Review of two MAC 187 dupes

Makeuptalk.com forums

Help Support Makeuptalk.com forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Feb 13, 2007
Messages
6,417
Reaction score
1
So, some of you might have heard about Coastal Scent's stippling brush and how it's supposed to be a dupe of the 187. Also a lot of good reviews for the italian badger brushes.

I think the stippling brush from coastal scents was a great deal for only $7 (it was on clearance, regular $9) but it is not very much like the 187. The white hairs on this one are very different from the 187 to me, so I'll probably only use this for powders. Some people complained of an odor and a lot of dye coming out when washing their brushes, but I didn't experience this. The Italian badger buffer brush was okay, but it could be a little softer. The cheaper deluxe buffer brush feels softer to me. The Italian badger chisel and blending brushes are great eye brushes.

Here are some pictures. Sorry they are unwashed. I was going to wash them before taking pictures, but I think it's easier to see the white bristles this way. Please keep in mind that in the top/bottom pictures, it was taken at an angle, so the the 187 is closer to me and will appear a little bigger.

Here is a pic of the coastal scents brush (top) next to the 187 (bottom) and me in the green:

resized006.jpg


CS on the left, MAC on right.

resized007.jpg


Not very much alike to me, it looks and performance.

The best match I've found so far is Lumiere's Duo Fiber Optic brush. They also have a Duo Fiber Optic Powder and Duo Fiber Angle, but don't get those because they are not as dense. The Duo Fiber Optic brush costs twice as much as the CS brush, at $18, but I got it during one of their pre-buys. I'm not sure how much it was during the pre-buy because I bought all of their brushes in one big set.

Lumiere's Duo Fiber Optic Brush on the top, MAC on the bottom

resized004.jpg


Lumiere on the left, MAC on the right

resized005.jpg


The bristles are MUCH more similar to MAC's. It's a bit smaller than the 187, but not as small as the 188.

In terms of handle length, the CS is the longest, then MAC, then Lumiere.

I also have the 187SE, and Lumiere's Angle and Powder Duo Fiber (Actually I have almost all of their brushes from that pre-buy) if anyone wants pic comparisons.

 
wow thanks for the comparison!

After I watched EnKore's review of the Coastal Scents brushes, I went and bought a couple of brushes. I bought two of the Italian Badger brushes and one of the double ended brushes.

I was going to buy their dupe of the 187, but after I read some of the reviews on it, I decided not to.

The brushes *DID* have a certain odor to them when I opened them. It wasn't too bad, they just smelled like they had just left the factory.

Coastal Scents brushes are a really good value though! Great for someone who wants to get the gist of what the brush can do etc. You can try it for way less than the MAC, then when you DO go get the MAC brush, you can always swap it or sell it to someone else! :p /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
Thanks for the review! I had planned on trying the Coastal Scents dupe but I found more bad reviews than good so decided to treat myself to the real thing.

 
Thanks for the pics and comparisons!

Originally Posted by Sirvinya /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the review! I had planned on trying the Coastal Scents dupe but I found more bad reviews than good so decided to treat myself to the real thing. Same here, Sirvinya! I'm saving up for the real 187...but I probably won't get it til later this year because I want to buy some shadows.
smile.gif


 
I have become cynical of dupes. I have a Lowell-Cornell brush that is supposed to be a dupe of a MAC brush, and after a few washings it has become quite scratchy and the bristles squish down when I use it. I think I can find brushes to do the job quite well within my budget(love the EDM flat top brush), but when I can I am going to bite the bullet and get some MAC brushes.

 
I recently got the Pout Airbrush Skunk Brush, and it's a WAY close dupe IMHO. I'm lovin' it, and definitely not going to worry about getting a 187!

 
Thanks for the review, Ashley. I have the Lumiere version and I am very satisfied with it for my MMU application.

I'm also glad I didn't buy the CS duo fiber brush. I understand they have discontinued it and replaced it with this one, which is shorter (7 1/2" in total length) and has a black ferrule and black wooden handle.

I wonder if this new brush is better than the one that it replaced?
smile.gif


 
not to hijack this thread, but what would you use the 187 for?

edit:

nevermind... figured it out. lol.

 
wow thanks for the review! although i've just received the actual MAC 187 for my birthday on Tuesday, i've been thinking about buying the CS and Lumiere dupes for a while now, even though i promised my boyfriend that i wouldn't but any brushes till Lumiere has another pre-buy sale or 2009 rolls around (whichever comes first). i'll definitely keep lemming for the Lumiere 187 dupe, but i'll keep my eyes open for reviews about the new (and improved?) CS dupe, just in case it's actually good. lol

[edit]

p.s. i would love a review/comparison of the Duo Fiber Optic Powder and Duo Fiber Angle brushes. i've been thinking about purchasing those too! lol

 
I want to try the CS dupe,but I think I'm going to save up money for the mac one, so i can use it for liquid foundation

 
Have any of you ladies tried the Ulta Highlighter Brush? I saw a review somewhere online stating that it is virtually identical to the MAC 187.

There were pics, and it looks pretty much the same as the MAC, too... same size & shape (entire brush).

I just bought 2 of the Ulta brushes (but I have no MAC 187 for comparison). The Ulta highlighter brush is like $26. I managed to buy mine when they were BOGO, plus I had a coupon for $3.50 off, and I think they were 25% off to boot! LOL =) So they were dirt cheap.

They feel really soft & silky, though I still need to wash them. I haven't used them yet - just brushed them over my skin a bit
wink.gif


I have never seen them in the store, just online.

Anyway, just wanted to mention that!

Take Care!

 
Originally Posted by TwixtBetwixt /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have any of you ladies tried the Ulta Highlighter Brush? I saw a review somewhere online stating that it is virtually identical to the MAC 187. There were pics, and it looks pretty much the same as the MAC, too... same size & shape (entire brush).

I just bought 2 of the Ulta brushes (but I have no MAC 187 for comparison). The Ulta highlighter brush is like $26. I managed to buy mine when they were BOGO, plus I had a coupon for $3.50 off, and I think they were 25% off to boot! LOL =) So they were dirt cheap.

They feel really soft & silky, though I still need to wash them. I haven't used them yet - just brushed them over my skin a bit
wink.gif


I have never seen them in the store, just online.

Anyway, just wanted to mention that!

Take Care!

Ha ha, I was just watching your haul vid on YT, and decided to run over here to see if there was a comparison b/t the 2... You suckered me, lol!
I'd like to know how the ULTA holds up next to the 187 too... When Koren did his vid, I assumed it was the ULTA one, but I was so sad when it didn't turn out to be...
frown.gif


 
Originally Posted by internetchick /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is the Ulta brush only available in store? I can't see it online.
frown.gif
I don't know if this link will work or not:

Ulta.com - Highlighter Brush

I just went to Google & did a search for "Ulta highlighter Brush" and it's the first thing that pops up - right from the Ulta website.

 

Latest posts

Back
Top