I rarely review brushes, but that’s probably going to change soon, because I realized that you guys will probably like those posts. There are definitely a few brushes I regret buying, and several that were worth every penny. Today I wanted to talk about Real Techniques 200 Oval Shadow Brush from Bold Metals Collection that I received as a Klout perk.
Bold Metals Collection is a premium line of brushes from Real Techniques, a brand that is generally known for their affordable high quality tools. With the promise to deliver the most luxurious feel and pro results, you’d think these new brushes were made of unicorn fur and feature Yggdrasil bark handles. Not quite…
200 Oval Shadow Brush is my third brush from Bold Metals Collection, I actually bought my first two – 101 Triangle Foundation Brush and 100 Arched Powder Brush – the same day they arrived at my local Ulta. It comes in plastic packaging, just like the regular RT brushes, but also features silver, gold, or rose gold accents. While my Klout perk came beautifully packaged, the retail packaging doesn’t scream luxe to me at all.
The handles are all very long and have an artsy feeling to them, like you are actually painting a masterpiece. However, after reading the promo description that promises “weighted handles engineered for optimal control + comfort”, I was left a bit disappointed, because they felt a lot lighter than I would have expected.
The polished surface of the handles is beautifully reflective, and looks amazing when clean, but as anything shiny, these are all fingerprint magnets, and those greasy prints are very noticeable. That’s one of the reasons why I normally prefer wooden or plastic handles, they just look neat without much effort.
The bristles for 200 Oval Shadow Brush are made with extra soft synthetic material that can rival my faves from IT Cosmetics – if you’ve tried any of those, you know what I’m talking about. It’s a pretty large brush with a wide enough surface to deposit the pigment on the lids in one big swipe, but I was particularly impressed with its ability to apply cream shadow. This brush is clearly not meant for blending because it’s not fluffy at all, but it does help apply a swipe of color evenly over the lid, so if you are someone who likes one or two-color eye makeup, this will probably be your new best buddy.
Do you need this? If you have a busy lifestyle or just love a quick low-maintenance one-shadow look, and don’t really care about the fingerprints on the shiny handle, this brush will be a pretty good pick. For everyone else, you probably already have something better in your stash, and there are other brushes that offer more versatility. 200 Oval Shadow Brush is a one trick pony, and whether you should buy it or not depends on how many different uses you expect to get from it.
WHERE TO BUY: $15.99 USD. Available at Ulta and Ulta retail locations.
What’s your favorite eye shadow brush? Have you tried any brushes from Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection?
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I like the angled brush I received as a Klout perk, but didn’t feel like it was anything special either.
Glad to hear I’m not alone in this. There are definitely a couple winners in this collection, but performance-wise most of them are not worth the price premium.
I love the It Cosmetics brushes! They’re definitely fingerprint magnets, but they’re so pretty that it’s not something I typically mind. I’ve been meaning to check out the Real Techniques metals collection! Some people say that they don’t perform any better than the original RT brushes, but they look so classy, and I’m a sucker for soft brushes.
They really do look classy 🙂 I also think that some of the brushes definitely perform better than others – the triangle-shaped foundation brush is pretty bad and feels pokey on the skin, so I wouldn’t recommend it. This one is fairly ordinary, and maybe only worth the price premium for the looks. Their fluffy powder brush is really nice and soft – I liked it the most out of the ones I tried.
How long are the bristles on the 200 brush?
It is 17mm, or roughly 0.7 inches from the ferrule to the highest point of the tip. Hope that helps!