Real Techniques: Expert Face brush vs Buffing brush

When Sam Chapman of Pixiwoo fame joined forces with Real Techniques to create a brush line, it instantly took the beauty world by storm. They're good quality, accessible, cruelty free and most importantly, affordable. During the past couple of years I've tried out the majority of brushes from the line and until very recently was of the opinion that the Buffing brush was my absolute favourite. Then I discovered the Expert Face brush and the battle for my brush-loving heart was well and truly on.

Real Techniques brush comparison

The Buffing brush has a lot going for it. It has a nice lightweight handle and soft bristles which are fairly densely packed. The top of the brush is slightly domed. I use this for blending in concealer on large areas, foundation and cream blushes. When applying foundation it can be used in a stippling fashion to get a bit more coverage or in a buffing motion to blend the foundation seamlessly into the skin. The main downside to the Buffing brush is that it's only available in the Core Collection of brushes which costs £21.99. I wasn't a huge fan of the other three brushes in the set. Had I found a use for the other three brushes, this would be a great value set but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

The Expert Face brush has a more ergonomic shaped handle, which I like. Initially I thought it looked a little small but I haven't found that to be an issue. The brush head is smaller and the bristles are more densely packed. I use this brush slightly differently to the Buffing brush; I tend to almost 'paint' my foundation on and then buff it in rather than using a stippling motion.I find that I get more coverage from my foundations when using this brush. I use the Expert Face brush exclusively for foundation but I suppose it could be used for cream blush, contour and highlight products too. It's certainly a good size to deal with the more precise placement of contour and highlight. Aside from being a brilliant brush, the Expert Face brush is also available on its own, priced at £9.99.

The Winner?

I think it's quite clear that for me the Expert Face brush wins in terms of performance and value. That doesn't mean I'll be dismissing my Buffing brush, however. I will continue to use this for foundation and I do prefer it for concealer under my eyes as it's softer on the delicate skin. I'll also continue using it for cream blushes. If it was possible to buy both brushes separately, I'd still want to own both.

Just a heads up; Love Make Up is running a limited offer for a free Expert Face brush if you pick up the Sam's Picks kit. 

Are you a fan of Real Techniques brushes? What's your favourite brush for foundation?

Stace xx

E.L.F. Angled Blush Brush

Say hello to one of my new favourite brushes! This is the Angled Blush Brush from E.L.F.'s Studio range and I've been using it for about three months now. Its name would suggest that I've been using it for blush but the densely packed bristles and thinner shape mean it's a rubbish blush brush. However, it's excellent for foundation. 

As with all E.L.F. Studio brushes this one has a matte black handle and a black metal ferule with black bristles. Pretty sleek looking for £3.75, I reckon. I was expecting something similar to my beloved MAC 168 in terms of shape and density so was a tiny bit disappointed when I first got my hand on this. It languished in my brush collection for about a month until I realised that it might be great for foundation. 

It turns out that I was right; it's totally a foundation brush. It's similar to one of those traditional foundation brushes which make me feel like I'm painting my face but it's a bit fatter and the angle makes it great for getting into areas under the eyes and around the nose. I use it to blend concealer in under my eyes and on any other blemishes before dotting some foundation on my skin and blending it in. Right now I'll happily reach for this in place of my Real Techniques Buffing brush or Illamasqua Highlight brush which have both been long-time favourites of mine. 

My only issue with this brush is the fact that after about two uses I could tell that the ferule was getting loose. It hasn't fallen apart yet but every time I use it I think it's going to! I don't mind so much because it was so inexpensive but the inconsistency in quality of E.L.F. products is very frustrating. Thankfully it doesn't shed! 

Available from eyeslipsface.co.uk 

What's your favourite brush for foundation?

Stace xx

The Illamasqua Sale - My Top Picks

Whilst I do love a good bargain. most beauty related sales and offers fail to interest me. This is usually either because the discounts are fairly meagre or because the products offered wouldn't sell at full price in a million years. Puke-coloured nail polish, anyone? Thought not. 

One brand which has impressed me with their current sale is Illasmasqua. They're offering decent range of products with up to 70% off. Okay, there are a few cement-toned lipsticks and lots of base products I'm not interested in, but my current basket includes:

Intense lipgloss in Succubus - £5

This intensely pigmented gloss essentially functions as a liquid lipstick. The shade Succubus looks like the perfect glossy blood red which would suit most skintones. 

