What Are the Top 17 Best Mac Makeup Brushes USA UK 2023

Last updated: Jan 25, 2023 at 06:50 am

Best Mac Makeup Brushes: Hi! Today I will show you my MAC makeup brushes collection. I might have got a minimal makeup collection, however, my brush collection is kind of huge, compared to that. I like to use mac brushes for applying makeup, and I just love brushes as they are. 

In my very first post (How to Apply Makeup Step by Step Like a Professional), I mentioned, beauty is for me a form of art, which I enjoy. I think those makeup brushes are something that connects beauty and art. They remind me of the artistic side of makeup. So while other people are searching for brushes with multiple functions, I own several brushes for one makeup product.

My brushes are from two different brands. I always like to unify things. I don’t know why. Maybe because of simplicity or aesthetics. I would have preferred to have all my beauty products from one brand. skincare, makeup, nail polishes, and even tools. I tried that with Clarins, and I almost achieved it, but in the end not. Then I try to have all skincare from Clarins, but even that didn’t work. Then I tried to have all makeup from Bobbi Brown, and that didn’t work either. 

So I think I can never fulfill that wish. Concerning brushes, initially, I wanted to get everything from MAC, but I somehow ended up with two brands, MAC and Bobbi Brown. So today I will show you my MAC makeup brushes. and in my another post, I will show you my Bobbi Brown brush collection. Since 2018 MAC replaced all their animal hair brushes with synthetic hair ones. I tried some of them, but I didn’t like them. 

Especially for powders, they didn’t perform as well as the natural hair ones. So since then, I have had to buy my brushes second-hand. In the meanwhile, I think, I have got a pretty good idea to distinguish the authentic brushes from the fakes, but it’s still possible that some of my brushes are not authentic. And some of the brushes, I even own multiple, which means I have two or three same brushes. But in this post, I will show you just one each. So let’s get into it.

What Should I Consider When Buying the Best Mac Makeup Brushes – There Are a Few Things to Keep in Mind.

Quality

Some makeup brushes can be a little bit pricy, but they will be a good quality product most of the time. especially,  Price or hype is not an indicator of brush quality.

Don’t be deceived by gimmicks (mermaid brushes?) or hype from “influencers” offering discount codes/affiliate links if you’re a pro. You’re buying for your gear, therefore you want it to be of high quality and operate well. And don’t be fooled by prices.

Consider the brush’s durability and the softness of the bristles against your skin, since both will affect how long the brush lasts and the quality of your makeup application. The best makeup brushes should have a soft touch but enough texture to adequately blend powder and ingredients.

Synthetic vs. Natural

Although having a fluffy makeup brush made from the finest animal hair or fur may seem luxurious, it is not the most sustainable or cruelty-free alternative. Synthetic brushes have gone a long way, and there are many eco-friendly and budget-friendly options to consider. Also, find out if a company uses animal testing. Cruelty-free is the way to go if you want to be compassionate to animals while also being hypoallergenic (seems like a win-win!).

Application

All brushes are not created equal. Brushes, in fact, are usually designed for very specific purposes, and it’s critical to utilize them as intended. Cosmetics expert Tamekia Greer of Tamgee Artistry Studio recommends starting with a foundation brush, powder brush, and blush brush if you’re new to the world of makeup and aren’t sure where to begin. A flat brow brush and a crease brow brush are also useful to have on hand.

So those are all my MAC brushes without those multiple ones. And they are all freshly washed. Those numbers with 100 are face brushes. I will start with them.

Let’s see all my best MAC makeup brushes one by one in detail.

1. MAC 150 Brush Large powder Brush

So the first one is 150 large powder brushes. This is made out of goat hair. Goat hair makeup brushes are very popular in the animal hair makeup brushes category. This one has a big round shape. It is suitable for both loose and compacted powder. But on the face, it feels a little bit itchy.

Is goat hair good for makeup brushes?

Goat hair is soft, resilient, and long-lasting, making it excellent for all skill levels. Brushes produced from this hair pick up a modest amount of product, resulting in excellent color payoff and blending. It’s multi-functional and can be utilized in brushes for all different types of makeup application styles.

2. MAC 129 Powder/Blush Brush

And the next one is 129 powder or blush brushes. This is also made out of goat hair. I use this for powder blush, but at the moment, as you know, I have only cream blush. But I use it for Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick. You can apply blush correctly to a round face in a more controlled way.

