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

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

A Little Weekend Make Up Bag

I went to see a friend on Saturday night and tried very hard to restrain myself make up-wise! It turns out that even though she finds it frightening that I can name eye shadow shades just by looking at them, she isn't too terrified by my make up obsession. I even told her about this little blog (hello if you're reading, you know who you are!)

Anyway, here's what I settled on:

Lips:

MAC Lip Conditioner

Estee Lauder Pure Color gloss in Electric Cherry

17 Mirror Shine lipstick in Beehive

(check out how used the gloss and lipstick are! I'm getting much better at using up products...)

Eyes:

L'Oreal Telescopic mascara

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze

Collection2000 Lasting Perfection concealer

(I kind of regret not bringing an eye base as the Color Tattoo did crease a bit)

Face:

BeneFit Watts Up! highlighter

MAC Warm Soul mineralize blush

Real Techniques Contour brush (for the blush)

Clinique Even Better foundation in 05 Neutral

Clarins Ever Matte face powder in 02 Transparent Medium

So that's it! To be honest, I wasn't 100% happy with the products I chose but since I only had to use them together once, it was fine!

Stace xx

Real Techniques Brushes

I was pleased to hear last week that the Real Techniques brushes designed by Sam Chapman (one of the Pixiwoo sisters, for anyone who's been living under a rock) are going to be stocked in selected Boots stores from the 15th of February. I've already tried a lot of the brushes so I'm going to do a quick overview of them to share my thoughts.

I have a lot of good things to say about these brushes in general. They're all pretty soft and since they're synthetic, I find them a lot easier to use with cream products such as foundations, cream blushes and cream shadows. They're also so much quicker to wash; I've washed most of these several times and I've not experienced any shedding or colour bleeding. I think these are great brushes for the price. I'm not sure how much they'll be in Boots. I bought mine from Love Make Up so I paid around £10 each for the individual brushes and £21 for the collections. 

I do have a couple of minor issues with these brushes, though. I find the handle shape annoying because I store my brushes upright in a tin and the large bases on the bigger brushes makes it difficult to get them in sometimes. I think they'd look a lot better with normal handles. I'd prefer if the brushes were all available individually as I have ended up with some brushes I won't use much. I can't complain since I didn't spend all that much money but I did buy two of the collections just for one brush from each. I'm not a fan of the travel cases that come with the collections but each to their own on that one!

Enough negativity! The brushes I have in the above photo are (from left to right): Powder, Stippling, Buffing, Contour, Pointed Foundation, Detailer, Deluxe Crease, Base Shadow, Brow, Pixel Point Eye Liner and Accent.

I like using the Powder Brush for translucent setting powders but I prefer using other brushes with coloured face powders so I do use it but not all the time. I've used the Stippling Brush almost every day since I bought it in the summer so it's definitely a favourite and one I'd recommend to anyone who wears liquid foundation. It's also nice for cream blush. The Buffing Brush is also lovely for liquid foundation - I've not had this one for very long. It's nice to use with cream and powder blushes too.

I'm a bit ashamed to say I've not used the Contour, Pointed Foundation or Detailer brushes yet. I've only had them a little while but I'm kind of struggling to find a use for them, to be honest! I only bought the set for the Buffing Brush. The Contour brush may work with cream blushes/highlighters, though.

I have previously owned the Blush Brush but I found it was much too floppy and hard to control for me so I no longer have it. 

The Deluxe Crease Brush should be called a concealer brush. It's really nice for blending out concealer. It can be a little hard if you apply too much pressure but it's my favourite brush for concealer by far. The Base Shadow Brush is okay, I use it with cream shadows mostly as I don't find it to be very good for packing on colour. The Brow Brush is nice - it's a lot bigger than some other brow brushes  I've tried. I've been using a pen for my brows lately so I've not been using this much but I do like it and will go back to using it with my powder brow products.  The Pixel Point Eye Liner Brush is quite thick so it's not great for gel liner if you're looking for quite a thin line. It makes a great lip brush, though! I use the Accent brush to smudge out pencil liners or to apply a light shimmery shade to the inner corners of my eyes.

My top picks are definitely the Stippling, Buffing and Deluxe Crease Brushes. 

I hope this was helpful! Let me know if you try any of the brushes.

Stace xx

Product of the Week #4 - NARS Sheer Glow

I picked my NARS Sheer Glow (link) up from a blog sale for a mere 10 Euros a few months back. This is in the shade Santa Fe which is my perfect shade for the dead of winter. I've not had a proper holiday in a very long time so this winter I seem to be paler than ever! I'd say this is around an NC25 or so but I've not bought a MAC foundation in so long that I could be totally off with that assumption.

