A Plethora of New Brushes: Real Techniques and EcoTools

I don't have much in the way of an excuse for this excessive influx of new brushes… I just wanted them. I really never get tired of the Real Techniques brushes that I already own (I own the Core Collection and the Starter Set) and I don't really talk about them much. I also saw the EcoTools brush set on quite a few blogs and I finally caved and bought it in the hopes that I might find myself an even more affordable alternative to Real Techniques brushes.

The "Sam's Picks' set from Real Techniques contains six brushes - a Multi-Task Brush, a Setting Brush, a Buffing Brush, a Liquid Foundation Brush, an Essential Crease Brush (limited edition for this set only) and a Fine Liner Brush. 

I loved the look of the Multi-Task Brush for the application of power (which I do throughout the day to mattify my t-zone) and it also works well for bronzing. The Setting Brush is fantastic for blending concealer, especially under my eyes, and I think I'll get  a lot of use out of it. The Buffing Brush is already a favourite of mine and I use it to apply liquid foundation - I would highly recommend this brush to everyone. The Liquid Foundation Brush is the only one I won't get much use out of, I just don't really like using it. The Essential Crease Brush is great for blending out eyeshadow and I find that I can never have enough of these sorts of brushes. Finally, the Fine Liner Brush is great for finely applying eyeliner, especially if you use eyeshadow as liner - which I often do.

This set has an RRP of £29.99 on FeelUnique and I feel as though it is well worth the money. I highly rate Real Techniques Brushes as they're wonderful quality, very soft and they last well. I've had my other brushes for nearly a year now and they feel almost as good as they did when I first bought them. They're worth investing in. 

The EcoTools Fresh and Flawless Brush Set contains five brushes - a Flat Concealer Brush, a Buffing Concealer Brush,  a Precision Foundation Brush, a Complexion Blending Brush and a Powder Brush.

I'm not as impressed with the quality of these EcoTools brushes compared to the Real Techniques brushes mentioned above. I don't like Flat Foundation and Flat Concealer Brushes so I don't have much to say on those and the Buffing Concealer Brush is a little bit scratchy (which I was very disappointed about) so this would put me off using it on my eye area. The set is redeemed a bit by the Complexion Blending Brush, which I find works well when used to buff liquid foundation into the skin. The Powder Brush is also good as it applies product lightly and evenly.

This set has an RRP of £11.99 on FeelUnique which I feel is very reasonable given how much I like two of the brushes and I'm sure I'll find an alternative use for the two flat brushes which will make the set more worthwhile.

I thought I would also just show you a comparison of the Real Techniques Buffing Brush and the two larger EcoTools brushes so you can appreciate the EcoTool brush sizes a little better. They really are quite dinky in comparison! All in all, I definitely prefer the Real Techniques Brushes as they're all very high quality but I am pleased with a few of the EcoTools brushes so I'm glad I picked up the set.

Have you tried any Real Techniques or EcoTools brushes? What make-up brushes do you use?