MAKE UP FOR EVER ARTISAN BRUSH #128 PRECISION POWDER BRUSH

****THE FOLLOWING BRUSH WAS SENT TO ME BY MAKE UP FOR EVER FOR CONSIDERATION AND REVIEW, ALL THOUGHTS ARE MY OWN BASED ON MY PERSONAL USE**** THANK YOU MAKE UP FOR EVER:)

There is a lot of buzz surrounding the impending release of the new Make Up For Ever Artisan Brush Collection, and rightfully so. This is not your average run of the mill collection, this is serious brush business. We are talking not 25, not even 50 brushes, we are talking a whopping 76 brushes WOW.

 

The brushes will range from standard collection brushes suitable for everyday use to more innovative brushes that will likely be showing up in many pro cases upon their release.

 

 

 

Dany Sanz over saw a five year production to bring this beautiful eye catching collection to life. She was afforded the opportunity to meet with renowned brush manufacturer "Raphael" located on the stunning Mauritius island. This is where the magic and construction took place in 25 stages to complete, with an intense involvement of 30 people to lovingly hand-craft each brush start to finish.

This collection truly is a labour of love.

 

 

The end result are brushes that look like art in them self. Richly dyed beech wood handles, a ferrule made from a gunmetal barrel and the best part the brushes are synthetic for those looking for cruelty free options. I find the #128 brush to be incredibly soft, yet I am comparing it to what I already have on hand, which I for one don't own a lot of other high end brushes to compare to. However my skin is very sensitive to brushes and if they are not good quality my skin recognizes that right away. I can't stand a brush that feels like its poking you in the face as you use it. That is not the case here these synthetic bristles mimic the true buttery softness you would find with real hair. However there is some debate that not all the brushes in the collection feel that way, especially after washing. I cannot agree or disagree with this claim as I am only going on my experience with 1 of 75 other brushes.

 

 

 

 

My thoughts on the 128 brush alone is that its fairly dense, but not overly ridged which you don't want for an all over powder brush any way. I love the truly chic aesthetically pleasing look of this collection which also feels very tribal to me. I find the brush picks up pressed and loose powder nicely due impart from the mix of straight and wavy bristles that balance out your overall application of product. I like the weightiness of the brush in my hand, I have used very light weight brushes that have flown across the room because they are so light and that is not cool. You want makeup on your face, not the walls.

 

 

Also the handles have a beveled end to make for easier retrieval and can be used to get those false lashes in place and on point.

The collection is broken up in a simplified way that is easy comprehension

100s-Complexion

200s-Eyes

300s-Lips

400s- Artistic for creative work by pro artists

 

 

I will be taking a look at the collection in further detail when it arrives in store.

If your a pro MUA or just looking to splurge on a high end collection for your own personal use be sure to check out the release of Make Up For Ever's "ARTISAN BRUSH COLLECTION" arriving in September.

 

 

"The brush is an extension of the hand and is a fundamental tool for a makeup artist, whether he/she is a professional or amateur mua, his/her canvas is the face" - Dany Sanz

Select brushes will be available at Sephora stores

ALL brushes will be available at

www.sephora.ca

and

Make Up For Ever Boutiques

 

 

Thanks for reading

 

 

STAY BEAUTIFUL XO

 

********REAL TECHNIQUES MAKE-UP BRUSHES************

Hope your all having a lovely last week end of April. The sun is shining and it's a nice 20 degrees outside and its been the best week end we have had yet here in the GTA.

So here it is one of the most sought after sets of brushes available at this time and they are being reviewed here today. REAL TECHNIQUES created by Samantha Chapman and if you don't know who she is she and sister Nicola are known as Pixiwoo who have taken the YouTube world by storm.

Many of the YouTube beauty guru's started talking about these brushes and one of the first people I noticed using them was none other then Nicole Guerriero the recent winner of Ryan Seacrest's favorite makeup guru contest and she actually beat out Pixiwoo.

I was a little skeptical about purchasing these as I know many YouTube makeup guru's do make money from endorsing certain products even if they per say were maybe not even that great. However I finally broke down a couple of weeks ago and bought two of the sets which is the CORE SET and the STARTER EYE SET. Each set cost me $21 Canadian at my local Walmart which is the best price I have seen for them.

So I am going to now post the pictures and then give you my thoughts on these brushes over all.

                                       CORE SET WITH ORANGE METALLIC HANDLES

                                       STARTER EYE SET WITH PURPLE METALLIC HANDLES

The base of the handle on these brushes have a silicone grip which is good for a person like me who is always dropping things. The one thing you will notice about these brushes is that they don't actually have a ferrule which kind of makes me question if this is why some people have posted pics of the bristles/hairs coming out. I for one have not encountered this problem and also hope that I don't. However I also have not tried washing these brushes as of yet which seems to be when others are facing this problem. Only time will tell.

 

 

The "Core Set" consists of four brushes so starting from the top picture is the DETAILER BRUSH and the next one is the POINTED FOUNDATION BRUSH followed by the CONTOUR BRUSH and lastly the BUFFING BRUSH.

The second set which is the "Starter Eye Set" offers five brushes again starting at the top is the PIXEL-POINT EYELINER BRUSH then there is the ACCENT BRUSH third is the BROW BRUSH and then the BASE SHADOW BRUSH and rounded out with the DELUXE CREASE BRUSH.

So here are my thoughts about "Real Techniques" or any brush for that matter. A brush is only as good as the hand that holds it. Yes you may have a stunning brush, but if you don't know the basic foundations of makeup application no brush is going to help you it only might make it less of a nightmare.

However I have tried many brushes over the past twenty years and "Real Techniques" for the price are a great starting point for anyone looking to get a decent set together for a minimal price. Out of all the brushes I would say the BUFFING BRUSH is my favorite it does a nice job cleaning up your foundation. I have heard rave reviews about the MULTI-TASK BRUSH that comes in the travel essentials kit. I probably will pick this up too as I do like the fact that the brush handles are made of light weight aluminum and seem to be just the right size in terms of length. The only other down side I noticed is with the smaller brushes like the pixel point eyeliner it is so tiny in terms of the circumference that it is harder for a person with bigger hands to hang on to.
The brushes are quite soft especially being that they are made from synthetics which is often a difficult task to accomplish, but certainly not the softest brushes I have ever felt.
I really like the brush handle colors and look forward to seeing what will come of these brushes in the future. Obviously by reviewing brushes and getting feed back this can only help Samantha Chapman in the future for tweaking the "Real Technique" brushes and maybe even coming back with something near to perfect. You can't please everyone all the time and for some this maybe the perfect brush right now, but if you have a long history of using cosmetics and brushes you will notice any makeup tools short comings right from the get go.

 

 

I do like these brushes and will continue to use them, but it won't stop me from buying and trying many other types and brands. Its like a painter, you can never have to many brushes.

Good Luck "Real Techniques" for a bright future.

 

 

You can purchase "Real Techniques" at Walmart stores across Canada

or you can visit the Real Techniques website at

http://realtechniques.com/

OR

http://phoenixbeautylounge.com/

 

 

So grab yourself some Real Techniques brushes today it will help you to

STAY BEAUTIFUL XO