Sorry for the sloppy pic, explanation below!

Ok, so I was hoping to wait to review these Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection brushes until I had more than one, but then it turned out that the product I was going to review today is no longer being sold, so I had to use the brush as my fallback plan. But don’t feel bad about the item you can no longer get — my review was going to be about how much it sucked, so you’re not missing anything.

I have the “100 Arched Powder Brush” and I’ve used it a couple of times. Before I talk about the brush itself, a brief thought about the packaging… The brush is held in place with one of those sticky glue dots, and it’s the really sticky kind, not the peels off cleanly kind, so now there’s a sticky spot on my expensive brush. I do not approve of this, and will have to experiment with ways to remove it.

As for the brush, I like it. I was immediately sold on the idea of these brushes for two reasons: the pretty metallic colors, and the triangular handles that keep them from rolling away. I hate it when my brushes won’t stay put! Of course, the handle alone doesn’t make a good brush, so I appreciate that my arched powder brush is made with really, really soft synthetic bristles. Sometimes I just pick it up and run it along my face, it feels so nice. The brush is also weighted specially to rest just right in your hand. Honestly, I don’t think that’s a big deal for the average consumer, since we don’t hold our brushes for more than a few minutes at a time. But I’m sure for professionals, this makes their lives much easier, and these brushes are being marketed as a pro-quality product.

I have another Ulta coupon so I’m hoping to pick up more of these brushes, but when I went to my local Ulta today they literally only had one brush, the triangular foundation one, which I’m just not interested in since I apply my foundation with fingers or a sponge. I really want to get my hands on the rose gold contouring brush, since I don’t have a brush in that shape yet and I’ve been trying different contouring techniques to improve my stage makeup.

Unfortunately, these brushes are ONLY available at Ulta, and I’m finding myself increasingly dissatisfied with both their store front and their website. I basically only go in when I have a coupon now, and half the time they don’t even have any thing that I want to buy, because the displays are half-bare, with most things sold out, missing or broken samples, and a general dinginess about them. At this point I’m only going there for these brushes and NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams.