Art brushes vs. Make up Brushes

eye_pr0mise

Well-known member
I've heard that art brushes are just as good as
some MAC Makeup Brushes (or at least similar).
I needa go to Micheal's - the art store this week,
to buy a couple things, and was wondering maybe
i can pick up some brushes.

i need some recommendations on what brands or
what type of brushes to get. thanks a bunch !!
 

jdepp_84

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by laguayaca
Theres a great tutorial on YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. by Enkore which would answer your question, hope this helps!

I agree
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couturesista

Well-known member
I just purchased the Lowell Cornell XXL brush and the medium fluff brush for my e/s. The fluff brush is compariable to MAC's 239 and I love it. The XXL brush feels so soft and its a nice huge fluffy powder brush. I only paid like $4 for it. This week Michaels is offering 50% off any regular price item.
 

COBI

Well-known member
I have a lot of artist brushes as well as MAC. I purchased the artist's brushes first. And I would have to say that they are not as nice as the full-size MAC brushes but are a good alternative when trying to save money.

What I did and recommend is that instead of trying to match brush to brush, go to the store (such as Michael's) and decide what brushes you would use personally based on their sizes and shapes. I couldn't tell you which brushes my artist brushes match up to, but I get a lot of use out them based on my needs.
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And many of my brushes likely don't match up to any MAC brush based on shape, size, density, etc. I wasn't shy either: I was brushing those things on my cheeks to see if they felt soft there versus just feeling them with my hand. Most of the artist's brushes that I ended up buying are short-handled which is my preference; many artist's brushes have much longer handles than a typical makeup brush, and I was too lazy to feel like having to cut them down, and I don't like overly long handles.
 

ashk36

Well-known member
Hah I'm so glad I'm not the only one who's done this! I only use 2 of my art brushes for makeup, but they work great. I have a teeny tiny one that I use for liquid eyeliner that works perfectly for me. It's such a dinky piece of crap but I can't see myself ever forking out $30+ for a mac brush when this thing is exactly what I need. I also have another eyeliner brush that I don't use quite as often...it's flat, stiff, and angled. Works well for the outer v and I sometimes use it for eyeliner. I think I need to head to the art supply shop and pick up some more now!
 

LuvinMyMAC

Well-known member
I bought my first artist brush last week and so far I'm loving it. I grabbed the LC 239 equivalent. I will definately look into others.
 

minni4bebe

Well-known member
I have like 3 artist brushes that I use. They work exactly the same to me but my only annoyance is the handle being so long and I am to lazy to cut it.
 

gildedangel

Well-known member
Almost all of my makeup brushes are paint brushes. I have used a lot of MAC brushes before and I love the quality but these are very nice in comparison considering the cost. Someday I will get some MAC brushes of my own.....when I actually have some money........lol
 

Mizzvaine

Well-known member
I forgot where I got this but it has been in my files.. hope it will help
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Here are some of the dupes of MAC brushes..
  • 134= Coastal Scents Large Paddle Face brush
  • 136= Loew Cornell Maxine's Mop 1 inch brush
  • 150= Loew Cornell XXL Brown brushes (goat hair)
  • 187= Sonia Kashuk Highlighting BrushCoastal Scents Duo Fiber Stippling Brush, Flirt! Skunk Brush,
  • 190= Loew Cornell 1 inch Filbert brush
  • 194= Loew Cornell #8 Filbert brush
  • 224= Coastal Scents Sable Blending Brush
  • 226= Coastal Scents Tapered Blending Brush, Sonia Kashuk Blending Brush (dark curvy)
  • 228= Loew Cornell Maxine's Mop 1/4 brush
  • 239= Loew Cornell Maxine's Mop 3/8 brush
  • 242= Loew Cornell Filbert 7500 C
 

Kragey

Well-known member
I don't own a single MAC brush. They're great, but honestly, I've found art brushes that do the same exact thing for a quarter of the price, or even less. And Koren is right; Loew-Cornell makes fabulous brushes!
 

tacobelle88

Well-known member
i agree with what others have said. i do like the quality of mac brushes but for the price i opted for artist brushes which do the same job for a quarter of the price.
 
I would suggest having an open mind when you go to Michael's - immediately after I saw Enkore's video I went with a huge list of what to buy and several Michael's in my area didn't stock the ones he mentioned (including, unfortunately, the 239 dupe). But I still found some great ones for blending and liner that I use all the time ... and I'm getting the LC 239 dupe in a swap
smiles.gif
 

smellyocheese

Well-known member
When I was just starting out with make I bought a few art brushes for makeup and they were not too bad. However, really good quality art brushes can get expensive and many times, cheaper art brushes, although fluffy, can be a lot scratchier than makeup brushes or have very messy bristles that you may have to trim (trimming may cause the brush to be coarse).

Ultimately, I prefer makeup brushes and I believe there are many companies who produce good quality yet affordable makeup brushes like Crown (coastalscents), elf, ecotools and essence of beauty.
Certain high end brushes also can be the best money you've ever spent and they will be so functional and exceptional quality that you may never have to buy any other similar brushes again. eg. my Stila #30 brush. It's so perfect for my needs that I don't have to use any other eyeshadow brushes.

The only art brush that I repurchase and use regularly are synthetic liner brushes. I don't believe in buying liner brushes from makeup brands because they're expensive and they will spoil quickly. Art ones are just as good and they're so cheap you can afford to get through a few in a year.
 

pink4ever

Well-known member
I like Royal & Langnickel filbert brushes in 2 and 8. They work great as concealer brushes and for getting that perfect straight edge on your eyes because they are flat. They do have really long handles but I cut them and now they're perfect.
 

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