Product Review | Real Techniques Core Collection (Buffing Brush, Contour Brush, Pointed Foundation Brush and Detailer Brush)

On my birthday last month, my sister bought me the Real Techniques Core Collection brushes. I've actually had my eye on these while walking around Watsons awhile back so I was very surprised when I unwrapped the present. I may have let out an excited shriek or two. 

L-R: Detailer Brush, Pointed Foundation Brush, Contour Brush and Buffing Brush

Buffing Brush: "Ideal for full coverage application of powder and mineral foundation" 

This brush is actually very versatile. You can even use it to apply powder or cream blush/bronzer. I know this has been highly raved as the perfect brush for buffing and blending liquid foundation. I like to use their Expert Face Brush (let's call it the EF for now) to do that but a lot of people have chosen this brush over that one. It made me really curious so this was actually the brush that I wanted to try most from this collection. I was slightly disappointed. Compared to EF, the bristles on this brush are not as densely packed. It is, however, very soft and flexible. I much prefer the results I get with the EF for blending my liquid foundation. I can totally see why this is great for applying powder foundation, which is what this was made for, but I won't use it for liquid foundation. If you haven't been spoilt by the EF, you might like this for liquid foundation. Who knows? 

Contour Brush: "Delicately applies highlighter to contour or create sheer, soft-focus finish"

This is a small fluffy brush that you're supposed to use to contour with. I've used this brush to contour my face 2-3 times. In a way, it's great for contouring because it's small enough and the bristles are loosely packed to pick up just the right amount of product. But I've since found another brush that is angled, which makes it more perfect for sculpting under the cheekbones. I think this is more suitable for blending and setting your concealer. You can also use it to set parts of your face that a big powder brush may have missed (for example, around the nose). 

Pointed Foundation Brush: "Use with liquid foundation to build custom coverage"

No no no. You do not want to use this brush for your liquid foundation. I've never used it for that purpose (actually I've never used it yet) because I can already tell that this will cause foundation to look streaky. It's also quite small for a foundation brush so you'll take forever to apply. The bristles are actually very soft, but since the brush is shaped this way, I feel like they don't necessarily feel gentle on the face. I haven't found a use for this brush yet.

Detailer Brush: "Precision cut to effortlessly conceal problem areas; or, use with lipstick for long-lasting shape and definition"

Finally, a brush in this collection that is shaped for its purpose! This is like a tiny version of the Pointed Foundation Brush. The bristles, as usual, are soft. Yes, this brush will blend out your concealer well and apply lipstick with precision. However, I don't think you should use this to blend your under eye concealer because it may poke at your skin. The under eye area is very delicate so be careful! While this brush is indeed shaped for its purpose, I like to use this to apply eye shadow at the inner corner area to highlight the eyes. 

Before I forget, these brushes actually come with a black 2-in-1 case + stand. There is a little tag on the drawstring which briefly explains how to change the case into a stand. This is perfect for travel!

This collection is priced at $39.90 SGD in Watsons. Do I think it's worth it? Well, you do get four brushes that are exclusive to this collection (you won't find them retailing separately), but it will only be worth that much if you find a use for at least three of them. The quality of these brushes are really outstanding though.

In the future, I might do a review on the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush that I'd mentioned. Let me know what you think of the Core Collection in the comments.