Real Techniques brushes from Priceline [Detailed Review]

Helloooo! A few weeks ago I was lucky to be one of of twenty winners to receive the Real Techniques Core Collection brushes. Priceline was having a Twitter competition and I happened to be a chosen one ^_^

So I'm sure by now most beauty enthusiasts would know of these Real Techniques brushes by Samantha Chapman. I found out about these brushes from tweets by fellow beauty bloggers and I didn't understand why there was so much hype about them. After my tweet where I was asking my followers, 'who is Samantha Chapman?' and then I felt a little dumb when many people replied with 'she's one of the Pixiwoo sisters'. I'm sure it's not expected that everyone would know who the Pixiwoo sisters are but I guess as a beauty blogger, for me to not know them may seem a little surprising. I had heard of them before these Real Techniques brushes! It's just that I didn't know their names, what they looked like and anything about their YouTube videos. Thus I had no idea that they had their own line of brushes until they were made available in Oz.

These are the brushes to create a perfect canvas and are the 'core collection of coverage essentials'

I must start off this review by saying that the hairs of the brushes are incredibly soft (they're synthetic taklon bristles by the way). They feel sturdy and look very professional. I had no doubts about the quality when I first laid eyes on them, both online and in real life.

I'll be reviewing each brush individually in the same order as the back of the box.

Detailer brush

Precision cut to effortlessly conceal problem areas or use with lipstick for long-lasting shape and definition

I don't think it can be seen in the picture above but the shape of the hairs are not like a typical concealer brush as it has a point to it - the hairs go inwards towards the middle. Okay that probably doesn't make sense so I will rephrase it by saying that the hairs are shorter on the edges are are longer towards the middle to create a point. Does that make sense? Ahaha I swear it sounds a lot better in my head... I'm really not that good with words yet I still continue to be a beauty blogger.

Now onto a bit about the hairs itself. I measured the hairs being exactly 1cm from the pointy tip to the top of the ferrule (the metal that holds the hairs). The bottom half is black and the top half is white - I think it's safe to assume that there were two different synthetic fibres used to create this brush. This brush is perfect for me because the hairs on top are more fluffy yet are still dense enough for using concealer to cover any problematic areas. 

I haven't tried using this brush on my lips ('cause I'd like this one to remain as my concealer brush... I'm not into the idea of using the same brush to do different things) but I am sure that it would be great for that too because Samantha said so, hehe.

My only complaint about this brush is that the brush hairs' width is half a centimetre. I would prefer it to be 1cm wide. But since this brush can double up as a concealer and lip brush, I can understand that the width is what it is. I can't imagine anyone wanting to use a 1cm by 1cm lip brush lol...

Pointed Foundation Brush

 Use with liquid foundation to build custom coverage

When I first saw this brush I thought to myself, 'wow it's such a small foundation brush... wait is it even a foundation brush?' /confused/ And then I read the back of the box where it said that it was indeed, a foundation brush.

It struck me that these brushes in the Core Collection set are in fact, not your typical face brushes. They have been specially designed and made - this is what makes these brushes more marketable, and unique. I like that... but it's not too easy for me to get used to. Let me explain...

This is the foundation/paddle brush that I normally use when applying foundation:

This brush is weighty, has denser bristles and has a wider head

Now compare that with the Real Techniques Pointed Foundation brush... it's the complete opposite. Before anyone makes assumptions, I just want to quickly say that I am not complaining - I'm simply comparing. The foundation brush that I normally use is significantly different to the Pointed Foundation brush and purely because of this I had troubles adapting while using the Real Techniques one. It just felt different as it's lighter, much less dense (again, two synthetic fibres) and is about a third narrower in width. Different is okay though, right?

