Real Techniques Core Collection and Stippling Brush & my thoughts on iHerb

Everyone knows about Real Techniques brushes. I don't think I have ever seen one negative review about any of them. Naturally I had to get my hands on them, but I wasn't willing to pay full price for them in Priceline as they cost $67.98. So, I went to iHerb and picked up the same ones for $21.38 (there was a sale on the brushes at the time and I had a discount code too). Pretty good deal in my opinion.

I wasn't really sure what I wanted to get as there seemed to be so many to choose from, but in the end I decided to get the Core Collection set as it seemed like a versatile little set of brushes that could be used to create an entire face look. I also picked up the stippling brush because I was getting fed up with applying cream blushes with my fingers and thought it might be handy to try out a stippling brush.

I selected the cheapest postage, the Global Priority Mail by DHL for a flat rate of $4. The average delivery time was listed as 13 days but it took 15 to get to me. Though I did run out of patience towards the end there, I am really impressed that I was able to get postage so cheap without any difficulties with lost or damaged parcels.

When they first arrived they were even better than I had expected. I was impressed with their sturdy handles, soft bristles and densely packed hairs, however the stippling brush didn't seem to be too great as it seemed to contain very few bristles and I feared it would be too flimsy to be of any use. All the brushes were synthetic and were lighter in colour on the top.

I didn't really take much notice of their intended purposes, rather allocating them according to my needs and what I wanted to get out of each of the brushes.

Buffing Brush - 9/10
"Ideal for full coverage application of powder and mineral foundation"
I use this to apply any liquid bases that have a medium to high coverage. I find that this method, in comparison to using my fingers, uses up considerably more product but the finish is absolutely flawless and almost leaves my skin looking airbrushed. Funnily enough, I don't love this look for everyday as it can be a little too fake, but when I'm having a particularly bad skin day or I am going somewhere special I use this brush.

Detailer Brush - 2/10
"Precision cut to effortlessly concealer problem areas; or use with lipstick for long-lasting shape and definition"
I'm not into this brush. It just seems like a bit of a waste of space to me as it is almost too tiny to do anything with. I do use a brush for concealer but it is a lot bigger and flatter than this one and to be honest seems to work a lot better too. Until I find a use for this it is just going to sit around collecting dust.

Pointed Foundation Brush - 3/10
"Use with liquid foundation to build custom coverage"
I feel like the only blogger to have ever criticised the Real Techniques brushes, but the shape and design of what is supposed to be a foundation brush is just ridiculous. It is way, way too small to be used for foundation (it would take years to apply a full face of it with this tool!) and it is too pointed for my liking. I was considering using it for concealer under my eyes but the bristles are so scratchy that it just didn't work out. Not impressed with this one...

Contour Brush - 9/10
"Delicately applies highlighter to contour or create sheer, soft-focus finish"
I use this to apply both bronzer and highlighter, though it is best suited to highlighter as it is quite small and compact. I love this rounded little brush - it is dense, soft and a perfect shape to fit in the hollows of your cheeks or on the tops of your cheekbones. It's wonderful! The only improvement I could make is the slightest bit bigger.

Stippling Brush - 9/10
"Is the trade secret for creating airbrushed, high definition results with all types of makeup"
I haven't used this brush for anything other than cream blush yet, but I LOVE it. Though my initial concerns of it not being dense enough and too flimsy are true to an extent, it works magically to disperse the colour evenly across my cheeks giving me the most natural, even looking flush of colour. All my forgotten cream blushes have been rediscovered!

I am so pleased that I picked these brushes up. I haven't had them for long and therefore can make no judgement on their lasting power, whether they shed or how they respond to being washed but they are such good quality (except for the pointed foundation brush!). Even though two out of five I was not happy with, the three that I do love I love so much and it was absolutely worth every cent!

If you were like me and are not too keen on the prices for these brushes, jump on to iHerb and pick up a couple because they are so worth it. You can use the discount code JTJ998 for up to $10 off too!

Do you own any Real Techniques brushes? Do you have any other ways I could use them?

