Regular readers of The Blushing Giraffe will know that I have quite a few brushes in my collection. That was one of the main reasons why I didn’t get too excited when I saw this brush set released. That and the mixed reviews, but after a few months, I did end up getting it (surprise surprise).
Real Techniques Duo-Fiber Brush set | £23.99 | LINK
This is another one of their limited edition sets that you can still pick up now. There are three brushes in this set, a large powder, a contour/blush and an eyeshadow blending brush. Unlike the standard face brushes, these are all the same colour - white. Those who are familiar with the standards will know that the yellow stands for base, pink for finishing and purple for eye brushes. Although these have a white barrel, the writing on each one is co-ordinated with the category it belongs in - a nice touch in my opinion.
Duo-fiber brushes are much less dense in comparison to a standard brush, and therefore they apply product softly and allow you to be precise and natural. Each brush has short soft black hairs, and then slightly longer hairs that have white tips, resulting in controlled application that feels silky soft on the skin.
The largest brush - duo-fiber face brush is far too flimsy to apply liquid foundation of any kind. I have found it to be perfect for setting my base. Normally I hate applying any sort of powder, because I do have skin on the dryer side and those horrid dry patches are not a nice sight! With this brush however, I can apply the exact amount of powder I need to keep any shininess away during warmer months, whilst making it look flawless and not cakey in the slightest.
This brush is also fantastic for applying a bronzer all over the face, as again it distributes an even amount all over the skin, rather than a blotchy application which can sometimes be the case with a standard brush!
The second brush - duo-fiber contour brush is my favourite of the trio and my most used. It is a much more reasonable size for the cheeks, than the Real Technique’s blush brush, as it applies colour exactly on the apples or above the contour. The softness and the lack of density of the bristles means this brush + any Sleek blush are a match made in heaven! The blush-by-3s that have sat patiently in their packaging waiting for me to dare to use them, have now finally got to be tried!
The ability to apply strong colours, so effortlessly with this brush always impresses me and I have been much more experimental with my blush of choice thanks to this guy! It is also superb for contouring and highlighting because it really can apply colour softly, and build it up evenly.
In comparison to the contour brush from the core collection, you can see that the duo-fiber one is flatter, and much less dense! Personally I prefer to use my normal contour brush for day-to-day, but when I want a really sculpted out contour, with more of a grey colour, the duo-fiber does a great job at applying the powder where I need it and not too strongly!
The final brush of the three - duo-fiber eye brush is a great brush for applying colour into the crease and that’s about it. Or so I thought! Upon closer examination of the bristles, I wondered why they were so long for an eye brush. When used horizontally across the eyelid it applies a wash of eyeshadow evenly, and so if you were in a pinch you could use this one brush to do a simple eye look, with some definition in the crease. (I’d still probably pack a flat shadow brush and a fluffier blending brush when travelling but that’s just me!).
Another good use for this, is blending out nose contouring. It is described on the RT website as a finishing brush, hence the shape.
Duo-fiber brushes work well with powder and cream formulas. After using these for a couple of weeks I have to say I am very impressed with them on the whole! Would I recommend this set first over the others?
No, because you couldn’t apply your base with any of these and that’s very important when it comes to makeup. However if you have trouble with highly pigmented blush, or if you find that your setting powder always cakes up on you then this brush set is a fantastic investment. They wash well just like the other RT brushes, and they really do help you apply your makeup like a professional! Oh Real Techniques, you’ve managed to steal my heart again.
Final Verdict:
Product rating: 8.5
Pros: These brushes make applying makeup easy, and give an airbrushed finish. The sizes of the face and contour brush make them very versatile. They are incredibly soft to the touch and wash very well.
Cons: The eyeshadow brush is ok, I would have preferred a more fluffy type but it still does the job!
Repurchase? Yes I would repurchase this brush set ^_^ I love the finish of my makeup when using these and if I could buy a few more of the contour brushes separately I would be VERY happy because it has honestly opened up so many more possibilities!
