MAC 187 Duo Fiber Face Brush Review
I do believe the MAC 187 Duo Fiber Brush is one of MAC’s most popular brushes—ever. I’d been wanting it for years, but since it’s expensive, and I already had a few duo fiber brushes that seemed to work fine, I didn’t buy it. This past December though, I ordered it as a Christmas treat for myself.
From the MAC website:
A large full circular brush used for lightweight application and blending of face powder or pigments. Use to create soft layers or add textures. Made from a soft blend of goat and synthetic fibres.
For anyone who might not know and want to know: what are duo fiber brushes are what are they for?
Duo fiber brushes, also called stippling or skunk (because of how they look, not how they smell haha) brushes, are makeup brushes that are made of two different types of hairs which are also of different lengths. In the MAC 187’s case, it has black, shorter goat hairs, and white, longer synthetic hairs. Duo fiber brushes can be used to apply liquid, cream, and loose or pressed powder products. They are mostly used on highly pigmented makeup and are meant to create a finish with an airbrushed look.
The MAC 187 is a long-handled brush, about 6″ long all in all. The handle is a bit wide, but the brush feels light in my hands. It’s available at local MAC stores where it costs a whopping PhP 2950. In December, my go-to online store for new MAC collections, Carefreeshopper, held a preorder as usual, and I saw that the 187 was priced about PhP 650 less than the store price, so I took that as a good time to get it!
The 187 had a bit of a new-brush smell to it when I received it some weeks later, but it washed right off. This brush does not bleed or shed when it’s washed which is just right considering its price, and is great because all my other cheaper duo fiber brushes bleed black dye every time they’re washed. However, the 187 does shed a short hair on my face each time I use it but it’s no big deal. It feels really soft and gentle on the skin.
My favorite way to use my MAC 187 is for applying liquid foundation. I like to use it with the thicker formulas, and it works great. A lot of youtube gurus advise using purely stippling motions (dotting, sort of stamping motions with just the white part of the bristles touching the face), but I prefer stippling and then stroking the brush either downwards, upwards, or to the side, to blend the foundation and to keep it from looking obvious and cakey. The effect is flawless, even, high-coverage foundation application. There was a time when all I used to apply liquid foundation was my hands, and I still do that for runny, liquidy formulas, but for anything heavier or thicker, I’ll use nothing but the 187.
The MAC 187 Duo Fiber Face Brush can also be used to apply face powder, dry or wet, or for a light dusting of loose powder. It’s also nice for really pigmented blushes for a light touch of color. Pigmented, shimmery powders like MAC MSFs can be applied using this too but personally I prefer fluffy brushes like the MAC 129 for that.
Pros:
- Gives a pretty, lovely airbrushed finish. This is only one pro of the 187, but is is a major pro to it.
- Good for picking up a minimal amount, for pigmented products.
- It’s versatile—it can be used with different formulations and with both face and cheek products.
- It feels very soft on my skin, not in the least stiff or prickly. It doesn’t irritate my skin at all.
- When washed, its color doesn’t bleed and it doesn’t shed hairs either.
- Aside from when it was brand new, it doesn’t have any smell.
- The brush feels light in my hands.
- It’s locally available.
Cons:
- The high price tag.
- Sheds one or two short, small hairs (about 1 cm long) when used but that’s it.
Overall:
If you’re building up your brush collection and you can have only one duo fiber brush, or if you use a lot of thickish foundations or super pigmented cheek or face products, I highly recommend getting the MAC 187 Duo Fiber Face Brush. I know it’s expensive, and not everyone can get it, but I also think that good makeup brushes play a large role in seamless, beautiful application, and that it’s better to have one quality tool rather than a handful of cheaper, but poor or mediocre ones. I own two supposed dupes of the 187 but they just cannot compare.
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