Before you read the following review, please be aware that I have received a replacement set : please click here for some more info
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A long time ago,ย probably maybe 15 years ago,ย I remember my IT teacher talking aboutย computersย and electricity, he told us “it’s not because it fits that it works… ”ย ย that’sย right, but that does not apply to make up brushes, as long as it fits and the results are great, it will perfectly workย ๐ย I may use an eyeshadow brush for highlighting, a highlighting brush for eyeshadow, a concealer brush for the lips or an eyeliner brush for concealer… Some brushes are not made for cream or liquid products but most of them can be used for several purposes and it is just a matter of preference. My brush collection is huge and I don’t need so many brushes but I just cannot resist getting new ones to try !
This is the follow up review to my first post on Rae Morris 26 piece set. I have only been using the brushes for a week, therefore my experience with them is not based on a long term use, if any of my opinions change in the future, I will update this post accordingly. I admit one week is not enough to thoroughly test them all.
In this review, I will address these topics :
- The general experience with the order and their customer service
- The packaging and the 26 piece brush set
- The quality of theย brushes
- The brushes I love
- The brushes I will use from time to time
- The ones I willย probably not use
- Conclusion
1.ย The general experience with the order and their customer service
This set contains 26 brushes. When you start the check out process, it’s a little bit confusing because you may think that the Radiance brush is included in this set, but it’s not.ย I wish their site was a little bit more clear and that the order follow up link worked, the link I received redirected to a page stating that “no order has been found“, but maybe I was the only one with this problem. When I asked them by email if my order had been received they replied “it has certainly been received and currently being processed“…
I entered Wayne’s code at check out and had no idea if that code was validated, but I received the extra palette. The order arrived fast, they just forgot to include the brochure with the details of the brushes.
I have contacted them by email since I was confused about the Radiance and they said they will send one to me… They are also sending me the brochure since they forgot to include it in the set. That is certainly veryย nice !
2. The packaging and the 26 piece brush set
I received a big black case with 26 brushes. Some of the brushes I received are different from the ones that Wayne (gossmakeupartist in Youtube) and Jodi (jodik76 in Youtube) received, the 22 Pro Powder and theย 23 Micro-Fibre foundation. Molly, from Molly’s Maquillage, is even showing a set with a different 25 Foundation/angled contour.
I love white brushes and I have very dry skin, so I was specially looking forward to receiving the older versions of the 22 and 23. I have contacted Rae Morris’ customer service and they replied that these were upgraded to a new version and they could not send me the old 22 and 23. The lip brush seems to be different as well. You really have to watch Jodi’s video, when she shows the lip brush and reads the corresponding description in the brochure, she freezes for a moment… the brush she is showing is clearly the right brush but it’s square instead of rounded as mentioned in the brochure.. amazing moment.. It’s hilarious ! She is adorable and her video is excellentย ย !
The black case is nice, made of heavy cardboard, I just don’t know what to do with it. Since the brushes are magnetic I would have preferred that instead of thisย bigย black case, they send a nice branded metallic plate that we could use either to hang on the wall or to lay flat insideย the desk drawer and that would help to keep the magnetic brushes in place. The fact that they are magnetic just drives me crazy, they are always sticking to each other and I’ll rather prefer if they weren’t.
The plastic mold that holds the brushes inside the blackย case ย is too tight and you have to pull hard to remove the brushes, when I was removing them I think I could feel their pain…
3. The quality of the brushes
Had I not ordered from Rae Morris directly I would have thought they were bad imitations. I hope my set is an unfortunate exception, if it’s not, their quality has to be reviewed.
It depends on the brush butย someย shed a lot and even hurt. Maybe I am rushing my judgment, maybe I have to wait until the loose hairs manage their way out, maybe some other companies tend toย use more theirย specialized comb that removes leftover clippings, which did not fully set…. I don’t know, I just never had this problem before… let’s wait…. They have been washed 3 times.
At the beginning I thought it was residue on the ferrule, but they have scratches and marks and one is flattened. Even after years using my current Mac, Bobbi Brown, etc… they are in pristine condition.
The 23 is flattened, you can see it on the right of the ferrule and you can also see marks, it’s not dust, it’s scraches and looks like the paint finishing on the ferrule is not done properly, maybe it is supposed to look like that but I don’t think so.
