Bought for £9.99 during Black Friday Deals this year. They are the genuine product that you can get (at a much higher price, may I add) at several shops on the high street. I am happy with the brushes. I've been using this kit every day since I got it and have found a regular job for two of the four brushes, the other two are just sitting in my make up drawer. On all four brushes the bristles are soft and leave no marks when I use them. The bristles bend easily, but they also get back to their original shape easily. I really like how it says the name of each brush on the handle - that makes it easy for me to know what each brush is meant to be used for, especially considering how many different brushes I have in my make-up drawer. Admit it, we've all been there - looking at a brush and thinking: what was it's exact application...?! Well this name on handle thing takes that confusion away, so two thumbs up for that :) Also, each brush has a flat back, so you can prop it up and it'll stay standing (if you've got the space/time/willingness to balance it after every use). I personally don't use this feature of any of the brushes, I just chuck them in the drawer for next time, but thought I might mention it. As you'd expect the main handle gold colour is a nice shimmery shade and the black is super easy to grip, so design wise Real Techniques has done very well. In terms of the black case that comes with the brushes - I'm not so impressed. It gets dirty very quickly and it's near impossible to clean it completely (you cannot put it in the wash). Also the brushes are held in place by a little black elastic: this has already gotten so stretched out of place that it no longer holds the brushes within the case. The only positive that I can think of, in terms of the case, is that it folds in half and there is a toggle that you can use to decide just how open (and hence propped up) you'd like it to be. So, in a way, the case converts into a stand, which is quite unique and original thing with packaging that I've not come across before. There was also a plastic piece that held the brushes in place, but that was thrown in the bin within two days of starting to use the brushes (as it really was a useless piece of plastic there to just make the brushes seem pretty when inside the plastic packaging in the shop). Now, in terms of each individual brush - the contour brush is the most amazing contouring brush I've come across. ITS AN ABSOLUTE GEM!! Quite frankly, IT'S WORTH BUYING THE WHOLE KIT JUST FOR THIS ONE BRUSH. It's that good! I use it exclusively for applying highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones, my nose bridge and the temples. I do not use it for anything else, as I don't want darker colours to get into the bristles. A single motion of up and down and just enough product is placed at just the right place. I cannot praise this brush enough!!! So I use this brush as it's intended to be. The second brush - the buffing brush - I use as an exclusively setting powder brush (despite it being a big large in terms of size). Due to my skin being combination I apply setting powder on my neck, the T-zone (forehead and nose) as well as around the mouth, but never on my cheeks. It's quite a good brush for this I find as it does not pick up too much product, but just enough to make sure your liquid foundation stays on all day. So that is the task I've given this buffing brush (semi-using it as its intended). The third brush - the detailer - is just too small for me and does next to nothing. It's too tiny to use for blemishes and other spots (in terms of concealing), but too big to use as lipstick brush. So I've got no real use for it (thankfully it does not take up too much space). Lastly, the fourth brush - the golden pointed foundation brush - I don't use as it's intended at all! It's meant to be for the application of liquid foundation - but I find that it just soaks up product like crazy, depositing very little on my skin. This can be especially problematic when you use quite an expensive liquid foundation - you don't want to wash half of the product off the brush once you've finished applying your make up. So, although it sounds like a good idea, this brush does not do a good job (for me) and so I've left it to one side. No bristles have fallen off (touch wood) on any of the brushes. All the brushes are light to hold, easy to work with/manoeuvre and fairly precise with product application. All three qualities I look for in a great make up brush. I recommend this kit to others, even at full price, its definitely worth the buy purely because of the CONTOUR BRUSH. As aforementioned, now that I've tried all four brushes, I'd personally pay the full price of this kit just for this one contouring brush - it is that amazing. The other three I could do without and also I've used better version of them in the past. P.S. I've included several pictures for you to see how the brushes came (this kit would make a lovely present) and what it looks like when open (including a close up of the name and head shape of each brush). Enjoy XD