Right! I can conclude that the Pointed Foundation brush was still effective when applying liquid foundation. I don't really have a preference when it comes to hair density for foundation brushes... just as long as it doesn't leave too many streak marks and doesn't make my foundation look cakey. The width is 1.5cm - never had I come across a foundation brush that narrow! I found that while using this brush, it did require a little more time and effort when applying foundation as it didn't pick up as much product as a wider brush would. Get what I mean? They say that time and effort pays off in the end... that's true with this foundation brush if you want to achieve the flawless look! It precisely builds custom coverage. A+.

Buffing brush

Ideal for full coverage application of powder and mineral foundation

 You know what this brush reminds me of? My Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki!

But really they're not similar in purposes

Good thing they're not similar or else I would be going into details with a comparison, haha. I don't have any mineral foundation which is a pity because I would have wanted to test it out with that. I do have powder though - powder foundation and translucent powder. The hairs are SOOO soft and very pleasant to use over my entire face. It didn't make my powder foundation cakey, in fact it blended it all extremely well. Same with the translucent powder... it left no white streak marks or spots.


I am certain that this brush would also be suitable for bronzing, contouring and highlighting due to its size, shape and how the hairs are packed nicely but not too tightly. I tried it as a blush brush but that didn't work out so well... it picked up way too much blush for my liking and it was too pigmented on my cheeks :( If you're one who loves to have vibrant(?) rosy cheeks then this may be the brush for you... I won't judge :D


This is currently my favourite brush to use for powder! It's also great to use after applying my foundation to smooth out any streaks and even out any foundation if needed.

Contour brush

Delicately applies highlighter to contour or create sheer, soft-focus finish

My first contour brush! It's like an oval fluff ball hehe, I love it ^^ Very soft and bendy bristles which are suitable for highlighting areas such as the forehead, under the eyes, on the cheek bones and the nose bridge. 

And since I've mentioned nose bridge, I might as well add in now that I also tested this brush while contouring my nose. It worked fantastically! So pleased and impressed. Usually nose contouring or any type of contouring can look a little unnatural (depends on technique too) but one who may have little technique can get away with natural-looking contouring thanks to this brush (an example would be myself lol!). I admit that I lack contouring skills, thus I am too afraid to go out with a contoured nose even though it would look better in photos. I think that I can now confidently leave the house with a contoured nose after using this brush to do it. It definitely creates a soft-focus finish.

I was curious to find Sam's tutorial video on using these brushes. If you haven't checked it out already and if you're curious too, I recommend that you check out the video too to see these brushes in action:

The brushes were great while cleaning as there wasn't any shedding or colour fading. The individual pictures of the brushes were taken post cleaning - have a look for the quality yourself :) They're still looking great!

*****

That's the end of the brush review, I applaud you if you read through all of that and made it down to here! My blog posts are forever lengthy because I always have so much to say xD

But I am not done yet! I also wanted to comment on its Panoramic Case:

 Dual carrier and stand keeps brushes organised on your counter or on the go

Actually I'm not going to waste my time typing out my thoughts on the case... I'll record a video instead :D Bahaha who am I kidding... I recorded the video before I even started this blog post! I like to plan ahead~

Here is a short video of me demonstrating the ways this case can be used and my thoughts on it. Sorry about the vertical shot - I recorded it on my phone and I thought that it would turn out being widescreen but obviously not ;( Noob me. Next time I'll shoot horizontally... if there is a next time.

Oh and the 'bend case and tighten toggle to create stand' part was actually supposed to be the result of the picture above, not what I did LOL whoops xD

Thank you so much again Priceline for holding such an amazing Twitter competition!!

And thank you, my readers for sticking around right to the end. As my way of saying thank you... I will have something for you all to look forward to next week. Actually I think I'll just say what it is now since you guys are so awesome. Mm, I'll be holding a giveaway!

Questjen of the week:

What type of brushes are more important to you - face or eye brushes?

My answer: Face!

Eye brushes are just as important however I haven't been wearing a lot of eye makeup lately - I use face brushes way more! Foundation brush, powder brush and blush brush are my must-haves. And now to have a set of new ones is amazing *_*

♥ Jen xx