This 23 sheds so much, after using it I have to check my face and remove all the hair deposited by the brush, itย shedsย short and long hair, at the beginning Iย did not noticed theย shorter ones, butย when I checked my neck I was covered with them.
On my hand, you can see theย shedding from the 22,ย if I brush my hand with the 22, you can clearly seeย what happensย :
The varnish of this flat shader does not go to the top of the handle :
I will review the rest of the flat shaders together with the Radiance brush as soon as I receive it.
4. The brushes I love
In this collection, these are the brushes I enjoy using regularly :
The 1 deluxe kabuki and the 2 mini kabuki are very nice and pointed.ย A great alternative is the Hakuhodo and the Mac 165, not exactly the same but close, Hakuhodo also makes a small pointed Yachiho. The RM 1 is very dense and picks a lot of product, probably the same density as the Mac 165, just slightly bigger. I will use the RM 1 for blush application and the RM 2 for contour and highlight and since they are white, I love them for cream products.
The RM 7, deluxe precision shader,ย is not as pointed as the one in the brochure picture, the Hakuhodo has even a more pointed tip. It blends very well but I was expecting a more pointed brush.
The RM 8, medium precision shader, is pointed but again, the Sigma is even more pointed. I doย prefer the RM, it is softer and great for the socket.
The RM 12, chiseled smudger, is very nice. Some alternatives below. I preferย a round smudger,ย but this RM is definitely a nice to have.
The RM 10, tapered oval shadow, ย is excellent for the application of the base color but myย holy grailย remains the Bobbi Brown. This Bobbi Brown below and my Bobbi Brownย powder brush are the firstย high endย brushes I ever bought a very long time ago and they are in perfect condition, like new, I cannot say the same about the RM and I have been using them for only 1 week. Again this RM eyeshadow brush sheds, and theย bristles are not shapedย as nicely as Hakuhodos,ย you will not see this finishingย in a Hakuhodo brush, but it is not the same price as well…
The RM 11, medium oval shadow is nice for the eyelid,ย but I think I love my Mac 239 better… I need to see what happens in the future, if I find myself reaching for the RM more than for the Mac.
5. The brushes I will use from time to time
The brow brush on the left is great for brushing facial hair… Unfortunately I have quite a lot of hair near my hairline and even down my jawline… ย I think I will shortly do something about that, but for men with a mustache or a beard, this oneย can be great !
The RM 9, detail precision shader, to meย it does not look like the picture on the site or the brochure, not the same nice pointed tip. I prefer Hakuhodo G5520 which is much better for precision.
The RM 24, all-over powder, sheds as well, I hopeย theย sheddingย will stop soon…. If Chanel 2 and Hakuhodo S100 had a bad rebel baby, this RM 24 would be their baby. I would say the firmness of the bristles is between the Chanel and the S100, but Chanel and Hakuhodo are softer than the RM 24.ย As I tend to have a heavy hand in blush and bronzer application the Chanel is excellent for blending out a heavy application for example, I use it nearly every single day !
The RM 22, Pro Powder brushย is not bad if it does not continue to disintegrate in the shedding process…
I wanted the first release since it was pointier and white (great for cream products that I use a lot). The other 3 brushes pictured below are my favorite brushes for powder and blush, I got the Trish brush when I saw that Deb (debbick1 on Youtube) included it in her favorite brushes. I can understand why ! This Trish 37, the Suqqu face brush and the Hakuhodo K002 are the softest brushes I have ever seen !
6. The brushes I will probably not use
I don’t think I will use these brushes very often, and some even not at all.
I haven’t found what I could use the RM 6 for… yet. Rae’s recommendations are for eyeshadow (finishing) or contouring and shading. If I want to blend my eyeshadow, the two Hakuhodo below are better for that purpose and I reach for them everyday. Then, for highlighting I also prefer the ones at the bottom of the picture. I will continue to investigate on this particular brush, maybe it reveals to be a very nice brush but so far I don’t know.
I will not use the RM 23 at all since it sheds too much.
You can even see where it has been flattened :
The RM 21 is ok, but the Coastal Scents is softer and I like it better for my dry and sensitiveย skin.