My skin is okay - I get the odd blemish and have some hyperpigmentation on my chin from past spots. This past week I've been trying out some other base products and they made my skin look even worse. I felt rubbish. That's when I turned to my Sheer Glow and it had me smiling again. I only use a teeny bit and I blend it in with a Real Techniques Stippling brush (link). Within seconds my skin looks great; even in tone and a little glowy. 

I do find I get a little oily in my T zone when I use this foundation so I usually powder that area of my face. Whilst this is not a terribly long wearing foundation, I do find it lasts pretty well on me and it fades without leaving patches or streaks. 

I'll definitely be picking up a darker shade once this one becomes too light for me. 

Stace xx

What's in my travel make up bag?

I'm going back home to Northern Ireland for a week today. I thought I'd share with you the make up I'm bringing with me. It's going to be a pretty relaxed affair (I hope...) so I've tried to only bring what I know I'll use. You'll recognise a lot of these products from recent reviews and favourites posts, I'm sure!

Brushes

Sephora Bent Eyeliner Brush

E.L.F. Crease Brush

Crown Brush Blending Brush

Revlon Eyeshadow Brush

Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush

Illamasqua Highlighter Brush

Real Techniques Stippling Brush

Blush

NYX Tea Rose Cream Blush

NARS Orgasm

Face

Rimmel Match Perfection Fix & Perfect Pro

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation 

Bobbi Brown Corrector

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer

Eyes

Cosmetics A La Carte Brow Ink in Taupe

MUA Clear Mascara (for brow gel)

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

17 Wild Metallics Cream Shadow in Wild Nude

Milani Liquif'Eye Eyeliners in Black and Brown

Physicians Formula Glam Eyes Cream Liner Trio for Brown Eyes

BeneFit They're Real Mascara

Lips

Lush Pow Wow Lip Scrub

Vintage Sister Chocolate Orange Lip Balm

L'Oreal HiP Jelly Balm in Ripe

Clinique Superbalm in Rootbeer

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks in Black Cherry and Mink

NARS Lipstick in Honolulu Honey

Do you think this is excessive? What make up do you take with you when you travel?

Stace xx

Weekly Make Up Challenge #3 - Real Techniques Brushes - My Thoughts

So my netbook is working again! But after using a laptop for the past week, I'm finding it difficult to get back to typing on such a small keyboard.


Anyway, here are my thoughts on the Real Techniques brushes I've been testing out this week. All of these can be purchased in the UK on love-makeup.com or cocktailcosmetics.com. 


I apologise that I've not had the time to clean these - I didn't want to wait until I'd washed them and let them dry before talking about them. 

The Winners!

I honestly don't know how I did my make up without these two brushes. The Stippling Brush and Deluxe Crease Brush (part of the Eye Starter Kit) are excellent brushes for foundation and concealer respectively. I've tried several brushes for foundation and always reverted back to using my fingers as I felt the coverage was often too cakey when using a brush and that I wasted a lot of product. With the Stippling Brush, I just put some dots of foundation on my face and buff in with this. I don't get the cakey. The Deluxe Crease Brush should have just been called Amazing Concealer Brush. I love this for blending concealer under my eyes. I was using a MAC 224 but this is much shorter and more dense which I think works better. I'm very impressed by both these brushes.

These brushes are the other four in the Eye Starter Kit, they are, from left to right: Base Shadow Brush, Brow  Brush, Accent Brush and Pixel Point Eyeliner Brush. I've yet to use the Accent Brush so can't pass comment on that just yet. I'm not sure what I'll use it for other than highlighting the inner corner. The Pixel Point Eyeliner Brush is a bit disappointing as I think it's much too thick to be used for gel liner. I'd possibly use it to conceal blemishes. The Brow Brush is nice - it's large so I can do my brows pretty quickly with it. The Base Shadow Brush is a bit more difficult to work with than other similar brushes I've used. Overall, I have mixed feelings about these four, I don't think I needed any of them but they're nice to have. 

The other two brushes I have are the Powder Brush and the Blush Brush. I like them both. The Powder Brush does exactly what it's supposed to and it's the largest brush I own so I like it for quick application of powder. The Blush Brush is a bit odd - it's very soft and not very precise. I wouldn't use this for very pigmented blushes as I'd be worried about getting them all over the place. It's okay for more subtle blushes, though.

So overall, I think these are pretty good quality for the price. I don't like the handles - I don't need my brushes to be able to stand up as I store them all in a tin so the handles actually put me off buying these for a while. The writing comes off the handles too. For synthetic brushes, the bristles are pretty soft. 

If you have any questions, please let me know! I hope this was useful!

Stace xx

Weekly Make Up Challenge #3 - Real Techniques By Samantha Chapman Brushes

I've had the Powder and Stippling brushes for a while now but last week I got the Blush brush and today I received the Eye Starter Kit. I reckon these are all the brushes I'll need so I'm going to test them all out and see what I think! I'll let you know at the weekend! :)

Have you tried any of these brushes? How do you feel about them?

Stace xx