series
"Wonderful feeling brush on my sensitive eyelids and love how well it applies my matte and satin eyeshadow. I am really enjoying the larger size too as I have quite alot of eyelid space." (Kim S, Australia)
chikuhodo
FO-5 Eyeshadow Brush, FO Series
"This brush is perfect for my mature hooded lids! I use it every single day since I purchased it and now that I've fallen in love with it I will never be without this brush! It's multi functional and exquisite super soft yet effective enough to work with color as well as neutrals and I can't wait to get the other eye brushes!" (M. Hammat)
Chikuhodo
ZE-6 EYESHADOW BRUSH, ZEN SERIES
"This brush is fabulous for more mature eyes. It’s so silky soft, and the perfect one and done brush you need to do a basic stunning eye." (Kyra K, Canada)
Bisyodo
G-ES-02 EYESHADOW BRUSH (ROUND), GRAND SERIES
"LUXURIOUS, FEATHER-SOFT, HIGH QUALITY BRUSH. I am a fan of Bisyodo brushes! I bought a couple of brushes recently and simply impressed with the quality of their brush-making. Everything is very well made. The squirrel hairs are so soft, it feels like feathers on my very sensitive eyes. This is medium-sized round dome-shaped brush, which is great for outer v application and gentle blending. Those with mature, sensitive eyes like me will love this brush. Beautiful ebony wood handles, the etching of bisyodo and the brush name is the precise, gold-plated ferrule. Has a nice weight to it as well." (Priya K, Singapore)
koyudo
T-4 Cheek Brush, Takumi Series
"I have dry mature sensitive skin and this brush is divinely soft. It easily picks up pigment from my powder blushes (Chanel and Surratt) and applies it faultlessly. I did not need to go back and buff or blend. Just laying the color down provides both precise placement with seamless diffused edges. It's magic! If you have been tempted by fude, this will not disappoint. This brush lives up to the hype." (Teadivamuse)
Bisyodo
BS-ES-01 Large Eyeshadow Brush, Short Series
"So in love! The softest most plush eyeshadow brush that is a one and done! Well you’ll need another to buff out the edges bc this thing packs a punch if you’re using shadows like Viseart. Highest quality, packed with fluffy saikoho goat hairs that feel silky and heaven on my dry aging skin. I may need a back up but am placing myself on brush shopping probation. Note there is a little learning curve to not over apply but once you’ve got it down you’ll be reaching for this as often as I do."
Mizuho
CMP510 FOUNDATION BRUSH, CMP SERIES
"SOFTEST SYNTHETIC BRUSH I HAVE! This is a very soft PBT brush for foundation. I have sensitive mature skin, and this is the softest synthetic brush I have! Great for liquid foundation, blending and buffing as it is tightly packed. Medium coverage application of foundation. I love this brush! It is on the smaller side, so very versatile - I can use it for liquid/cream foundation, cream bronzer and also blush if I am careful and apply it lightly." (Priya K, Singapore)
Tanseido
AQ14 Large Eyeshadow Brush
"The smoothest brush very gentle on the skin, can be used with eyeshadows I used it to set concealer beneath the eyes and the nose, can be used with powder blush.” (RAAFAT, USA)
Chikuhodo
Z-11 Blending Brush, Z Series
"Z11's long tapered and soft bristles make blending like a dream. It gives a more 'air brushed' effect, a highly competent choice for daily use (as long as your don't require a very precise blending). I also use it to apply highlight in smaller areas, such as tip of the nose, above lip, chin, temple etc. It's soft touch won't move your skin around, and won't irritate your skin, thus I would highly recommend it for those who have mature or sensitive skin." (Zhujing, Netherlands)
Chikuhodo
Z-5 Eyeshadow Brush, Z Series
"As I'm aging, I've been looking for the softest eyeshadow brushes I can find that will effectively blend product without tugging or pulling on my eyelids. This brush is one of the best. It's whisper soft and still picks up a good amount of product. It's great for an all over the lid one and done look, but I'd love a smaller version of this too for more precise application." (Jennifer, USA)
Chikuhodo
FO-7 Eyeshadow Brush, FO Series
"I love this brush!! Eyeshadow blends like a dream and the hair is so soft for mature skin!! A most for ladies that wanna be nicer to the skin on and around the eyes!!" (Kelly R)
houkodou
BZ-2 Slanted Foundation brush
"I love this brush for contouring and other tasks such as concealer. This is a great multitasking brush. You will love the feel of the bristles because they are so soft and gentle on your skin." (Phyllis R)
kyureido
KK-002 Cheek Brush, Kiwami Series
"Just as my older Suqqu, this brush is excellent for super pigmented blushes or even the Hourglass palettes, which can sometimes produce a surprising amount of pigment, but this gentle brush is kitten paw level, literally never allows to overapply any cheek product while keeping the ability to build up color if needed." (Julia, Slovakia)
mizuho
CMP527 Eyeshadow brush, CMP Series
"This brush is the best of both worlds: squirrel and pony. Pony is great at picking up pressed/hard eyeshadow and moving it but can feel poky or harsh for those with very sensitive eyelids or mature skin. Squirrel is really soft but not so good at picking up pressed/hard powders and isn't that great at diffusing it. However, this squirrel and pony mix somehow is magic as it feels soft enough and yet it can pick up powder, even hard pressed matte eyeshadows and it blends like a dream... This brush has an innovative diamond type tip shape that adds to its perfect blendability." (Shaz, USA)
chikuhodo
P-8 POWDER BRUSH, PREMIUM SERIES
"An exceptional quality masterpiece! I use it for finishing powders, it evenly diffuses thin layer of product and blends any harsh lines to perfection. The feeling it gives to your skin is so pleasant, gentle and weightless that I often use it without make up, as an antistress if have few spare minutes. It is not the brush you need, but the brush you'd love to have." (Irina T)
Chikuhodo
ZEN SERIES 6-PIECE MAKEUP BRUSH SET
"I purchased many high end brushes (Dior, Chanel, Artis), however, I have never purchased Japanese brushes before... They are wonderful, incredibly soft but holds there shape. I have mature skin so I don’t like dragging that some brushes cause. After this set I purchased two different sets." (Tracey H, USA)