MAC • 182 Buffer Brush • Makeup Brushes

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avocadogreen on 8/10/2008 10:46:00 PM more reviews by avocadogreen

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

I had high hopes for this brush, as it felt soft on my hands and looked very full and cute. However, it feels a little bit scratchy on my face and it's been shedding a few strands of hair every time I use it. For a brush that costs $45, I expected it to be super soft on my face.

Aside from that, the brush does a good job of applying mineral makeup and blending face colors. However, I'd recommend the Everyday Minerals flat top and kabuki brushes for mineral makeup. Now those brushes are shed-free and VERY soft! Plus, they're on $10 a piece. I find myself reaching for those brushes more than my MAC 182 (unfortunately).

If I had to replace this brush for another similar one, I might also want to try out the Tarte kabuki brush. I've heard lots of great reviews about that one, and it's not as expensive.

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

steffanii on 8/4/2008 1:16:00 PM more reviews by steffanii

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I love this. I've been wanting the 182 for about two years now, and yesterday I finally decided to get it. Needless to say, I was so excited to try it... that I was actually smiling while applying my Studio Fix powder. (Also works great for bronzer)

I really noticed a difference in the application. It gives a very VERY even coverage. I was skeptical about buying it since I already have a 187SE and it was giving me alright results.

I've only used this once so I can't comment on shedding etc yet. It's sooooo soft though, I wanted to buff my face all day!

If you are serious about your foundation application, I'd say definitely get it. If you don't even use foundation or use it irregularly, then save your 50 dollars for some nice Starflash eyeshadows =]

For the price I'd have to knock off a lippie.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Sue_raisin on 7/30/2008 4:10:00 PM more reviews by Sue_raisin

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This has got to be the creme de la creme of kabuki brushes. It's beautifully soft, thick and buffs my mineral foundation in like a dream. unlike other MUAers before me, I haven't had any problems with shedding at all. I love using this brush, it makes my foundation blend amazingly well, and washes and dries really well. I haven't ever found another kabuki of this calibre, it's expensive, but so very, very worth it.

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vandkaye on 7/25/2008 11:52:00 PM more reviews by vandkaye

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

Initially, I bought this brush to apply my Everyday Minerals. Before this brush, I used the Kabuki brush from Bare Minerals, but it scratches my face. Then I tried the Italian Badger buffer brush from Coastal Scents, it's very dense and really buffs the foundation, but's still a little harsh. I never bought anything this expensive for a makeup brush, but I needed one. To my surprise, this brush is very soft and picks up the product well, but... yes there is a but... it doesn't really buff the foundation into my skin unless I use more effort, which is more time consuming. I agree with other members, that it shouldn't shed at all for this price. My brush sheds little tiny hairs... in the end, I'm glad it doesn't scratch my face.

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eunseoyi on 7/1/2008 5:16:00 PM more reviews by eunseoyi

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Very Dry, Olive   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

one of the best kabukis i have tried but it does shed though. the bristles are really packed and dense. The shedding aint as bad as i thought it would be. for the price though, it shoudn't even shed one single hair:(
EDIT: i think the posh and the edm flat top kabuki works just as well for 1/4 of the price...kind of regret buying it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* jhadiq on 6/27/2008 1:52:00 AM more reviews by jhadiq

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

Thankfully, I didn't have any shedding problems with my brush. My take on this particular brush is that it truly is the King of Kabuki. Dense but super-soft, it picks up a good amount of color and will buff, buff, buff your makeup like a dream. If you need a good buffer, this will do the job. I think this has to be one of the best,if not the best, buffer brush out there. However, I should mention that I also acquired the cheap Coastal Scents Italian Badger (I think it's like USD $12) Buffer and it does give the 182 a run for it's money. There are differences of course - the CS IB Buffer is flat and will therefore pickup and deposit more color over a wider area. It is also not as soft as the MAC. It could well be that the Coastal Scents brush will do just as well for you at a fraction of the price. Dont get me wrong, I am glad that I have the MAC Kabuki - to me it is the reliable choice, and a must-have brush. I would definitely repurchase since this is one of my favorite brushes and IMHO, worth the money. However, it is clear that you don't necessarily have to spend $45 bucks to get a decent buffer brush that will do the same job. If you are hesitant to spend the money on this one, then check out the Coastal Scents Italian Badger Buffer.

