Angle/Cheek Brush Dilemma!

[j_absinthe]

Alright peeps, here's the deal...lio.

My once dependable angle brush is just going South. The dye keeps leaking out every time after I clean it, and at this point, I don't want to end up getting my face or any of my clients faces into any precarious situations because of that. Not to mention it's not as fresh feeling as it once was- it was an aDesign angle cheek brush.

So, I'm looking to invest in a new angle brush for contouring and such. Any suggestions? Is the 168 less easier to handle than the 169? Is there a cheapy drugstore brush that blows everything else out of the water? Reasonably priced is always nice, I'm just really looking for durability, brownie points for cruelty free as well.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Amaranth]

I'm a sucker for the 169 for some reason...I sometimes wonder if I like it more because it has prettier bristles? Hahaha, but seriously...I feel like I can get more buildable colour with the 169. The synthetic hairs are slippery-er than the natural goat hairs on the 168, so I find it doesn't pick up as much colour at a time as the natural hairs. But I like it that way, the contouring is supposed to be blended and diffuse, and I find it's easier to get that look with the 169. However, the 169 is slightly bigger (longer?) than the 168, so that's something to consider too. I can see this being a very subjective thing...they are quite similar and I suppose the real difference will come from the way you apply make-up.

I unfortunately can't recommend a cheap drugstore alternative for you, though. I have yet to replace a MAC brush, and some of my brushes are over 5 years old, so I think it's worth the investment.

 

[MissAlphaKitty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amaranth The synthetic hairs are slippery-er than the natural goat hairs on the 168, so I find it doesn't pick up as much colour at a time as the natural hairs. But I like it that way, the contouring is supposed to be blended and diffuse

Thanks for the awesome description/comparison of natural vs synthetic bristles...

Although I love the various synthetic kabukis from EveryDayMinerals.com,
I've been sitting on the fence about trying out their synthetic blush brush cuz I've never used a synthetic one before...
but at the price i guess I can't really go wrong

 

[j_absinthe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amaranth I'm a sucker for the 169 for some reason...I sometimes wonder if I like it more because it has prettier bristles? Hahaha, but seriously...I feel like I can get more buildable colour with the 169. The synthetic hairs are slippery-er than the natural goat hairs on the 168, so I find it doesn't pick up as much colour at a time as the natural hairs. But I like it that way, the contouring is supposed to be blended and diffuse, and I find it's easier to get that look with the 169. However, the 169 is slightly bigger (longer?) than the 168, so that's something to consider too. I can see this being a very subjective thing...they are quite similar and I suppose the real difference will come from the way you apply make-up. I unfortunately can't recommend a cheap drugstore alternative for you, though. I have yet to replace a MAC brush, and some of my brushes are over 5 years old, so I think it's worth the investment.

Thanks for the advice! I'm definitely about building contour color up, and I'm not against synthetic. Not to mention it is the prettier of the two...

 

[Amaranth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by j_absinthe Thanks for the advice! I'm definitely about building contour color up, and I'm not against synthetic. Not to mention it is the prettier of the two...

Hahaha I'm pretty sure that's the only reason I bought it. I also have the LE eye blending brush (223 I think?) that came out with the N Collection earlier this year. But yeah, I would still try them out, I tend to be pretty heavy-handed when it comes to the face but the synthetic contour brush is definitely my favourite.

 

[j_absinthe]

I went to the MAC store this afternoon and checked both of them out, and I definitely preferred the density of the synthetic brush. However, at that price, I'm wondering if I can find a brush of that quality for less.

 

[Kiss and Makeup]

I think I might be the only person who uses Sephora brushes over MAC brushes! I just bought their angle contour brush #40 (retails for $26) and I absolutely love it. I have not had the chance to compare that brush to either of the MAC brushes mentioned, so I'm sorry I can't compare it to the 168 and 169 brushes. For being synthetic hair it's amazingly soft and picks up and applies cheek color evenly. It's dense enough to give me the color I need, so I don't have to apply 20 coats, but the synthetic hairs only let me pick up a little bit (so I don't have horrible dark streaks on my face). Nearly all of my brushes are from Sephora (except a few choice MAC ones) and I've never had a problem with them! I hope this helps you, and good luck!

 

[j_absinthe]

I went ahead and got the 169. It's should be arriving soon and I certainly hope it does what I need it to do.

Thanks all!