Real Techniques

A while back I purchased some real Techniques brushes by Samantha Chapman after seeing how popular they are amongst those in the blogosphere.

I purchased the real Techniques core collection, stippling brush, and expert face brush based on the bestsellers list at Ulta and online reviews.

After watching the step-by-step tutorials online at www.realtechniques.com featuring Samantha Chapman, I set to using these brushes.

The core collection includes:

Detailer Brush: "precision cut to effortlessly conceal problem areas; or, use with lipstick for long-lasting shape and definition"

Pointed Foundation Brush: "use with liquid foundations to build custom coverage"

Buffing Brush: "ideal for full coverage application of powder and mineral foundation"

Contour Brush: delicately applies highlighter to contour or create sheer, soft-focus finish"

Panoramic Case: "dual carrier and stand keeps brushes organized on your counter or on the go"

First, I was not that impressed with the case as it was hard to pull the brushes out of the elastic loops and it just would not stand up on its own with a lot of work so I probably won't be using it much.

I used the detailer brush to apply a cream stick concealer and it seemed to get the job done. I used the pointed foundation brush to smooth out a liquid concealer I had applied with my fingers. I used the contour brush to apply highlighter to my cheekbones and outer eye area. I'm not sure if the highlighter was too light or the brush was not depositing enough product but the end result was very sheer. I used the buffing brush to apply finishing powder and the result was very natural looking.

I purchased the stippling brush with the intent to use it with my Jouer Matte Moisture Tint as it is a product that has been giving me trouble and I saw a YouTube video by missglamorazzi where she stated that she uses this brush to blend it out.

I used the expert face brush to blend my tinted moisturizer and the stippling blush to apply blush. The stippling brush deposited a lot of product which caused me to look a bit orange since I used a peach colored baked blush. It could be the fact that I used a baked blush that caused this as they can sometimes be hard to blend. I was able to sheer it out using the buffing brush with the finishing powder. During the warmer seasons I opt for less face product so I haven't had a chance to test the expert face brush with a liquid foundation yet.

Overall I am happy with the brushes. Did I NEED them? Yes and No. I feel that they are not any better or worse than the brushes I already had. I am still curious about using the expert face brush with foundation so we shall see if that changes my opinion.