Make up brush advice....

Hi, Newbie to the forum and after a bit of advise about make up brushes. I am currently looking at reviews / YouTube videos of the real techniques and sigma brushes. Does anyone have experience with these particular brands? I want to build up a nice collection of make up brushes. Are there notable differences between RT and Sigma? I was thinking of the Sigma essential kit as it pretty much has everything you need. Thanks in advance, Amy

Hi, I use real techniques and I'd recommend them to anyone. They feel so soft and they don't shed very much at all. They last wash after wash too and still as soft. Application is good too, i used MAC previously and much happier with RT. No experience of Sigma I'm afraid. Hope this is of some use. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

I don't have experience with either brand, but I want to! Those are my top 2 'want to try' makeup brush brands. I hear so many good things. I bet you couldn't go wrong with either, but if you're trying to find out what will work best for you... hopefully some other knowledgable people will post here with their thoughts.

I want a good eye blending brush, but it has to be cruelty-free for me, so I've recently tried EcoTools and Elf to cut costs, although now I wish I didn't because I think even though I've heard great things about EcoTools brushes, the bristles are stiff and hard and just not soft at all. They also don't pick up powder very well (the blush brush is horrible) and the pencil brush is too painful to use. Can anyone tell me if Real Techniques bristles are softer than EcoTools, and also if they pick up powder color, such as blush, better than EcoTools?

Also, I like the ELF brushes' bristles, but I'm not a fan of the way the shape is held, and they are not really very full.

I'd like to try Sigma or Real Techniques sometime this year, but I'm not sure which brushes to start out with, and I don't really want to get a full set.

As far as eye blending brushes go, which is better, Sigma or Real Techniques?

Real Techniques and ecotools have the same parent company, Paris Presents. They both use synthetic taklon bristles, I believe. The difference will be in the brush shaft and the way the brush heads are cut / shaped.

Quote: Originally Posted by ZeeOmega /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Real Techniques and ecotools have the same parent company, Paris Presents. They both use synthetic taklon bristles, I believe. The difference will be in the brush shaft and the way the brush heads are cut / shaped.
Oh I didn't realize that. Thanks for letting me know. I guess I can expect the same performance, or at least a similar brush softness. I still want to try the Real Techniques brushes, but I don't want to get a whole set and have dupes for other brushes I already have. Is there a way to buy singles? If so, I haven't found it yet.

I LOVE the Real Techniques and use several of them every single day. The stippling brush is perfect for cream blush, and I liked it so much I bought three other sets of their brushes! The quality carries throughout the line and they are all well made. They hold up well to daily use, don't shed, and come clean easily. I have the purple set, their limited edition white set, and the orange ones too. (I'm not sure of the individual names of those sets, but I'm highly impressed with all of them!)

Just to give an idea of the brushes and varieties I use, these are some I washed today. Wayne Goss, Laura Mercier, Eco Tools, Mary Kay, Sephora, Sonia Kashuk, Sigma, elf, and a few other brands. You'll notice there are several Real Techniques brushes mixed in there. I feel like I use a wide range of brushes, so I definitely think the quality is there! The pricing is excellent too, especially if you use on combination with an Ulta coupon! (I strongly prefer the Real Techniques brushes to the Eco Tools ones.)

Hey, thanks for all the advice! My Real Techniques brushes have arrived. I haven't had the chance to use them loads but they seem good so far. I think I'm going to save and buy the Bdellium tools maestro brush set and a royal and langnikel set.

i have used real techniques and sigma brushes and i loved them. i am also on the process of building a nice collection of brushes and i am trying out or venturing out on some affordable ones too, this brush i got from ebay, it's a collection of a flat top,angled and rounded face brushes and includes a couple eyeshadow brushes too, when i bought them i didn't really expect more from it since it's only 17 dollars for 10 brushes but when it from the mail i was so impressed on how well they were built and the bristles felt similar to the one that sigma has, i am so in love. 

This post is too timely! I am looking for a brush set that will give me a really soft experience when I am putting on my make-up. On the other hand, I am not ready to spend a lot for it. I am putting on my make-up everyday so I have to work with a tough, soft, and a really cheap one.  

Hi guys im newbie also here I wnat to know more about make ups 

I love my Real Technique brushes! I haven't had any issues with the ones I have owned. Plus I have heard that their sponge is a dupe for the beauty blender! I think a 7 dollar price tag for the RT sponge is WAY nicer than the beauty blender's 20 dollar price tag. The only other brushes I own are a couple from E.L.F. which is kind of a hit or miss. I have heard ELF's stippling brush is great for cream products, and it's only 3 dollars! makeupgeek.com also sells some brushes, I own the pencil brush and I love it!

This is good advice, I'm looking into getting some new brushes... after getting some terrible Crown Brushes on HauteLook around Christmas. I'm pretty disappointed and wish I could return them because they are itchy and hard and I just don't like them!  I was at Ulta last night looking at the RT brushes, as well as the EcoTools, they had a set before Christmas in the ET I wanted, but they didn't have it this time, I may just order it on line.

I may try the RT brushes again.  Does anyone have any advice about the Ulta brand brushes?  I've been shying away from them because I just don't think I'd like them, but they are all 25% off right now, and I'm wondering if I should give them a chance!

Quote: Originally Posted by amyj606 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Hi,

Newbie to the forum and after a bit of advise about make up brushes. I am currently looking at reviews / YouTube videos of the real techniques and sigma brushes. Does anyone have experience with these particular brands? I want to build up a nice collection of make up brushes. Are there notable differences between RT and Sigma? I was thinking of the Sigma essential kit as it pretty much has everything you need.

Thanks in advance,
Amy

I have had brushes from both lines. Real Technique brushes are not as dense as Sigma brushes. The Sigma brushes are firm, dense and very soft while Real Techniques (I have a foundation brush and a stippling brush) are very thin, not dense and have an odd sensation due to the material. Between the two lines I like Sigma far more than Real Technique, I just hate the price of Sigma brushes since it's very expensive but worth the price. I'm just cheap so I like spending as little as possible.

If you were looking to build a collection of brushes that are good quality yet inexpensive look to Bdellium Tools and Royal & Langnickel. If you can go to public tradeshows like IMATS or have friends that are going to the NY IMATS next month then I would suggest picking up Sigma there since it's typically about 30% less than retail.

I really like the Sonia Kashuk brushes.  I don't have a lot of experience with different brush brands, but these are way better than the standard drugstore brushes.  I do have two brushes from Urban Decay- the optical blurring (foundation) brush and a blending brush for eyeshadow.  Honestly, between my SK and UD brushes I'm a happy girl.  I bought my MIL a Real Techniques set for Christmas and she loved them.  I have heard a lot of good about RT!

I have used both brands, sigma has more of a selection and their brushes are just as soft as real techniques. I buy and use both brands. It honestly just depends on what brushes you need due to the fact that real techniques is so limited with their brush selections.