Spectrum Collections is a brand I had always heard of but had never delved into before. However, last year I was lucky enough to be invited to the Birchbox* co-working space for a live podcast of The Emma Guns Show where I not only got to know more about the brand but I actually got to meet the sisters who started the Spectrum phenomena. (I have the inked the episode here if you fancy a listen!)
I was immediately captivated by their warm, genuine and honest personalities and having not known much about the brand before I came away feeling inspired, invested and in awe of their commitment and hard work that had made the company what it is today.
So with all that being said, I decided to pick up a few of the brushes to try out from one of the original core collections the 'Pink Brushes'. So here are my thoughts and everything you need to know about Spectrum Brushes.
Price
The Pink Brush Collection consists of 30 Brushes that can be bought separately or in multiple collections depending on your needs and wants with regards to makeup brushes. (I have linked a few examples at the end of this blog post).
To start my collection off I decided to pick up 3 types of brushes I use the most including the, A04 Strong Finish - £7.99 A17 Brow Love - £4.99 B06 Blending Friend - £4.99
All of the Pink Brushes are reasonably priced at under £10 each and every Spectrum brush is Vegan, Cruelty-Free and made with a high-quality synthetic hair.
Packaging
Obviously, the pink brushes are pink! But what makes them stand out from a crowd is their baby pink handles and blue/purple ombre bristles. Each bush is also clearly labelled with a letter and number code so that can easily be identified. The A brushes are for application, B is for Blending and C is for Contouring.
If you're ordering the brushes directly from their website then you'll receive your brushes in the most beautiful holographic packaging. Even the postage bag is covered in Spectrum brushes! And if you're buying any of the brushes in Boots then the brushes are packed in a stunning clear pink package. It's also worth noting that all of the brush packagings can also be recycled too.
Application
The brushes themselves are beautifully soft and help make any make-up product apply and blend out like a dream! And thanks to their extensive selection and collection of brushes there's certainly a brush or two out there for you too!
Spectrum A04
Spectrum B06
Spectrum A17
Overall Thoughts
For me this is more than just a makeup brush brand, it's a company that cares about the environment, product and customer and whether you are after one brush or a set of brushes you can be reassured that these brushes are easy to use, affordable, accessible, vegan and cruelty-free. Plus they are totally on trend and look very lovely on display too!
So if you've been on the hunt for some affordable, high-quality new brushes to add to your collection, then Spectrum's extensive collection of more than just brushes could be right up your street!
I award the Spectrum Collection Pink Brushes a 4.9 out of 5
I think I'm in the majority vote when I say I'm a total fan and addict when it comes to Real Techniques Brushes. For me, this brand has gone from strength to strength over the years with its vast selection of on-trend and functional brushes to suit every skill set and budget. I know I've certainly recommended a fair few friends and family's various RT brushes throughout the years!
Today I'm sharing with you this stunning Real Techniques Filterest Face Set which was released for Christmas 2017. So here are my thoughts...
Price
The Real Techniques Filtered Face Set retailed for £80 which sounds like a lot but this did go on offer for £40 over the Christmas period and if you weigh up how much you get in here then this is pretty good value for money. Inside you'll find 8 Brushes, 3 Sponges and a Storage Container for your brushes to sit.
Unfortunately this particular set is no longer available, however, most of these brushes can be purchased separately (minus the pretty duochrome finish), so any I do find I will link down below for you guys.
1. Buffing Brush - I use this for foundation but it's also great for mineral foundation. The Buffing Brush is available in the Core Collection Kit here*.
2. Contour Brush - As the name suggests this is great for contouring, highlight and even blush. Again this can be found in the Core Collection Kit here*.
3. Domed Shadow Brush - Perfect for applying shadow to the whole lid. This is very similar to the Base Shadow Brush found in the Eye Shade and Blend Set here.
4. Duo-Fiber Eye Brush - A great brush for blending and applying shadow in the crease. This Eye Brush is available as part of the Duo Fiber Kit here*.
5. Shading Brush - Another shadow brush which is also wonderful for concealer also. This is available within the Enhanced Eye Set here.
6. Setting Brush - Again as the name suggests this is the perfect sized brush for setting foundation or concealer with powder or you could also use this with highlighters. The Setting Brush is available to buy on its own here*.
7. Lip Brush - I love this not only as a lip brush but as an eyeliner brush! This is available within the Lip Colour and Blur Brush Set here*.
8. Stippling Brush - A good one for applying cream blush or even mineral foundation. The Stippling Brush can be purchased alone here*.
Miracle Complexion Sponge (Orange)* - This iconic sponge is one of my favourites damp as it helps gives your foundation an even flawless finish.
Miracle Sculpting Sponge (Pink)* - This performs like the Miracle Complexion Sponge but is cut differently for a more precise application.
Miracle Mini Eraser Sponge (Purple)* - I adore using this damp to blend out concealer under the eyes, nose or anywhere you need to erase a mistake.
Brush Cup - You can use this to store your brushes in or I use it in my bathroom draws as it's a great size to fit in small and awkward spaces.
Packaging
There's no doubt that these are visually stunning, but more importantly, there is a great, versatile mix of brushes that can be used in so many different ways.
Application
I found all of these brushes easy to use and they for sure helped apply my makeup with ease thanks to their super soft bristles. These are synthetic and I have to say the quality of the brushes has definitely improved throughout the years.
The sponges are also as I mentioned above great to use damp as they just help blend especially concealer and foundation so easily and quickly.
