Last Christmas my boyfriend gifted me something I’ve been wanting to buy for a very long time. A couple of months ago I mentioned I wanted to update my brush collection, and one of the brushes I really wanted to get is the MAC 286S Duo Fibre Tapered Brush. It reminded me a lot of the Eye Finish from Zoeva I used to use, but then a bit better and more premium. Well, my boyfriend ended up getting this brush for me and I’ve been using it ever since. Today is the day I’m going to review it, so if you want to find out more about this supposedly amazing eyeshadow brush, make sure you continue reading this post!
The MAC 286S Duo Fibre Tapered Brush has a very premium look to it. The over all look might be very sleek and simple, but I do think that this brush has a super professional look to it. The brush is very streamlined and has no unnecessary fuzz to it. And that’s just the way I like my brushes to look.
The handle on this brush is black and feels nice and sturdy. Towards the top of the brush it says MAC in the handle and also the number of this brush. Above that is the silver thingy that holds the brush hairs. I do think that this part is rather long compared to some of the other brushes I have, but there’s nothing wrong with that. On top of the silver thingy are the hairs themselves. The actual brush. The hairs are both black and white and are duo fibre.
One thing that immediately stood out to me about the look of this brush is that the handle is very long. Compared to most of my brushes (which are mainly Zoeva) this brush is really long. I don’t mind it because this way it’s easy to find in my collection and easy to distinguish, but it’s something unique too and therefore worth mentioning.
MAC 286S Duo Fibre Tapered Brush – €34
Just like all MAC brushes these days, this 286S Duo Fibre Tapered Brush is made from 100% synthetic hair. I think it’s great that MAC made this change. I did read on some blogs that the brushes aren’t as high-quality anymore since that change. People are saying that the hairs fall out sooner and that the brushes aren’t as sturdy anymore. Since I don’t have the old version of this brush I can’t tell you whether or not that’s true, but I can tell you that this brush does feel nice and sturdy. Nothing to worry about!
According to MAC their 286S Duo Fibre Tapered Brush has a soft tapered dome shape. With its two-toned duo-fibre hairs it should provide sheer, more controlled application of eyeshadow and work especially well with mineralize shadows. The MAC brushes are supposed to be professional, hand-sculpted and assembled using the finest quality materials. Their 100% synthetic brushes incorporate the latest innovations in fibre technology and therefore have superior performance and improved longevity.
Looking at the brush from a closer view I do really understand what MAC is talking about with their soft tapered domed shape. That’s exactly the right way to describe what this is. I couldn’t have said it any better. I feel like this shape makes this brush perfect for any crease-activity. It fits right in there. MAC tells us that it’s great for eyeshadow application, but I do have to admit that I prefer it for blending purposes. It might work for applying shadows in a light-handed way into the crease area, but I don’t think it’s great for all eyeshadow applications. To me it’s definitely limited to the crease area.
When it comes to the way it functions in the crease area I think this brush is phenomenal. I have mentioned it a couple times before, but this brush is pretty similar to the Zoeva Eye Finish Brush. That brush also has the duo-fibre thing going on and a similar shape. Some big differences between the two brushes are the facts that this MAC one is bigger and that the MAC version is a lot softer and more comfortable on the sensitive skin around my eyes.
I feel like this MAC 286S brush is great at blending hard edges. Sometimes I go a little too all out with my crease shadow and I end up with a very intense and very visible edge. Whenever I try to blend it with a traditional blending brush I struggle, but with this brush I don’t. It fades the edges so easily and effortlessly. It really is an amazing, high-quality brush.
All in all I’m really happy with this new addition to my brush collection. The MAC 286 Synthetic Duo Fibre Tapered Brush is one of the best brushes I have in my collection as for right now. I think that it’s a very unique brush and I think MAC carried it out very well. The hairs are incredibly soft and comfortable on the eyelids and the brush is a dream to work with. You can definitely use it for other purposes, but I love it as a blending brush. It works absolutely divine like that! And in addition to that I also think that the brush itself is made from very high-quality materials, so I’m sure it will last me for a big number of years!
With that being said it’s time to end today’s review. Thank you so much for reading it and be sure to let me know what you think of this eyeshadow brush. And by the way, other MAC brush recommendations are always welcome!
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