Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection Review

Real Techniques Bold Metals Brush Collection created a lot of noise in social media around their launch period.  This was because of the price tag attached to the brushes.  Initially I was sceptical as to why the prices were so much higher than their regular brushes. 

I think a lot of people missed the point that this collection was supposed to be a ‘premium’ range, thus higher price tags.  No I wanted to see if they lived up to their ‘premium’ claim.  It’s all good making something shiny and slapping on a big price tag, but do they live up to the premium brushes?  I’ve put them to the test.  From the Bold Metals Collection, I tried out the 300 Tapered Blush brush, 301 Flat Contour brush and 201 Pointed Crease brush.  The reason behind this selection was that they’re the hardest types of brushes to ‘get right’.  Before I delve into the brush, I want to mention a few things about the packaging etc.  Outer packaging in better than the original range i.e. they look premium.  The brushes are weighted which again feels more sturdy similar to my Dior Backstage brushes.  The normal RT range brushes are much lighter.  I was slightly disappointed that the handles are not metal.  The ferrule is, but the handles are actually plastic, this slightly worries me as I think will the colour fade with usage/washing etc?  Only time will tell I suppose!  Overall, though they look stunning and are a little better to work with due to the weight.

300 Tapered Blush Brush

I put this up against my NARS Mie Kabuki brush.  Now I know they’re not the same category, but I put them up against each other as I use them for the same purpose e.g. blusher, highlighter, powder etc.  I found that the RT Bold Blush brush has actually replaced my NARS brush for highlighting and powdering.  This is because of the tapered shape helps to use highlighter quite specifically and also the flat sides help to ‘press’ powder on to the skin.  Applying blush with it requires a bit more skill on my part as I found I was being a little heavy handed.  The brush is quite dense so start with small amount of product and build it up, I’ve found it to be the best that way.  The structure of the brush makes it better from more widespread brushes like the NARS one.  The quality of the brush is a lot better than the usual range in my opinion.  The brush hairs are finer and softer, I don’t know how they’ve done it, but they have!  Compared to the eye-watering £43 NARS Mie Kabuki brush, the RT Bold Metals 300 Tapered Blush brush is better a better choice at £24.  

301 Flat Contour Brush

This was the brush I was most excited about!  Contour brushes are the hardest to get right in my opinion.  I never liked the normal RT contour brush; my contour brush of choice has always been MAC 109.  The RT 301 Contour brush has easily replaced my trustee MAC.  The shape makes it super easy to chisel out some cheek bones.  I basically dab the brush on my face where I want to contour and then am able to buff out using the same brush due to the soft texture.  Whereas the MAC 109 has a wider surface and isn’t as structured so it’s harder to use.  The surface area at the top is bigger than the RT brush so it makes the ‘contour area’ bigger and you can go overboard and have to start again.  MAC 109 retails for £28 compared to the £22 RT Bold Metals 301 Contour brush.  The 301 for me is a clear winner and if you’re a daily contour fan, you need this in your life!  

201 Pointed Crease Brush

I pitted this against my favourite Smashbox Definer Brush, retailing at £19.50.  The shapes are very similar with the RT 201 Pointed Crease Brush being ever so slightly bigger.  I’ve found this to be helpful as it blends eyeshadow/kohl more evenly, on the crease and the bottom lash line.  The Smashbox brush is a little to soft to use on the bottom lashline.  The tapered tip on the 201 brush helps to highlight the inner corners of my eyes.  At £12, the 201 Pointed Crease brush beats the Smashbox brush in function and it’s aesthetically more pleasing.  After comparing with premium brushes, in my opinion, the Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection brushes do perform better and are well priced.  I will say, they same can’t be said for all the brushes in the collection as for example, I wouldn’t swap my RT buffing brush for the Bold Metals Pointed foundation brush.

Have you tried the Real Techniques Bold Metals Brush Collection?  What do you think of them?  Share in the comments below or tweet me @aspiring_london!

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Some of these items have been sent to me for review purpose.