M.A.C Cosmetics Make-up Brush Dupes from Crownbrush UK
Greetings Earthlings. How are you all ?
I am currently chomping away on some yummy Strawberry & White Chocolate popcorn from Marks & Sparks, trust me, you have to try this stuff. These and Percy Pigs are the future, I am telling you.
So, onto a more important matter, how pretty do these make-up brushes look? Fluffy, shiny, new brushes are simply the best.
Today I thought I would let you into a little secret I have been keeping, one that will save your bank balance a lot of pennies. Whilst working for Crownbrush UK I have come to notice that a lot of our make-up brushes look and feel ridiculously similar to that of my M.A.C make-up brushes. I decided to put this theory to the test, and work out which ones were in fact dupes.
There are quite a few, so I recommend you get your notebook and pen ready, grab a juice and get comfy. Ready? Let’s go.
Firstly, the Crownbrush UK Duo Fibre range is home to these babies. Duo Fibre brushes are a mix of natural and synthetic fibre, they are perfect for blending liquid, cream and powder products. I had two from M.A.C in my brush belt, but after seeing the similarity, the rest of my duo fibre collection comes from Crownbrush.
Let’s discuss the above photograph, from Right to Left:
M.A.C 187 Duo Fibre Face Brush £33.50
The Dupe : C406 Large Duo Fibre Face Brush, our best selling brush, great for blending in foundation and concealer as well as buffing in powder or lightly dusting over setting powders. £9.29
M.A.C 188 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush £27.00
The Dupe: C04 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush, a slim line version of the C406, I personally use this to apply cream blush and highlighter, as well as blending foundation around smaller, harder to reach areas. £7.69
M.A.C 130 Short Duo Fibre Brush £30.00
The Dupe: C436 Mini Duo Fibre Blender, great again for foundation, for precise blending and buffing to create a seamless base. I have 4-5 of these in my brush belt. £7.39
M.A.C 286 Duo Fibre Tapered Blending Brush £22.50
The Dupe: C430 Duo Fibre Crease, also very similar to the Laura Mercier Finishing Eye brush, which is more expensive at £26. Great for eyeshadows, but I like to use this with under eye concealer, as it blends the make-up in flawlessly. £4.79
Above are pictures of the MAC 188 and Crownbrush C404, other than the shape of the ferrule and the cut of the brush hair, there is very little difference between the two.
The main difference really lies in the make-up brush handles, Crownbrush UK have a matte black finish and feel lighter in weight, whereas M.A.C have a black, glitter effect throughout the handle. In most cases the M.A.C brush handles are slightly longer than the Crownbrush ones too.
Above are pictures of the MAC 130 and Crownbrush C436, other than the shape of the ferrule and the cut of the brush hair, there is very little difference between the two. The only way I ever spot the difference in a hurry, is when they are clean – the white hair on the Crownbrush one is more prominent in comparison to the M.A.C.
M.A.C 217 Blending Brush £18.00
The Dupe: C433 Pro Blending Fluff, this one is quite popular already with bloggers and make-up artists and is well known as the 217 dupe. I have so many 217s in my belt, as I could not be without one of these, however, now I have a few C433 in the mix too, I doubt I would ever repurchase a 217. The price point from Crownbrush is just too good, £6.09 – less than half price.
These two brushes are great for blusher and contouring, from left to right…
M.A.C 109 Small Contour Brush £27.00
The Dupe: C437 Pro Dome Blender, is great for applying blush to the apple of the cheek, the full domed head makes blending a dream. £7.39
M.A.C 168 Large Angled Contour Brush £27.00
The Dupe: C405 Angle Contour Blush, super, super soft and applies powder blush to the hollow of the cheek perfectly, the shape just tucks underneath the cheekbone. £8.29
From left to right…
M.A.C 219 Pencil Brush £20.00
The Dupe: C431 Precision Pencil, idea for smudging out eye liner when creating a smokey eye, or applying a highlighter to the inner corner. £4.39
M.A.C 275 Medium Angled Shading Brush £20.00
The Dupe: C418 Angle Shadow, eyeshadow application is easy using this, can be used to blend along the lower lash line also. £3.74
From left to right…
M.A.C 214 Short Shader Brush £20.00
The Dupe: C408 Chisel shader, idea for smudging out eye liner when creating a smokey eye. I also like to use this when I need to precisely place a cream eyeshadow £3.69
M.A.C 227 Large Fluff Brush £22.50
The Dupe: C407 Jumbo Shadow, eyeshadow application is easy using this, can be used to blend along the lower lash line also. £4.09
There is one more that I have completely forgotten to take a photograph of, and that is the M.A.C 224 Tapered Blending Brush £22.50, the Crownbrush Dupe is the C330 Blending Crease, after my M.A.C 217, this is probably my most used blending brush. Go check it out on the website for photographs.
I hope you found this post useful guys. I know I certainly would have done as an aspiring make-up artist. Kit building takes up a lot of time and a lot of investment, so where I can I will buy cheaper versions, when the quality is exactly the same. Sometimes you are paying for a brand and it’s reputation, instead of getting value for your money.
I do use other make-up brush brands, but the majority of mine are from Crownbrush. This is not because I work for them, before I even started with the company I would always buy from Crownbrush. The quality, the price and the variety cannot be beaten by any other brand.
If you would like any advice on which brushes to choose please do not hesitate to contact me, I am more than happy to help when and where I can.
See you guys soon!