Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

UPDATE 11/2014: I took a star off my review. I felt I needed to because it seems this product has changed, and not for the better. I've repurchased 3 times since my original review, and this most recent time, about a month ago, I noticed differences. First, and most obvious, was the print on one side of the brush; it used to say "Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman." It now says "Real Techniques by Sam & Nic Chapman." I thought nothing of this until I noticed a second, very important difference- this brush hurts! When I stipple my foundation on, the bristles feel spiky and sharp, enough to make my eyes water a bit. I am still using it (part-time - I use a beautyblender, too) because it still applies foundation beautifully, but I'm disappointed in the apparent quality changes. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I absolutely love this brush! But I have to say, the reviews are surprising to me. This is a Stippling brush, NOT a buffing brush. If you want to use a brush and 'buff' in your foundation, there is a Buffing brush in the Core Collection. As far as stippling (picking up a small amount of foundation with just the very tips of the white fibers and gently bouncing the brush over your skin repeatedly until the 'dots' overlap to form even, 'airbrushed' or 'pixelated' coverage) goes, this brush is wonderful. Yes, it's smaller than say a MAC 187 or the ELF stippling brush, but I find that's helpful in terms of reaching areas on my face such as the sides of my nose or under my eyes that a larger brush is too big for. The compact size and shorter bristles also make a less 'floppy' brush, with better resistance. I don't find that it takes a long time to do my whole face. I've used this brush with Revlon Colorstay and Estee Lauder Double Wear and it works beautifully with both. Both these foundations dry quickly so I work one section at a time, layering until I reach the desired coverage. I'm able to achieve the same level of coverage as I could using my hands, but with an airbrushed, beautiful finish that doesn't look like I'm wearing heavy foundation. I also haven't noticed any shedding. I really love this brush and look forward to trying some of the other brushes/collections.