Review: Real Techniques Stippling Brush

Samantha Chapman Real Techniques Stippling Brush

  

This review is long overdue however I am glad I waited as initially I did not like this brush so if I had of reviewed it when I said I was going to it would have received a thumbs down from me. However after vowing to try the brush for a long period of time before righting it off (mainly due to the money paid for it) I can now say that I use this brush daily and I actually like it.

This year I was introduced to new ways of applying foundation/tinted moisturiser. I had always used my hands however from reading blogs and watching YT tutorials I learned of a technique called ‘stippling’ and the different tools in which to do so. I done my research to discover that Cosmo’s Beauty Blender done the same job as the Real Techniques Stippling Brush at a fraction of the price and so being money savvy I decided to opt for the cheaper option and used the spare cash on other beauty bits.   Now don’t get me wrong I love my Cosmo’s Beauty Blender and can’t envision a life without it being a makeup bag staple (dramatic I know,lol) but me being me I just couldn’t resist the urge to see what all the hype was surrounding the Real Techniques Brush, so on my next visit to Boots I picked this brush up for £11.99. The Real Techniques Stippling Brush is a duo fibre brush, meaning it has a combination of longer and shorter bristles of different types. This is what affords the stippling effect resulting in an 'airbrushed' finish to ones makeup.

A close up of the bristles
 

My first reaction was ‘ooh its pink’ which is my reaction to all things pink; honestly I’m a sucker for pink, girly beauty items and thought this would look lovely on my dresser. I couldn’t wait to try it out when I got home. Now the reason I didn’t like this brush initially was down to two reasons 1) I felt like it was ALOT of effort and slightly more time consuming than my normal routine and 2) in the first weeks use it shed ALOT of hairs. I was extremely disappointed by the shedding of this brush and due to the shedding I stopped using it after a week’s use and went back to my trusty beauty blender. However one day I was invited out unexpectedly and needed to redo my makeup though my beauty blender had just been washed (I prefer using it dry) so I had no choice but to reach for the real techniques stippling brush, surprisingly there was no more shedding and I must have been used to using this brush as my makeup took no time at all. I also received lots of compliments on how flawless my makeup was that evening so I thought I would give the little brush a second chance and since then I haven’t looked back.

Now I incorporate both the beauty blender and stippling brush into my makeup routine every day. Firstly I use the brush to apply my tinted moisturiser all over. With this brush I feel like I don't waste my foundation/tinted moisturiser, I dot in it onto my skin and then buff this product into my skin using circular motions. The product goes on my skin and not into the brush. My brush hardly looks used/dirty after using it which is quite nice as no one likes the look of a grubby brush on their dresser. I then go over the makeup I have just applied with my beauty blender to ensure a skin-like look, I also use the pointed edge of the beauty blender to apply concealer around my nose and corners of my eyes. I can happily report that I have not experienced any more shedding from the brush. I have read lots of reviews on this brush and never heard anyone saying that they experienced any shedding from it so perhaps it was just my brush??? I have also used this brush to apply cram blush and it works a treat. I love how easy it is to clean this brush and that the bristles are still as soft as ever. I would however love if I could get this brush with a bigger head but I suppose the smaller head means you get a more precise finish. Lastly I love that the brush stands on its own which is very practical and helps to keep it clean. Overall I am very happy with this brush; I would urge those who have been thinking about purchasing it to go ahead and do so and see what all the fuss is about for yourself.

xKx

Mini shopping Haul: August 2012

I am a complete sucker for chemists/drug stores like Superdrug, Boots, Savers etc I am yet to walk past one without going in, it’s like an addiction. I will have to go into all of them (drives my mates crazy as they think one is the same as the next-well their wrong) I guess you can call me a chemist whore,lol I will however often feel like a cheat as I parade my shopping bags full of goodies from their rival stores,lol This month was no exception. I just had to pay Superdrug and Boots a visit. I have recently discovered Soap and Glory and am in love, I can’t wait for their Christmas gift boxes. I have very bad dark patches under my eyes and have had my eye on their Kick-Ass Concealer for quite some time and as Boots were doing this for £3 off meaning it was reduced to £7 I thought it would be rude not too – expect a review on this at some stage. Whilst in boots I thought I would pick up the Real Techniques Stippling Brush by Samantha Chapman as I am in need of a new beauty blender but thought I would give this a go and also just to see what all the fuss was about. I will try this out when applying my makeup later today so expect a review in the next week or so.

