Beauty Basics: MAC Eye Brushes

Considering investing in brushes for your eyeshadows? Trying to figure out which brushes you need? Look no further — here’s our guide to MAC Eye Brushes! Plus, seasoned MAC Artists weigh in with their must-haves!

MAC Eye Brushes — Our Reviews

• 204 Lash Brush
• 205 Mascara Fan Brush
• 208 Angled Brow Brush
• 209 Eye Liner Brush
• 210 Precise Eye Liner Brush
• 212 Flat Definer Brush
• 213 Fluff Brush
• 214 Short Shader Brush
• 217 Blending Brush
• 219 Pencil Brush
• 222 Tapered Blending Brush
• 224 Tapered Blending Brush
• 225 Large Tapered Blending Brush
• 226 Small Tapered Blending Brush
• 227 Large Fluff Brush
• 228 Mini Shader Brush
• 231 Small Shader Brush
• 239 Eye Shading Brush
• 242 Shader Brush
• 249 Large Shader Brush
• 252 Large Shader Brush
• 263 Small Angle Brush
• 266 Small Angle Brush
• 272 Small Angled Shading Brush
• 275 Medium Angled Shading Brush

Temptalia’s Recommendations

• 5 Basics to Begin With: 217, 219, 226 (if unavailable, 222/224), 231, 239
• 5 More to Add Down the Road: 205, 208, 249, 266, 272
• 5 Great Multi-taskers: 208, 217, 231, 239, 249
• Best for Highlighting:  217, 272
• Best for Blending:  217, 224, 231, 239, 272
• Best for Crease:  219, 222, 224, 226
• Best for Eyeshadow Application:  231, 239, 242

What the PROS Say

MAC Senior Artist Luc Bouchard loves the 222, he says, “I love this brush because I can define and diffuse the crease in a second! I also use it to apply and blend concealer – it allows me to apply a perfectly blended sheer coat.”

MAC Senior Artist Keri Blair must have the 224, because it is “hands down this brush is great for blending, blending and blending… It’s been an extension of my right hand for over 13 years. The tip of the brush picks up the color and all the tapered hairs help to move the product out and across the eye.”

Share your favorites with fellow Temptalia readers, just copy and paste the form below and write-in your own answers…

5 Basics to Begin With:
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Beauty Basics: MAC Eye Brushes

Beauty Basics is a series covering basic products and tools that help to make applying your makeup easier. To view the entire series to date, be sure to visit the beauty basics, or you can view posts within the series about MAC Eye Brushes.

Focus On: MAC 275 Medium Angled Shading Brush

MAC 275 Medium Angled Shading Brush ($24.50) is medium-sized angled brush with lots of fluffiness. I like this brush for applying concealer around the nose and eyes, and actually do find it can be used to contour small areas like the nose, too. I don’t contour my nose often, if ever, because I guess I’m fairly satisfied with its appearance (it’s a nose — it’s like the foot of the face to me, it’s just there and eh!), but it works better than the 168, which is far too large for the nose area. This also works well to apply highlighter above the cupid’s bow of your lips – just one swipe and voila!

How do you like to use this brush?

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Beauty Basics: MAC Eye Brushes

Beauty Basics is a series covering basic products and tools that help to make applying your makeup easier. To view the entire series to date, be sure to visit the beauty basics, or you can view posts within the series about MAC Eye Brushes.

Focus On: MAC 272 Small Angled Shading Brush

MAC 272 Small Angled Shading Brush ($21.50) is small, angled brush with lots of fluffiness. It’s made out of goat hair, so it is just a little softer than some of the synthetic-bristled brushes, though I’ve found softness to never be an issue with full-sized MAC brushes (they’re all soft!). I find that this brush works in many of the same ways that the 217 does, just that this has a more angled edge to it. It can be used for cream or powder products, depending on your preference, and it should do well with either. For me, it works well to blend out harsh edges in the crease, but I actually prefer it for applying a highlight color on the inner tearduct. It just fits into that little nook with such ease and makes application a dream. The 272 is subtler and blends softly and surely, whereas the 217 can overblend if you’re not careful. If you’ve had that experience, the 272 might be a better match for your style.

How do you like to use this brush?

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Beauty Basics: MAC Eye Brushes

Beauty Basics is a series covering basic products and tools that help to make applying your makeup easier. To view the entire series to date, be sure to visit the beauty basics, or you can view posts within the series about MAC Eye Brushes.

Focus On: MAC 266 Small Angle Brush

MAC 266 Small Angle Brush ($19.50) is a small-to-medium-sized angled brush that’s flat and fairly firm. Depending on your preferences, the 266 can be your go-to brush for lining your upper lash line or for filling in sparse brows. For me, it tends to be the latter. I adore the 266 for filling in my brows, because it is just the right thickness to allow me to use it from the beginning to the tail of my brow without it being too much or too little. I personally find the 266 to be too thick for lining my upper lash line, and as someone who isn’t an expert at lining the upper lash line, a bit unforgiving as a result. I prefer the 208, so I can start off with a thinner line and work my way up as I make mistakes — with the 266 I have no room to smooth out the line before the liner is way too thick. However, for those who are experts at lining, the 266 is all about you! You can get a medium-thick line quick as you please.

How do you like to use this brush?

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Beauty Basics: MAC Eye Brushes

Beauty Basics is a series covering basic products and tools that help to make applying your makeup easier. To view the entire series to date, be sure to visit the beauty basics, or you can view posts within the series about MAC Eye Brushes.

Focus On: MAC 263 Small Angle Brush

MAC 263 Small Angle Brush ($20.00) is a small, angled brush that’s flat and fairly firm. It’s thinner and smaller than the 266, but it is larger than the 208. I only recently purchased this brush to round out my brushes collection, but I’ve found it to be a happy medium between the 208 and 266. It works well for both filling in brows, lining the eyes, or creating sharp shapes for more creative looks. If you find the 208 to be too small or the 266 to be too large, this is worth taking a look at to see if it can be your happy medium, too! For ultra thin lash lining, I do still recommend the 208, but for those who want a medium line in thickness, this will do it for you.

How do you like to use this brush?

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Beauty Basics: MAC Eye Brushes

Beauty Basics is a series covering basic products and tools that help to make applying your makeup easier. To view the entire series to date, be sure to visit the beauty basics, or you can view posts within the series about MAC Eye Brushes.

Focus On: MAC 252 Large Shader Brush

MAC 252 Large Shader Brush ($29.00) is a flat brush with rounded edges and some fluffiness. It is a fairly densely bristled brush, and the synthetic fibers make it ideal for usage with more emollient products like creams and liquids. It is a larger version of the 242, so it may not be necessary in everyone’s brush tool box. I personally used this more often in the beginning, before I had the 242 or 249, and now, I find myself reaching for it a lot less. It is still a great brush, and if you have larger lids, this may be more your style than the smaller 242. The 252 can be used also for applying eyeshadow, both for packing on color as well as for placement of color into the crease (just use the edge).

How do you like to use this brush?

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