MAC Masterclass Brush Collection (November 2013)

[sss215]

Karen has posted a video about these, I found it very helpful. http://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com/...cks-video-mac-senior-artist-victor-cembellin/

Thanks!!!

I happened to see Karen's video, too. Now I'm really considering these. I would appreciate a miracle crease brush! :haha:

I'm down for that too! Probably nice to use with a transition color. Off to look at oval 3 today. Eventually I'm going to grab all 3. Seems like they are pretty useful overall. Especially the fact that they can be glitter busters?!! I definitely would like something that can tone down and buff in some of the glitz a bit. I'll make sure to dry it standing up, but if one comes apart, I'm keeping my receipt and calling MAC for a replacement. It should be that simple if there is an issue.

 

[NaomiH]

T's review is up. http://www.temptalia.com/mac-masterclass-brushes-reviews-photos

 

[sss215]

I was hoping to grab one yesterday, but they are still sold out at the mac stores. I'll order one. ETA: My Oval 3 arrived today and I like it. I laid my transition color with no problem and it took less time to blend than normal. I also used for my undereye concealer and I like the results. It takes less time to get the finish and coverage I want and that's helpful for me when it's time to get out to work in the morning. I love the way it feels in my hands, easy to hold and easy to use. It may not be innovative or mind blowing. But it's a time saver and that's perfect for me. I don't have a lot of lid space, but I don't feel like Oval 3 is too big for my eyes. It's really nice and I don't feel like you can buff color off. Sometimes, in my experience, with a traditional brush I blend too much and have to dip back into the shadows to build color intensity. I've found with the Oval 3, I have to hit the pan less to build up the color. I'm going to grab Oval 6 and another Oval 3 after the holidays.

 

[sss215]

Anyone else haul any of these yet?

 

[AutumnMoon]

Anyone else haul any of these yet?

I started with just the linear one and then bought the other two. I am SUPER thrilled with all three. The linear makes it easy to get close to my eyes (I wear glasses, so my peepers aren't that great without them, especially lefty) and the other two blend out my shadows and blushes better than any other. Plus they seem to stay cleaner (except the linear and that's the fluidline's fault) so I feel more product gets on my face and doesn't just sit on the brush.

 

[mousygiggles]

I got all 3 and have been using them for a week. The linear is my favorite for my brows. I use it with the Anastasia brow powder. LOVE and will get another or two of this brush. The Oval 3, Meeh it is ok. It is great for a single shadow on the lid, it is good for placing contour as well. I will use it but do not need another. The oval 6, great for powder or cream blush. Not a fan for foundation. It is amazingly soft though. I will use this one some, but it is not a favorite.

 

[liba]

I've been using the large oval for foundation lately and I am super impressed with the results. It makes Matchmaster look better than it's ever had before on me and very quick to apply.

I was a little less thrilled with how it worked with the new Mineralize liquid foundation - it was smooth and perfect but maybe a touch heavier coverage than I like. Then again, that foundation isn't quite as good a match for me as some other MAC foundations. I wish I could match it a little better, since it's a great formula.

 

[mousygiggles]

I've been using the large oval for foundation lately and I am super impressed with the results. It makes Matchmaster look better than it's ever had before on me and very quick to apply.

I was a little less thrilled with how it worked with the new Mineralize liquid foundation - it was smooth and perfect but maybe a touch heavier coverage than I like. Then again, that foundation isn't quite as good a match for me as some other MAC foundations. I wish I could match it a little better, since it's a great formula.

Maybe it is the foundation that I tried with it. I tried the Jouer Moisture Tint with it and Face and Body from MAC and both were a no go. It was very uneven with both of them. Those are the only two I have with me.

 

[liba]

Maybe it is the foundation that I tried with it. I tried the Jouer Moisture Tint with it and Face and Body from MAC and both were a no go. It was very uneven with both of them. Those are the only two I have with me.

