Sunday, February 23, 2014

The Top 6 Real Techniques Brushes you NEED + extensive REVIEW

Hey everyone! Happy Sunday! I hope you had a great week and are having an even better weekend. Today I am going to extensively review a small selection of brushes from Samantha Chapman's Brush collection, Real Techniques. I have the entire collection but chose to review the brushes that I was requested on tumblr and on here to review. Warning: This is going to be a very long post!


In order as shown in the picture above:
  • Powder Brush ($10)
  • Blush Brush ($9)
  • Buffing Brush (part of an $18 set w/ 4 face brushes)
  • Stippling Brush ($10)
  • Setting Brush ($8)
  • Deluxe Crease Brush (part of a different $18 set than the buffing brush w/ 5 eye brushes)
Here are all the brushes laying next to each other so that you can see the bristles and sizes


Now before we get started I want to point out that none of these brushes shed at all! 
Not a single bristle shed before and after washing them which is really something to be impressed by.
I can't tell you how many times I've purchased a brush at about a $20-$30 price range and they have shed like crazy.
For example the Sephora Pro Stippling Brush #44 which is $35! 
Such a waste of money don't ever buy that brush! 
It sheds like crazy and I have a picture to prove it.

You can actually see the bristles shedding onto the brush itself and that's before I've even used it! Not good. The worst part about it is that when you use the brush in stippling motions (which is the purpose and intention for the brushes existence), it feels very scratchy and itchy on the face. 

Anyways, with that mini rant out of the way let's get started on the review.

First up, The Powder Brush:

This brush is an over-sized version of the Real Technique's Multi-Task Brush. 
As you can see in the photos the Powder brush and Multi-Task brush are very similar shapes. 
The powder brush is great to use for setting the entire face with a delicate layer of powder. 
The brush is very soft but when you pounce it onto the face it can feel a tiny bit scratchy. 
It is not too dense either so it is best used with a loose powder-type product. 
This brush also would make a great body bronzing brush due to it's larger size.
The size, shape and density of this brush is not comparable to any brush I've seen by any other brands so far.
Therefore, I would recommend this brush for anyone looking for a larger face brush that is affordable, soft, and gets the job done well. 

Time for brush number two, The Blush Brush:


I was very intrigued by this brushes shape and size.
I was actually hoping that it would be a dupe for Marc Jacob's Bronzer Brush no.12:  
Retails at $78.Ouch!

Once I got my hands on the brush and have used it several times I have concluded that it's absolutely nothing like that brush at all.
However, I still love this brush! 
As you can see in the blush brush collage above, in comparison to the average blush brushes, it is much more fluffy and rounded.
The bristles are extremely soft and are tapered off seamlessly.
This brush can be used for several different purposes, for blush, for all-over powdering, and my personal fave for Bronzing. (Keep in mind that I said Bronzing NOT contouring, this brush is much too big for a precise contour.)
When you want to achieve a glowy, dewy make-up look this brush will apply your bronzer flawlessly.
It creates a beautiful glow on the outside of the face.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this brush to anyone who loves glowy yet natural make-up looks.

Third Brush is the Charm, The Buffing Brush:



The Buffing brush is the brush in the entire collection that I use the most. 
I use this brush for applying liquid foundation. 
There are 2 brushes I compared this brush to: 
They are BOTH the Sephora Classic Mineral Powder Brush #45 ( retails at $24).
However, the old #45 and the new #45 are supposed to be the same brush but they are not.
In the collage the shinier brush is the old version of brush #45. 
I have used that brush for many years and have enjoyed the density of it. 
That brush is very dense but still very soft. 
The new #45 is less dense and a lot softer. 
Now why am I bringing that up? 
I brought it up because if you have the old #45 you will not agree with what I am about to say...

The Real Technique's Buffing Brush is an exact dupe for the New Sephora Classic Mineral Powder Brush #45. 
I love all three brushes but on days when my skin is dry and flaky I prefer brushes that are NOT super dense. 
Sometimes the density of a brush can really micro-exfoliate the dry patches of ones skin so try not to use a brush that is so tightly packed with bristles.
If you are like me and have dry to normal skin then I would absolutely recommend you to invest in the Real Techniques Buffing brush because it is an exact dupe for the Sephora one and it's cheaper.
This brush comes in the Core Collection on the Real Techniques website for only $18. 
It's a great deal because it's $6 cheaper than the Sephora brush AND it comes with 3 other brushes. 
$18 for 4 brushes? 
It's a steal if you ask me! 

