Ulta Haul, Part Two- The Brushes!

Hello Friends!

Here's part two of my Ulta haul, focusing on the brushes!

The first brush I picked up was the Precision Face Brush by Bare Minerals/Bare Escentuals ($28). The lady who helped me at Ulta used this when she put my new foundation on, and I really like the way it worked. The top of the brush is entirely solid, there's almost no tapering of the bristles.

The smooth top makes it so I can actual squeeze a little bit of foundation directly on to the brush (the foundation is quite thick) instead of putting it on a palette or the back of my hand, therefore wasting less that I was with my last foundation brush. It also seems to absorb less make up.

The brush itself is cut at an angle, with makes it easy to get into the contours of the face. I feel like it makes it easy to buff the makeup onto the skin, and it doesn't streak. I'm really happy with it. I am curious if other kabuki-style brushes might work the same way, but I think it was worth it. The one odd thing about this brush is that the tips of the bristles are a rosey-pink. I'm really not sure why. Unfortunately, this kind of makes the brush look dirty all the time.

I have been watching a lot of Pixiwoo tutorials lately. Sam Chapman, one half of the Pixiwoo duo had designed her own line of brushes, Real Techniques, and they use them in the videos. I've been intrigued, so I thought I'd give them a shot, since they're very inexpensive.

The Real Technique brushes are all synthetic, but the bristles are very high quality- they don't feel plastic-y at all. I was really surprised by the quality of these brushes for the price- $6-10 a brush, or $17 for a set of 3-6).  I've washed them once, and NO bristles came our. None. I was blown away. The other quality the that really sets them apart is their handles. If you notice in the pictures, the ferule (the metal part) extends down most of the length of the brush. This makes the brushes incredibly light. They're also a bit wider than a lot of brush handles. While I like those features merely out of preference, it really makes the difference for my mom, who has arthritis, and finds it hard to hold on to some smaller brushes. The ferules themselves are also color coded, which makes it easy to find what you're looking for. The gold handles are for base products, the purple are for eyes, and the pink are for finishing (powders, contours, etc). Most of their individual brushes also have flared handles (see the stipple brush below) that allow you to stand them upright "for display," should you want to do that.

The Real Techniques Travel Essentials set ($17) comes with three brushes and a padded carry case that doubles as a stand.

In this set, the gold brush is their Essential Foundation brush. I'm not a huge fan of this brush, but that's probably because I'm rubbish at applying foundation that way... I can't stop the streaks. It might be better with a thinner foundation. It works alright for concealer though. 

The purple brush is the Domed Shadow brush, and I love it! it's a nice, fluffy brush with a good taper. I like it for both base shadow and eye contouring. 

Finally, the pink brush is the Multi-task brush. It's a basic dome brush, and it really is good for multi-tasking. I've used it for bronzer and setting powder, and I like it equally well for both. It's very full, but I don't find it too fluffy for contouring.

I bought three other Real Techniques brushes.

This first brush is the Lash-Brow Groomer ($5.99). I've never really been one for eyelash combs, but this one is different to any others I've seen, since it has metal tines... almost reminiscent of a louse comb (gross, but true). I actually really like it, and it works really well. It comes with a little cover that snaps on over the tines to protect them (and you!) in your makeup bag. The brow side is is pretty average. All in all it was definitely worth what I paid for it.

The second brush is the Setting Brush ($7.99), which they recommend for a "controlled dusting of powder." Personally, I don't use it for that, since I like a big fluffy brush for powder, but one of my favorite things about the brushes is that they're all multi-use, and even the girls from Pixiwoo use them for all sorts of purposes. I mostly use this brush for highlighting or concealer. I find that using a fluffier brush gets around the blemishes better, and makes the coverage more even. 

The third, and final, brush is the Stippling Brush ($9.99). The Pixiwoo girls use this for foundation a lot, but I like a heavier application. I do, however, LOVE this brush for cream blush. It gives an incredibly even look, and it doesn't pick up too much product. It is also one of the brushes that is able to be stood up.


That's it for the brushes, and the end of my Ulta haul posts! Next week, I'll be doing a lip product haul/review. See you then!


Always,

Nani xx