3. MAC 168 Large Angled Contour Brush

The next one is a 168 large angled contour brush. This is made out of white goat hair. This is the softest and fluffy brush I own. But I don’t contour my face, so I use it for dusting my illuminating powder all over my face. This is somehow dense and fluffy at the same time. I really love to use it for illuminating powder, because there is small glitter, which you don’t see much. With this one, I can pick up quite a lot of glitter at once. So I like to use this. There are different types of glitter available in the market, we will talk about this in the other post.

4. MAC 130 Short Duo Fiber Brush

The 4th one is 130 short duo-fiber brushes. This is a blend of goat hair and synthetic hair. Black hairs are goat hair, and white hairs on top are synthetic hair. This is a stippling brush for foundation makeup. A stippling brush is useful for applying foundation, blush, bronzer, powder, and highlighters. It’s also great for applying liquid and cream products.

Because of its synthetic on top, it’s ideal for cream products. I use this for my cream blush. If you can see from the top, you will notice black goat hair works like a spacer between those white synthetic hair. So what it does is, make this white synthetic hair not very dense. Because for cream blush, I often end up with too much on the cheeks. So with this, I can really control the amount.

5. MAC 195 Concealer Brush

This 195 Concealer Brush is made with synthetic hair. This one has got a nice pointy shape, where you can go on the side of your nose or corner of your eyes. But this one you can really feel this is synthetic. It has an almost plasticky feeling. 

So I somehow don’t use it very often. And you also have to wash it every time, because the cream product is just sticking between the bristles, you can’t really use it the second time. 

6. MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush

So next brushes are with numbering 200. They are eye brushes. So the first one is this 224. This is a tapered blending brush out of goat hair. This one is really fluffy, not dense brush. It’s ideal for a sheer application. I use it for applying brown shade all over my eyelid.

7. MAC 275 Medium Angled Shading Brush

And the next one is 275. It’s called medium angled shading brush. This is made out of pony hair. This was my very first MAC brush. I bought it also for applying brown shade all over my eyelid. This one is quite dense.

Are pony hair brushes good?

Pony hair brushes are soft, but surprisingly strong and long-lasting, and offer good ‘all-round’ performance. It’s a popular brush material, similar to hog bristle because it lasts so long. Pony hair has an almost cylindrical shape. It holds most paint media well because it is a natural fabric.

8. MAC 217 Blending Brush

217 blending brushes are made out of white goat hair. I use this for applying my glitter shadow. The smoothness of the hairs on this brush is one of my favorites. It’s wonderful to blend the shadow into the liner and apply it to the upper lid and closer to the eye. I would recommend this brush to anyone looking for a professional brush for their at-home eye makeup routine.

9. MAC 221 Mini Tapered Blending Brush

MAC 221 mini tapered blending brush is my next awesome product. This is also made out of white goat hair. This one is longer and not very dense. You can use it for a more controlled sheer application. I use this for highlighting my brow bone. MAC 221 mini tapered blending brush has a round shape and is very soft.

10. MAC 242 Shader Brush

This is a blend of synthetic hair and pony hair. I actually bought this shader brush for applying concealer for dark circles, because I was not very happy with that concealer brush, but that was only the concealer brush, which MAC had at that time. So I just picked up this. Because this is a blend of synthetic and natural hair, it’s also good for cream products. Actually, for powder products, it doesn’t work very well. Because it doesn’t pick up much product. But for concealers, it’s very useful.

11. MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush

This 239 eye shader brush is also from white goat hair. This can pick up makeup powder products very well. I use this to apply colorful shade near my upper lash line. This is flat from the side, and the top is more or less squared, and a little bit rounded. 

12. MAC 219 Pencil Brush

And the next one is 219 pencil brushes also from white goat hair. This is what I use to apply eyeshadow on my lower lash line. It’s a soft, firm (but not stiff) brush with densely packed bristles. I can get a lot of colors and have the majority of it deposit where I’m applying it. It’s also great for blending colors on the lower lash line or smudging out colors for a smokier look. The mac brush is very nice with a small pointed shape. 

13. MAC 228 Mini Shader Brush

Next up I have the  228 mini shader brush. This is out of pony hair. This is basically a small mini version of the shader brush. Maybe this is more round than square. Very flat and very small. I use this to apply dark grey or dark violet color directly above my lash line. 

What is lash line enhancement?

Lashline enhancement is an increasingly popular permanent eyeliner beauty treatment. Create a delicate light black or brown line across the top lashes using this technique. To achieve the illusion of fuller and darker lashes, pigment is inserted between the lashes.

