That's Enough Brushes For Now

After hearing about iHerb from Pam and Michelle, it didn’t take long for me to make my first order. Though I already have several Real Techniques brushes that I treasure and adore, I still wanted to get my hands on the Travel Essentials set, mainly for the Multi Task Brush. Shipping was surprisingly prompt (7 working days) and reasonably priced, though the packaging left me unimpressed. There wasn’t a whole lot of cushioning going on, just a sheet of tissue paper lining one side of the box. The other side wasn't protected, so the plastic casing of my Travel Essentials set was shattered on the left side and top right hand corner. But at least the brushes remained intact.

Essential Foundation Brush I don’t really use flat foundation brushes very often, if at all, but this one seems promising. It’s larger, thicker and softer than the Pointed Foundation Brush in the Core Collection, but if you run your fingers through the bristles, there’s still quite a bit of firmness. I’ll have to try this out to see how well it works in applying liquid foundation, but from the outset I'm not convinced there's the same ease of use and speed you get from a rounded top brush, like the Real Techniques Buffing Brush or the Sigma F82.

Multi Task Brush The reason that I bought this set. One of the most prized brushes in my collection is the Real Techniques Blush Brush and I assumed this one would be very similar, just differently shaped. And that’s pretty much what it is. It’s gloriously soft but shaped more like a traditional powder brush, unlike the Blush Brush which has a tapered end. The newly released Setting Brush seems to be a like mini Blush Brush, with the same super soft bristles that the pink-coded finishing brushes have (except the Stippling Brush, which personally is a little spiky), so naturally it's my latest wishlist addition. I don’t use powder all that much, but the Multi Task Brush would be a better choice than the Real Techniques Powder Brush, which is lovely but freaking ginormous.

Domed Shadow Brush A versatile, fluffy eyeshadow brush. You could use this to apply a wash of colour to the lids or for blending. The Pixiwoo sisters use it primarily for concealer. It reminds me a lot of the Models Prefer small eyeshadow brush (MP24), but longer and firmer.

I just washed all 3 brushes and they didn’t shed a single hair. Speaking of cleaning brushes, the other day I made a major effort to wash every single one of my brushes. It was oddly satisfying seeing them all laid out to dry on a towel, partly because it was so tedious to clean them, and partly because I was grateful to have them all. I don’t feel any need or desire to try out or buy brushes from higher end brands because of the impressive quality of Real Techniques brushes. They’re the ones I use on a day-to-day basis and hopefully I’ll be able to for years to come.