 

From Superdrug I picked up two boxes of my all time favourite tinted moisturiser- Nivea Daily Essentials Tinted Day Moisturiser as it was less than half price (less than two quid a box- bargain) and I am very tempted to pick up a few more boxes later today seeing as its on offer.  I have also informed my mate who wears this now thanks to moi about this offer and she has stocked up on 6 boxes,lol I have been using Soap and Glory’s Righteous Body Butter Body Lotion as my daily moisturiser and I am loving it as it leaves me feeling silky smooth but I’m scared at how much I’m getting though and wanted a cheaper alternative to use at night, so I thought I would pick this one up from Nivea as it was on offer and smells lovely like all their products. Whilst this product smells lovely and leaves me feeling nice and soft for a number of hours I don’t feel  that it is anything special and certainly don’t think that it does what it claims to on the bottle (meant to lock in moisture for 24hrs) and therefore I will not be repurchasing. Any recommendations on a good moisturising body lotion that is under a fiver would be greatly appreciated. I also picked up Superdrug’s own brand of Coconut Oil which is actually a solid until you rub it within your palms. This can be used on both body and hair. I have yet to try in on my hair but use it as a barrier when applying my gradual tan. I use this on my elbows, wrists, knees and feet. It works great.

 Whilst in Superdrug I thought I would stock up on some Batiste Dry Shampoo as let’s face it a girl can never have too many dry shampoos. I opted for the tropical one in large as I love the smell of coconut (yum) as this stuff is great for when I want to get an extra day out of my hair, I mainly use this one for updos. I also got the tinted one which I use more for when I want an extra day out of my hair and I’m leaving it down, it means there will be no risk of the tell-tale grey tinge to my hair from the dry shampoo. I already have the XXL one which I use to add volume for nights out but unfortunately Superdrug were out of it, otherwise I would have picked that one up too, I might see if it’s in my local Superdrug later today.

 

I can never shop in Primark without picking up a tanning mitt, its one thing I can never have too many of. I have different tanning mitts for different types of tan and I use these ones from Primark for applying my gradual tanner and to apply Sally Hansen leg makeup to my legs for days/nights when I have the pins on show. At £2 you can’t go wrong. I was out of face wipes so thought I would pick these up. I rarely use wipes to take my makeup off and would instead use them to wipe my hands when doing my makeup. These wipes are ok for hands but I tried them last night on removing my makeup and they weren’t very good so wouldn’t recommend them as a makeup remover but they work fine for what I originally bought them for-hand wipes. The wipes were £1 for a pack of two.

 

I thought I done very well on the clothes front as I spent very little, mainly due to not getting to look around the shops properly due to my mate having to be at work. However I managed to pick up some essentials. As said before I LOVE studs, I just had to have this studded clutch from Primark (I actually got the last one) it was £6 which I thought was just brilliant and far nicer than ones I have seen in other shops such as New Look for double the price. On Tuesday I went to the cinema to see The Watch (Vince Vaughn-hubba hubba) and fell head over shit on the way home and ruined my favourite jeans (sad face) so I had to nip into Dorothy Perkins and replace them. They are from the super stretch skinny jean range. I thought I would pick up a red pair too to add a little pajaz to my winter wardrobe. However due to be rushed I picked the red ones up in the wrong range and will return them later today and get the red super stretch super skinny ones.

 

I’m a girl who loves her shoes; my daytime look will nearly always consist of some sort of a pump. When I saw these I just had to have them. They are so pretty. They were £10 from Primark. I needed new slippers and just had to have these cat ones when I saw them. They are soooo comfy, I actually walked around Primark with my hands in them they were that soft. They were £3 and I will defo be buying more pairs next time I’m in Primark.

their grrrrreat ;)

 So that was my little haul this week, Have you bought anything nice recently?

xKx