To me, having the right tools is just as important as the make-up itself. Sometimes the right brush can make all the difference in making a product work and helping me take it to the next level when it comes to make-up application.
Real Techniques are finally becoming readily available to us Canadians and I've expanded my collection; these brushes are amazing, both in quality and price, helping us beauty junkies have access to the tools we need without spending a fortune. I love how they continue to improve the range, how much thought goes behind each brush and I appreciate the great quality. I've had some of their brushes for years now and they're still going strong, something I can't say about other companies out there (cough, Sigma, cough). I'm going to break up the reviews into seceral blog posts based on the way the brushes are color labeled: white, orange, pink and purple. Any new brushes I acquire from now on will most likely have it's own review.
Let's start with the orange line.
Real Techniques Powder Brush *
This bad boy is big and fluffy. The bristles are many, long, soft and not densely packed making it ideal for setting the make-up with powder, applying mineral foundations lightly and buffing powders in. It's slightly tapered making it ideal for dusting a bronzer on large surfaces. It's incredibly soft and delicate so it won't move product around nor will it deposit thick layers of powder. Compared to other powder brushes the softness of this one makes it much better at buffing a whisper of powder it, it's not scratchy or rough so it manages to gently add and buff product in without irritating the skin or messing up the product already on.
Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
This brush had dense, packed in soft bristles, their stiffness makes this brush great for using with liquid foundations and mineral foundations if you're looking for lots of coverage. I use this brush with thicker foundations that need to be worked and buffed in as well as for for spot concealing bigger areas with a powder foundation. This bad boy is up there in my top 5 brushes of all times as I reach for it all the time. The fine bristles do a great job with blending my foundations in to perfection, giving me that smooth airbrushed look. I've had this brush for about 4 years and it looks just like the day I got it. No shedding, no bleeding, no changes whatsoever which is a testament to the quality of these brushes.
Real Techniques Buffing Brush
This brush's bristles are more splayed out and less dense than say, the Expert Face Brush. I love using this brush for foundation that are more on the liquid side, such as water based foundation and BB Creams as well as mineral and powder foundations. It can still build coverage but it takes more tiem and effort which is why this brush is perfect for products that need to be worked into the skin. I love this brush for those good skin days when I want to keep a light natural looking base. This brush has been in my collection for a while now and much like the Expert Face Brush it looks, feels and performs just like the day I got it. This brush comes in the Core Collection Kit.
Real Techniques Contour Brush
This small tapered brush does a great job at, you guessed it, contouring. It's soft and has flexible bristles, it's shape makes it perfect at chiseling out those cheekbones, buffing product in and fitting in tight areas. It works well both with cream and powder products and yeah... it's my go to contour brush.
Real Techniques Foundation Brush
This brush comes is part of the Core Collection as well; it's a smaller version of a flat foundation brush. Personally, I never had success in using this brush to apply foundation, I have used it to apply concealer but even then, I wasn't a huge fan. Quite frankly, I am not sure what to do with this brush as I don't use a lot of cream products nor do I tend to use flat brushes to apply a base anymore.
Real Techniques Concealer Brush *
This brush is angled and stiffer than the Foundation Brush and once again I don't find myself reaching for it a whole lot. I have used with concealer and while it does a decent job it's not my favourite tool for the process. I do find it handy on those days when I want a flawless base and use it to get those tight corners that are hard to reach like around the nose or to smooth out creases in the concealer or in smile lines. It's an OK brush but not a necessity.
Real Techniques Detailer Brush
This little brush is small and delicate and so handy to have around. I've used it to spot conceal and it makes for a great lip brush. It's stiff enough to fill lips in and full enough to fill them in with color without compromising precision. Also part of the Core Collection.
Starred (*) products provided for consideration. This does not influence my opinions or reviews
Labels: brushes, buffing brush, contour brush, detailer brush, drugstore, EN, expert face brush, foundation brush, makeup, makeup tools, real techniques
