REAL TECHNIQUESExtra Big Stippling Brush, Large Makeup Brush For Liquid & Cream Foundation, BB Cream, CC Cream, & Skin Tints, XL Oversized Brush, Cruelty-Free, Synthetic Bristles, 1 Count

* Overall Impression:-This is a good value for a very nice, high quality synthetic stippling style foundation brush.-Note that it’s not a blending or buffing foundation blush, and won’t blend that well, it just is used in a stippling application where you dot the foundation all over your skin with the brush in a stippling technique.-This brush won’t blend that well, I’ve never used any stippling brush that did. They’re not designed to do that, the bristles aren’t dense, soft and close enough. Just understand this is a stippling brush, not a blending brush or buffing brush. You likely will want to blend with a different brush after using this one. That’s normal and expected with any stippling brush as they just don’t blend well.-It is softer and larger than their older versions and smaller stippling brushes. They were a bit sharper on the points, smaller and not as soft, large and fluffy as this one. I like this version a lot better than some of their older ones that were a bit rough.* Pros-what I liked and what worked well:-Good value for the style and quality.-Excellent quality in the handle, bristles and finish.-Has the coordinating color coded peach color for many of the Real Techniques face brushes.-Sturdy, larger metal brush handle. (Their larger brushes in the peach colors tend to be a bit bulky and don’t fit well in brush rolls, so keep this in mind, it’s going to be larger in diameter.)-Labeled 260 on the brush (RT 260) handle.-Easy to hold and use the brush.-Nice sturdy metal brush ferrule that coordinates with the handle.-Synthetic, duo fiber style, vegan, cruelty free bristles.-Soft bristles. (Note that they won’t feel as soft as a buffing brush, they may be and feel a little pointy on the ends vs softer brushes. This is normal and part of the design of a stipple brush to apply small dots of foundation. Don’t expect a stippling brush to be a soft brush, they are a little pointy and sharp.)-Good style, shape and density for stippling on foundation. (But not for buffing it or blending it, stippling brushes don’t usually work well for that.)-Works well with liquids and creams.-Washes and dries well.-Doesn’t shed bristles.-Larger size for foundation. (You could use it for bronzer, blush, highlighter in liquid and cream formulas as well, but it is larger than brushes usually are for those.)-Larger than Real Techniques other previous versions of stippling brushes. Softer and not as sharp as their previous stippling brushes. If you didn’t like those, this one is much softer and larger.-You could do a light dusting of powder products such as finishing powder, highlighter or bronzer as well with this brush (if it doesn’t have foundation on it and is clean). I do still prefer their powder brushes for powder vs this, but it does work well for that too.* Cons-what I didn’t like and what didn’t work well:-No issues.* Tips & Thoughts:-This is not a buffing style foundation brush that will blend in foundation, it’s not that style of brush. It’s for a stippled application where you press the brush bristles on your face repeatedly in a stippling or light stamping motion, dotting foundation all over your face vs circular blending.-You may want to look up videos on how to use a stippling style brush as it’s a bit different than a buffing or blending brush and if you try to use it to blend vs stipple they don’t work well for that. There is a little bit of a learning curve to learning how to stipple your foundation.-If you don’t want to stipple you foundation and want to blend it in a circular buffing pattern, this isn’t going to be the right brush for that. For that, I’d suggest the Real Techniques Expert Face brush for an easy to use blending style foundation brush. It works very well for easy, seamless foundation blending and is my 3rd favorite all time foundation brush (1st favorite would be the Artis Oval 7 brush, but it’s pricey, 2nd the Morphe M439 foundation brush, which I actually reach for more than the Artis but the Artis gives a slightly better finish, the Real Techniques Expert Face brush is a close 3rd.)-You can also use this to lightly stipple other liquids and creams on the face as well such as bronzer, highlighter or blush, but it won’t work well for blending them, you’ll need another brush for that. One thing that’s different about using a stippling style brush vs standard style, is that it will pick up less product and diffuse it over the bristles vs have it all in one area of the brush.-If you’re not used to using a stippling technique for foundation application, note that it is designed to give a heavier, more even coverage than applying dots of foundation and then blending the dots with a blending brush.-For me, I like to use a stippling brush not to apply a thick coat of foundation as it’s designed to do but to stipple smaller amounts all over my face (or a small amount of blush, bronzer, highlighter in a liquid or cream) then blend with a separate different buffing brush. You can also do this with makeup primer as well, and buff it with another brush.-Another good use for a stippling brush is to mix foundations (with each other, lightening, darkening or color modifying drops), mix foundation with serums, highlighters or bronzer. If you have a makeup palette (metal or plastic, or a clean glass or metal surface you can clean) these work well for mixing creams and liquids before a stippling style application.-Try this (clean, with no foundation on it) for a super light dusting of powdered finishing powder, setting powder, bronzer or highlighter. It gives a super light application. However, I would generally use their powder brushes when I want a softer brush or more full coverage, this applies less than a standard powder brush.

I really wanted to love this brush after some recommendations. Unfortunately I’ve used it twice and I’m done, both times the black bristles kept falling off. The second use I decided to count them and gave up after my face was covered in bristles lol. The stippling does work nicely it’s just a cheap quality

Real Techniques is a great go-to for budget-friendly makeup brushes. This stippling brush is definitely a good option - it's large and soft. With dry skin, I like to use a stippling brush for my settling powder instead of really "brushing" it on since that comes with a risk of exposing flakiness on my skin. This works really well for that.I only knock it one star since my brush came with a scratch already on it. I'm not sure if that is just a casualty of the manufacturing process, or if this had been previously opened (ick). Just in case, I definitely washed this first before use.

This brush appears to be high quality construction and bristles, but I'm not sure what I'll use this brush for. I tried applying foundation with it and didn't have good results at all, requiring a different brush to smooth out my application. I'll probably try to use this for blending out my sunless tan. I washed it after using it for foundation and the bristles stayed intact and haven't loosened in the clamped area.

it is really big and great for makeup but the grip is a bit uncomfortable for a brush this size