Moving onto Brush number four, The Stippling Brush:

I've compared 4 stippling brushes (in order of appearance): The sigma F15, the Real Techniques Stippling Brush, the E.L.F Stipple Brush, and the Sephora #44.

The Real Techniques stippling brush is unlike any other stippling brush I've tried before. 
The size is much smaller and the bristles are a lot more dense when compared to 3 other stippling brushes.
The Real Techniques Stippling brush has bristles that are more tightly packed. Its' hairs are also a lot shorter.
This brush can have a million different functions.
It would be great for stippling liquid foundation onto the skin. 
It can be used to blend harsh edges of your blush or bronzer. 
It can be used for setting your make up with a translucent powder. 
It can be used for applying liquid or cream highlighters on the high points of the face.
And lastly,what I use the brush for; applying a thin, even layer of primer onto the skin.
Keep in mind that blending with this brush might take more time since it is so precise and small compared to other stippling brushes.
The stippling brush is very well made and seems like it would last such a long time in your collection due to the density of the bristles.
With all the being said, I highly recommend this brush for anyone who doesn't mind spending more time applying their make-up and wants a Mult-functional brush, that is soft and blends out product flawlessly. 


We are getting close to the end with the Fifth Brush, The Setting Brush:


The Setting Brush has a unique shape and size. 
The bristles are tapered into a fluffy, slightly domed shape.
It is extremely soft, not too dense and not at all scratchy.
This brush is wonderful when used for setting your under-eye concealer. 
You can also use this brush to very softly contour under your cheekbones.
This brush is best used with loose powder-type products.
This brush does a great job of applying powder without moving your concealer or foundation underneath. 
I highly recommend this brush for anyone who is looking for a more precise application technique.


Last but certainly not least, The Deluxe Crease Brush:

Above you will see the Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush compared to The Sephora Pro Airbrush Concealer #57.

The Deluxe Crease brush is a densely packed, domed shaped brush. 
I love this brush but I do not like it for the purpose it is intended.
I find that using this brush in the crease of your eye will not work for blending out eyeshadow very well.
It is too dense to softly blend powders.
You can use this brush to apply cream eye shadow all over the eye area.
However, this brush is brilliant when used for applying concealer especially under the eyes.
This brush is actually very comparable to the ever so popular Airbursh Concealer brush by Sephora Collection (which retails at $24).
The Deluxe Crease brush comes in an $18 set that comes with 4 other eye brushes (5 brushes for $18). 
I actually like the Deluxe Crease brush a little better than Sephora's #57 because I find that it is more dense and blends concealer quicker and more seamlessly. 
Therefore, I most definitely recommend the Deluxe crease brush especially over Sephora's version because it's cheaper but works much better.
If you are looking for a flawless finish while trying to achieve great coverage than this is the brush that will do that for you. 



Overall, I am extremely impressed with the entire brush line. I definitely think that if you are looking for great functionality at a great price than these are the brushes for you. All of the brushes are synthetic so for anyone who is animal friendly you have nothing to worry about. These brushes are also extremely easy to wash. As you can see in all the photos, I like the fact that the brushes all have a flat bottom so that they can stand up on their own. There are tons of different types of brushes in the entire collection so I know that you will find one that suits your make-up routine. Real Techniques is a lovely brand and you can tell that Samantha Chapman and her sister Nic really spent time on them. If you are ever at an Ulta or if you like to Shop Online please check out these brushes. 

Here is the website to the collection.

Thank you all so much for reading hope you enjoyed the post! 
If you have any questions or want to know about any other brushes than feel free to ask! 


***Disclaimer: I did receive these brushes for free because I won a giveaway. However, this is not a sponsored review and all opinions are 100% honest and from my own experience as a Make-up Artist.  

4 comments:

  1. Great post! I'll surely be getting some of them in the near future :)
    Please checkout my blog and let me know what you think!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love this review very much! Very informative and helpful! Thanks very much xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow such a nice post and i got it every part thanks
    this post ..

    http://blushies.com/

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete