MAC • #228 Mini Shader Brush • Makeup Brushes

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AJ6488 on 4/12/2013 1:48:00 AM more reviews by AJ6488

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

I never found a good use of this brush. It's too small to apply colors on the lid, it's not flat enough to blend the liners, and the bristle is so hard that actually stings my eye when I use it.

If you only need a brush to pack on the eye shadows, and have other good blending brush and liner brush to work with the color, you may like this. BUT don't expect it to do double of triple duty. NOT a must-have for me.

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xAutumnBabyx on 11/15/2012 6:35:00 PM more reviews by xAutumnBabyx

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

This little brush is amazing! I use this for so many eyeshadow purposes. I love this for smudging eyeshadow on my lower lash line, inner corner highlight, brow bone highlight and defining/blending my crease colour. Prior to this, I was using my MAC 219 and 266 for lower lash line e/s application, but they where far to scratchy :( but this little gem is perfect ! It's even great for setting liners. I don't know how I used to do my makeup without this brush. It's very essential and wonderful :)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* alicilera on 4/16/2012 8:28:00 AM more reviews by alicilera

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Black    

This eye brush is amazing!!! I use it more than Mac 239 and possibly competing with 217! I would never have thought to buy this tiny brush just that I got this frm a swap and I'm so glad I did! It introduces to me thE importance of a small shade/accent/smudge brush! I use this way over 219, which I found is abit scratchy
For my lower lash line. I use this on inner corners, lower lash line ESP. And works v well! A good cheaper dupe is REal techiques' accent brush, which I just got and will use it for lining dark colors on lower lash line!

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*TOP REVIEWER* Annushka on 4/7/2012 2:43:00 AM more reviews by Annushka

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Tan   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Great multiuse Mac brush, delicate and small enough to smudge eyeliner, precisely apply eyeshadow on the Botton lash line and top lash line. Wide enough to use as a blender and to apply colour in the water duct. Over all, I LOVE THIS BRUSH!
Science purchasing it in America (i forgot how much but cheaper than you woud in Australia) I have literally neglected all other brushes except for this and the 239. I manage to blend right, and my V's in the outer corner are more neat and I can control where the powder goes better than a round shader. I use this to apply eyeshadow in the way that I would apply gel eyeliner on the days that I want to wear navy eyeliner, or deep purple eyeliner (as I only own brown an dblack eyeliners in gel and pencils etc). Creates a very natural and easy line if I have a steady hand that day.
Densely packed hairs, very soft and catches the right amount of powder. Haven't had any shedding.
Probably one of the better eye brushes of the range.

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*TOP REVIEWER* lygophilia on 3/10/2012 12:59:00 AM more reviews by lygophilia

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Red   Eyes: Green    

I like this brush and actually own two in my collection. Great brush for precision work with either cream or powder shadows. I use this to apply products on the lid, brow bone, and inner corner high light. Washes easily, maintains it shape, and never sheds.

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*TOP REVIEWER* jjay7381 on 11/28/2011 4:18:00 PM more reviews by jjay7381

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This is one of the few brushes I think EVERYONE should have at some point even though it is not a brush I would recommend for someone just starting out and looking to invest in those absolutely necessary basic brushes or casual makeup wearers who don't like spending a ton of time doing their makeup. I definitely think everyone could get A LOT of use out of this brush though so to me, it's worth it to have at least one of them. I only wish I had looked at this brush before I bought a 231 brush.

PROS:

- YOU CAN DO A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS WITH IT. It's one of the few true multi-use brushes in my opinion. It's flat, thin and just stiff enough for defining the outer V, smudging eyeliner, putting color on the lower lash line, filling in brows, etc.

- IT'S AN AMAZING LIP BRUSH. Applying bright red lipsticks and working them into my lips is what I use this brush for more than anything else. The brush is small enough to be precise and give you good control. It's really important to work red lipstick into your lips if you're going to wear it and this brush does that really well without being too scratchy.

- EASY TO CLEAN. The thing that pushes this from a 4 to a 5 in my opinion is how shockingly easy it is to clean. It's much easier to get all traces of lipstick off of this brush than the 231 brush or the regular lip brushes which are actually designed for sticky products.