Savvy Brushes - New vs Old

When I purchased some Savvy brushes a long time ago, I was mightily impressed with the quality - not because the bristles were heavenly or the durability was incredible, but because it cost me three dollars for six brushes. I have used these brushes every day since January and they are still strong, serving me well. In fact, I love these 50c brushes so much that I don't use any others that have the same purpose as these.

When Savvy's new range came out and there were some new brushes, of course I was going to stock up, I would be crazy not to.

The brush set contained four brushes (is that a strange number or is that just me?) including a powder brush, lip brush, concealer brush and eyeshadow sponge. Once again I find that a strange combination.

Basically, if you don't feel like reading the rest of this review, I shall sum it up right now - it is a waste of money. The powder brush and eyeshadow sponge are absolutely useless, although the concealer and lip brush are alright.

Powder brush
This brush has rough bristles that are useless for applying powder (or blush, or bronzer for that matter). They fall out often and the brush isn't particularly dense. It's also really quite small in my opinion. Not worth your money.

Eyeshadow sponge
First of all I am not a fan of eyeshadow sponges for applying makeup. I prefer brushes and think that it is actually quite strange to include an eyeshadow sponge when a brush is so much better. This is quite a soft, dense sponge but stains upon first use and is simply too difficult to use effectively. I'm not a fan.

Concealer brush
This concealer brush saves the whole set. The bristles are soft, dense and sensibly sized and it is actually useful for applying concealer, especially on pimples and blemishes. I tend to use my fingers to apply concealer because it is a lot quicker (and means that I don't have to wash the brush later) but this allows for precise application and decent coverage.

Lip Brush
I have an Australis lip brush which I rarely use (simply because I'm too lazy to use a lip brush) but I find it pretty good when I do need one. My only problem with it is that it is not very sturdy as it breaks into two parts. This is where this Savvy one is better because it is one sturdy handle. The rest of the features of the brush are pretty much on par with the Australis one.

All up this is terribly disappointing considering I adore my old Savvy Brushes. I would not spend the ten dollars it costs to purchase this set, which is lucky as I got it as a free gift when I spent over ten dollars on the rest of the Savvy line. Don't bother spending your money on this set, unless you desperately want a cheap, semi-decent quality concealer or lip brush.

Australis Retractable Lip Brush

I purchased this lip brush what seems like years ago but was actually only a little over a month, for three dollars from Target. At the time I had no other lip brush (but was on the lookout for one) so when I saw this I really had no other alternative but to get it.

There's not all that much one can say about a lip brush, but I'll do my best to be thorough.

The bristles are lovely and soft, dense enough to apply product well but not rock hard either. The brush itself is a bit of a strange design - it can be pulled into two parts, which is great for travel as you can put a cap on the grotty brush itself, but it also means that it is not particularly sturdy. This can be problematic when applying the lip product, but it isn't that big a deal. I thought the brush would be too small to apply a decent amount of product, but I found it to be perfect.

I preferred to use the brush to outline the lips with the lipstick, and then fill in the lips without the brush. The results were still neat and precise, but didn't take as long to achieve. It was also useful for evening out the lip colour, as some lipsticks don't apply evenly.

It usually sells for $7.95, and I don't think I would purchase it. The reason I would give it a miss is not because I don't like it, but because I don't feel the need for a lip brush everyday - only do I use it for special occasions or when I'm wearing a really bright lipstick (and that doesn't, unfortunately, occur too often).

I give this brush 7 out of 10.

Savvy brush set

This is a very long review so I have made the key brush names in bold and underlined, so should you just want to know about one of the brushes, you don't have to search through the whole, incredibly long review!

As I mentioned in my Savvy haul post , I recently bought a set of six Savvy brushes for $3! Yes, fifty cents for a brush, I think that is a pretty good deal, even if the brushes are useless. Thankfully, they're not.They came in a little case which I use to store them.
I haven't tried them all that much, but I have been using them where possible in order to post this review as quickly as possible. I myself am not really that good with brushes and at first wasn't entirely sure what each of the brushes were for. With a little bit of research and asking around, I soon understood how to use each of the brushes. Embarrassing? Yeah, but you won't tell anyone, will you?

