Real Techniques Bold Metals Brushes Review

When I won $100 in credit to Real Techniques for taking a survey, I knew it was a sign from above that it was time for me to try the Bold Metals line. I’d been wanting to try them for a while but their price tag was causing me to hold off. I also love Real Techniques’ original brush line so much and certainly don’t feel that it’s lacking in any way. However, look at these. I mean, they’re like the fanciest brushes I’ve seen in a long time. It’s like the brushes themselves are wearing jewelry. So I filled my online shopping cart and waited by the door for the UPS man.
From left to right: Arched Powder Brush, Tapered Blush Brush, Triangle Concealer Brush, Tapered Shadow Brush

The Bold Metals line expands upon Real Techniques core line of  brushes. These beauties boast weighted brass handles, soft synthetic bristles and higher price tags than what you’re used to from Real Techniques. I’ll be comparing these fancy princesses to Real Techniques’ original core line of brushes.

Bold Metals Collection 100 Arched Powder Brush vs. Real Techniques Powder Brush: Bold Metals wins here. The paddle shape of this brush makes it great for tapping and pressing setting powder over foundation. I like the original powder brush a lot but it’s almost too big and not great for precise powder application.

Bold Metals 300 Tapered Blush Brush vs. Real Techniques Blush Brush: The original Blush Brush wins by a mile. The Bold Metals version is small, awkward and too dense to diffuse blush naturally. It’s better suited to applying highlighter or setting powder atop under eye concealer.

Bold Metals 102 Triangle Concealer Brush vs. Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush: I use the Pointed Foundation Brush for concealer placement as it’s far too tiny for foundation. It wins big time here. The Bold Metals brush is more of a 3D triangle, with too many bristles with minimal flex. It’s not super gentle and has poor ratings on Ulta’s website. It’s not nearly as handy as I had hoped and it’s strange shape really doesn’t seem to add much.

Bold Metals 203 Tapered Shadow Brush There is no comparable in the core line. I enjoy this brush. It’s a perfect shape for blending and you can see how much pigment you pick up instantly due to the white bristles. Though synthetic blending brushes will never quite work like natural hair ones, this is a really nice brush to have in your eye brush arsenal.

Bold Metals 201 Brush Pointed Crease There is no comparable brush to this in the core line really but let me just cut to the chase with this one and say NO. It’s not a crease brush. It’s far too dense to create a soft, diffuse crease application. I’ve used it for dotting concealer onto blemishes. Because it’s dense, you have to work to clean it properly. When doing so, the bristles get pushed up into the ferule! When I tried to retrieve them, the entire shaft of bristles pulled out.

To sum it all up, the Real Techniques Bold Metals Brushes are far more attractive than effective. I hate that it proves the theory that you can’t have it all! I still love the Real Techniques original brushes best because you truly cannot beat the quality at that price point. In my experience, the Bold Metals Brushes are not worth the price. I’d rather you spend your dolla dolla bills y’all on brushes with better functionality.