- GREAT QUALITY. I've washed it several times and I've had absolutely no shedding. It's very sturdy and it retains it's shape perfectly. It also dries pretty quickly so I don't have to wait around for it for hours. Bonus points for the fact that unlike the 231 brush, this one is available at MAC counters so you don't have to go all the way to a MAC store or buy it online.

CONS:

- IT'S EXPENSIVE: This brush costs $19.50. Yes, it's not as expensive as the vast majority of MAC brushes, but $20 for a teeny tiny brush is kind of hard to swallow, especially if you already have good brushes that do everything this one does. On the other hand, you could pay $22.50 for MAC's lip brush which isn't nearly as versatile or easy to clean as this one.

- IT'S DELICATE: Unlike the 231 brush, the handle on the 228 brush is SO thin that I'm always terrified that it's going to snap in half if I drop it on a hard floor or put it in a bag while traveling.


***EASY TIP*** If you decide to pick up this brush (or any other MAC brush), take some clear nail polish and swipe it over the silver MAC # lettering on your brush a few times. Redo this every year and it will prevent the number from rubbing off and keep your brush looking like new. Lots of people already know to do this, but I see tons of people with brushes that have labels nearly rubbed off all the time so it's worth mentioning.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* dreanicoley on 5/7/2011 4:01:00 PM more reviews by dreanicoley

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Not quite sure why I bought this or what I intended to do with it. Its not bad and I'm not by any means a professional, but I just personally can't figure out a good purpose. So the cute little brush just sits there :(

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*TOP REVIEWER* curlycuesue on 4/26/2011 10:58:00 PM more reviews by curlycuesue

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

My BB eyeliner brush had definitely seen better days so I sought out to find another brush to smudge pencil eyeliner and/or apply eyeshadow as liner to smudge together w/ the pencil eyeliner. The #228 picks up enough color w/ a few swipes in the pot, and w/o leaving a pool of loose shadow behind. Also, it doesn't leave much fall out under my eyes or on my cheeks. It's kinda firm and dense, but still soft and fluffy, and small enough to apply color just where I need it. I just wish the brush was a bit shorter b/c I keep hitting the mirror w/ the end of the handle. Also, I'm not sure if it's worth $19.50, so in the meantime, I'll keep looking for a cheaper alternative.

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abusleb on 4/16/2011 1:35:00 AM more reviews by abusleb

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

It's really cute but did not grab any color. I had bought it for my eyeshadows, for detail work. Perhaps it's really meant to work for emollient products only.

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LSButtercup on 1/21/2011 10:20:00 AM more reviews by LSButtercup

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Olive, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Relaxed, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I LOVE this brush. I think it is my absolute favorite!! It is so versatile, I can use it to apply color, highlight theinner corners, smudge, apply shadow as a liner, it has many many uses. Love it!

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*TOP REVIEWER* violetmist on 12/27/2010 9:55:00 AM more reviews by violetmist

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This is a magic wand for $20. It is a treasure and it does create magic because it alone can give you pro results - I'm talking cover of Vogue - in a fraction of the time it would normally take. It is a diminutive little fairy of a brush that works best for the outer corner of the eye lid (by the lash line), not only placing colour meticulously there but establishing the right angle for the bridge crease and the blend into lower lid colour. All with one swipe. It took me ages of adjustment, swiping, blending, to get the perfect position of colour (sometimes I use 5 shades - just for fun) and it still didn't give me what I wanted because it was then overworked. The precision of having colour placed exactly so in the outer corner, an extremely small spot in terms of shadow real estate cannot be overestimated. Not only because of its impact (once you try it you will see what I mean because none of the other brushes can make this happen) but because it will enable you to place the rest of your colours with better balance. It will allow you to create more artistry consequently which is why I am now getting to up to 5 colours with beautiful results. My aim is edgy but soft and an exaggeration of natural and I am getting so much mileage out of my existing shadow wardrobe - a well curated collection of Chanel, MAC, Nars and Bobbi Brown.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

tinawenders on 11/23/2010 10:02:00 AM more reviews by tinawenders

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I'm rather surprised to see this brush earns a relatively low rating here. This is one of the best brushes for applying e/s which I come across. It gives very precise application and also intense color on eyelid. A must have for everyone. And the price is very reasonable among MAC brushes!