Well the Mineralize foundation is gel-liquid and a thicker texture than Matchmaster, which is thinner. I could see that being a difference for sure. I don't have unevenness with either foundation with that brush, or streaks, though - just a bit fuller coverage with the Mineralize than I normally like. It eradicates the dry effect I've gotten with Matchmaster, on the plus side. Normally, I'd have to fuss with that one, especially around the nose and then have to use Fix+, but with the new brush, zero effort and it leaves a better effect than with my other brushes.

 

[mousygiggles]

Well the Mineralize foundation is gel-liquid and a thicker texture than Matchmaster, which is thinner. I could see that being a difference for sure. I don't have unevenness with either foundation with that brush, or streaks, though - just a bit fuller coverage with the Mineralize than I normally like. It eradicates the dry effect I've gotten with Matchmaster, on the plus side. Normally, I'd have to fuss with that one, especially around the nose and then have to use Fix+, but with the new brush, zero effort and it leaves a better effect than with my other brushes.

I will try it when I get home with other foundations. It might be uneven because I usually use a beauty blender with the ones I brought because they are so thin.

 

[liba]

I will try it when I get home with other foundations. It might be uneven because I usually use a beauty blender with the ones I brought because they are so thin.

What I do is put a tiny drop on the back of my hand, then lightly dip the brush in it, without swirling it around much, then apply to the face, rather than dabbing it on the face and using the brush to blend it in. One tiny drop on the brush covers something like one cheek or one cheek and the nose or one cheek and the chin. I wind up using 3-4 drops total for a full face.

I've also tried putting a larger amount on a palette then dipping the brush into that, but I didn't care for that as much. I'd wind up taking a drop from the large amount I squeezed out with a spatula and sticking it on the brush, so sort of defeated the purpose of putting more out all at once.

 

[lilinah]

I'm on a low buy this year, but the Masterclass brushes have been sitting in my MAC shopping cart since last year and i'm about to push the button.

I have one question, tho, and it's about a brush from another collection, the 163 Flat Contour Brush. It came out in the "Face and Body" collection with contouring creams and the first pressed pigments in foundation colors. It was gone before i got it. Then Sonia Kashak had what looked like a dupe, Flat Top Sculpting Brush, but i could never find it actually available to purchase. Then when i had a discount from sephora, i bought the Illamasqua Blush-Up Brush that looks like the 163.


So is the Illamasqua one i have a dupe for the MAC 163? Or are they different enough from each other? As i said, i'm on a low buy, and the Masterclass brushes have been in my basket since last year, so i want to get them, but if the 163 dupes the Illamasqua brush i can take it out of my cart and save a few bucks.

Thanks for any info!

 

[liba]

I'm on a low buy this year, but the Masterclass brushes have been sitting in my MAC shopping cart since last year and i'm about to push the button.

I have one question, tho, and it's about a brush from another collection, the 163 Flat Contour Brush. It came out in the "Face and Body" collection with contouring creams and the first pressed pigments in foundation colors. It was gone before i got it. Then Sonia Kashak had what looked like a dupe, Flat Top Sculpting Brush, but i could never find it actually available to purchase. Then when i had a discount from sephora, i bought the Illamasqua Blush-Up Brush that looks like the 163.


So is the Illamasqua one i have a dupe for the MAC 163? Or are they different enough from each other? As i said, i'm on a low buy, and the Masterclass brushes have been in my basket since last year, so i want to get them, but if the 163 dupes the Illamasqua brush i can take it out of my cart and save a few bucks.

Thanks for any info!

I can't answer your question about the Illamasqua vs. 163, although I'll say the 163 is very effective, but it's quite stiff. It's definitely for cream products and it's really more for applying the contour line very precisely, not for also blending it out much. It's a specialty brush for sure, and only worth it if you're contouring your cheeks regularly. I liked the eye version of the contour brush MAC came out with at the same time more, because I do contour my eye area regularly, due to large brow bones, and that brush is a miracle worker for doing a perfect contour in one stroke.

You're way better off just getting the Masterclass brushes anyways, because they're all so multi-purpose AND they're LE - that 163 is now perm, so you can always get it another time. The large oval does powder contour REALLY well because of how the brush hairs conform to the shape of the face, plus it's so good for foundation - it's become my new go-to for foundation.

