I thought the quality of the brushes in these sets seemed better than many of the other brush sets released over the last few years. Unlike past years’ brush sets, I didn’t instantly think, “Why bother?”  This is the first year in quite awhile where I’d say they’re worth considering if you really want MAC brushes but the cost of full-sized brushes is too high. I would, of course, also say that there are plenty of quality options to consider if your budget is $50 that may be better or more versatile, especially if you prefer or are indifferent to synthetic bristles.  I highly recommend looking at the brushes in each set and determining if those are the shapes you’ve been looking at or not.  Another aspect to consider is whether you like short handles or prefer longer ones, as these are all short.  Each comes with a glittery brush bag with “pearl” trim.  The bags use a finer glitter, so it doesn’t feel as rough, and though it does shed some glitter, I didn’t notice it much.  The Studio Brush Kit was the least comparable to their full-sized counterparts, and I don’t recommend it at all.

MAC Keepsakes/In Extra Dimension Brush Kit ($52.50) includes travel-sized versions of the 127SE, 128SE, 234SE, and 235SE brushes.  The brushes in this kit have semi-matte black handles with silver printing.  These are split brushes, so one side has black bristles and the other side has white bristles.  These felt quite comparable to the full-sized versions, but worth noting, I haven’t been overly impressed by the quality of more recently released MAC brushes, such as the In Extra Dimension Brushes.  The black side feels slightly rougher but not by much.

MAC Keepsakes/Mineralize Brush Kit ($52.50) includes travel-sized versions of the 187SE, 130SE, 286SE, and 287SE brushes.  These are all synthetic and natural fibre blends.  The 286SE was the only one that I felt had any scratchiness to it.  I think the most marked difference is that these just aren’t quite as dense as their full-sized counterparts, and they’re just not as well-made (the bristles aren’t cut as well, there are more scraggly ones hanging off the edge, and so on).  The shapes are often a little less precise as well (like the 187SE seems longer and less dense in particular).

MAC Keepsakes/Studio Brush Kit ($52.50) includes travel-sized versions of the 129SE, 190SE, 224SE, 213SE, and 209SE brushes.  These have cream-colored handles and the set comes with a cream-colored glittery bag to put them in.  Of the three sets, this one felt the most different compared to the full-sized versions.  The hair used here (presumably goat) is thicker, not as soft, and sweeping, rather than patting or stippling, motions will be best.  I don’t find that the bristles are cut well, which seems to only make them feel even scratchier.  The 129SE is the worst of the five, not that the full-sized 129 isn’t known for softness (it’s one of MAC’s scratchier face brushes).  I don’t think this one is worth the money, and I think you’re really better off getting full-sized versions or looking at another brand.

MAC Keepsakes/In Extra Dimension Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/In Extra Dimension Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/In Extra Dimension Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/In Extra Dimension Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/In Extra Dimension Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/In Extra Dimension Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/In Extra Dimension Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/Mineralize Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/Mineralize Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/Mineralize Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/Mineralize Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/Mineralize Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/Mineralize Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/Studio Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/Studio Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/Studio Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/Studio Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/Studio Brush Kit

MAC Keepsakes/Studio Brush Kit