I prefer a softer and larger concealer brush, the bristles of the RM 20ย are quite harsh for the skin around my eyes.
The RM 25 is not a brush I will use, but the angled side is great to go into the corners of the nose or applying concealer below the eyes just in the corner. In the brochure the 25 brush pictured is different for this one. It would be ok if they “upgraded” to a better version but the 3 times the brushes are different, I very much preferred the one before, I don’t know and don’t understand why she changed them but I would love to know !
I tried the 25 for foundation application but I prefer a flat top kabuki which makes application faster.
The lip brush is the worst of them all. I cannot use it since it hurts. The center of the bristles is so hard that I thought some metal had been forgotten inside the bristles… then I took a closer look at the ferrule, it is not residue, it is a bad scratch that removed part of the metal (or plastic). This is not goodย quality for me.
The eyeliner RM 14 is nice but Sigma and Hakuhodo are nice alternatives.
The bent eyeliner is too thin and I cannot hold it properly. Also the bristles are too stiff and make the application of the eyeliner difficult for me.
The metal mascara applicator is aย nice option if you are a make up artist and need to apply mascara on different clients. I have tried it with the new Guerlain mascara Noir G which has a thick formula. The result was better than if I used the mascara directly on my lashes. The problem is that I am not very patient and I nearly lost an eye in the process…
The RM 16, angle brow and mascara definer is nice but I already have one like this.
The RM 26, fan highlighter, is too soft and not dense enough, I don’t usually need this kind of brushes in my make up routine. I have the Louise Young fan brush that is better for me, for precise blush or highlighting.
7. Conclusion
Rae Morris states that they are the best in the world and that she has tested each brush, I cannot believe thatย unless I received aย bad set.ย ย If you got a different quality one, please reply to the post or contact me and let me know what you think of it.
Is it worth the price tag ? I don’t know what the quality of the other sets is like, if I refer only to the set I received, it isn’t and I don’t recommend it. I hope she will sell them individually in the short future.
Rae says this Collection is cruelty free and environmentally sustainable, recycled bamboo handles and dye free.
17 comments
Unfortunately, I ordered the set before reading your review and I am also quite unhappy about the quality of the set I received.
Hi Jos, thanks for letting me know, I am contacting them about this quality issue and I will update you as soon as I have news. It’s very sad to see that my set is not an exception… have you received exactly the same brushes pictured in my set ?
Hi! I received the white version of the RM 22, but I also received the rectangular lip brush. I have not washed and used mine yet, but some of them feel scratchier than cheaper alternatives, so I’m disappointed that they are not the luxury brush set I was expecting. The bamboo handles are not finely sanded and the varnish is sloppy which makes me worry that it will rot with repeated washings. I will contact them as well regarding the quality.
I’m absolutely shocked about your bad experiences with those brushes. I’ve been thinking about buying them for MONTHS now and today I was close to ordering and stumbled upon your great detailed review. Did RM get back on you about the bad quality? I mean: you can actually tell by looking at your pictures that yours are not on the same level as Wayne Goss’s and I think that’s outrageous!
Hi Caroline !
You are right, you can tell that they are not the same quality already in the pictures !
It’s also not clear that the Radiance brush is not included.
They did send me a free Radiance brush to compensate for the confusing web site and they told me that the brushes Wayne and Jody received are the older versions, and the ones I received are the newer versions, therefore they did not had the older ones anymore in stock. But today I see that the older pictures are still showing in the Rae Morris website… how is this possible ? Did they come back to the older versions today ???
I am still in contact with Rae Morris and have contacted them again today, I will get more details soon and will come back to you and let you know.
I also wanted to try the brushes more in depth to see how they performed with time but honestly I don’t even reach for them. I use the Radiance every day but the others I don’t bother. I will follow up my experience with Rae Morris and will let you know what is happening with them ๐
Simply unbelievable… This will probably sound super childish but I’d really like to know what Wayne would say about the brush versions you got. Imagine him reviewing those… Sorry, but I think it’s close to fraud not to correct what’s going on from RM’s side. Just think about how many people ordered based on Wayne’s review an got what you got. And this is clearly not about bristle colour or anything like that. By the way: I’m a big fan of Bobbi brown’s brushes to. I’ve had them for more than ten years and they look like new. Not a scratch or lost hair. Seems like they won’t be replaced any time soon. Thanks again for your great work and persistence in this matter. Please keep me posted!
