The Review - Real Techniques Nic's Picks Brush set

Real Techniques came out with a limited edition brush set for this holiday season called Nic's Picks set. It's a set containing 5 duo fiber synthetic brushes. 3 of the brushes are exclusive to this set. The set retails for $29.00 in the US and is available at Sephora, Ulta and various other retailers. I actually bought mine at Kohls for 20% off!

Firstly, we are all penny pinching during the holiday season, I feel like money is just draining away from my account. I am scared to check the balance lately, so if we can find a gift that's reasonably priced but still works wonders, well that's a Christmas miracle right? If you are looking for just such a gift or are new to makeup and/or looking to amass masses of brushes like me, then you really should consider this set.

Real Techniques are well known for quality brushes at a reasonable price point and this set is no different. The five brushes come in a cute case which makes for a great first impression. They all have a silver handle with a black rubberised grip at the end. Very classy, much better than the Real Techniques usual orange and pink colours. The packaging keeps the brushes really secure in transit and I am pretty sure it will be impossible to damage the brush heads if you are going to post your presents etc.

Real Technique describes the brushes thus -

• duo-fiber face brush: for lightweight application + blending of face powder or pigments
• cheek brush (set exclusive): evenly applies makeup across cheekbone for a more dramatic finish
• angled shadow brush (set exclusive): perfectly cut for layering eye shadow in the crease
• base shadow brush: applies a smooth, flawless foundation of color
• eyeliner brush (set exclusive): firm, angled head for optimal control along lash line

Here are some close up shots of the various brush heads -

duo-fiber face brush

cheek brush

angled shadow brush

base shadow brush

eyeliner brush

The brushes are well made, the ferrel is tight and there were no fibers that were out of alignment on the set that I received. I used all of the brushes today to get this look.

Here are the products that I used on my face to get this everyday makeup look -
Foundation - YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation SPF 19 (Beige Dore 60)
Concealer - Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer (Medium)
Powder - Vincent Longo Perfect Canvas Loose Powder (Golden Oriental)
Blush - Stila Countless Color Pigment (Finale)
Lipstick - Clinique Color Surge Butter Shine Lipstick (Pink Toffee)
Eyeshadow - Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo (Pomegranate Punk), Champagne shade and dark purple from a Biba eyeshadow palette.
Brows - Matte black, can't remember the brand
Mascara - Covergirl Clump Crusher (Black Brown)

I tried to use these brushes, the only time I used a different brush was to apply concealer. I used the cheek brush which is the densest brush of the bunch to blend my foundation. It did a really good job. Didn't absorb too much product, reminded me of the Expert Face Brush that's so good at liquid foundation application. (I used the Elf Flawless Concealer Brush for concealer application). I used the Duo Fiber Face Brush to apply the powder as well as the blush. It did a good job, but I think it's a bit too fluffy and it takes several dips into a product get the job done. Great for people who are heavy handed though. I then used the eyeshadow brushes and both of them are excellent. The base shadow brush really holds on the product and deposits products precisely where I want it. A huge favorite. The angled brush is great for blending eyeshadow in the crease. I used the eyeliner brush to actually apply my eyebrow powder as I wasn't going to wear eyeliner today. It did a pretty good job but is a little to wide and not as skinny as I usually like. This is the only possible dud in this set.

Have you tried these brushes? Did you like them?

- Shruti xx