What we think
Makeup brushes are where the price-to-performance gap is widest in beauty. A $60 prestige brush and a $10 Real Techniques brush apply foundation about equally well; the difference shows in the handle, the branding and the box.
Where a cheap brush usually fails is durability — shedding, splaying, and losing shape after a few washes. Real Techniques' synthetic bristles hold up remarkably well, and that is the whole argument.
The range
Base brushes are the strength. The Expert Face Brush and the Miracle Complexion Sponge are the two products most people find the brand through, and the brush in particular is genuinely excellent.
Eye brushes are good and unremarkable. They do the job; nothing stands out.
The sponges are the weak point. They work, but they degrade faster than the brushes and faster than the market leader, and they need replacing every few months.
Durability
This is the axis that matters and where the score comes from. Washed weekly, these brushes keep their shape for years. Shedding is minimal even after repeated deep cleans — the failure mode that ruins most budget brushes.
Sustainability
Fully synthetic, so vegan and cruelty-free by construction rather than by policy. Packaging is largely plastic.
Who it is for
Anyone building a kit. There is very little reason to spend more unless you specifically want natural bristles for powder.