Liquid Metal in Surge - £5

I've never tried a Liquid Metal before but this shade reminds me a bit of BeneFit's Skinny Jeans which I loved but found to be a bit too green for me to reach for on an everyday basis. I think this might be a nice alternative shade. 

Precision Ink in Havoc - £5

I've had my eye on this for a while; it's a dark aubergine purple shade which I think I'll love. I was always put off by the £17.50 price tag for such a tiny amount of product but at a fiver, it's a steal!

Nail varnish in Baptise - £5

Most long-term readers of this blog will know that I have a real issue with shimmery nail polishes; I hate 99% of them. This beauty is an exception though; I need it!

Blending Brush 2 - £10

Technically this isn't in my basket; I already own one of these brushes but I wanted to include it in this post because it's an excellent brush. It's a large blending brush so it's not great for precision eyeshadow looks but it's handy for blending in under eye concealer, powdering under the eyes and applying highlighter.

Have you picked anything up from the Illamasqua sale?

Stace xx

*All images from illamasqua.com 

Illamasqua Highlighter Brush

I'm blaming Cami for directing me to the Illamasqua counter to purchase the Highlighter brush. She said it was fabulous and brilliant for pretty much everything and you know what? She was spot on. So, if anyone reading this post hasn't heard about this wonderful brush before, you should be heading to Illamasqua's website to buy it in approximately three minutes, I reckon. 

I was a little hesitant to spend £24 on a brush from a brand that isn't especially famous for them but my doubts were put to rest when I got my Highlighter brush home. The quality is excellent; in fact, this brush and the other I have from Illamasqua are probably the best quality brushes I own. They feel more sleek than MAC or Sigma brushes and are much easier on the eye than my beloved Real Techniques brushes. I've washed my Highlighter brush countless times and not experienced any shedding or colour bleeding. It still looks and feels almost exactly like it did when I purchased it almost a year ago. Illamasqua brushes are also cruelty free and made from synthetic fibres if that's important to you.

It's all well and good if a brush looks and feels lovely but what you all need to know is how it performs when applying make up, right? I think Illamasqua are missing a trick by labelling this brush as a highlighter brush because it can be used for so much more than that. I have used it with cream or liquid products such as concealers, foundations, cream and liquid blushes and liquid highlighters. I've also used it with powder blushes, face powder, powder highlight and contouring products. Basically if you had a stash of these brushes you'd never need to use another face brush again. Well, perhaps you'd want a big fluffy powder brush (I'm currently coveting this one from Illamasqua.) My favourite way of using the Highlighter brush is with cream or liquid products because I find that it works them into the skin beautifully. Because the brush is on the small side it's good if you're trying to be precise. That does mean that it takes a bit longer if you're using it for foundation but I like the finish I get when using it for that purpose so I don't mind taking an extra few minutes. It's a nice size for applying face powder to specific areas if you're not wanting to cover your entire face. I like to focus mine on my T-zone and under eye area. 

I honestly don't think I've ever felt this way about a brush. And I feel like a bit of an idiot for just typing that but it's true. I honestly think that any beauty addict worth her salt needs to own at least one of these brushes. For me, it's the absolute epitome of a 'multi-tasking' brush and I love that.

With special thanks to Cami and her enabling abilities!

Are you tempted yet?

Stace xx

My Face Brushes

I was doing some brush laundry yesterday and decided it was about time I did a post on my favourite face brushes when they were clean enough to photograph! Whilst there's nothing wrong with using your fingers to apply foundation, concealer, cream blushes or highlighters, I prefer to use a brush. I've tried lots of different brushes, particularly for foundation, in the past so I know what I like. I've done a good spring clean of my brush collection and I'm really happy with all of the face brushes I currently own. 

Illamasqua Highlighter Brush (link)

I bought this brush because Cami raved about it several times and I have to say, I'm so glad I listened to her. I've used it for foundation, powder blush, cream blush and highlighter but I have it on her good authority that it's excellent for contouring too. It is quite small so it takes a while to apply your foundation with but the finish is worth it. I love using this with my Daniel Sandler Watercolour blush too. I've not experienced any shedding with this one.

