Bottled Beauty: Reviewed: Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection

The Bold Metals collection from Real Techniques has just hit Australian shores. It's been available for about 6 months in the US and UK and finally Aussies can now purchase these brushes.

Real Techniques offer quality brushes at an affordable price. But with the release of the Bold Metals collection, they've increased their quality as well as the price. The brushes are either gold, rose gold or silver depending on the brush. They're heavier than the original RT brushes.

While it sucks that it's taken this long to release them into the Australian market, the advantage is the fact that there's a lot of reviews online that helped me to decide what brushes to buy (and I did a LOT of research!) .

The new range is available from the Australian Real Techniques website here, as well as being available from Priceline instore and online at the end of August (there's no official date but I've seen on social media that some stores already have them). I decided to purchase mine from the SA Hair, Nail & Beauty Supplies online store here. The main reason why I did that was because it's so much cheaper to buy from there than Priceline or the RT website (also Priceline didn't stock them earlier this month when I bought them).

One of the biggest complaints that I've heard from overseas youTubers and bloggers was the price of the brushes. The added luxury of the brushes also added to a higher price tag. While I knew we would be paying a lot more for the brushes here in Oz, I was actually pretty surprised when I found out the recommended retail price of the brushes. They start from $39 for a single brush to $65 (ouch).

Because I'm on maternity leave I could only afford a few of the brushes, so I picked ones that were either multi-task brushes or unlike what I have in my collection.

I own Rae Morris, Hourglass, Hakuhodo, Chanel and Charlotte Tilbury brushes so my review is going to be comparing the Bold Metals brushes to my high end brushes so you know if it's worth the price tag.

Arched Powder Brush (100)

This brush retails for $65, so it's quite expensive. But I'm in LOVE with it!!!! It's a beautiful brush that feels so soft and lovely on my skin. While it looks big, I can surprisingly use it for more than just powder.

When you tip it on its side or use just the tip, I can also use it as a blush or bronzer brush. I also like to use this to diffuse any harsh lines if I've gone overboard with blush.

Because of it's arched tip I can also use this to set powder underneath my eyes.

Top-Bottom: Furless Must Have Pro Powder Brush, Real Techniques Arched Powder Brush, Rae Morris Pro Powder Brush, Models Prefer Powder & Bronzer Brush

It feels incredibly soft and luxurious. It isn't as soft as my Rae Morris powder brush, but it's also $30 cheaper!! And I have to admit, I reach for the RT brush more often!! I'm tempted to buy another one. If you can only buy one brush, make it this!

If it's out of your price range, I'd recommend the Models Prefer Powder & Bronzer brush ($24.95) or the Furless Must Have Pro Powder brush ($16.95). While they're different shapes, they're both just as soft but more affordable. The RT brush looks more luxe than the MP and Furless brush.

This retails for $65 and SAHN&B sell it for $43.95.

Flat Contour Brush (301)

While reading the reviews a lot of people said they loved this brush. I found that people were using it in a lot of different ways so I thought that I would order it even though I don't contour every day.

It reminds me of the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush mixed with the RT Sculpting Brush. It's quite a thick brush like both of those brushes are.

I've used this as a foundation brush and it worked ok. I did find that I wanted to go over it with a sponge to blur out any lines or streaks. But it would be a good brush to use if I'm ever out of foundation brushes.

As a contour brush it's nice. It does the job. If you have a small face, then you might find it too thick. You can also use it to set your concealer under your eyes and also apply highlighter.

L-R: Rae Morris Square Kabuki, NARS ITA, Real Techniques Flat Contour Brush, Models Prefer Contour Buffing Brush

I have a few contour brushes and the RT brush is thicker than my Nars ITA ($82) or Rae Morris Square Kabuki brush ($45). Personally I do prefer my Rae Morris brush purely because it's smaller and it's harder to go overboard on contour with it.

