I am just an alien when it comes to make up brushes. I mean I just cannot see any feasibility on spending tons of money when it comes to cleansers (brush cleansers to face cleansers!) or brushes (be it painting my face or canvas). So when I had just embarked on my blogging boat I was literally dumbstruck when I saw ladies spending tons of money on blending brush, foundation brush, blusher brush, shading brush, lining brush whew! But now even I have started to slowly grasp their roles and after getting my MAC concealer and a few MUA eyeshadow palettes I had to have a multi tasking brush to solve all my woes and many reviews, raves and MAC MUA suggestions later I brought this baby home- MAC Blending brush 217.
MAC Claims: For shading or blending of colour or creamy products. This brush has fine, densely packed fibers that are arranged in an oval shape. M•A•C professional brushes are hand-sculpted and assembled using the finest quality materials. They feature wood handles and nickel-plated brass ferrules.
My Review: The MAC 217 blending brush comes in a smart black wooden and nickel plated packaging with snowy white and silky soft fibres which makes me want to tuck it away instead of making it all gooey and dirty with colored products. It comes wrapped in a flimsy plastic wrap (duhh) mean MAC!
The fibres are densely packed in an oval shape which makes application of concealers, cream eyeshadows and other eye products a breeze! Gone are the days when I would end up smearing and streaking every one of my fingers either with concealer or an e/s! The shape is flattish oval so it makes application and blending of any texture of eyeshadow very easy and extremely quick.
The bristles are silky smooth and very very soft..perfect for using around the delicate eye area. I have used this brush in a hair-tearing hurry and it hasn’t even lent a single mild scratch to my soft eye are! Totally bowled over.
The white color though creates a mess and once you use it, the stain does not completely go. Nopes..not even if you wash it instantly with even MAC brush cleanser. I am not a lazy bum at all when it comes to these things and after my 1st use I rushed to wipe it with cleanser but it never really got its pristine white color back.
The pros of MAC 217 Blending Brush:
Smart, sleek brush body with a shiny wooden handle and nickel plated base.
The white fibres are very densely packed which results in great product pick up!
The fibres are arranged in a flattish oval shape which makes application of any concealer, cream or powder e/s blending just a dream!
The bristles are silky soft and smooth which takes proper care of the delicate eye area skin
This has become my quick fix multipurpose brush now for daily use!
Has never ever shed a single hair *touchwood*
The cons of MAC 217 Blending Brush:
Escalating price..really MAC! You give us a slender brush and rob us of 1750. This is just sooo unfair. Grrrr
Stupid flimsy plastic wrap :x even after robbing us shameless MAC refuses to provide a secure wrap or pouch for their brushes!
Price: a whopping Rs. 1750 (does anyone hear my purse crying?)
VNA Rating: 4/5
Dupes: Sigma e25 brush, Makeup Geek Stiff Dome Brush
Do I recommend? MAC 217 Blending Brush is great. As they say a MAC brush is always a lifetime investment! And going by the price increase it sure seems next to real estate investment no! But really keeping that aside, the sheer quality, regular usability and the awesome quality of this brush makes it a must-buy for those who dabble in make up like us plus this being a multi purpose brush we need to apply concealer eh ladies? Before the price rises further do go and get 1 of these!