Overall Thoughts
Finally, if you're in the market for some new brushes or you're wanting to build up your first collection of make-up brushes then the Real Techniques family is a great place to start. Large versatile kits like these don't come around often and they're great to snap up at Christmas time as they usually go on offer for a limited period. However, if you're after some of Real Techniques current collections and kits then I've linked down below some affordable sets that are on sale now as well as RT newest Limited Edition collection of stunning brushes called 'Brush Crush' which are available from Superdrug hereand Ulta below.
I award the Real Techniques Filtered Face Set a 4.8 out of 5
I think I'm in the majority vote when I say I love a good old trip to Primarni! It honestly get's me every time and I always walk out with something!
Just lately Primark have for me been on top of their beauty game with the release of their PS Pro Makeup range and PS Love Your Nails brand which I have already reviewed here. As well as this they also have a great selection of beauty tools and accessories that look very similar to some well known high end products. So I picked up four beauty tools from the PS line to put to the test.
PS PRO Blending Brush
PS PRO Blending Brush
First up is this Blending Brush that looks very similar to the high end Artis brushes as well as the Makeup Revolution version I reviewed a few months back.
Price - The PS PRO Blending Brushes come in three sizes with the one I picked up being the largest, which retails for £4.
Packaging - The packaging is pretty simple and the brush is a little plasticky looking, but the actual bristles are dense and soft to the touch.
Application - I used the Clinque Beyond Perfecting Foundation with the brush as I do find a full coverage foundation works best with these oval brushes.
Upon application the brush was a great size as it fitted around the contours of the face easily. It also blended out my foundation well to a lovely flawless finish. The only cons were the brush did feel a little rough and synthetic on the face and the handle didn't feel as sturdy to hold, compared to the Revolution one.
Overall Thoughts - Overall this brush was a great size to work with and it did give my foundation a surprisingly flawless finish. Yes you can tell the brush is a little cheaper and more synthetic feeling on the face in comparison, but taking everything into consideration this really isn't a bad brush for the price.
I award the PS PRO Blending Brush a 3.8 out of 5
PS Mini Blender Sponge
PS Mini Blender Sponges
Just lately I've been obsessed with the new Real Techniques Miracle Mini Eraser Sponges and although these are pretty affordable, I wanted to test out something even cheaper to compare. Primark luckily have many mini versions to choose from including this pack I found with three different sponges in.
Price - The Mini Blender Sponges retail for an inexpensive £2 for three.
Packaging - Again these are simply packaged with the sponges themselves doing all the talking. In this pack you get a pink rounded sponge and two tear drop shaped ones.
Application - I used the orange one damp as this felt the softest, but compared to the Real Techniques one, this didn't feel as soft and bouncy. With the sponge I used my favourite Maybelline Fit Me Concealer to blend out under the eyes, nose and chin and to my surprise this actually gave my concealer a flawless finish.
Overall Thoughts - Despite this not feeling as soft and bouncy on the skin, this did give my concealer a lovely flawless finish just like the brush. I do also like the fact this was a tiny bit smaller than the RT one, so you could get a little closer to the under eye. But to be honest I think if your going to buy one of these smaller sponges I would just go for the Real Techniques version as you do get two for £5.99 and these just work the best because of their overall shape and texture.
I award the PS Mini Blender Sponges 3.5 out of 5
PS 15PK Mascara Wands
PS Mascara Wands
I found these handy pack of mascara wands which have four different types of brushes for volume, curl, definition and length, which I thought would be great if you maybe have a mascara that you want to use up, but unfortunately it wasn't working for you because of the brush.
Price - This 15 pack of wands retails for a super affordable £1.50.
Packaging - Although there is not much to the packaging it does tell you what each brush is best used for on the front. The wands themselves are rubber and come in two different colours and four different shapes as I mentioned above.
Application - I decided to try out the one pictured below as I thought this most resembled one of my most loved high end mascara's from Benefit. I used this with the Rimmel Scandaleyes Reloaded Mascara that I tested out recently.
Upon application I couldn't believe how much of a game changer this wand was and for me this transformed the Rimmel Scandaleyes from an average mascara to a pretty good mascara that lengthened and separated my lashes. The only negative I have is that the bristles are a little longer and because of that it did get a bit messy when using the wand.
Overall Thoughts - These wands are fantastic and such a great thing to have to hand if you do have a mascara you need to use up but your not a fan of the brush initially. I loved the variety of brushes and how affordable they were for £1.50 and I defiantly think these are worth picking up to store in the cupboard for not only mascara but if you need to brush your brows out too.
I award the PS Mascara Wands 4.2 out of 5
PS Makeup Remover Cloth
PS Makeup Remover Cloth
My last beauty product I picked up was this Makeup Remover Cloth that looks remarkably similar to the Makeup Eraser.
Price - This retails for a mega affordable £1.50 compared to the Makeup Eraser that costs a whopping £17!
Packaging - The cloth does come boxed but it doesn't give you much information on how to use, apart from mentioning it removes your makeup with the cloth and water only. The cloth inside comes in pink only and is super soft to the touch. It also has what looks like an exfoliating and softer side just like the original Makeup Eraser.
Application - I actually used this on one side of my face and the makeup eraser on the other to see how they compared which you can watch in the video I linked above. I couldn't believe how well the £1.50 Primark version removed my make-up! I used the softer side to remove all my face make-up and then the slightly more abrasive side to remove my eye make-up, just make sure your using this cloth damp for it to work efficiently.
Overall Thoughts - Overall this cloth impressed me so much considering how cheap it was! This got rid of all my make-up including my eye and brow products which are usually harder to remove at the end of the day. I would say the Makeup Eraser removed my make-up a tiny bit quicker but really I couldn't see much difference between both apart from the major price difference. So if your keen to try out a makeup remover cloth but your not willing to spend the money, then this Primark version is perfect if you need to remove your make-up quickly after a night out or something.
