Real Techniques Brushes Collection and Review

Hellooo my lovelies,

I have built up quite the collection of Real Techniques brushes since they were first released so I thought I'd show you my collection and do a mini review on them! I am a massive fan of Pixiwoo's brushes as I think they are some of the best brushes I have ever come across and at an affordable price (always a bonus!) I apologise in advance for the state of my brushes but I thought it would look better to show you that I actually use them than pristine clean one's aaand they were also due for a clean but I had to take advantage of the daylight whilst it existed! (con's of UK Winter!!) I actually store my make-up brushes in an old Yankee candle jar (no surprise it's a Home Sweet Home jar!). One of the best things about these brushes is that Pixiwoo do many tutorials on  their Youtube channel with these brushes so you can recreate some of the tutorials they do with them!

Yankee Candle Makeup Jar

 I have two sets, the core collection and the starter set which are both about £20 each and i also have four individual brushes. The individual brushes that I own are the Expert Face brush, Blush brush, Stippling Brush and the Powder Brush. I actually get a lot more use out of my four separate brushes than I do out of the set's but the sets are ideal if you're just starting out into make up and aren't entirely sure what you need and what you would get the most use out of. All Real Techniques brushes have synthetic bristles and big handles that are easy to use. I have had my brushes for a long time and I have washed every single one of them, multiple times and not once have they shed so they're definitely a winner!

Core Collection (sorry for the very dirty detailer brush! I had just used it that morning)

 The Core Collection set is targeted for the face and it contains four brushes: the well loved buffing brush, the detailer brush, the contour brush and the foundation brush. Firstly the buffing brush is loved by everyone and I actually used it to apply powder with until I got my Powder brush and it was really good for that. I actually still use it for powder when I'm out and about because the powder brush isn't as compact for travelling around with! It's also great for applying foundation with or personally I use it to apply my BB cream. I prefer my Expert Face brush for heavier, more full foundations but for light coverage foundations the buffing brush is ideal! The pointed foundation brush in this set, I used to use for liquid foundation but I wouldn't really recommend it as it clogs up really easily and it just doesn't give the nicest finish. It's okay for applying concealer but there's better brushes for that too (which i shall get to eventually). Overall it's just not the best brush and it remains unused in my brushes jar (which is why it's actually clean!) The detailer brush comes in handy for using as a lip brush, I usually apply my lipstick straight from the bullet but if I'm doing someone else's make-up then I use it or if I want to achieve a neater look. The last brush in this set is the Contour brush which is for as obvious, contouring your cheeks. It is actually an okay brush for this but I've found another favorite that I think does the job better so this brush mainly remains unused too. All Real Techniques brushes come with a portable brush stand aswell which is great for display or for travelling or even for keeping them tidy and together in a drawer! They are reasonable brushes for the price but personally I think you can get better brushes from Real Techniques and avoid buying this set aswell. However, in saying that I would buy the set alone just for the Buffing brush as it really is that good!

Starter Set

 The Real Techniques starter set (eye brushes), I actually only purchased recently as I have a lot of eye brushes from my Naked palettes but I really wanted the deluxe crease brush and another brow brush (disaster strikes when I lose my MAC 266!) The deluxe crease brush, I actually don't use for eyeshadow, I use it for concealer and it's the best brush I have found for applying concealer, it is the perfect sized brush for under the eye and it leaves a really smooth, high coverage finish so i have much love for this one! The brow brush in this set is good but I only really use it when I've misplaced my 266 because that is the perfect brush for filling in your eyebrows with! The accent brush I also really love as it's fabby for applying highlighter under the brow bone and in the inner corner of your eye. It just creates a more precise look than using your fingers or a wider brush that can't get as precise an angle. The base shadow brush is brilliant for applying a base eyeshadow colour onto your eye and lets face it us girls can never have too many eyeshadow brushes! (all the longer till we have to face washing them again). The final brush contained in this set is the fine Liner Brush which I haven't actually had a use for yet because my eye liner actually comes with it's own liner. This would be great for liquid eyeliners that don't come with an applicator and I also think it would be great for using with gel liners to get a perfectly even application!

