An Inexpensive Dupe for the MAC187 SE

The MAC 187 brush is a very pricey duo fibre, stippling, skunk, fiber optic (whatever you want to call it) brush that runs for $42. It's usually used for liquid foundation or for blush to give you that flawless air brushed look. I personally don't use liquid foundation and I wanted a duo fibre brush to apply my loose mineral blushes.

There was no way I was going to spend $42 on one brush even though it's a very good quality item. But when Nordstrom came out with their Colorforms limited edition collection earlier this year, I had to snag up one of the brush sets for $49.50 that included the 187 SE (special edition). Mind you, the special edition brushes are not of the same quality as the regular brushes but still useable. The current brush set that contains the 187 SE is from the Adoring Carmine collection, which is also $49.50.

So I found a pretty good dupe since I needed another stippling brush. I picked up the Flirt! Feather Dust-her brush at Kohl's for only $7. Sadly, it's not listed on either website so if you're near a Kohl's store you should walk in quickly to check it out.


DIMENSIONS

Flirt! Feather Dust-her (cute name):
Length- 6.75" long
Bristles- 1.75" long
Brush Head Width- 1.5" long
Bristle Base Width (right above the ferrule)- a little over 0.5"

MAC 187 SE:
Length- 5" long
Bristles- 1.5" long
Brush Head Width- 1.25" long
Bristle Base Width (right above the ferrule)- 0.75" long

[sorry about the decimals, I can't put fractions]

COMPARISON

The Flirt! brush handle is longer and has a nice matte look to it. The significant difference is that the Flirt! brush has about twice as less bristles as the MAC 187 SE, which can be a plus because if you're using a very pigmented blush, you only want to pick up a little bit of color anyway. The Flirt! brush head is more narrow at the base than the MAC, hence, less bristles, and it flares out more at the top than the MAC 187 SE. The black bristles, which I believe are animal hair (don't quote me on that), get more frizzy and frayed the more I wash it but it doesn't bother me since the focus of the brush are the white synthetic bristles.

The white bristles are very soft on both brushes. In fact, they feel exactly the same and the length of the white bristles poking out from the black bristles on both brushes are the same length. The MAC 187 SE is a little bit stiffer but for applying blush, the Flirt! brush does the job perfectly.



L: Flirt! Feather Dust-her, R: MAC 187 SE

Overall, the Flirt! Feather Dust-her brush for $7 is a steal and is a very good dupe for the MAC 187 SE. As for shedding, mine has not shed one hair. The only thing bad about the brush is that it's hard to find. I checked both the Koh'ls and Flirt! website and it's not there. And the first time I went looking for this brush at a Kohl's store, it was sold out and didn't come back in for about two weeks. But another bad thing about the brush is that it might be too flimsy to use with liquid foundation. I've heard Sonia Kashuk has a similar brush available at Target's but costs more that the Flirt! and I can't seem to find it at any of my local Tar-Jeh's.

So if you're ever near a Koh'ls and want to try your first duo fibre brush at an affordable price, pick up the Flirt! Feather Dust-her. I just love the name of it. The play on words is cute.

Hope this helps! =)

EDIT:
A con about this brush is that the black dye on the natural hairs will fade to a purplish color. I now use this mostly with my finishing powder and it works great.

For a review about another 187 dupe, the
Studio Tools Dual-Finish Brush, click here.