If you already own the RT sculpting brush or a similar brush to this, then I'd probably skip it (unless you're like me and just have to have the complete set!). If you want a cheaper option then try the Models Prefer Contour Buffing Brush ($18.99). The MP brush is thinner but slightly longer.

This retails for $65 and SAHN&B sell it for $43.95.

Pointed Smudge Brush (201)

This is a large bullet shaped eye brush. It has a pointed end which sprays out. It's designed like this to do the work for you. You apply the eyeshadow on the tip and then windscreen back and forth to blend out.

If you're like me and have small hooded eyes you may find it slightly too big. I was able to blend most of the colour out but did find that I wanted to go over it again with a clean blending brush to really diffuse any harsh lines, especially when using darker colours.

This brush is great to use if you want to do a cut crease. I also found it great to use for creating a winged style smokey eye.

I do like this brush as it's not a typical brush that most brands release. I only have one other brush like this from Hakuhodo, so it's nice to have another one amongst my 100 blending brushes (slight exaggeration).

L-R: Real Techniques Pointed Smudge Brush, Charlotte Tilbury Eye Blender Brush, Rae Morris Medium Oval Shadow (no. 11)

When it comes to comparing it to my other brushes, I find that the RT brush is quite expensive. Rae Morris eye brushes start from $20 for eyeliner brushes and go up to $55 for the larger eyeshadow brushes. The one in the picture is the Medium Oval Shadow brush and it retails for $39. My CT brush cost $48. And while it's hard to compare the brushes since they're different shapes and made from different material (the RM and CT brushes are animal hair) I found that the RT ones just don't feel or look as good considering their price tag.

This retails for $39 and SAHN&B sell it for $25.95.

Angled Liner Brush (202)

I saw one youTuber talk about how they loved this as a lip brush, an eyebrow brush and a eyeliner brush, so I just had to have it. It's an easy to use brush that's small enough to get in there close to the lash line but isn't small enough that it's difficult to use.

Hourglass sell their eye brushes for $38-$44 at Mecca, so the pricing is very similar. Both RT and Hourglass sell synthetic brushes. The biggest difference is that Hourglass brushes are weighted all over not just in the ferrale like the RT brushes. Rae Morris has a Brow Definer brush for only $20 which is a bit bigger but half the price.

This brush would be a great one for someone wanting an easy to use brush to apply gel eyeliner.

This retails for $39 and SAHN&B sell it for $25.95.

I'm not a fan of the packaging. Compared to my other luxury brushes from Hourglass or Charlotte Tilbury, the packaging looks cheap. I do understand that it needs to be made for people going into Boots/Ulta/Priceline and that means it needs to be able to be seen and hung on a wall but I think they could have done better.

I think that Real Techniques have done a disservice to themselves by pricing the brushes this high. I'm not sure how much research that they did into luxury brush prices in Australia but personally I don't think that they should have priced the brushes any more than $50.00 for a single brush. They're great brushes, they look incredibly beautiful and are a step up from the existing RT brush line but I think the price will keep people from purchasing them. And that's a shame because they're beautiful brushes.

If you can afford them, they're a beautiful addition to your brush collection. Keep an eye out for Priceline to have them on sale (they normally do 15-20% off RT brushes) and don't forget to put your Priceline payback voucher towards them!

Otherwise SA Hair, Nails and Beauty Supplies and Make Up And Glow are selling them online less than their RRP but keep in mind there are added shipping costs (My 4 brushes from SAHN&B cost $21 shipping).

After using these I'm so glad that I bought them. There are 3 other brushes in the Bold Metals collection that I don't have and REALLY want! There is the Tapered Blush Brush, Triangle Foundation Brush and the Oval Shadow Brush I need to get to complete my collection.

I really hope that they extend the Bold Metals collection as I think the range needs a classic blending brush, a fan brush and a very tapered highlight/contour brush (similar to this one from Rae Morris).

What do you think about the brushes? Will you buy them? Do you think that they're priced too high? Do you care that they feel heavier?
Amy, XO

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