Left:- Powder Brush, Right:- Expert Face Brush

 An individual brush that I purchased quite recently was the Powder brush which I use for applying my powder with everyday (duh!). It's really nice, does the job and applies just the right amount of powder and I would recommend this to anyone starting out in makeup/looking for a new powder brush. The powder brush retails for £12.99 which is bargainous for a massive powder brush!

My all time favourite brush from Real Techniques has to be the Expert Face Brush. I don't think I've ever had as good an application of foundation with any other brush, it just buffs it into the skin amazingly and leaves you with flawless looking skin! (what more can you ask for!) I tend to use it more for my heavier foundations like Mac Studio Fix and Rimmel's Wake Me Up but it also works well with lighter foundations like Nars Sheer Glow. I would totally recommend anyone to get this who's experienced with makeup or even someone who's just starting out as it does all the hard work for you and really, really works!

Left:- Stippling Brush, Right:- Blush brush

 My joint all time favourite Real Techniques brush that I use everyday without fail is the Blush brush. I actually use this for both my bronzer, my blusher and my highlighter as it is just the PERFECT shape for contouring! I used to have quite a love/hate relationship with blusher before I got this brush, it would either go on too heavy so I looked like Aunt Bessie or it would barely be visable but when it worked I loved it! With this brush I have never had this problem as it repeatedly gets the exact amount of blush I want on my cheeks and on the odd occasion I am a little heavy handed, it's super easy to blend it in with! For bronzer it's made it super easy for me to contour my cheeks and I now always manage to sculpt myself some cheek bones on top of my non-existent ones! Then for highlighter I abolutely love it with my MAC'S soft and gentle mineral skin finish as it just adds a beautiful shimmer onto my cheeks and I could not rave more about this brush! Just get it and it will change your makeup routine!

 The final individual brush I have from Real Techniques is the Stippling brush which I used to use for applying my foundation with before I got the Expert Face brush but I don't use it as much now. I usually use this one to stipple the foundation onto my skin after I've applied it with my Expert Face brush if I've done it in a hurry and it hasn't quite blended to the standard I desire. I also use it when I've applied my foundation without letting my moisturiser sink into my skin before hand (when I've slept in...which is alot!!) and it seems to help it blend better!

A nice thing I would suggest if your looking to buy someone brushes (or even yourself) that's just starting out in makeup, would be to buy individually the Powder brush, Blusher brush and Expert Face brush and use that as the 'Core Collection'. It does work out more expensive this way but personally I think you can acheive a lot more with these brushes and having had the Core Collection, I don't use the majority of the brushes and I have ended up buying both! So if I had known what I know now, I maybe wouldn't have rushed into buying the Core Collection straight away!

Hope this blog post helped some of you, Have any of you tried out Real Techniques? What do you think of them?

Shop the Post:- Core Collection (£21.99) - http://www.boots.com/en/Real-Techniques-Core-Collection-1403_1252038/
Starter Set (£21.99) - http://www.boots.com/en/Real-Techniques-Starter-Set-1406_1252040/
Powder Brush (£12.99)- http://www.boots.com/en/Real-Techniques-Powder-Brush-1401_1252048/
Blush Brush (£9.99) - http://www.boots.com/en/Real-Techniques-Blush-Brush-1407_1252046/
Expert Face Brush (£9;99) - http://www.boots.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10052&productId=1277695
Stippling Brush (£11.99) -  http://www.boots.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10052&productId=1253416

My review of Real Techniques Sponge Applicator - http://whatabbyloves.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/real-techniques-miracle-complexion.html
Pixiwoo Youtube Channel- http://www.youtube.com/user/pixiwoo

Lots of love,

A x x x