Review: Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman

I recently got an email from someone asking me about how i got my Real techniques brushes and I was instantly reminded of my undone review on them, so here it is!

If you want to read more info on the brushes and a little story on how I came to purchase them online, I wrote more details in an earlier post Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Brushes, right after I had just gotten these brushes in the mail and washed them for the first time.

Some positive points about all of these brushes:
- All the brushes have white tips, which makes for easy washing! If the tip isn't completely white after washing, it means your brush isn't completely clean.
- No shedding whatsoever with these.
- They all have a flat base so they can stand on their own (not that I make them stand, I'm too worried they would topple over and get dirty!)

I will  further break down the good and the bad of each brush now.

Stippling Brush


What I use it for: Apply foundation

The Good
  • Blends foundation beautifully
  • Allows reaching of crooks and nooks of the face (I initially thought it was too small and stumpy but the size turned out to be a blessing)
  • Bristles appeared firm and stiff but are soft and gentle on skin
  • Handle seemed too thick at first but it actually allows better handling

The Bad
  • Can't think of any!


Buffing Brush


This brush comes in the Core Collection with three other brushes.


What I use it for: Apply foundation

The Good
  • Super soft
  • Buffs out foundation perfectly
  • Even better than the amazing stippling brush! (I used to love the stippling brush more but now I reach for this a lot more)
  • Reaches all crooks and nooks of the face
  • Thick handle allows good grip

The Bad
  • None!


Multitask Brush


The multi task brush can be found in the Travel Essentials kit with two other brushes.


What I use it for: Apply powder, blush and bronzer; could probably be used for applying foundation as well

The Good
  • Multitask brush can really multitask!
  • Soft and gentle

The Bad
  • A little too stiff so have to be gentle when using it; might wipe foundation off face if applying powder / blush / bronzer too hard with this brush
  • Better for pressing product into the skin than blending for above reason


Blush Brush


What I use it for: Apply blush and powder

The Good
  • So fluffy and oh-so-soft
  • Blends blush like a dream! Blush seems to "melt" into skin
  • Doesn't wipe off foundation

The Bad
  • Humongous, thus intimidating at first sight; but this applies in terms of appearance only. I only use the tip of the brush anyway, so basically the size only bothered me before I used the brush


Contour Brush

This one comes with the buffing brush in the Core Collection.

What I use it for: Applying bronzer and blush

The Good
  • Easy to contour as it fits right in the contour of cheeks
  • Good at blending
  • Soft

The Bad
  • Might be good at blending but a fluffier brush is needed to blend the edges of contour a little better


Domed Shadow Brush


Domed shadow brush is included in the Travel Essentials set.

What I used it for: Apply concealer under the eye and on spots

The Good
  • Great at blending concealer

The Bad
  • A little too big and bushy for me for applying eyeshadow on the eye (not that it matters because it's just perfect for concealing)


I didn't take any photo of three other brushes, which are:

Pointed Foundation Brush

This is found in the Core Collection set.

The Good
  • Blends cream products well
  • Soft
  • Small size with pointy tip allow reach of crooks and nooks
The Bad
  • Much too small for applying foundation all over face; takes too long


Essential Foundation Brush

This is found in the Travel Essentials kit.

The Good
  • Blends cream products well
  • Soft
  • Small size so allows reach of crooks and nooks
The Bad
  • Too small for applying foundation all over face; takes too long


Detailer Brush

The detailer brush is part of the Core Collection.

The Good
  • Good at applying lipstick
  • Good for spot concealing

The Bad
  • Better lip / spot concealing brushes out there

All Real Techniques brush sets come in a panoramic case with this tag attached to it:


Final verdict: Overall I am a huge fan of Real Techniques brushes and would not hesitate to recommend them to any makeup lover. I bought these brushes on iHerb.com for about RM 200. If I had purchased the same brushes here locally I would've spent up to RM 400, which is double of what I paid on iHerb.

However I do understand that it's more convenient and a lot faster to buy brushes straight from a local store. In this case, Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman is available for purchasing in Shins store in Malaysia. I also get that there's always the chance of your parcel getting lost along the way.

That being said, I do highly recommend iHerb.com as I think it's a reliable website. I didn't find any negative review on iHerb before I used it which boosted my confidence in buying the brushes through them. It took them three days (THREE days only!) to send the brushes to me, so I am definitely a satisfied iHerb customer. Besides, the brushes are just so much cheaper to be bought online! Real Techniques brushes are supposed to be in the affordable range but you wouldn't think so with their local Malaysian Ringgit price tag.

If you're interested in buying the brushes from the same site where I bought them, go to this link: iHerb: Real Techniques

I really do hope I can expand my Real Techniques collection soon!

Update (March 2014): Sam's sister Nic has joined in to be a collaborator so the brushes are now called Real Techniques by Sam & Nic Chapman. A few of the brushes I wrote about in this post are no longer listed in their official website but there are some new ones that I can't wait to get my hands on!

xxoo

Comments

Contact Form for Pages [DO NOT DELETE]

Hi, I'm Liyana

I'm a style & lifestyle blogger based in sunny (and ever humid) Malaysia. On The Good Weekender, you can find typed journals of my evolving modest personal style, travel adventures, skincare/beauty updates, home decor things, and stories of other bits and pieces of my everyday life. I hope you'll enjoy flipping through these pages of my virtual book!