Real Techniques Bold Metal Collection: Essentials Brush Kit

Welcome to the first post of 2016! I decided to start off the new year with a bang, with a new and better template, layout, and style. What better way to celebrate a blog revamp than a review on gorgeous new brushes? What's a beauty blog without a brush post, anyways?

Whenever I see gorgeous brushes, I just weep a little inside. I first saw the Bold Metals Collection at my local Priceline, and cringed at the prices on them. At first I thought they were a bit too extravagant, and a bit inconvenient However, the more I looked at them, the more attracted I got. It's not often my opinion of something gets changed easily, but damn it, they were so pretty!

When I saw the set on iHerb as a new release, I got far too excited than is considered normal. I'm not one for losing my cool when buying makeup or brushes, but damn, if you saw the price tag, you'd get excited about it too. Compared to how much the individual brushes are at Priceline, I knew these were a massive steal, and I just couldn't let them slip through my fingers. iHerb had a weekly deal where all Real Technique products were 20% off, and that wasn't something to overlook when you had the Bold Metals Collection staring at you from the computer screen. I mean, the set was only $54.71 AUD, roughly the price of just one face brush at Priceline.

I have my friend, Lea, to thank for this awesome Christmas gift, though. I am going to treasure it for many, many years to come. Thanks, sweetie!

So, why did I want it so bloody much? Okay, first of all, I love the look, and feel, of metal. I love bronze, copper, gold, silver, iron, etc. I attribute that obsession to steampunk culture. Sure, a rose-gold ferrule is a little interesting, but the entire brush handle? Oh, God, yes! Secondly, my other brushes are nowhere near as high quality or luxe-looking as these.

The brushes in this set are as diverse as they are versatile, in my opinion. 103 Angled Powder is the biggest Bold Metals brush yet, and is generally used for powder. The second brush in this set is the 200 Oval Shadow, and is used for applying and blending eyeshadow all over the lid. However, it would also be useful for concealing and contouring. Finally, you have the 300 Tapered Blush, which can be used for both blushing and highlighting, and knowing my laziness, also for contouring with bronzer.

They are made with synthetic bristles As these are meant to be luxe and higher quality, I am proud to admit that this also applies to the handles. Instead of being cheap and hollow, they are filled for added weight. Rather, the only thing that is made from solid metal are the ferrules. I was surprised about the square, rather than round, handles, so not only would they be easy to position and photograph, and won't roll around on surfaces, they are also easier to control because the grip would be more sure.  I read somewhere that these brushes are easy to dent, so I've been extremely cautious with these babies. The gold handle tends to show up grease quite readily, so you may find yourself needing to wipe it down often.

The only issues that I had with this kit was the packaging. The box and plastic insert is lovely and easy to open, and is all fine and dandy. The brushes were wrapped with a strip of clear plastic near the ferrule, before being attached to the insert with a bit of adhesive. This adhesive is the worst type of glue I've ever encountered. It may have been due to the extreme heat in which these brushes had to travel, but the adhesive was really sticky and goopy, and just plain messy. I had to clean the insert with oil just to be able to remove the glue, and there is still some residue. I was lucky to not get any on my brushes, but others may not be as lucky.

I haven't had many opportunities to use these brushes, but my reviews are based on the couple of times I used them. I haven't had the chance to wash them yet to determine any brush fallout, but I've yanked at the bristles every which way, and not one single hair came away, so I have high expectations for the durability and longevity of this set.

103 Angled Powder Brush
I don't know about you, but I really like using angled face brushes With this style of brush, my grip is at a slight angle rather than perpendicular to my face, so my hand isn't blocking my view. The first thing I did when I took this out of the box was to run my fingers over the bristles, and AH! It's so soft!  The brush is quite dense, yet so fluffy I just cannot stop running it across my face. It's so luxurious I feel so privileged to have this in my possession. It picks up powder really well, and does a very good job of blending the powder in. I used this with loose translucent powder, and pressed mattifying powder, and it works very nicely for both. I use both buffing and patting techniques when applying powder, and this brush swings both ways. It doesn't snag, and none of the fibers stick out and catch my skin.

200 Oval Shadow Brush
The oval shadow brush is meant to be used as an all-rounder eye brush, with bristles that are meant to be dense, firm but not stiff, and soft enough for blending. From reviews I have read online, this brush isn't suitable for people with smaller eyes, due to the brush's large size. Looking at it in the packaging, I can see that they're right. From the one time that I've used this, I can tell you with absolute certainty that this does not quite blend as well as I initially hoped, due to the dense and inflexible bristles. However, it works just fine for pale shades. Packing on colour, on the other hand, is a breeze, applying it in just one sweep or two. It slightly tugs on the skin on my eyes, but it isn't very noticeable or bothersome.

300 Tapered Blush
Somewhat smaller than my other blush brushes, this is probably more suited for highlighting jobs or for smaller cheeks. I quite like it nonetheless, because I can apply blushes in a specific area, and then blend it out. I find that a little bit of blush goes a long way with this brush, and there wasn't any powder flying around. Use only a little bit of blush at a time, because I made the mistake of being overconfident with the pigmentation and ended up applying too much blush in one go. This is really nice for highlighting, and I'm considering getting another one of this just to serve as my highlighting brush. It's denser than my usual blush brushes, and doesn't have as much give either, but I still really like it. It's soft against my skin, and it doesn't tag or scratch. Much love for this little cutie.

Although 103 is exclusively designed just for this set, if you already have the other Bold Metals brushes, this set might be a bit redundant. However, I do know of many makeup junkies who have multiples of the same kind of brush, so it doesn't hurt to have some extras in your collection, especially when they're free. This set is however great for those waiting for a bargain on Real Techniques' chic new brushes, or those wanting to start their Bold Metals collection. I fit both criteria, so no regrets there. These are my first Real Techniques brushes, and I'm impressed by the quality. I know, I just know, that I will be collecting more of these as soon as iHerb releases the rest of them.