MAC Eyeshadow brushes- HELP!

[AdlersMommy22]

So I have really small eyelids- Ive come to this conclusion- and i have the WORST TIME trying to figure out how to do my eye makeup.. I have the 224 and the 266(I use w/ my fluidline)... I have a small shader that I got from clinique and the 219 (pencil brush) that I use for my crease a lot and my under eyelid... Someone PLEASE help me figure out what brush I should buy for packing and what not.. I cant for the life of me figure out if I should get the 239, 242, or 252... Ive been researching this and researching... I am getting frustrated because I know if I just have the right brushes it will all come together but I just CANT figure out what to get! MA's recommended the 219 and 224 to me but no one has recomended anything else

help! =(

 

[rosenbud]

Re: Eyeshadow brushes- AH! HELP!

First of all is the 224 too big for you??

The 252 is way too big for me and I tend to use my 242 as a concealer brush...its good for paintpots and emolient products but the 239 does the same job so I would look at the 239.

 

[lsperry]

Re: Eyeshadow brushes- AH! HELP!

239 for packing on color. I have 4 of these brushes; they are phenomenon! I use it for dry and wet applications. The 242 and 252 scratches my lids and I use those to apply paint and paint pots. The 239 can pick up any type of es finishes and pigments. It is small enough to apply mu to the inner eye corner and to line the lower lash line w/es or pigments.

HTH!

 

[AdlersMommy22]

Re: Eyeshadow brushes- AH! HELP!

yeah the 224 is WAY too big- It's great for blending my colors together but it just.. does nothing for me- I find I get SO much fallout and I cant figure out how to get really precise lines.. I will def be looking @ the 239! I saw some girls on a video doing the cool heat eye shadow tutorial and she was using the 242 and 252 to back on climate blue... I will ABSOLUTLEY be looking @ 239 though!! This whole thing is just so confusing.. HAHA.. and Ive been using MAC eyeshadows for 3 years- I jsut now want to experiment w/ different colors and what not and it's killing me not having the "right" brushes

 

[elisaveta]

Re: Eyeshadow brushes- AH! HELP!

I hope that I understood your question right I do not have myself small eyelids so I’m not a expert in this one… But lets try. I wrote down some general opinions of all the brushes that you are thinking about, I hope that this helps and makes your decision a bit easier!

219 is good for very exact shadow apply. It is small and you can use it in many different things and makeup looks. In my opinion this brush is best when you apply shadow to your outer v or direct underneath your own lashline. I also use this brush to blend and soften upper lash liners. This brush is in my opinion great to create smoky eyes look or just natural look with nice and soft liner. This brush shape is what makes this brush so perfect, you can work precision with this brush because the bristles are so “tight” and in a way dense. I guess, that this brush is very good also for small eyelids. (!!)

239 is also very versatile and just another wonderful brush from MAC too. I use this brush for normal shadow application and to apply pigments. This brush is the best that I know to pigment applying. In general packs colour great! I also use this sometimes for my eyebrow grooming. This brush is in my opinion good for putting shadow/pigment to your eyelid, but it does not work for blending. I mean you can also blend your shadows with this brush but it isn’t the best choice for that use. The hair in this brush is very good (white goat hair). I guess that this brush is also a good choice for small eyelids too.

242 I use with Paint pots (sometimes also with a concealer). I guess that you can do many other things with this brush too. But I love to use with PP’s and for some reason I haven’t try to do anything else with it. I also love this brush because it is very easy to clean.

224 is for me blending brush. It blends eyeshadows very soft and pretty. You can get a very natural look with this brush. It is quite fluffy and “big” so I personal wouldn’t recommend this one for very small eyelids. I could imagine that bigger and fluffier brush make easily eye makeup on small eyelids look messy. I prefer 217 for blending (and I guess, that this brush is maybe better choice to small-eyelided persons blending brush too.. and it is also made of my favourite, this soft white goat hair too).

252 brush I do not own so I cannot say anything about it. I hope that someone has experiences to share about this one too!

 

[AdlersMommy22]

Re: Eyeshadow brushes- AH! HELP!

thank you so much elisaveta! This helps me out SO MUCH!!!! I think im def gonna get the 239 since I have the 219 and 224 already.. you all have helped me out SO much! =) Now I dont feel obligated to buy the 242 or 252 like i did before.. haha!

 

[blindpassion]

Re: Eyeshadow brushes- AH! HELP!

The 252 is waayyy too big. I use it for all over lid color but I have big eyelids,
I usually use the 252 for concealer under my eyes, its a dream for that.

The 242 is an okay brush, its good for paint pots etc, I bought that brush before I bought my 239

But my 239 is my go to brush, if I could only have one brush it would be that one
Its useful for packing on color, even doing crease work or highlighting if you need it
Its multi purpose
Definitely the 239.

 

[xoleaxo]

Re: Eyeshadow brushes- AH! HELP!

my go to brush is my 242.. it really packs on the color and i can place the shadow exactly where i want it, even in the smaller spaces like my inner lid. you can also use each side of the brush for a different color. i find there is minimal fall out with this brush, as long as you lightly tap the brush before applying. i find that this is a really versatile brush.. that's why i love it

 

[MAC_Whore]

Re: Eyeshadow brushes- AH! HELP!

The MAC #239 and #242 are going to pack on about the same, depending on the amount of pressure you use. Differences: The #239 is softer, as it a natural fibre. If you are going to use a creamy, emollient shadow, use the #242, as it is synthetic and better for such. The #239 is just a slight bit smaller than the #242, as well.

Avoid the #252 like the plague, as that will most likely be waaay to big for you.

If you have a small eye area, the #224 is probably too large for you. I would recommend the Sephora crease brush, as it is smaller and more compact, yet still blends nicely.

Additionally, you HAVE to try the NARS #12 brush. It is like a mini #224. I rarely use my #219 after discovering this NARS brush. With the #12, you can get good concentrated colour with the ability to blend. Trust me, YOU WILL LOVE IT!

Good luck! Hope that helps

 

[nunu]

Re: Eyeshadow brushes- AH! HELP!

i love the 213

 

[AdlersMommy22]

Re: Eyeshadow brushes- AH! HELP!

Mac_Whore! thanks for the recommendation! Ill be checking that out!!!!! =)

 

[Mizz.Yasmine]

Re: Eyeshadow brushes- AH! HELP!

i love the 202 sponge tip 4 packing color on! then i blend it to soften the shadow with my brushes that others have mentioned.

i am prob the odd one out, but i find a sponge tip deposits the most pigmented amount of shadow on my skin.

 

[xiahe]

Re: Eyeshadow brushes- AH! HELP!

239 and 213

and also do you have a blending brush? the one I use isn't by MAC - it's by Sonia Kashuk and it's just as good as the MAC one but a lottttt cheaper. but I highly recommend it and everyone should have some sort of tapered blending brush in their brush collection. I *THINK* the MAC one is the 244? but I could be so wrong ha

 

[bklynfemme]

Re: Eyeshadow brushes- AH! HELP!

the 217 is my favorite. It's versatile, I use it all the time.