What is the difference between lash line enhancement vs eyeliner?

A lash line enhancement is a thin line that stays at the base of your lashes and creates the appearance of a fuller lash line. When your eye is closed, the eyeliner is barely visible, as it is with a typical cosmetic eyeliner. This technique won’t completely replace the look of a fuller eyeliner, but it will give you just enough at the base of your lashes to make you forget you’re using eyeliner. Though the final results are subtle, they are equally as long-lasting as a regular eyeliner.

14. MAC 208 Angled Brow Brush

This 208 angled brow brush is also a blend of synthetic and natural hair. This is an ideal brush to fill in your eyebrow with eye shadow. It can go nicely with the curve of your brow shape. But do you know what? It’s also very good for eyeliner. Because you can draw the very thin precise line with this. 

15. MAC 210 Precise Eye Liner Brush

And the next one is actually an eyeliner brush. This is 210. It’s called a precise eyeliner brush. This is a synthetic one. This is a very thin brush. You can apply liquid or gel eyeliner with this. You can apply a very thin line with this. 

16. MAC 204 Lash Brush

At number 16, I have 204 lash brushes. This is also synthetic. This is actually just a spoolie brush. Some people might say spoolie, you can also get elsewhere. You don’t need to buy this from MAC. But I have had this one for almost 10 years, and after wash, it looks still like new. So if you get this one, you just need to get it once in your lifetime. I don’t use this for lash, more for blending my shadow on my eyebrow combing through my eyebrows. In the beginning, I thought, it’s a little bit scratchy for my eyebrow area, but if you don’t press hard, it’s okay. I can’t live without this brush. 

17. 316 Lip Brush

And my last brush is a lip brush. So this number starting with 300, they are for lips. I think they have just two different kinds of lip brushes. This one is number 316. This one you can close. So when you take it somewhere, it’s not getting messy. It’s not only good for lipsticks but also eyeliner, as you can imagine. This has such a thin edge if you see it from the side. And this is also synthetic, so you can apply eyeliner without any problem. I tried it. 

So that was all my MAC brushes. I hope that was interesting for you guys. And please stay tuned for another post with my Bobbi Brown brushes. So thanks a lot for reading the post patiently!

MAKEUP BRUSH CONSTRUCTION

A guide to makeup brushes construction, including the parts of a brush. Handle, ferrule, and bristles are the three parts of a makeup brush.

• THE BRUSH BRISTLES

These are the brush “hairs” (natural or synthetic). The Toe refers to the bristle tips, whereas the Heel refers to the base.

The toe can take one of two forms:

1. The naturally tapered tips of the bristles are gathered and arranged to create a shape (best quality).
2. Gathered tips are cut/sheared to create the shape.

The bristles are tied at the heel and the very base of the bristles are soaked in glue to keep them together once they’ve been given their desired form. The bristles are fastened (glued) into the Ferrule once the glue has set (I’ll explain what a ferrule is in a minute).

• Ferrule

The ferrule, which is occasionally squeezed flat, keeps the bristles in place. The ferrule is usually metal, such as nickel-plated brass or aluminum. The ferrule can also be plastic. 

To keep the ferrule firm, the bottom is bonded to the handle.

• Handle

Solid materials, such as wood (varnished or painted), resin, or plastic, are used to make handles.

Brush handles can also be made from recycled or sustainable materials (such as bamboo). They are becoming more widely available and popular as a result of their lower environmental impact.

Is MAC makeup brushes good?

Yes, MAC makeup brushes are good. They are very strong and Most women,  love these foundation brushes. They are large enough to hold a substantial amount of product while still allowing you to be precise with the application. They never lose bristles, either.

What is the best makeup brushes brand for beginners?

How do I choose makeup brushes?

The bristles should be soft rather than rough or scratchy. To test the bristle strength, rub the brush against your hand and see if any fibers fall out. If they do, do not purchase it. It’s a keeper if the bristles remain intact and feel soft.

Where should I keep my makeup brushes?

Keeping them separate will keep your eyeliner brush from becoming entangled in the bristles of your fluffy powder brushes. To keep your brushes in good condition, keep them upright in jars or a brush holder.

Can I use shampoo to clean makeup brushes?

Makeup brushes need to be cleaned regularly otherwise they can harbor dirt and oil which gets transferred onto your skin. To effectively clean makeup brushes, use household products such as dishwashing liquid or shampoo.