First Impressions: Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection -- Part 1

Of course the whole world has been going absolutely NUTS over the new Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection that just came out. These absolutely gorgeous metallic brushes were released late December, and since I've been home in San Diego (where there are like 8 or 9 Ultas), I've been on the hunt for all of them. As of right now, I only purchased 3 of the 7, since they are nearly impossible to get a hold of in stores! So instead of waiting to do a huge collective review, I decided to do a first impressions in two parts.

To start, let's talk about the collection itself. There are 3 categories of brushes: Base, Eyes, and Finish. The Base brushes are gold, the Eye brushes are Silver, and the Finish brushes are rose gold. The handles are a tapered square shape, making them easy to take out of a brush belt, and guaranteeing that they won't roll off your table or vanity when you set them down. The brush handles are also weighted for ease of application and control, while the brass ferrules ensure the durability of the brushes. Finally, the bristles themselves are synthetic hairs, but mimic real hair, since each individual hair is tapered on the end. The bristles have been both tied and glued, in order to maximize the lifespan of each brush.

The first three brushes I purchased were the 201 Pointed Crease, the 300 Tapered Blush, and the 202 Angled Liner. 

The packing itself is solid and beautiful. When I first took the brushes out of the packaging though, I noticed that it had a really annoying sticky adhesive holding them into the packaging, which was a bit difficult to get off. I was worried that if I used alcohol, the metallic paint would come off, but I took a risk and it wasn't a problem at all. The adhesive easily comes off with alcohol, and the brushes looked pristine!

Each of the brushes also has RT stamped into the ferrules, along with the number of the brush on the opposite side.

Let's start with the 201 Pointed Crease brush. This brush costs $16, and, obviously, is meant for the crease. It's almost like a large pencil brush in density. It picks up and places product really well, and comes to a nice point at the very tip, which is great for precise application. Because it is so dense, it buffs out product beautifully with very little effort. 

The 300 Tapered Blush is one of the rose gold brushes, which seemed to definitely be the most popular of the bunch. It is paired with the 301 Flat Contour brush, which is pretty much impossible to get right now. It's sold out of every Ulta in San Diego, as well as online at both Ulta and Boots. Go figure. This particular brush is $24. 

Anyway, onto the brush I'm actually reviewing! The 300 Tapered Blush brush is a relatively small, rounded paddle-style brush. It isn't your typical fluffy blush brush because it is flat on both sides, with a bit of a tapered top. It's quite dense, however I find it a bit bizarre applying blush with this brush. It almost reminds me a bit of a fluffier version of a standard flat foundation brush. I also tried applying a contour color with this, and actually quite liked the effect it gave! It is also quite dense, so if you are using a very intense product, use caution. I think I will have to work with the brush a little more in order to really get a feeling for it, since I'm definitely used to using a more traditional blush brush.

Finally the 202 Angled Liner brush. Of the three brushes I purchased, this is probably my absolute favorite, and well worth the $16 price point! It is super small and precise, making gel liner a total breeze. I haven't been so happy using gel liner in quite a long time as I was using this brush! It is super dense and the bristles are short, making application super easy and precise. This is definitely the perfect brush for anyone who is a gel liner junkie like me, or new to using gel liner!

After using all of these brushes, I decided to put them to the test and give them a good solid wash! I expected the blush brush especially to shed, since I've had trouble with my Expert Face Brush shedding during washes, but nope. Not a single bristle fell out of any of these three brushes, which was impressive! The only thing noticed was that the Angled Liner brush did get a bit stained with my gel liner.

Final Thoughts: So far, so good! I really enjoy all three of these brushes, and I'm really excited to get the last four of the collection. I will definitely have to do a follow up and let you all know how these brushes are holding up, but after my first use/wash, these brushes have definitely impressed me so far!

Are you planning on getting any of the new Bold Metals brushes? Which ones do you want?

- D.