Review: Real Techniques Brushes by Samantha Chapman

I am an avid watcher of Pixiwoo and knew Samantha Chapman had rolled out a brush line, but, for whatever reason, just assumed they were going to be above my standards and out of my price range. Well, imagine my giddiness when I stroll into ULTA to take advantage of their 20% off friends and family sale to find that Real Techniques brushes are there, in stock, and only $15.99 for a set of 4 brushes! You can bet your mama’s coffee and bars I didn’t walk out of the store without the Core Collection set (and for only $12.80 with my coupon!)

From left to right, this kit comes with a contour brush, foundation brush, detailer brush, and buffing brush. I went for the face kit because I have always admired the brushes Sam uses on her channel and figured that if she used them so frequently, her own brushes must be similar. Thankfully, I was right.
Firstly, the brushes are amazingly soft while maintaining a structure solid enough for picking up product and laying it down well. The handles feel solidly built as well. The ends are rubberized so that they are non-slip (and just classier looking, frankly) and the rest is a lovely polished copper color. Not all of the brushes are copper, mind you. Brush colors vary according to the part of the face they are used for (eye brushes are purple, I believe) and I love this! Makes things quite a bit easier to find in my brush stash.


The first brush on the left, and my personal favorite, is the contour brush. I can’t get over how perfectly it fits into the hollows of my cheeks and what a great finish it gives my products. I had been using an e.l.f. contour brush and, while the bristles are thick, the shape of the brush doesn’t allow it to stand up to rigorous swirling on the cheeks. Hmmm, that phrase sounded ridiculous. Perhaps I need to show you what I mean in a video. We’ll see!

The brush second to the left is a foundation brush. This brush is a little small for my liking. I have fallen for the e.l.f. angled foundation brush which is larger and, well, angled! The upsides of this brush is that, again, the bristles are soft and tightly packed and the smaller size makes it good for getting in the nooks and crannies. It isn’t a bad brush by any means! But, because it’s so small, applying a full face of foundation takes a little longer.

The next brush, second to the right, is the detailer brush. This brush can be used as a concealer brush, lip brush, or I have even used it to apply cream shadow because it makes it easy to get the product on my inner corner. All of the upsides I have mentioned for the previous brushes apply to this one; no changes there. Pretty much a good brush!

The last brush, the buffing brush on the far right, is another one I was excited to try because when I watched Sam use it in videos, the product she is applying goes on sooo  smoothly. This baby performs just as I hoped. It’s almost like a kabuki brush in it’s shape, but the bristles are more squat and tightly packed. I love this brush for applying a setting powder over my foundation or applying a blush I want on the apples of my cheeks.
Yet another feature of this kit is the brush holder it comes with.

It folds two different ways and, if you will look on the left, there are spare elastic sections for other brushes in your collection. One tricky thing about this holder though is that the rubberized ends can be quite difficult to pull through the elastic. But, it does ensure your brushes won’t move!

Finally, let’s talk about price. They are so freaking affordable! At 4 brushes for $15.99, that’s $4 a brush! That is on par with e.l.f. studio brush pricing, but I think they are far more reliable as far as quality goes and more effective as far as application goes. These brushes don’t feel like they are $4 brushes, people. I highly recommend them and really want to try the eye brushes she has. What’s more is that Sam herself gives you tutorials on how to use them. I also have a few videos coming up where I use them, so look for those!

I really suggest you check them out. If you are looking at trying out just one, I recommend the contour brush because it is so unique among brushes of this price range.