Sparkled Beauty

With all the buzz about Real Techniques brushes' arrival at Canadian Walmart, I figure I should get this review up fast, you know, to help you with buying decisions :)

This is the Eyes Starter kit sent to me by Farleyco, the brand's distributor in Canada. I already reviewed the Travel Essentials kit back in 2011, so check that out too :)

Without repeating myself too much from the 2011 review, I'd say that the packaging is nice and simple, the blue colour scheme is for eye brushes.

The kit includes:
- Deluxe crease brush: meant for contouring
- Base shadow brush: to apply a wash of color on the eyes
- Accent brush: for precision detailing, spotlighting, highlighting, and smudging
- Pixel-point eyeliner brush: quite firm and thin, with tapered tip
- Brow brush: angled cut, thicker and a bit wider than a regular angled liner brush.

All brushes have Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman carved on the ferrules, and the name of the brush too. That comes in handy for those who are new with using makeup brushes.

Accompanying the brushes is the sturdy padded case which can double up as a stand on your working surface/ makeup vanity. With a velcro snap to close, an elastic band with strong hold across the case on the inside and a clear plastic insert to keep the brushes in place. Double protection.

The eye brushes are substantially smaller than others in the line, I figured individual shots would not show much in details and went with group shots instead.

Check out the closeup on the tips. I lined up the brushes at the other end, so they are pretty much at the same length, relatively.

The deluxe crease brush is definitely the most fluffy and dense among these. Its round tip prompts me to use it to put highlight on brow bones or contour the side of my nose. If you have lots of working space on the eyelids (which I don't), it could work as a blending brush too.

Compared to the domed shadow brush from the Travel Essentials kit, the brush head is bigger and more round.

The base shadow brush is a fine crease brush, for me. It is a lot more flat and tapered, great for detail work in the crease.

The accent brush is tiny and quite stiff, best for smudging eyeliners on the lower lash line.

The pixel-point eyeliner brush is wider than the brush that comes in a regular liquid liner tube. It is firm but gives under pressure, best for medium (not fine) lines.

And the brow brush, like I said, is thicker and wider than most brow brushes I have used. The size makes filling in the brows a lot faster, I just need to go a little slower near the edges to make sharp lines.

To conclude, this kit is a fun combination of eye brushes for extra work around the eyes. If you are collecting Real Techniques brushes, these five brushes would be a good item to get. But if you are starting a brush collection, go for the basic brushes first before indulging in these.

At the moment, Walmart is the only retailer that carries Real Techniques brushes in 3 sets (including the one in this post, as pictured), $18.97 each. For individual brushes outside a kit, you can get them from Farleyco website for now. Prices range from $6.50 - $12.49.

Hopefully Walmart will decide to carry these singles too, in very near future.