Hi Caroline, I will keep you posted asap. Thanks for reminding me with your comment that I had this topic still pending and also thanks so much for your visit !
wow…I am shocked!!! I am a starting pro makeup artict and Iยดm looking for brushes for my kit… I wanted these sooooo badly but now, after your review…..not so sure…please let us know about the progres( sorry for my english, not my language:))))))
Hi Kat ! I will contact Wayne because I know already that Jody got a nice brush set but he seems happy about the quality, so maybe only some sets are having problems with quality standards… I also know I am not the only one that is disappointed, this is really confusing for those who are interested in the full 26 pieces set !!!
I will try to keep you informed asap and thanks so much for stopping by <3
I wish you all the best and also have fun building your kit ๐ it must be really exciting !
Hi Sonia- uploading my review after all this time too now that the brushes are being sold individually- I”m wondering if they’re upping the quality. I had some of the same issues, but realized quite late that my book showed the ‘new’#22 powder brush and would really like to give that a try… Not great wtih all the inconsistency they’ve had starting up… Off to look for your review of the Radiance Brush- I haven’t use it nearly enough!!
Hi Jodi, I am still waiting for my replacement set… I hope I will receive it soon so that I can tell you a little bit more about the “upgraded” quality. Looking forward to watching your review !
Hi! I was looking to order the #1 kabuki separately. Would you recommend it for blush/bronzer or go for a Hakuhodo brush? Most of my collection is Hakuhodo and I was looking at the yachiyo, but with Wayne’s new video I got interested in this particular brush. Is it worth it or do you have another recommendation? Also, I can’t seem to find what hair/s these brushes are made of? Thanks so much for your awesome reviews!
Hi Duchess, thank you so much ๐
I am afraid at this moment I would recommend the Hakuhodo Yachiyo, but, it seems like I did not receive a nicely finished Rae set so it’s a bit difficult to make comparisons knowing that. They said they would send me a new one to replace it but no news yet. I can still give you my opinion on this brush but please keep in mind that maybe my set has discrepancies ๐
The Rae #1 is much firmer and denser, depending on the products you’ll use, this might be more or less a good thing, it’s a nice multipurpose brush, to me it’s good for blending the bronzer, blush or contour harsh lines for example and that’s how I use it, it’s also more pointy and precise.
Unfortunately it’s also less soft than the Hakuhodo, actually, Mac 168 is also much softer in comparison.
When I look closer to the hair of this #1, 3 or 4 black hair have been left in there and it still sheds a bit, the bristles look like goat hair, to me, not the best quality, but again… maybe it’s my set ??? !!!
The Hakuhodo also shedded a little bit (less than the Rae), it feels fragile but I had it for a long time and it’s still looking new.
Most of Rae brushes are made of grey squirrel hair as you can read in this blog :
http://saramay.com.au/makeup-brushes/my-experience-rae-morris-brush-collection but other than that, no further information on Rae’s booklet that came with the set…
Sorry I cannot be of more help, I am really looking forward to receive the new set and check out the “normal” quality and finish of these Rae…
I will update you when this happens… ๐
Wow, I am so glad I found this review.
Hi ๐ tomorrow I will pick up the set Rae Morris sent me to replace mine, since apparently the one I received has some quality leaks. I will let you know what the new set is like.
Unlucky me. I just read this and I already got the 26-pc set with radiance brush. I’ll try to wash them first before I use it and compare with what you’ve got. I’m hoping mine was part of the first batch or the upgraded quality.
Hi Paige, first of all, I really hope you get the Radiance with your set, I didn’t, I had to ask and they kindly sent it to me. The Radiance is a must-have so make sure you get it ๐
I hope you get the first release set (the set with the white 22) because it’s so much better, I am really really loving the white 22 and 23 (not the 23 shown on this post! they are two totally different brushes) , please refer to my recent post where I compare both sets…
Let me know when you receive it and what you think of it !
Wishing you all the best ๐