E.L.F. Powder Brush (link)

The £3.50 wonder brush! This is the first non-traditional foundation brush I ever tried and as you can see, I've not looked back. I like this one so much that I have two. Admittedly I no longer use it for foundation but it is great if you're just starting out. I find that it provides quite heavy coverage so it's nice to use with tinted moisturisers to get a bit more coverage from them. I do actually use this as a powder brush - I expect most people who own this don't use it for that purpose! I like using this with a light finishing powder when I want my base to stay in place all day. It can get a bit cakey though, so be light handed! This brush is also great for using with a bit of MAC Fix+ to dab away excess powder. I use it to buff out the edges of my blush sometimes if I've gone a bit overboard but it's also nice to apply cream blush with (imagine a sort of stamping action followed by a lot of buffing). This is a great all rounder and if you don't already own it, you should! The only downside is that it can be a pain to clean because it's so dense.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush (link)

Since the day I bought this brush and until I picked up the Illamasqua Highlighter and Real Techniques Buffing brushes, this was the only thing I would use for foundation. At the time I was religiously using Neutrogena Healthy Skin foundation which has a thicker consistency (quite like NARS Sheer Glow). I really liked that foundation but found it was easy to overdo so this brush was perfect for that. I probably use the Buffing brush more for foundation now because it's quicker than using this one. This brush is excellent for applying cream blush, especially ones which have a drier consistency, like the Topshop cream blushes. I like that this one is sold individually, too.

Real Techniques Powder Brush (link)

I didn't have a decent powder brush so I picked this one up at the same time as the Stippling brush. It's just okay but then a large powder brush is never going to be that exciting, is it? I like using this with heavier coverage powders if I'm just using them as a setting powder. I've actually done a full review of all the Real Techniques brushes I had a while back if you want to check that out for more information about the brushes in general. This one is also sold individually.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush (link)

I reluctantly paid £21 for the Core collection just for this brush. I probably wouldn't have bothered if I hadn't already tried other Real Techniques brushes and liked them. It's really annoying that this comes in a set - I've since gotten rid of all the other Core collection brushes and I think £21 is pretty steep compared to the £12 I paid for the Stippling brush. Anyway, it's a lovely brush. I can use this with almost any foundation I own. I still prefer the Stippling brush for any of my thicker foundations, though. This gets the job done in two minutes flat which I appreciate. I've not tried using this for anything else but I'd imagine that it would work well with any cream blushes, highlighters or bronzers.

Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush (link)

See my rant about the brush sets above! This is yet another brush I paid £21 for. I rarely use any of the other brushes in the set which is unfortunate. However, this is a really nice brush to use with concealer. I find it works best with thicker concealers because it just buffs away anything which only offers light coverage. I've never tried using this as an eye brush and to be honest, I don't think I ever will as I think it would deposit far too much colour in the crease and then blend it to the point of looking muddy. I kind of wish this was called a concealer brush and that it had been included in the Core collection.

MAC 224 (link)

If I'm not using my Real Techniques Deluxe Crease brush for my concealer, I'll be using this one. I particularly like using the 224 on my under eye area with a liquid concealer as I find it blends it out beautifully without rubbing it all away. Again, I've never tried using this as an eye brush. I've not experienced any shedding with this one either and I've had it for over 18 months.

MAC 188 (link)

I use my 188 with powder highlighters, very pigmented blushes (hello, NARS Taj Mahal!) and sometimes with cream blushes. I use it most often with powder highlighters just along the tops of my cheekbones. I really like the effect and can't imagine reaching for anything else when applying those sorts of products. I realise that this is a more expensive brush but I tried Sigma's version of it and it just didn't compare in terms of softness and the way in which it applied the product. Again, I've not experienced any shedding.

MAC 168 (link)

This is my all time favourite brush for powder blushes. I pretty much use this one every day unless I'm wearing a cream blush. I know this is meant to be a contour brush but I don't do any contouring so I can't comment on how great it is for that. I just like the way I can sort of bounce this on my cheeks to deposit the colour and then blend it out. This is one of those brushes that just never lets me down. If I can't apply a blush nicely with this one, I blame the blush! Again I've not had any problems with this brush and have had it for almost two years.

I hope that was helpful to some of you and I (sort of) apologise if you've been cringing at my crazy love  for brushes.

Stace xx