The first of the brushes that I used was the foundation brush. This was partly because I had used another foundation brush before and therefore knew what to expect with this one. It is (or should I say was) the softest brush I have ever come across. I spent about five minutes just brushing it across my face with no product on it, it was just that amazing. Eventually I forced myself to actually use it, and I applied my foundation. It was a little streaky and uneven, but with a little time spent blending it all worked out to be perfectly fine. I used the same foundation that I do everyday (my Innoxa liquid foundation) but found that with the brush my skin looked even more flawless and had a higher level of coverage. I personally would only use the brush to apply my foundation at night or on special occasions because I feel that it made it more obvious that I was wearing foundation, it looked less natural and more 'airbrushed', I suppose. I personally find that I have to wash my foundation brushes every time I use them, so I washed it and left it to dry. It didn't recover very well. No longer is it so lovely and soft. Sure, it's soft and beautiful but not amazing like it was before. The bristles kind of clump together as well which is awfully disappointing. It still works very well and feels lovely, but I guess I am disappointed that it didn't return to its former self after washing.

On the end of the foundation brush was a concealer brush. The concealer I currently use (which is not amazing for covering blemishes but wonderful for under eye circles) has a little sponge applicator which I use to dab the concealer onto my skin, and then I usually pat it in with my fingers. Well, I shall never ever go back to doing it like that, this brush is amazing. I have never used a concealer brush before so I cannot compare it to anything, but I love this brush. It is absolutely wonderful. The only problem is that I have to wash the brush every time I use it. Because I am lazy (and it seems to take forever to dry!) I avoid using it as much as possible. Oh how I love this brush!

The next brush is the blush brush, at least, I think that is what it is meant to be used for. You see, I always used a rounded brush for blush, and this one is a lot flatter than I was used to. I looked online for a blush brush and came to the conclusion that it is just personal preference. Some people like round, some like flat, some like big, some like small, it just depends. Anyway, this blush brush holds a good amount of product. I find that I gently dab the brush on my blush and then blow the excess away, which gives me the perfect amount to apply. It leaves a flawless finish which is quite impressive. I will continue to use this brush for blush.

On the other side of the blush brush is the bronzer/contouring brush. This is the brush I was most looking forward to as I actually don't have an angled brush like this one. What I really liked about this was that it wasn't coloured. This allowed me to see how much product I had applied to the brush which was in fact, incredibly useful to know. It prevented me from brushing the product on my face only to find that I looked like some terrible fake tan job. It was angled just enough to allow it to be the perfect shape to apply product into the contours of my face. I really, really love this brush.

Next we have the eyeshadow brush which I use to apply shadow over the lid. It is a little too big for my liking, but I personally like really small eyeshadow brushes. It is lovely and soft and doesn't irritate the eye area whatsoever, I just find that the application can be a little messy because it is a little too big. I do quite like this brush as the quality and feel of it is very good, but I still prefer some of my smaller eyeshadow brushes. This brush looks very similar to the eyeshadow brush that Ecotools has.

Last and definitely least is the angled eyeshadow brush. This was the brush that I really wasn't impressed with at all. For a brush that is supposed to be used on the eyes, it is the roughest, more coarse brush of the lot. It irritates my eyes so much and I find the the bristles are too spiky. The angle is a bit pathetic to be honest. Once again it looks very similar to the brush Ecotools has, but I haven't used the Ecotools one. I expect that it would be a lot better than this one!

Overall there were some good and bad things about these brushes. Of course, the price was wonderful, and I would buy them even if they weren't on special. I didn't like how there was a brush on each end though, because it meant I wasn't able to stand them up in a container like I do with all my brushes. That annoyed me a lot, actually. None of the brushes shed at all which I was really impressed about considering it is such a cheap brand. I would pay full price for this brush set. I'm not sure exactly how much they cost full price, but I know it is relatively cheap. As for paying three dollars, I am so glad I found this little beauty!

Foundation brush - 7
Concealer brush - 10
Blush brush - 8
Bronzer/Contouring brush - 8
Eyeshadow brush - 6 (it's a very good brush but too big for my personal preference)
Angled Eyeshadow brush - 3

If I have made a mistake with any of these brushes (ie. used it for the wrong thing!) please let me know. It may change my opinion completely!

Ecotools bamboo foundation brush

I had never ever tried applying foundation with brush, but when my Mum passed this unwanted brush on to me, of course I had to give it a shot.

