MAC 137, 221, 267 Brushes Reviews & Photos
MAC 137 Long Blending Brush
MAC 137 Long Blending Brush ($42.00) is a long, tapered cheek/face brush made out of natural fibers. It’s supposed to be used for a “light dusting of any powder.” The brush head is 22mm in width, 22mm in thickness, and 49mm in length. It had a total length of 7.4 inches / 18.7 centimeters and an open, metal ferrule. This brush was manufactured in Japan. The brush has a really light, feathery feel and is perfect for dusting highlighters onto cheek bones, down the bridge of the nose, or applying a finishing powder all over with more control than a fan brush would give you. What I was most surprised by was how soft the brush is, because a lot of MAC’s recent brushes have been rougher in feel, and many of their cheek and face brushes (even from before) aren’t that soft, but this is one of the softest MAC brushes I’ve come across that has natural fibers. This is very comparable to Wayne Goss Brush 14 ($33) as far as length and purpose go, though MAC’s is significantly more tapered, longer by 8mm, a little less soft, and a bit denser (though not a dense brush by any means).
MAC 221 Mini Tapered Blending Brush ($24.00) is a small, lightly tapered crease brush made out of natural fibers. The brush head is 6.5mm in width, 6.5mm in thickness, and 16.5mm in length. It had a total length of 6.5 inches / 16.6 centimeters with an open, metal ferrule. It is also made in Japan. There’s a slight taper that comes to a rounded point, so it doesn’t create too harsh of placement into the crease, but it does give you precise placement. I liked it best for initially placing richer color into the deep crease and then using a fluffier brush to blend it out. It’s soft and never felt scratchy or poky no matter the direction or pressure I used. It is similar to Hakuhodo J5529 ($16) and Wayne Goss Brush 05 ($25).
MAC 267 Curved Angle Brush ($24.00) is a synthetic brush designed to be used with your eyeliner (like gels and creams, though MAC also suggests powder) with a curved edge that is supposed to fit the natural curve of the eye. The brush head is 11.5mm in width, 2.5mm in thickness, and 11.5mm in length. It had a total length of 6.25 inches / 15.9 centimeters with a pinched, metal ferrule. It was made in China. I found this brush to be scratchy and rough against the skin, which made it painful to drag across to apply gel eyeliner on the skin. It somewhat fits the curve of the eye, but I think it is going to depend on the size of your eye and how curved your lid/area is, as it seemed oversized for my eye shape/size. I don’t recall having a brush quite like this, so it seems to be more unique.
137 Long Blending Brush
PPermanent. $42.00.
MAC 137, 221, 267 Brushes Reviews & Photos
267 Curved Angle Brush
PPermanent. $24.00.
See more photos!
MAC 137 Long Blending Brush
MAC 137 Long Blending Brush
MAC 137 Long Blending Brush
MAC 137 Long Blending Brush
MAC 137 Long Blending Brush
MAC 137 Long Blending Brush
MAC 221 Mini Tapered Blending Brush
MAC 221 Mini Tapered Blending Brush
MAC 221 Mini Tapered Blending Brush
MAC 221 Mini Tapered Blending Brush
MAC 221 Mini Tapered Blending Brush
MAC 267 Curved Angle Brush
MAC 267 Curved Angle Brush
MAC 267 Curved Angle Brush
MAC 267 Curved Angle Brush
MAC 267 Curved Angle Brush
MAC 267 Curved Angle Brush
I have been enjoying my 221 brush too, it’s so soft and precise, love that!
Yay!
I like that #137. I really don’t ” need’ it though. It would be the one I would see myself using the most. Maybe,someday. I almost bough the #267 when it came out with the Wash and Dry fluidlines. I am glad I didn’t now. Scratchy on my eyes does not sound pleasant. I’m not sure on the other (#221). I have a Wayne Goss that looks close which I do use occasionally basically for outer v and sometime crease placement. It gets little use though.
Lol..I just noticed you mentioned the WG 05 similarity in your review. That’s the one I was referring to in my first comment. Apologies. Sorry for the second comment as well.:)
The 137 is really nice – that one seemed to be the most useful!
Even more so for highlighter lovers:)!
The 137 looks really soft and inviting. I like the design of it too: it looks like it could give you more control than a regular powder brush.
I could see that!
I’m interested in the 137. Too bad I just placed a MAC order this morning, so it’ll be awhile before I order again. I’ve been put off by MAC brushes, but your description makes it sound promising.
Most of the recent ones have been disappointing, but the 137 and 221 were good and even more impressive than most of their line as far as feel goes.
I’m in search for a good crease brush and 221 looks promising! What would you recommend between the 221, the mac 224 and the OCC tapered blending?
I think I’d prefer one on the smaller side in terms of thickness.
What are you trying to do with the crease brush, A? Is it more to lay down color precisely or is it more for blending? The 224 and OCC Tapered Blending are better for the latter, while 221 would be better for depositing color but less stellar at blending!
Thanks! I think the 221 is more what I’m looking for at the moment.
The 137 sounds interesting. Too bad the 267 is so scratchy 🙁
I know! It is a shame.
So which do you think is the better brush overall? The MAC 137 or the Wayne Goss #14?
It depends on your preference – the shape is a little different between the two.
Are these brushes permanent? I remember talking to a girl that worked at the MAC counter in a nearby mall and she was saying that they were supposed to come with the Mac Is Beauty collection but didn’t and that only #267 was LE.
I think so, but I haven’t figured out how one can tell on MAC’s new website, lol.
I heard that these were Limited Edition Brushes. I’ve not verified it through MAC myself, but that was what a friend was told by a MAC rep recently…
I bought all 3 online via Nordstroms when they were released.. I use the 137 and the 221 regularly. The 267 is kinda large to use for my eyeliner purposes. It looks somewhat menacing too (lol).
The 267 does seem really large, doesn’t it? Have you used the 267 at all yet?
The 137 looks lovely for highlighting. It would be a nice alternative to a fan brush.
For sure! I liked it for highlighting a lot.
I’ve been looking for a good highlighter brush for ages and ages! I think I’ll be checking out the Wayne Goss 14 brush instead of the MAC 137 though, since I like my brushes as soft as possible (I have sensitive skin), and it’s a bit cheaper. Thanks for mentioning the WG brush because I never would have seen that otherwise!
No problem, Kat! 🙂
I bought the 137, 135 and 221 MAC brushes and they are on their way to me! Can’t wait, they look awesome! So glad to hear they are nice and soft 🙂
YAY! 🙂
In the description, the 221 is named as “Long Blending Brush” eventhough it’s the “Mini Tapered Blending Brush” 🙂
Sorry for bad english, I’m brazilian.
Fixed! Thank you!