 

[patentg33k]

I can't answer your question about the Illamasqua vs. 163, although I'll say the 163 is very effective, but it's quite stiff. It's definitely for cream products and it's really more for applying the contour line very precisely, not for also blending it out much. It's a specialty brush for sure, and only worth it if you're contouring your cheeks regularly. I liked the eye version of the contour brush MAC came out with at the same time more, because I do contour my eye area regularly, due to large brow bones, and that brush is a miracle worker for doing a perfect contour in one stroke.

You're way better off just getting the Masterclass brushes anyways, because they're all so multi-purpose AND they're LE - that 163 is now perm, so you can always get it another time. The large oval does powder contour REALLY well because of how the brush hairs conform to the shape of the face, plus it's so good for foundation - it's become my new go-to for foundation.

I agree with Liba about the 163--the bristles are too stiff for blending. I've been watching a few contour videos lately, and based on what I'm playing with, I'd rather get a good foundation brush that can both place and blend a cream contour product. I've been using the contouring creams from the collection that you mention with a standard acrylic bristled foundation brush with really good results.

I've also gotten good results with Tom Ford's Shade and Illuminate brush (it's much smaller and with much more pliable bristles), but you might be sticking with MAC right now.

Unlike Liba, my MAC 163 has been sitting.

 

[mousygiggles]

I'm on a low buy this year, but the Masterclass brushes have been sitting in my MAC shopping cart since last year and i'm about to push the button.

I have one question, tho, and it's about a brush from another collection, the 163 Flat Contour Brush. It came out in the "Face and Body" collection with contouring creams and the first pressed pigments in foundation colors. It was gone before i got it. Then Sonia Kashak had what looked like a dupe, Flat Top Sculpting Brush, but i could never find it actually available to purchase. Then when i had a discount from sephora, i bought the Illamasqua Blush-Up Brush that looks like the 163.


So is the Illamasqua one i have a dupe for the MAC 163? Or are they different enough from each other? As i said, i'm on a low buy, and the Masterclass brushes have been in my basket since last year, so i want to get them, but if the 163 dupes the Illamasqua brush i can take it out of my cart and save a few bucks.

Thanks for any info!

Get the Master Class ones. The 163 is almost identical to that one. Skip the 163.

 

[lilinah]

Quote: Originally Posted by liba
I can't answer your question about the Illamasqua vs. 163, although I'll say the 163 is very effective, but it's quite stiff. It's definitely for cream products and it's really more for applying the contour line very precisely, not for also blending it out much. It's a specialty brush for sure, and only worth it if you're contouring your cheeks regularly. I liked the eye version of the contour brush MAC came out with at the same time more, because I do contour my eye area regularly, due to large brow bones, and that brush is a miracle worker for doing a perfect contour in one stroke.
You're way better off just getting the Masterclass brushes anyways, because they're all so multi-purpose AND they're LE - that 163 is now perm, so you can always get it another time. The large oval does powder contour REALLY well because of how the brush hairs conform to the shape of the face, plus it's so good for foundation - it's become my new go-to for foundation.



Thanks, liba! I'll take the 163 out of my cart. One less thing to buy, which is good.

 

[lilinah]

And thanks to patentg33k and mousygiggles!!! Less spending on makeup in 2014!

 

[steaminghot]

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-80084812/ I thought I would share this.

 

[prettymuchhere]

Fantastic brushes! But they aren't MAC Masterclass, they are Artis Brushes. It's a new brand I read about in the L.A. Times a few days ago. The website is www.artisbrush.com . I think they have something to do with the MAC Masterclass brushes.

 

[steaminghot]

Fantastic brushes! But they aren't MAC Masterclass, they are Artis Brushes. It's a new brand I read about in the L.A. Times a few days ago. The website is www.artisbrush.com . I think they have something to do with the MAC Masterclass brushes.

Posted them here because the creator of the brand used to work for MAC. He I guess was the one that came up with the idea. But, also released his own brand.