It's been a while since I last dropped in with a Beauty Brand Favourites for you lovely lot and it's also been a while since I last discussed the topic of makeup brushes, as second to the stuff itself - I do love a good chinwag about the tools I like to employ to slap the stuff onto my face with. Real Techniques, as you'd know if you're a regular round these parts, is clear top dog in this arena (I pretty much own nearly the whole collection), so today I thought I'd combine a couple of old favourites of this blog together to bring you - Beauty Brand Favourites - The Real Techniques Edition.
Real Techniques is the baby of Sam Chapman (a.k.a. makeup artist and one half of the YouTube makeup phenomenon 'Pixwoo') and only recently she was joined on-board with her younger sister and other half of the duo, Nic. Together they have created this incredible brand of brushes that have gone on to be hugely popular both in the UK and around the globe, combining two factors most women look for in their makeup tools - good quality, but also affordable at the same time. They've released numerous brushes both in single-format but also in collections and they're handily separated and colour-coded into three categories according to the area of application - Base, Eyes and Finish. More recently they've come out with a more higher-end alternative to their original line (a.k.a. Bold Metals) but as I'm yet to sample any from that collection, for now let's simply discuss my top picks from the 'Classic' range...
P.S. I actually discussed some of my favourites for both Face and Eyes in #MakeupBrushWeek here and here, but as my numbers were less limited back then today I thought I'd challenge myself to whittle it down to just five more in-keeping with the 'rules' of Beauty Brand Favourites.
BUFFING BRUSH (part of the Core Collection) - Now does this one really need any introduction? I'm pretty sure everyone and their dog owns one of these and for good reason too. I remember when I first really got into the whole beauty community thing and noticed nearly everyone I watched was using this brush to buff their base in - so naturally, I just had to have it. Part of one of their first releases - The Core Collection - this brush alone makes picking up the whole set worthwhile. If you're a 'buffer' as opposed to a 'painter' a la the original flat foundation brushes, then you need this in your life. This blends in any base of your choosing like a dream and can make for either a sheerer finish or a more built-up one too. It washes up beautifully (as do all of these) and I've had mine for ages now and it's still standing. Can I rave enough about this?
BASE SHADOW BRUSH (part of the Starter Kit) - Easily my favourite of all their eye brushes. When I found this it felt as if my whole 'eyeshadow game' changed. If you've yet to splash out on a MAC 217 but can feel the urge coming on so are looking for something similar that can be used to apply a sheer wash of colour over the lid and blend it out at the same time - have a look at this. Again, it comes as part of one of their original collections - this time the Starter Kit of eye brushes - and I would again say it's worth picking that up solely for its inclusion of the Base Shadow. I really could go on and on about this brush as I just love it so much.
ANGLED SHADOW BRUSH (part of the Nic's Picks Set) - Another favourite eyes-wise... I found this amongst the 'Nic's Picks' set released earlier this year and that I picked up here (which I think was limited edition - boo!) and it's gone on to be by far my top pick of them all. If I'm not using my Base Shadow to blend out any harsh edges, then I'm using this. The angled shape just makes it perfect for getting right in the crease of your eye and diffusing that colour and it's equally fabulous for applying colour directly in that area too. Do you consider yourself a bit of an 'eyeshadow noob'? Step this way. I have just the answer...
BLUSH BRUSH - Now onto more of the face side of things again. A few months ago I'd have doubted that this would have made it onto this Top Five. Not that I haven't always liked using it, but especially recently it's been getting increasingly more airtime and so naturally it makes it way to No. 4. Despite its name, I like using this in the Bronzer/Contour department and love swirling it into my Soap and Glory Solar Powder and using its long, tapered shape to nuzzle right into my cheekbones and temples to give me that 'bronzed goddess/Kim K' look. Ok, maybe not that far...
SETTING BRUSH (can be picked up either alone or as part of the new Sculpting Set) - Finally for this edition of Beauty Brand Favourites, but certainly by no means least - the Setting Brush. I documented my full feelings on this (plus a less-than-mini rave) here so to save sounding like a broken record, I'll try to keep this brief. Oh where would I be without this little beauty, eh? While I may not use it precisely as its name would imply, I can see where they're going with it and maybe one day I will try it out for that precision-powder purpose. But for now where I find its talents lie is in concealer application. For me, no brush blends out concealer (both under the eyes and on facial blemishes) like this little star does. It's tapered again so fits really snug into all the nooks and crannies of the face and it manages to diffuse the product in such a way that you loose the harsh edges, but not any of the coverage. Love, love, LOVE.
And that just about wraps up another edition of Beauty Brand Favourites! Now - we've done makeup, nails and now tools. Is there any brands (perhaps from another area of beauty) that you'd like me to focus on next time round? Answers
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