I have got this set of eye starter set brush for 3 months already, and I use them almost everyday. So it is time to do a review!

Since I have moved to the UK, I came to know so many more smaller cosmetic brands, because I use to only shop from department stores counter. So, I only know about this brand Real techniques since I moved to the UK January this year.

In my mind, I always think that brushes are expensive, they are like investments when it comes to makeup brushes. Because, com’on a NARS brush can easily exceed the £50 mark! Just one brush!

So when I see this brand’s brushes selling like hotcakes, I thought they must be decent, if not excellent. With this price point, I wasn’t expecting anything spectacular because the cost of this eye starter set brush is only £21.99 at boots, which is even cheaper than the cost of one brush from any high-end cosmetic brand.

If, after reading my review you wanted to get a set of these babies, try to wait for a promotion / sale / 3 for 2. As they do this quite often at Boots / Superdrug, you just need to wait. I got mine at around £12 I think.

This set from Real Techniques contains 5 brushes and a gray color holder / pouch / stand which they call it a Panoramic case. From top to button, the brushes are

From top to button, the brushes are

-Brow brush: I don’t use this brush much because it is good for blendig, but not good enough to create any precise lines or strokes because the brush is quite thick and big. I have deep and thick Cara Delevigne kind of eyebrows and it works for me to apply the lighter shades in the first half of my brows and to blend the two colors together, but I wouldn’t use it for the arched part as the brush is not precise enough, and creating the perfect arch definitely needs precision. I would imagine it wouldn’t work well for anyone who has thin eyebrows.

-Fine liner brush: I used this once or twice before, and then I gave up. Because the hair of the brush is long and soft, you cannot push and drag the eyeliner on easily. I think it would be better if it is more tightly packed. My recommendation would be the Bobbi brown eye liner brush, yes it is a lot more expensive £22.5 but if this one is out of your budget, just pay attention on how the hair of this brush look . Look for one that is tapered, shorter and tightly packed would do the trick.

-Accent brush: I like this brush! I use it to apply eyeshadow over my liquid / gel eye liner to avoid any harsh lines or edges and also to set the liquid / gel liner that I have on so it is a lot more long wearing, it also prevent it from stamping onto my eyelids, as I have the typical asian hooded eyes.

-Base shadow brush: This does the job for applying base eyeshadow evenly which is nice to have as this is a brush that you would use everyday. From the simplest single eyeshadow look to a more dramatic smokey eyes.

-Deluxe crease brush: I like this one as a crease brush and blending brush. Depending on your eye shape and the size of your socket, the brush might be a little oversized if you have a small socket area. If it is the case, you can use this as a blending brush after you apply your crease color. My “crease” line is pretty much non existence, becasue yea typically asian girls eyes. So I would create my own crease line and I don’t want any harsh lines and edges, so I would pick up a transitional color and use this brush to blend the multiple colors together. I use Zoeva’s E45 small crease brush along with this one at the moment.

-Panoramic case: The idea of the holder can be converted into a stand seems really cool, but when I tried to use it that way in my hotel room when I took it on a road trip with me, I found it is not practical to do so at all. A stand is suppose to allow the user to easily pull out and put back the brushes. But the elastic band that hold the brushes upright is just a few tight loops, which doesn’t allow you to put the brushes back in without using both of your hands and fingers. Even with both hands, you need fiddle a bit to push the brush through the little loop. So I would say do not rely on this pouch as a stand.

 

In terms of the quality of these brushes are quite good.  The brushes are made out of Taklon bristles, which are really soft. They are 100% synthetic, therefore cruelty free! Which is a bonus for us animal lovers 🙂

There is research that shows Taklon are more sanitary than animal hair, it also absorbs less products which is a win-win!

 

According to Wikipedia, “Taklon brushes are more hygienic than real hair brushes. Natural hair has an irregular surface which traps powders, dead skin cells, bacteria and chemicals. Cleaning may not necessarily remove these particles. Because of this, regular cleaning with disinfectants is required to prevent skin irritation. Taklon lacks these surface irregularities, making it easier to clean properly. This decreases irritation. Because Taklon is synthetic, animal cruelty is not an issue.”

Out of the 5 brushes, the most useful ones for me are deluxe crease brush, accent brush, and base shadow brush. While the least practical one for me is the eyeliner brush.

Have you girls tried any brush from Real Techniques before? Let me know down below! I am tempted to get their expert face brush for my foundation, because so many bloggers use it and I read so many good review about it!

Below is a video review of this particular brush by blogger Ask Alli. I love that she made it clear that the video is not sponsored in anyway.