MAC 190 Foundation Brush
Close-up of MAC foundation brush
Real Techniques stippling brush
Real Techniques stippling brush
Left - Swatch of MAC 190......... Right - Swatch of Real Techniques stippling brush
The purpose of this review is to highlight the differences between flat paddle foundation brushes and stippling brushes when applying liquid or cream foundations.
In the photograph above I applied one pump of Bourjois 10 hour sleep effect foundation in shade 71 to two sides of a piece of paper. I then blended the foundation in the same way I would on my face to show off the blending effects of each brush.
Price I Paid
MAC 190 Foundation Brush - £26
I have had this brush for about three years and it is still in perfect condition, it washes easily and all the bristles are still as new.
Real Techniques Stippling Brush - £10.99
I have only owned this brush for about three weeks but it is not as good as MAC quality brushes but you get what you pay for.
Design
MAC 190 - This is a really sturdy, high quality, flat paddle brush and has been my go-to foundation brush for the past three years. The bristles are flexible and soft so it is very gentle on my skin. It is best to apply the foundation from the centre of the face outwards and then blend in long line strokes. It creates great foundation coverage as you can see in the photo above, it applies a thick layer of foundation perfect for covering skin imperfections. The bristles are flatter and more rigid than the stippling brush so it is far more prone to streaking. I also have found that i struggle to blend foundation properly on the curves of my face e.g jaw area which creates the dreaded line, one of the main faux pas of wearing foundation. I have found the best way to tackle the streaks that occur as a result of this brush is to lightly blend my makeup by lightly sweeping my fingers/a large face brush over my entire face. Saying that, it fits very easily into a travel makeup case and has done me well for the past three years.
Real Techniques Stippling - As you can see from the picture above, when blending foundation this brush creates a far superior, smoother and streak free effect than a normal foundation brush. For me this is the holy grail of foundation application as it is pretty much foolproof as long as you don't miss a spot! It is difficult to apply liquid foundation from a pump directly to this brush so I find it easiest to squeeze the foundation out onto my face first and then blend it in which is a bit tricky. If I wasn't so lazy, I would squeeze my foundation out onto my hand or a clean solid surface and pick the colour up onto the brush from there. For a streak free look it is best to work the foundation in small circular movements from the centre of the face towards the outside. I really like the Real Techniques version of this brush as it is the perfect size for application as it easily fits into the contours of my face and the bristles are nice and soft. It creates a very different coverage effect to the foundation brush and gives a much lighter coverage airbrush effect. I find this is great for concealing the little pores on my nose and any dry skin as it lightly skims over it all without causing a dry and flaky caked effect.
I have only had this brush for a few weeks but I have a feeling it will need replacing more frequently than my MAC foundation brush as one or two bristles have already fallen out. There is a MAC stippling brush and I did consider buying it but it cost around £30 so I thought that for that price i could have had three of the Real Techniques brushes so as I am a student on a budget it is not worth the investment. The only real downside to using a stippling brush over a flatter foundation brush is storage, it really needs to be stored upright (the base is flat so it stands on its own!) or in a little case in a makeup bag because the bristles get squashed very easily so this brush is a bit of a pain to travel with.
Colour
The MAC brush is a smart black colour and the bristles are roughly the same colour as my foundation which i find appealing as I don't wash my brush after every application more like just once a week. The Real Techniques brush is mostly a girly hot pink colour but the bristles are black with a white tip. I find this a little annoying because they go from white to the colour of my foundation and that makes me constantly paranoid my brush is dirty.. although maybe that is a good thing because it makes me wash it even more!
Ingredients
The MAC brush is a blend of natural and synthetic fibers and the Real Techniques brush is made of purely synthetic fibers. Although you might think that natural fibers would be best, synthetic fibers are considerably easier to clean than natural fibers!
Overall Reaction
MAC 190 Foundation Brush - 8/10
The flat paddle foundation brush suited me well for the past three years but after discovering the effects of a stippling brush i have permanently made the swap!
Real Techniques Brush - 9/10
I love the effect from using this brush although I did not give it 10/10 because I don't think it is of the same quality as my MAC brush but to be fair it was 1/3 of the price so i'm not complaining!
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