Review: Real Techniques Brushes

A few weeks ago, I purchased two Real Techniques Brush Sets at Ulta.  The The Real Technique's Sam's Picks and Real Techniques Starter Kit both come with 5 brushes and I was able to test almost each of them out the last few weeks.  First off, all the brushes are super soft.  The second is the design with the long ferule and the bottom handle being flat, so the brushes can stand upright.  I have seen reviews on these brushes and they are absolutely right that these are very well made and an affordable price.

Sam's Picks includes: multi-task brush, buffing brush, essential crease brush (set exclusive), setting brush, pointed foundation and fine liner brush.

How I use these brushes:

multi-task brush - bronzer application
buffing brush - all-over face powder application
pointed foundation brush - under eye concealer and spot concealing
essential crease brush - crease color
setting brush - highlighter powder application (MAC MSF)
fine liner brush - cream eyeliner

The starter set includes: base shadow brush, deluxe crease brush, accent brush, pixel-point eyeliner brush, brow brush and panoramic case.  

How I use these brushes:

base shadow brush - all-over lid eyeshadow and blending

deluxe crease brush - patting on deeper colored shadows on the lid

accent brush - highlighter eyeshadow on the brow bone & dabbing the corner of the inner eye

pixel-point eyeliner - have not tried this yet since Sam's Pics had the fine liner brush

brow brush - filling in with brow powder

These have become the stand-bys.  I don't normally do a full face everyday, but I will reach for these when I decide to do a more complete look.

I still have to compare the pixel-point and fine liner brush with creme eyeliner application.  The fine liner brush did well picking up product and smoothly applying the liner.  The panoramic case is a great idea, but it has space limitations.  Doubling up the smaller brushes, doesn't secure them in the case and they slip out.

These are the usual suspects.  These sit pretty in a Sonia Kashuk Gold Standard Vanity Cup (scored from the clearance section at Target).  I also picked up the Real Techniques Blush Brush to round out the set since I use the multi-task brush for just bronzer.  

The one brush I didn't quite like was the brow brush.  I have tried a few other brow brushes, but I always come back to this Anastasia 7 combo brush and spoolie.  The Real Techniques brow brush is really soft, but didn't create the more pronounced brow that I like when filling in.  The densely packed, natural bristles of the Anastasia brush pick up more product and allow me to define my brows quickly.  I would like to try the brow brush with a cream brow product such as Anastasia's Dipbrow Pomade or Make Up Forever's Aqua Brow to see if there is a difference in using a more pigmented, gel product with this brush than a powder.

Pros:  -Taklon bristles are super soft
          -They apply product very well
          -The full size handles make it easy to use

Cons: -The sets might not have brushes that you may need or want.  You can always purchase the brushes you need individually.

Cost:  Prices at Ulta.  I also took advantage of the promotion at the time of buy one, get one 50% off and also their $3.50 off $10 purchase coupon that you can find on the Coupon Sherpa app for iPhone when you are shopping in-store.

          -Sam's Picks $29.99
          -Starter Set $17.99
          -Blush Brush $8.99

Would I recommend these to a friend?  Yes!  These are fantastic and affordable brushes if you are looking to add to your collection or even replace brushes.  I have kept my other set as back-ups to use when these are drying after cleaning.

What are your favorite brushes?  Have you tried any Real Techniques brushes?

Question for Leilei - I think I need more brushes but I’m not sure what to get! Any advice?

Hello! And I know its been quite awhile since I have updated. Many products have been sitting & waiting or me to use and abuse them, but before I get into that, my girl LRB is branching out and exploring more make up options and needed some advice on what brushes to use. I gave her a quick run down of my basics that I keep in my bag with me.

My basics for brushes include:

ELF Studio flat-top powder brush (applying mineral foundation-currently using Garden Botanika Natural Balance Powder Foundation)
Urban Decay powder brush (applying shimmer i.e. MAC Mineralize Skin Finish)
Ecotools powder brush (applying finishing powder i.e. Make Up Forever HD Powder)
Urban Decay blush brush
Urban Decay blender brush (applying all over neutral lid color)
MAC 224 Tapered Blending brush
Too Faced eye definer brush (for crease color)

I have a few other cheapy ELF and NYX brushes to use for darker colored shadows, but those are the basics that I have in my make up bag with me. I hate using my nicer brushes with colors I don't use frequently. Just means more cleaning! Plus I go through phases with colors and use some brushes over another, so I reserve my MAC brushes for my neutral shades. :p Really, a mix is what you need and you'll get a feel for the tools you like and don't like. :)

Unbelievable! Urban Decay Family & Friends Sale!

Now did you think I was really capable of letting this sale pass me by? I don't think so! I am way over my slush fund budget and really should not buy anything for the rest of November. Ridiculous. Well, 30% off was calling my name so I picked up a couple of things! And its not eyeshadow for once! ffh30 until the 17th I believe!


I picked up the 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil in Ozone. $16 Per the website -

Tips: Apply Ozone (our clear shade) outside the lip line to prevent feathering, or inside lips to keep gloss in place without leaving a line. Ozone also works wonders as a blend and repair tool!

Convinced! I love the 2nd tip of using on the inside of the lips to keep gloss in place. This may also work with just lipstick that you don't have a matching liner for. This should be interesting to try.

Big Budda Brush Set. $100 From the website:

Protect your good karma and look good doing it. Good Karma Brushes are made with super-soft Taklon, a man-made fiber that comes to a fine point at the tip, just like natural hair. (So no little animals were harmed in the making of these brushes!) We crimp and manipulate the high-tech, two-tone fibers to create the perfect form for each brush function. Weighted metal handles and an exclusive knurling give you a better grip for easy application. And, they look so darn purty, too. What a nice gift!

Powder Brush - Big and fluffy, this brush lays down a perfect application of loose or pressed powder.

Blush Brush - Soft domed shape perfect for dusting on blush for an all-over glow. Try using it at an angle for fierce definition.

Crease Brush – Round, paintbrush shape contours and blends. Great for getting in the crease while softly blending color out.

Wonder Brush - Small and flat with a rounded tip – this brush does it all! Apply shadow with precision, lay down concealer, smooth on lip color, line eyes and more.

Blender Brush - Large brush with a fluffy shape that sweeps shadow across lids and blends out color.

Brow Brush - Not too soft, but not too stiff, this angled brush lets you define your brows naturally or dramatically. Or, use the thin edge and firm texture to perfectly line your eyes.

* Brushes come packed in a black Urban Decay zippered bag.

I know, I know! I have enough damn brushes already! What caught my eye is the fact that the bristles are taklon! The handles and the zippered bag are pretty darn cute too! Oh and I know I just bought that EcoTools brush set too, but who knows what's going to happen to that. Haha! I do wish this set included their Shadow Brush in it as well.

Reviews on these when I get 'em and when I get around to it!

EcoTools Bamboo 5-piece Brush Set with Bamboo Cup

Such a craptastic picture, I know. I'm on my new lappy and am too lazy to upload the pics I took of this earlier. I'll do a formal review on this later, but just wanted to give you guys a sneak peek at what I found at Wal-greens! For only $9.99 I picked up this EcoTools 5-piece brush set that includes a bamboo cup to hold the brushes! This is more practical for me instead of the brush case since I already have a MAC brush roll for travel. I'll do a full review on these later! :)