Real Techniques

In the past, I never really saw the need to apply foundation with a brush. I used to use my fingers and thought it looked fine, so for years I stuck to my tried and tested routine. However, since seeing rave reviews about different brushes, especially these Real Techniques ones, I began to change the way I applied foundation, and now I don't think I could go back to using my fingers to apply it. These are my thoughts on just a small selection of the Real Techniques range.

 

Real Techniques brushes were created by Samantha Chapman from Pixiwoo and are made with Taklon bristles, which are synthetic meaning that they are 100% cruelty-free.

 

 

L-R; contour brush, buffing brush, expert face brush, stippling brush

 

 

The Contour Brush

 

 

 

The contour brush's main purpose is to "delicately apply highlighter to contour or create sheer, soft-focus finish". I tend to use this for powder highlighters, or for bronzer when contouring, although I have been known to use this to apply blush on a few occasions as well! The brushes are so multi-purpose, which is one of the main things I love about them. This particular one is on the small side, with a tapered top for precise application. The bristles are quite dense on this one, meaning it gives a highly pigmented finish. I have experienced no shedding at all with this one, and it also washes really well with a mild shampoo or a brush cleaner, and it dries super fast as well!

 

This is available as part of the Core Collection - £21.99

 

 

The Buffing Brush

 

 

 

The buffing brush is probably the most hyped Real Techniques brush. It is only available as part of the Core Collection, so cannot be bought individually. It's purpose accoriding to Real Techniques is "ideal for full coverage application of powder and mineral foundation". However, I know a lot of people actually use this for the application of liquid foundation, and it works incredibly well for that too. The bristles aren't too dense, and they don't soak up a lot of the product so there is less wastage. When I first got this I did use it to apply my liquid foundation, but have since been using this for setting powder, and it works beautifully for both purposes. This is another one which is extremely multi-purpose, and although it's only available as part of a collection, I do think the collection is worth picking up for this one alone.

 

This is available as part of the Core Collection - £21.99

 

 

The Expert Face Brush

 

 

 

This is a recent addition to my collection, but so far I have been absolutely loving it. The actual purpose of this is to apply liquid or cream foundation, and it does it's job amazingly well. The bristles of this one are really dense, so the brush keeps it's shape and is firm enough to make application of liquid foundation easy. Again, this doesn't absorb much product so there is minimal waste. This leaves my foundation looking flawless, and really works it into my skin so it doesn't transfer off my face throughout the day. This has replaced the buffing brush as my everyday foundation brush, and I think it's well worth a purchase.

 

This is available from Boots priced at £9.99

 

 

The Stippling Brush

 

 

 

The stippling brush is another one which seems to be a favourite of many people, so I picked it up after seeing so many positive reviews on it. I originally bought it to use with foundation, but I found that it just didn't work for me in that way. I found it didn't blend my foundation properly and left me looking rather patchy. However, this brush is amazing for blending cream blushes. It buffs them into the skin easily and really does leave the application looking flawless. I would say this probably isn't the best one to buy for use with foundation, but for cream blushes or bronzers, it does the job really well.

 

This is available from Boots for £11.99

 

 

Overall, I absolutely love the Real Techniques brushes. I also own the pointed foundation brush and the detailer brush from the Core Collection, but I don't tend to reach for those two as much. I think these brushes are really good value for money, as they're really high quality and wash well, meaning they are likely to stay in good condition for a good while. I would recommend these brushes to anyone looking for an affordable way to build their make up brush collection.