Question about MAC brushes!

[lechic12]

Hello! I am pretty new to MAC brushes, so I have a few questions hehe. I saw the MAC brush set on Nordstroms, and I was wondering which one has better quality brushes (I can only afford 1 set)
1.)
129 SE, 190 SE, 224 SE, 242 SE and 266 SE brushes
2.)
187 SE, 168 SE, 275 SE, 219 SE and 212 SE brushes
-from nordstroms.com

Also, I was wondering which brushes are natural and which are synthetic, because on the site, most are just described as-
M·A·C professional brushes are hand-sculpted and assembled using the finest quality materials. They feature birch, linden and ramin wood handles, nickel-plated brass ferrules.-from maccosmetics.com
Also, what are the benefits of a flat definer brush vs. an angled one? or is angled just better?
Thanks everyone!

 

[FiestyFemme]

I don't know about quality, but I'd go with the 2nd set. I love the 187, 168, 275, and 219. Depending on what other brushes you have though, the 1st set might be a better option for you. It's got your blush/powder brush, foundation brush, crease/blending brush, lid brush, and liner/brows. It'd be much better for a beginner, IMO.

 

[erine1881]

they are both gonna have the same quality, which is inferior to the full size brushes. SE brushes use the same hairs as the full sized brushes, but they aren't as good of quality as the full size brushes. also, the SE brushes use aluminum for the ferrules, where the full size brushes use nickle-plated brass, so the SE brushes dent easier and tarnish faster.

129-goat
190-synthetic
224-goat
242-pony/synthetic
266-ox/synthetic

187-goat/synthetic
168-select goat
275-japanese pony
219-select goat
212-synthetic

 

[MAC_Whore]

Moved to Recommendations.