Meet the New Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection Brushes

Press Sample

Recently I had the opportunity to attend an event held by Real Techniques and in fact I was even able to meet Sam and Nic! At the event, they displayed some of their recent additions to the line (including the Bold Metals Collection brushes) so I thought I'd review them on the blog and in a video.

The Collection consists of seven brushes: two Base brushes, three Eye brushes, and two Finishing brushes. I have four to review today; I was gifted three of them from the brand and received the other as a Klout perk.

The Bold Metals Collection have much more sleek angular handles (that won't roll). These also promise softer bristles compared to the regular line (which I'll tackle in my review of each brush). Unlike the regular line, these actually have a ferrule (instead of the bristles just coming out of the handle), and the ferrules are also specially weighted to hold well in your hand. However, the handles feel like plastic and seem cheap compared to the weighted metal ferrule. 

Where to Purchase: Ulta, Real Techniques

Price: $16.00-$26.00 each.

Do they test on animals?: The company does not test on animals.


Feel free to watch my video review or continue reading to hear my thoughts on each!

First up is the 101 Triangle Foundation Brush. The brush costs $24.00. Undoubtedly, this brush has a very unique shape. Looking down the brush, it's shaped like a triangle. Looking from the bottom up, it's shaped like a pentagon with the triangular part tapering up. Looking at the top down, the sides are sloped down to complete the triangle. 

Unfortunately despite the innovative shape, I don't like the brush. The flat bottom of the brush is fine but if you tilt the brush to blend out foundation, the tapered end is quite harsh and scratchy. I also don't like either of the top sides because the ends of the bristles are also scratchy. The bristles almost feel a bit slippery so it is prone to looking streaky and the brush sucks up foundation so bad. I would disagree that the bristles in this brush are superior to the regular line. I wouldn't recommend purchasing this brush.

Next are the eye brushes. The first is the 201 Pointed Crease Brush. The brush costs $16.00. To call it "pointed" seems a bit odd since it's not super pointy, tapered would be a better term. It looks massive and I was initially thinking "what the heck, how could you get any precision with it and would it even fit in my crease?". My skepticism was unnecessary though because it's a great blend of precision and density. 

The brush tapers to a nice point but the rest of the brush is so round that it lets you place product into the crease and use the surrounding bristles to blend out the edges. I can still see a delineated but blended out line of eyeshadow when I use it. It also works great if you need to blend out transition and highlight shades. It does feel soft and dense and the bristles aren't scratchy. I like it but depending on how you apply makeup, it might not be a complete must-have.

The other eye brush I got was the 202 Angled Liner Brush. This brush costs $16.00. On my eyes, this is perfect for lower lash line work because of its slim but dense profile. It's maybe the smallest angled liner I've ever come across. It's also an interesting shape because instead of looking like a typical angled brush that's angled at the top (like a trapezium), the brush actually tapers inward slightly before the angle at the top (like a trapezoid). 

For me, worth the $16 since I can't find an equivalent that I like anywhere else. Most angled brushes are to long, wide, or tall and not dense enough. If you're going to get one brush from the collection, make it this one. 

The last brush is one of the Finish brushes. This is the 301 Flat Contour Brush. This brush costs $26.00. Jumping along the contour train, this contour brush is quite dense with a fairly thick profile. The density helps buff out cream products in particular very well. I used this with the Life's Entropy Particle Contour Stick; after applying the Contour Stick from the tube, I used the Flat Contour Brush to blend upwards and had no trouble getting the contour to look super natural. I also was able to sweep the brush over the Contour Stick and apply the product on my cheek and had no trouble there.

Considering its large profile though, I don't like it much for actually applying contour products. If you prefer using powder contour products, I'd skip this. Its forte is in blending out cream contour so if you currently use stick contours or already apply a contour product with a separate brush, then you'll probably enjoy this for blending. 

Conclusion:

Skip the Triangle Foundation Brush, consider the Pointed Crease Brush, definitely get the Angled Liner Brush, and consider the Flat Contour Brush (if you like cream contour products). They're definitely more expensive than the regular line, but they do feel more luxurious and most of them do have super soft and dense bristles.

What do you think? Would you pick up any of these brushes?

Disclaimer: I received three of the brushes courtesy of Real Techniques and one courtesy of Klout. All opinions are my own. I wasn't paid for this post.