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*TOP REVIEWER* MadameFabulina on 6/24/2008 10:16:00 PM more reviews by MadameFabulina

Age: 36-43   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

Yes, it's soft; yes, it's so cute; yes, I love smooshing it into my face whilst I stipple and buff my foundation; but like the reviewer below, this mofo sheds like crazy. Mine has shed every day since I bought it and it freakin' pisses me off!!! For that steep price, this should do nothing short of massaging my shoulders all by itself and zipping up my damn jeans!

11 out of 12 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

veevixxen on 6/23/2008 4:55:00 PM more reviews by veevixxen

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I love MAC brushes. I own about 8 of them and have had most for over 10 years and they still are in great shape. They are an investment that are well worth it. When looking for a kabuki brush to splurge on, I didn't think twice and just went to go buy this brush without reading any reviews. While it is incredible soft and holds a lot of product, it sheds. I have been using this brush for over 2 months now and still have problems with shedding. So this is my only gripe about this brush - for $45, it should not be shedding after 2 months.

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

iwasntlazyinmay on 6/5/2008 3:40:00 AM more reviews by iwasntlazyinmay

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Tan   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This brush does justice with mineralized skinfinishes! A few buffs and it blends beautifully. I use this brush everyday with my powders. If you have any mineralized skinfinishes or loose mineral make-up...GET THIS BRUSH! It is pricey but if you're willing to splurge on a great brush this would have to be the one. It dries slower than my other brushes after cleaning but it does wonders on my face. It is extremely soft and dense. If you're looking for a more buildable coverage with powder foundations, this is for you.
EDIT: This brush in the beginning was very good. Then I found myself with so much product on my face because of the buffing it does and I fell out of love with it. I now use my coastal scents paddle brush (comparable to MAC 134 as the website says) for a more sheer natural finish. No doubt this brush is very soft and does the trick but I like more sheer coverage with my powders. I found myself with an orange tan instead of a brownish natural tan in the sunlight. I still love this to buff away my blushes if I accidentally put too much. However if you are a loose mineral makeup person, i really suggest this brush.

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Terry74 on 5/27/2008 9:38:00 AM more reviews by Terry74

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

I bought it after reading so many positive reviews about it and I totally love it!!! Extremely soft, I use it for applying MAC beauty powder and it works amazingly well. I sometimes use it as blush brush and it provides a perfect performance even in that case. Now I want to test it as liquid foundation brush, I'm sure it won't disappoint me. Quite expensive for a make-up tool but definitely worth the price.

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Snowing on 5/26/2008 2:23:00 PM more reviews by Snowing

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I bought this brush off eBay and totally love it. It is so much softer than my previous kabuki brush. Some people have complained about shedding but I have not experienced it.

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rbella on 5/24/2008 5:00:00 PM more reviews by rbella

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

I agree with deesizzle. This brush sheds worse than my cat, FiFi. I spend more time picking little black hairs off of my face than I do actually blending. I could probably just use FiFi's butt and get the same result. It is extremely frustrating. Especially for the price. The most frustrating part? It blends beautifully. AAARRGGGHH!

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deesizzle on 5/21/2008 3:30:00 AM more reviews by deesizzle

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I've had this brush for almost 2 months now and although it's great at application and very soft, it still sheds!! It's really annoying having to pick all these (maybe 3-7) little broken black hairs off my face everyday - especially for $45 bucks! Minus 1 lippie for that. That being said, I can't complain about the price since I got this brush as a gift (bought at a MAC f/s store by my sis, so no chance of a fake) but it still is a chunk'a change! And I wish it came with a better case than the flimsy plastic it comes in, even cheaper d/s brushes have sturdier cases..
But other than that, I guess I have no other complaints.. It's very soft, buffs my mmu exceptionally well, doesn't bleed dye when I wash it (been washing 1x/week since I got it) and it's a great upgrade from my scratchy old EOB kabuki, which is why I'm still giving it 4 lippies instead of my intended 3 =)

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*TOP REVIEWER* luftballon on 5/13/2008 6:01:00 PM more reviews by luftballon

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Expensive, dense, very soft, but I avoid using it because it sheds like a b*tch.

