Hello, sweeties! How are you today?
I'm very happy because I recently got my hands on two of the new Real Techniques Blend + Blur Collection and I couldn't wait to share my thoughts about it with you!
The brand of makeup tools created by Sam and Nic has recently launched a new collection of oval brushes. This kind of brushes is very original in that their bristles are disposed perpendicular to the plane of the handle. While this kind of brushes is also known to be very expensive, Real Techniques offers to us their accessible price tag version, synthetic brushes that are also cruelty-free! But do these live up to the real thing? If you are a makeup lover, which of course I am, you probably also pay attention to the tools you use, so keep reading about these new brushes and you might be surprised!

 Makeup tools make a great difference in terms of ease of application and final results! My preference goes always to brushes, instead of sponges, even with liquid foundations. The brushes with oval shape are said to completely change and improve the experience of makeup application. But the Artis brushes prices can go pretty high and that has always dissuaded me from buying one of those. But when Real Techniques, which is one of my favourite brands, launched this budget-friendly version, I didn't think about it twice and got myself two new brushes!

What is so special about oval shaped brushes?

As you know, most makeup brushes consist of a handle with a ferrule in one of its ends that holds the bristles. With slight variations, most makeup brushes have the same principle of paint brushes. So what is there in common between makeup brushes and paint brushes? you might wonder. Well, there is one thing in common, that you use them to paint on something or on someone else, not on yourself.
I think I can safely say, anatomically speaking, regular brushes are made to be held towards something else, what demands you to twist your wrist or even your elbow in order to use it on yourself. Yes, wrists are very flexible articulations, and I never really had a problem to do my makeup with regular brushes. But, when you think closely, the brushes that we use on ourselves, toothbrushes, hair brushes, they have their bristles arranged perpendicular to the handles. This is the principle of the oval makeup brushes, their main purpose is to be used to apply makeup on oneself, as they offer a more ergonomic handle.



The new Blend + Blur  Collection 

  • densely packed oval head for maximum blending 
  • use sweeping or circular motions to blend out powders, creams, or liquids  
I have always wanted to try oval makeup brushes, so I ordered two from the Real Techniques collections: a foundation brush and an eyeshadow brush. Here are the brushes I got.


Blend + Blur Foundation brush


It is conceived to apply liquid or cream foundations on the face with circular motions. The bristles are super soft, they are very pleasant on the skin. The bristles are so densely packed that the oval head offers almost no flexibility. This sounds like a good thing to achieve a perfect blending, especially on young resilient skin. But in my experience, the brush needed some pressure to work, what made the skin move a lot.
At the beginning, I supposed I wasn't doing it right. In fact, when you have been used to using regular brushes for years like I am, it takes a while to get used to the oval brushes, it definitely changes the way you hold your brush and the way you do your circular motions. You don't really need to move your wrist with this oval brush. After 4 or 5 times I was more confident with my application but still thinking this brush moves my skin too much to my liking. Just to be sure I was doing the right thing with my new brush, I watched this video where Sam applies foundation with it, there you can see how much pressure she uses an how much her skins moves!
The foundation brush is not as easy to clean as regular Real Techniques brushes. The brushes are quite long and so dense that the dirt in the middle of the brush is very difficult to remove. It takes me at least three cleanses to get rid of all the foundation in there.

Blend + Blur eyeshadow brush


This singular little brush is conceived to apply eyeshadow, But it can also be used to blend concealer and contouring products in small areas of the face. It is a dense brush so it does a very nice job with cream eyeshadows. I still have to improve my application skills with this kind of brush and I'm not able to do very sophisticated looks with this brush only, but it is great to apply a cream base all over the lids. As it is small and its bristles are short, it is very flexible and easy to clean!

The performance of these brushes was quite unexpected to me. I thought I would love the foundation brush, but, honestly, I didn't. It is a good quality brush and that will make me an extra option (when all my other brushes are dirty, for example). That being said, I'm happy it only cost me 20 bucks, I would have hated to pay 80 dollars for an Artis brush and feel a bit "meh" about it.
On the other hand, the eyeshadow brush was a real surprise. I picked it without expectations, well, in fact, I expected not to like it at all, haha. I overcame my prejudices and picked it anyway, for the sake of testing something new for the blog and I am SO GLAD I did! For years, I have looked for a brush that would apply my cream eyeshadows base without effort and would also be easy to clean, and this is it!
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All in all, these are nice quality brushes that I recommend mostly for young people or people who don't mind skin moving around when you apply makeup. I didn't like the foundation brush for my dry and ageing skin, but I'm glad I tried something different and new. On the other hand, I have loved the eyeshadow brush and I would recommend it if you like cream eyeshadows!

What is your favourite way to apply makeup? Have you tried any oval-shaped brush yet? What are your thoughts about this new brushes range? Let me know all in the comments section!!

Love,
Nati

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway!! You can win one palette from Anastasia Beverly Hills, check the form below to enter!
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Win one Anastasia Beverly Hills palette of your choice [Opened Internationally]