Makeup Brush Comparison: So Eco vs Real Techniques

I was sent some brushes by MakeupBrushes.co.uk to review and compare to some of the other brushes out there to see how they stand up. They were kind enough to send me the So Eco Eye Brush Kit* (£12.50) and a Real Techniques Bold Metals Angled Liner brush* (£9.00).

The So Eco Angled Eye Liner Brush (£5.00) is designed to give a defined look. This brush came as part of the Eye Brush Kit and I wanted to compare this to some of the Real Techniques brushes. The brush is made with a tapered handle to make applying your eyeliner even easier. So Eco brushes are made with the environment in mind, as they are 100% eco-friendly which come from ethically sourced and sustainable materials.

I chose the Bold Metals brush because I own a few others and was intrigued to see how it would perform as a small detailed brush as most of my other ones by them are face brushes. I'm personally not a fan of the handle of the Real Techniques one. Although its weighted to try and make it easier to apply, I find the extra weight does the opposite and especially when applying eyeliner is so precise, it makes me want to put it down and use another one. I much prefer the So Eco's design: it's simple, light and easy to use as you don't need to complicate something when a lot of people struggle with eyeliner.

The good thing about the Bold Metals brush is how narrow the brush head is which makes it easy to create a defined look. It's very easy to handle which is what you'd want when doing a detailed part of your makeup. The So Eco one has a slightly larger brush head, so if you aren't used to doing eyeliner, it would make it much easier to get the winged look with just one brush stroke. This would be ideal for a beginner doing eyeliner, which is also reflected in the price, being only £5 it's quite affordable.

I've included my other Real Techniques angled liner brush in this photo (please excuse the dent, it didn't take too kindly to being thrown around by the baggage handlers at the airport). As you can see it's a mix of the other two brushes, so it's like the design of the So Eco brush but a bit smaller. It just shows that liner brushes come in a variety of different sizes. I use the bottom brush in the picture above for powdering my eyebrows as it's the perfect size for filling them in. For eyeliner, I tend to mix up which brushes I use depending on the look I'm going for. Either of the brushes I reviewed today would work really well with gel eyeliner.

This is the complete So Eco Eye Brush Kit and I wanted to talk about how useful it will be. The set comes with a concealer brush, eye shading brush, angled eye liner, lash & brow comb and a spoolie. As you can see, they all come in a nice little travel wrap with their own little slot so they will stay safe when going away with you. It means you could have all of the brushes you need in one place. 

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Real Techniques Sculpting Set Review

I would go so far to say I adore makeup brushes. As much as I love new makeup releases, there is something about new brushes that make me so excited. I love the different colours, shapes, sizes and how they can change your whole makeup application. The sculpting set is one of those game changers in makeup and the fan brush made me intrigued to see how it could change my highlighting game.

I was lucky enough to see the Superdrug offer on last month which brought this set down from £20.99 to £13.99 and picked it up as soon as I saw it. I already have a lot of RT brushes - the Core Collection, the Starter Set, the individual setting brush (before another was put into this pack), Nic's Picks, blush brush and the 300 Tapered Brush from the Bold Metals collection. Don't get me wrong, I do own brushes from both Nanshy and Makeup Revolution too and love them equally as much, but there is something about Real Techniques that makes them shine.

This set contains an individual setting brush to set makeup and complete your look, a fan brush to sweep on powder (I use it for highlighters) and a sculpting brush for a more 'defined contours'. I already have a contouring brush from Nic's Picks but think since this has the added angle to it, the Sculpting Brush is worth the money I spent anyway, with the other two brushes seeming more like a bonus.

Aside from the amazing quality of the Real Technique's brushes, they aren't half pretty! I love the shiny pink in comparison to some of the more matte orange and purple brushes from the starter and core kits. I don't have any fallout of bristles, they was really, really well and they are soft on the skin. For a girl with sensitive skin I welcome soft brushes with open arms. In the future I'd love to get my hands on the 201 Pointed Crease Brush as I think it would be a dream to work with for creating amazing eyeshadow looks. 

Overall, I love these brushes just as much as my others. The Sculpting Brush gets more use over the others since I contour every time I apply my makeup as I have a circular shaped face so giving myself some cheekbones makes me feel more confident. 

Do you own any Real Techniques brushes?

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