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katesmom on 5/13/2008 4:57:00 PM more reviews by katesmom

Age: 36-43   Skin: Very Dry, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I originally purchased this brush to apply my liquid foundation (a great tip culled from another makeup forum).

It worked as wonderfully as promised, giving my face a flawless airbrushed quality. However, it shed ceaselessly! So much so that I had to stop using it for this purpose.

I have since returned to my trusty 187. Not as great a finish but not as frustrating either.

Nothing special about this brush when used to apply powder or to blend. Check out the NARS Botan instead.

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*TOP REVIEWER* josette on 4/25/2008 10:13:00 PM more reviews by josette

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Oh I love this brush so much! I use it with my MAC mineralize skinfinish natural - Light Medium and it works like a charm.

It is admitedly expensive but so much better than any of my other brushes and I use it every day. The 182 is high quality and takes up little room in my makeup bag [so it's good for travel].

This brush is very soft yet dense enough to give you coverage. I love to feel it on my face. I have kabuki brushes that are much less expensive from Smashbox, BE, and Sephora - BUT- they are scratchy in comparison to this cute little MAC 182.
This brush would be great also for finishing powder or bronzer too. It is a gem. A splurge that was actually usefull.

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tmdblue on 4/19/2008 1:17:00 PM more reviews by tmdblue

Age: 25-29   Skin: Very Oily, Dark   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I brought this brush because I had heard so much about kabuki/buffer styled brushes and I decided to go with MAC's. As stated previously it sheds like a dog with mange! Apparently spending more money doesn't equate to higher quality. Everytime I use this brush I end up with at least two hairs stuck on my face. Don't let me get started on how it sheds when washed.....


Update 1/20/13 When I originally did this review it was in 08' and now almost 5 years later this brush is still going strong. I think that the initial problems that I experienced were due to the brush being new and needing time to break it in. It no longer sheds and all the leftover dye washed out long ago. I use this brush daily for my prep n prime translucent powder, and pressed powders as well. My advice is to give a brush a few weeks/washes to get broken in and then you'll pretty much now what you have in terms of shedding.

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*TOP REVIEWER* CheckyDoll on 4/16/2008 4:57:00 PM more reviews by CheckyDoll

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Red   Eyes: Green    

Best kabuki brush ever made! :D
Yes, the price is quite steep but well worth it! I bought this before I even started freelancing for MAC and had a discount and I'd still pay that price again if I had to...it's that awesome! When I started using Studio Fix regularly I was using the EoB (at CVS) brand kabuki brush which I thought was decent enough. But after hearing all the raves for this brush I decided to try it. It feels like velvet bristles! After using this one the EoB one felt like sandpaper on my face...nothing compares to this brush! If you use any variation of powder foundation you must try this brush....you will not regret this purchase!

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kayteea on 4/15/2008 2:58:00 PM more reviews by kayteea

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

Let me just start off by saying the price is INSANE. I've never spent $48 on one single makeup item. Besides the price, though, it is really nice. It makes my EM foundation go on much easier, look much more natural and it takes a lot less time to apply:) Even though I think the brush was a good purchase, I will not be buying another as I expect this one to last a long time!

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*TOP REVIEWER* lil_kismet on 3/25/2008 9:30:00 PM more reviews by lil_kismet

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I wish I could give the 182 a perfect 5 lippies, however, it sheds far too much. Every single time I use or wash it, it sheds between 3-5 hairs each time and I've owned it for a year if not longer. The shedding should have stopped by now but it hasn't. I think it is far too expensive considering the amount of shedding. However, it remains an extremely dense brush and it performs amazingly. Perfect for application of mineral powders and overall blending of the face. The bristles are extremely soft and plushy, almost bouncy and feel amazing gliding across my skin. As much as I would love to say I would purchase this brush again, I remain undecided for reasons aforementioned.

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