A God Among Men: Real Techniques Stippling Brush Review

No, what you're looking at here is not a pretty dandelion, it's better than that:  it's the best stippling brush ever made!  I purchased the Real Techniques Stippling Brush as part of an ULTA haul a while ago, so I've had plenty of time to play with it and let me tell you, it's amazing.  I've been a huge fan of the Pixiwoo sisters since I began my journey into makeup madness and I credit them with my ability to not make myself look like a fool when I dress my face up.  So there was no hesitation when I found out that Samantha Chapman was coming out with her own brush line, I knew I had to have them all.  I wasn't prepared to find my holy grail of stippling brushes as I'd all but given up on using stippling brushes to apply foundations.  But I can tell you now that this is one brush you DO NOT want to pass up on your next trip to ULTA!  Find out why this brush will change your life after the jump!

Before I get to the actual review, let me tell you why I normally hate stippling brushes.  First off, most brands just can't seem to get the duo fiber ratio perfected.  Most of the ones I've tried have too many of the black fibers that form the base and not enough of the white fibers that do the stippling.  This makes for a very streaky application.  Some of them are opposite though, with not enough black and too much white.  This pretty much defeats the 'stippling' purpose and leaves the brush kind of floppy.  Secondly, most of the stippling brushes I've purchased have been quite pokey.  Granted, I like to buy on the bargain end of the spectrum, so a bit of this is a 'you get what you pay for' situation.  However, I really felt like it was the nature of the brush itself and another result of the brush not having enough white bristles.  Lastly, most of the brushes are too big and leave me with very little control of where the product goes.  Not to mention how hard it is with a lot of them to get into the nooks and crannies (i.e. your undereye, sides of the nose) of my face. 


And it is in all these shortcomings that the Real Techniques Stippling Brush rises above the rest.  The duo fiber ratio is perfect!  The white fibers are dense but not quite as dense as the black fibers.  I think they accomplish this so well by having the white fibers cut about half the length as with normal stippling brushes.  This not only allows for a streak-free application, but it also allows you to buff the foundation in at the same time.  Usually after using a stippling brush to apply my liquid foundation I have to go in with a denser kabuki brush to buff and blend the foundation, but with Sam's brush I don't have to take that extra step.  The bristles are also exceptionally soft and doesn't make me feel like I'm giving myself an acupuncture facial during usage. 

This little fellow also sports a smaller brush head, making it a cinch to apply foundation to those smaller areas.  But don't worry, it's not so small that it will take forever to apply foundation to your entire face.  It just makes it easier to work with ALL your facial features instead of just the larger areas of your face.

The only minor issue that I have with this brush is that it has a larger base.  This was made so that you can stand the brush up on your vanity/counter.   Now, this depends on your personal storage situation, but this doesn't really work for me.  I keep all my brushes in holders, so the base of the brush takes up way too much space.  However, the brush works so well that this small thing has no real bearing on my opinion of it.  And, like I said, whether or not this is a problem for you depends entirely upon how you store your own brushes.  


Bottom Line:  Amber LOVES <3<3<3<3<3


I'm so happy I have this brush in my life and don't know what I've done without it.  I find it works great for all liquid foundations and especially for runnier formulas such as NARS Sheer Glow.  I'm begging you to check this out if you not happy with your current stippling brush.  (And did I mention the entire Real Techniques line is cruelty-free?)


I chock the greatness of this brush up to the fact that Sam Chapman is an amazingly talented makeup artist and really used her own experiences in designing these brushes.  That's why I love her and her sister Nic.  So, what YouTube guru has inspired you the most?