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*TOP REVIEWER* rediska on 8/22/2010 5:47:00 AM more reviews by rediska

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Other    

I bought this brush randomly at Duty Free a while ago and have been using it as a crease brush.
Having read the other reviews, it seems that that's not quite the purpose it was made for, but I think I quite like using it for the crease.
My only gripe with it is that the bristles can be a bit scratchy on the skin sometimes, just by virtue of their shortness.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

TheNightMare on 7/27/2010 7:48:00 AM more reviews by TheNightMare

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I really love this brush a lot.
I was looking for a small brush to use in the inner corner of the eyelid, and luckely i found this one.
I like that its not a complete flat brush, but that is has a little bit of puff, so it can be used for some blending, and you don't ende up with a sharpe edge
Easy to clean, and i never had any hair falling off.
Would buy again... and again :)

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HelloKittyHun on 7/27/2010 7:19:00 AM more reviews by HelloKittyHun

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I like this brush a lot! It's one of MAC's lesser known brushes but it needs more attention! I was looking for a small shadow brush to apply black shadow as an eyeliner and all the ones I had were too big, so I found this one! And it works well for that purpose! They claim to use this as a blending brush, but I'm not sure if I would really use this to blend out anything other than small harsh transitioning color lines on the lid. It works well for that, but to blend out shadows A LOT it's not big enough for that. I also think that this is a great brush for those who have smaller lids because the 239 can be really big for those with smaller lids, so this one would be the perfect size in my opinion! It's also great for getting color on the lower lash line and smoking it out! Multi-purpose brush! It's not as expensive as MAC's other brushes so that's good. But I still find it kinda pricey at $19.50.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

tahiti33 on 5/5/2010 3:31:00 PM more reviews by tahiti33

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

This brush is great, I always had trouble working my outer v area until I purchased this brush! It also works great lining my lower lid with eye shadow. For me this brush makes makeup application so much more precise and easy.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

MissNostalgia on 4/24/2010 8:50:00 AM more reviews by MissNostalgia

Age: Unknown   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Other, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

You know, this brush sat completely ignored in the vase for a couple years. I think in that time I use it maybe once or twice. Then one day, I thought Id use it as a lid brush (I prefer to pat on my shadow rather than drag), and it suddenly proved itself. I really like it, I feel like I have alot of control with it. It is now one of my daily brushes that I dont know if I can live without.
It holds pigments and powders nicely, the bristles havent shed with weekly washings, theyve maintained shape and density, and just in general its been a really good brush.
For sure I would reccomend it to a friend or buy it again if it was lost or stolen.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

joyce77 on 2/4/2010 11:13:00 PM more reviews by joyce77

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Dark   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

This is a great brush for apply highlighter colour to inner corner of the eyes, which what I use it for. It's good for apply dark eyeshadow at the lashes to create a smokey look and doing precise eyeshadow work, like defined crease.

Although this brush isn't an necessity, I'm so glad I have it. The 228 is a brush to get once you have the 227, 224, 239, 219, 242, 222, 266, 217 (not in any order).

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*TOP REVIEWER* gna on 12/22/2009 11:08:00 PM more reviews by gna

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

Great brush for my smallish lids, and for tighter crease work. Works well to apply both powder and cream shadow formulas. This and #239 are my MAC eye brush must-haves.

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broadwaybaby897 on 12/11/2009 1:23:00 AM more reviews by broadwaybaby897

Age: 19-24   Skin: Very Oily, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

I love this brush. I have small eyes, so this brush is PERFECT for defining my outer v. I also love it to smudge shadows along my bottom lash line, AND to hilight my inner corner. It's just an all around perfect brush for my small eyes, and definitely aids in my shadow application to make them bigger. I love it. Plus, I got it at my CCO for like $12. So, definitely nice and cheap if you can find it there- CCO is where I buy 97% of my MAC products!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No