I always apply my liquid foundation with my fingers. Everyone I know does the same. In fact, I don't think I can name one person who I am aware of using a brush to apply their foundation (I'm going to start asking people, I'm curious to see how people do it!)

I wasn't really sure how to start to be honest. Do you fill up your brush and slap it on, or do you use a tiny bit and apply it to small sections at a time. What on Earth do you do? I personally put a bit of foundation on my hand. I dipped my brush into it and then applied it to different sections of my face. It was really bizarre applying it like this to be honest. It sounds so stupid but it was just...weird.

 

I think I will be sticking to applying foundation with my fingers, but there are some advantages of using a brush. I wouldn't bother buying it, I'd rather buy a damn good lipstick for the same price!

Advantages:
- It gives a better coverage
- It provides a more flawless finish

Disadvantages:- It requires a lot more foundation in order to cover the face. I think because it gets soaked up into the brush.
- Streaks/line marks can occur relatively easily
- It requires a lot more time and effort to apply. You can't slap it on like your fingers because you will end up with a streaky mess
- It means that you have wash it out after you use it - more time and effort (gosh I am so lazy!)

So how good was the brush? My goodness is it soft! I just want to rub it on my face it feels so lovely. It's also quite firm and sturdy, not flimsy. It seemed to soak up a lot of product, however I think that is just what a foundation brush does. It did leave streaky marks on the face, so extra care in blending was essential, but it wasn't too difficult. I know that online reviews mentioned that it was streaky, so I'm not sure if that is something that occurs with every foundation brush, or if it is just this one.

I washed it and there was absolutely no shedding whatsoever which I am really pleased about. It took about a day to dry, and then once it was dry the bristles kind of clumped together. I smushed it around a little and found that they quickly returned to their prior self.

I don't really know what else to say...what else can you mention about a foundation brush? Unfortunately as this is the first time I have ever used a foundation brush I have nothing to compare it to, however I'll give my Savvy foundation brush a shot and see if there are any significant differences.

I'm not going to rate this product, because I don't feel as though I have enough experience with foundation brushes to rate it accurately. I have listed everything I can about it, so hopefully you can get some sort of idea what it's like!

$3 makeup - I'm in heaven!

Whilst on holidays, I couldn't resist popping into Priceline (what can I say, I'm totally addicted to that shop!). I was in luck - the whole Savvy by DB range was $3! Yes, every single product, whether it be bronzer, foundation, brushes, lipstick...everything single product was three bucks! I couldn't believe my eyes. Of course, I then spent about twenty minutes debating what to get and how much to spend. You see, despite the fact that due to the extremely low prices I could afford a whole heap, it doesn't mean that I actually need every product in the range!

I had three different staff members come up to me and ask if I needed assistance while I was thinking. I think they were confused about why on Earth I was standing there with my mouth open, just staring at the products. Yeah, embarrassing much?!

Anyway, I am so happy about my purchases. I decided to think of it as a Christmas present to myself! As far as I know, Priceline is still selling their whole Savvy range for three bucks per product. So, if you can get to a Priceline, pop in a try some of their stuff out. I have only tried their Lip Jewels Lipglosses (I totally recommend them!) so I can't assure you that all their products are amazing, but for three dollars it's not too much of a loss should you find that their other products are awful. My Mum loves their lipstick so I think they might be good.

I'll now shut up and show you what I bought! So excited!

My haul of 6 products, all for $18

I know I have already gone on about the price enough, but honestly, it's amazing that all of this cost only $18. That's the price of one foundation brush!

The face products

The face products that I bought, from left to right, are:
Loose Powder in the shade Translucent (it's a giant 18.52g!)
Blush in the shade Rose
Jumbo Bronzer in the shade Terracotta (heard wonderful things about this)



The lip products

The lip products that I bought from top to bottom are:
Lip Jewels lipgloss in the shade Ruby
Lip crayon in the shade Rose


The brushes

The brushes that I bought are double ended, meaning that I bought six different brushes for three dollars - 50 cents each! That's crazy, because they are good quality! I looked them up on the Internet and couldn't find ANYTHING on them, so I am going to do a detailed review on them!

Anyway, I am so pleased with this purchase! Very happy indeed!