Thursday 29 January 2015

Review | Real Techniques Bold Metals.

Makeup brushes are one of the most important things when it comes to makeup and beauty - what's the point in buying a beautiful foundation if you don't have the right tools to apply it? I'm not saying you need the most expensive brushes *cough eBay bargains here* but having a couple of different ones will definitely perfect your makeup application. So, we all know I'm a fan of makeup brushes... I'm also a fan of rose gold. Everyone and their mammy knows about the Pixiwoo sisters and Real Techniques brushes (yano, those ones... affordable, sold in Boots/Ulta, weird coloured handles?). Now, I actually only own one from their regular line (if you were curious, it's the expert face brush), which I love but have decided to pass up on buying any more because I see so many dupes on eBay which I'll eventually get around to buying.

Before I get into the actual brush I'm reviewing, I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents regarding the range itself, and the prices. If you know of Real Techniques you may also know that the blogging community went into mini cardiac arrest when they saw the release of the beautifully luxurious Bold Metals collection - 7 brushes in total; 2 gold, 2 rose gold, and 3 silver. I can't deny, they are beautiful looking brushes. Then, that mini cardiac arrest went into full blown heart failure when people saw the pricing. I won't get into all of the brushes individually with pricing, because I only have one here to review for ye today, but they are all significantly more expensive than the regular RT range. The Pixiwoo sisters have done a video stating that this is their premium line, understandably not for everyone but a more luxurious and higher quality brush which will of course, cost more to make (and thus buy). I get it, I don't LOVE the pricing but I understand. I was definitely iffy at first when I saw the prices, but I'm of the opinion that if the quality is on par with the price, then I have no problem spending my own money on it. The annoying thing is, and the difference between actual high-end brands and RT's "high-end" brushes is that you can actually feel a MAC brush for yourself and decide if it is worth it. With the Bold Metals, they're trapped in bullet-proof plastic so it's a bit more risky.



I had looked at the brushes time and time again in Sam and Nic's video, and decided that there was really only one brush that stood out to me. The gold and rose gold powder brushes are nice, but can be bought from any other brand at a better price. The eye brushes are definitely decent looking, especially the bigger blending brush, so if that's your thing then maaaaybe it's worth looking into. The angled/pyramid foundation brush is a total gimick in my opinion. I greatly dislike those flat paddle style foundation brushes anyway, but the angled aspect just makes it look even more of a waste of time to me (but that's just my opinion, and why I decided to pass on it!). Finally, the only brush that looked really unique and interesting to me was the 301 flat contour brush.

The 301 is a rose gold handled synthetic brush that is deemed perfect for cream or powder contouring. Like all the other brushes in this collection, it is weighted which means it feels more substantial in your hand, and is really lovely to hold. The handle definitely looks and feels more expensive, but I'm not 100% sure the actual bristles feel as "much better quality" than the regular RT brushes (according to Pixiwoo). That could be, though, because the regular line is so soft anyway! Don't get me wrong, the contour brush is very very soft, but it just feels only slightly softer than the regular collection... does that make sense? we'll go with it.


Okay, so it's a soft brush and looks beautiful. Does it perform? Hmmm, I think it kind of depends on what you define as "perform". Everyone likes a different look when it comes to contouring, and it's a very subjective makeup ritual because everyone's faces and preferences are so different. When I buy a contour brush, you can bet I want Kim K worthy cheekbones. This brush is dense. It is very, very dense and can pack on a lot of product. But I personally love this brush, because the shape means you can literally place it in the hollow of your cheek and it does the placement work for you. Because it's so dense, though, it doesn't do all the blending work for you. I think a lot of people will dislike this because it's very hard to place and blend the product with this brush. I actually don't mind at all, because I bronze beforehand with a fluffy brush, and then go in with a cool toned powder and contour my cheekbones/jawline. I like my contour to look "there" and dramatic (but still blended, of course, which is why the bronze before/contour after method works for me). It's an extra step, but a step I've always done so the 301 brush means that my contour looks dramatic and exactly how I like it. If you're a "one step contour and go" kinda gal, then it may not be practical, but if you like a dramatic contour, or do that look regularly for a night out, this actually ends up making contouring pretty fast and simple!


Okay, so it's a beautiful looking and soft brush that performs (for my contouring tastes, anyway). Is it worth the €28? Because of the unique shape, I would actually say yes! I won't lie, the look of the brush comes into play, too. I would obviously pay more for the rose gold exterior, and I'm so happy to display it on my vanity. However, my "yes" vote definitely comes from looking at this brush in the context of the entire collection and in my own personal brush collection. Overall, it's the most unique brush to me when I see the 7 brushes side-by-side. I would pay €28 for this brush because (yes it is soft, like I'm sure all the other brushes are), but it's more unique than your average powder brush and does a great job at what can be seen as a difficult task.
I can't really see myself picking up anymore from the collection, but if you're in the market for a great contour brush then I think this is a fantastic one. For my Irish readers, cause I know a lot of ye are having trouble finding them, I got mine in Boots Galway. I couldn't find them in Dundalk but have heard Liffey Valley have plenty. The Boots.ie website of course have them and offer click and collect in store delivery! What do you think of the whole Bold Metals collection? Any opinions on them or the pricing? Do you own any of them or will you be sticking to the regular line? Let me know down below, I'd love to know your thoughts on them! :)

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