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Real Techniques Core Collection


Real Techniques, the baby of makeup genius Samantha Chapman from Pixiwoo, made its way to the Great White North.  Actually our weather has been relatively precipitation-free, so...Great Grey North?  Gone are the days that I endlessly stalk the interwebs for iHerb.com coupon codes.  They are now readily available at Wal-Mart and www.farleyco.ca!

Real Techniques bristles are made of synthetic Taklon fibres.  I have a ton of natural hair brushes which I love, but recently, synthetic brushes are getting better and better.  A lot of people ask me if I prefer natural or synthetic.  I say you need both.  I adore synthetic brushes for buffing --not for blending, but specifically for buffing.  I think if you want to diffuse colour and work it into your skin, you need the smoothness of a synthetic brush.  That said, because there is less texture in a synthetic brush, it's really easy to overblend and make colours look muddy.  Base products are where synthetics rule.  Also, they dry a million times faster than natural brushes.

Today I'm reviewing the Core Collection*, but I've done a review on other  Real Techniques brushes.

Contour Brush
This small, rounded brush of medium density works well with contour because it's less dense than the others.  It grabs product lightly so you don't end up with stripes of brown on your cheeks.  The small size also helps you control your placement.  This could also be a good foundation brush if you wanted light coverage, but my giant face takes too long to cover.

Pointed Foundation Brush
I was surprised at how small this brush is; the bristles are the same length  as the setting brush, which also surprised me with its minute size.  The bristles on this brush are very stiff -- if you flex the bristles, they'll bounce back very quickly.  This makes it great for waxy products like the Bobbi Brown correctors/concealers.  I do think it's a little too stiff to blend the delicate skin underneath the eye but it's great for getting around your nose or for applying eye shadow primer.

Detail Brush
This brush tapers to a point, something I find that a lot of other lip brushes lack.  I usually prefer an angle brush or a square brush to apply lipstick, but the tapered bristles on this brush give a nice enough line if you don't have an angle brush to spare.  This is also great for getting that inner corner highlight on your eyes, and for detailed application of brightener.  I usually use this to place my under-eye corrector and blend out with another brush.

Buffing Brush
By and far my favourite brush in the entire set.  I'll do a proper comparison with the Expert Face Brush, but here's a spoiler:  This brush kicks ass in terms of even foundation coverage.  The brushes splay out perfectly on your face, distributing product in an even layer, and the round shape is so conducive to product-swirling.  I might need a backup.

These sets come in a hard, black case to store your brushes.  Simply slip your brushes through the elastics and fold in half.  The other thing you can do with the case is to turn it into a stand: fold the case the opposite way and tighten the drawstring so it props up your brushes.  I personally store my brushes in jars, so I don't use these too often, but I keep them for travelling.  I've never found a brush roll I like, and travelling with them any other way feels like I might warp the hairs.

I'm giving away a set of Real Techniques brushes in my giveaway (along with two bottles of Batiste Dry Shampoo!).  Find out how you can win here.

*PR Sample

27 comments :

  1. I absolutely love this set! The detail brush is great as a lip brush too :)

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  2. I so am going to grab myself some Real Techniques soon! I prefer natural bristles, but for foundation and cream products these will work really well!

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    1. Yes, that's exactly what I use them for! What are you favourite natural hair brushes?

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  3. I have these brushes they are my fave brand :-) I use them every dayhttp://elledeesbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Which ones do you like? I love the buffing brush and the deluxe crease brush!

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  4. I just ordered this set and can't wait to get my hands on them! Thanks for the review, I have high hopes on them :)

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    1. They're amazing! I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

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  5. I love these brushes so much and use the Buffing and Contour ones on a daily basis :) x

    Evelyn @ We Were Raised By Wolves

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    1. The buffing one is amazing! I used the contour for cream blush today =)

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  6. I own this set and I totally agree with you, the Buffing Brush is just perfect for foundation! My next favorite is the Stippling Brush (not part of a set) that is great for cream foundation, cream blusher and blending concealer under my eyes.

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    1. I love the stippling brush! I use it for my Chanel cream bronzer!

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  7. I love these brushes! I want to get more but every time I go to Walmart they are sold out! :(

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    1. I haven't even been able to find a Wal-Mart that carries them!

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  8. I finally went to Ulta to try these out the other day! I couldn't decide which set to get so I decided to go home and think about it. Ahh I DO know that I really need that buffing brush, though!

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    1. They are constantly sold out at the Ulta closest to me!

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  9. I have this collection and a few other brushes too. My favourite has to be the expert face brush. I prefer to use these brushes for cream / liquid products since they aren't the softest, but for the price, they are absolutely worth it :-)

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    1. They definitely shine for cream products. I wouldn't use them on powder products because I have brushes I much prefer for those. Which other brushes do you own from the line?

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  10. I want that buffing brush!!!

    These sets are always sold out whenever I stop by my local Ulta. -_-

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    1. GAH, mine too! Granted, my "local" Ulta is the one where the entire population of Ontario gets their Ulta fix.

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    2. Hey - I live in Ontario.. where is this Ulta???

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    3. Ooh, sorry, by the closest one to me, I mean that I go to the one in Buffalo =)

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  11. Your style is very unique compared to other folks I've read stuff from. Thank you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this blog.

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  12. Great review! I definitely need to grab one of these sets soon, the buffing brush sounds excellent!

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    1. Do it! The buffing brush is amazing! If you use liquid foundation of any kind, it will be your best friend!

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  13. I really love the Contour Brush and agree it isn't too harsh in terms of how it applies xx

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