MAC • #130 Short Duo Fibre Brush • Makeup Brushes

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*TOP REVIEWER* BoxcarJessie on 9/20/2010 7:24:00 AM more reviews by BoxcarJessie

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Black   Eyes: Hazel    

I swore I'd never buy anything from MAC because it seemed I could find a comparable dupe for every product I pined for...but not for this brush. So, I reluctantly went into my local MAC store with my husband and lo and behold, they were out of the 130. So I grabbed his hand and yanked him out of that store just as the MAC rep was trying to get my address and phone number..eesh! That was close. The next week, we tried again and YAY! There it was!! Looked like they just got a new shipment of them in as there were about 15 of the brushes in a little plastic jar. Woohoo! I snatched one up and went to the counter, paid the lady and ran outta there. This exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds...definitely worth the money. The brush is well made and perfect for applying my cream/liquid foundation, under eye and spot concealer and cream blushes. My whole make up application is flawless now that I use a sparing amount of product to get an airbrushed, perfect coverage with any product I use. I'm in looooove! This lil puppy is saving me money cause I use less product and tightening up my make up application because it's so multi purpose. I wish this brush came out a long time ago..could have saved even more $$$ but I'm dang happy to have it as an addition to my brush collection. I use this and my Sonia Kashuk flat topped brush to do all of my face make up...fabulous! J'adore'! And it's exquisite for general skin care and anti-aging as it doesn't tug at your skin one bit! It's so soft and glides over your skin like a gentle breeze. :):)

xoxoxo
- Mad Madam Jess

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vonns84 on 9/12/2010 9:38:00 PM more reviews by vonns84

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I'm obsessed with this brush. Can use it for so many things...good for contouring, highlighting, foundation application, concealing (around whole eye)...... it makes me happy. I do find that when you clean it it sheds a teenie bit, but I feel like any brush would.

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*TOP REVIEWER* bagpuss21 on 9/4/2010 4:06:00 PM more reviews by bagpuss21

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I do like this brush, even the price I felt was justified if it meant it would last years but......its not AMAZING IMO, After I clean the brush (using Mac Brush Cleanser) it shreds quite a bit leaving little black hairs on my face that are tricky to get off your just done foundation. I love how it gets in all the nooks around your nose and its easy to work with...I actually enjoy using it...just wish it didnt shred.

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*TOP REVIEWER* mariella99 on 8/30/2010 2:17:00 PM more reviews by mariella99

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

This is my first duo-fibre brush. I wrestled with getting the 187, 188 or this but when I saw this one in the store and felt it, it seemed like it would be the best brush for my needs.


This is a fantastic multi-purpose brush. I wanted something small so I could apply blush just where I wanted it and then buff it out from there and the 130 is perfect for that. But it's also great for applying both liquid foundation and mineral powders. It's great for applying MAC's MSF highlighters too as the small size lets you put it just where you want it and the texture allows you to buff out the highlighter to a lovely sheen if that's what you want to do. And believe it or not, I will sometimes use it after I've applied my eyeshadows, to buff all the shades together seamlessly and it gives a great result. If the brush weren't so pricey, I'd buy another one or 2 but it's also so easy to wipe this off on a clean, dry towel if need be, if I'm switching between using it for blush and highlighter, for example.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* makeupMichelle10 on 8/19/2010 11:17:00 PM more reviews by makeupMichelle10

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

For foundation, this does not work at all for me. It just drags the faoundation across my face and how small it is, it cannot buff it in. Instead, I use this with my cream colour base in Hush by MAC for highlighting the top of my cheek bones and it works amazing! I gives the small area a buffed out natural finish. Will stick to my Sigma 197 for foundation, but will continute to use this for my highlight!

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Moxie1 on 8/9/2010 2:15:00 AM more reviews by Moxie1

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

Before purchasing this brush, I was using my fingers for cream blushes/bronzers/highlighters. What I was finding was that I applied too much product when I used my fingers and ended up with uneven pigmentation on either side of my face and a heavy application. With this brush, application is so much more sheer and natural and it gives my cheeks a healthy glow kind of look instead of an uneven and blotchy one. The brush has not shead for me at all and is so soft! I made such a big deal about it that my boyfriend let me sweep the brush over his face to prove how soft it was. He is usually very "macho" (or atleast he tries to be) and it was cool to see him interested in something girly that I was excited about. Overall, very nice brush, a bit pricey for my budget but atleast I won't have to by another brush for my cream products for a very long time, so it's justifiable.

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*TOP REVIEWER* harsha1980p on 8/8/2010 5:30:00 PM more reviews by harsha1980p

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Olive, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

brilliant unique brush i use it for cream products, mainly my mac mineralize cream foundation spf 15 in mac NC40 really good for getting full coverage and into all the nooks, i think you can use however you want stipple and swirll even stroke product onto your face it will give you an airbrushed finish my 190 is now redundant. i alternate this with the 187 which is equally as good i use that when im short of time as it covers the area of my face quicker but gives more medium coverage and requires buidling. both are also great for buffing in cream blushes

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Surfaddict on 8/1/2010 9:15:00 PM more reviews by Surfaddict

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

I love it ) Now it takes me 3 minutes to apply foundation (I'm using Shu Uemura Face Architect either MAC Mineralize foundation SPF 15). I just buff it inside of the brush from my hand, then buff into face and blend with light circular motions afterwards. Finish is really PERFECT, I woudln't ask for more...and it stays on forever, I can tell. Usually I would have to fix the makeup after 3 hours as long as I live in tropical climate where everything just melts like crazy, but now I don't even actually need to touch my face the whole day.

I would definitely repurchase again.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Fibergash6 on 8/1/2010 6:40:00 PM more reviews by Fibergash6

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Medium, Cool   Hair: Red, Wavy   Eyes: Green    

This thing is FREAKING TINY.. It would take days to apply foundation. I don't even use it for blushes, I think it's way too small for that too. I'm using it for highlights, like msf and lustre drops. But the 188 works just as well for that purpose. This was a waste of money. I tried applying foundation with this but it took freakn forever. I have no patience whatsoever so I will not be using this brush for all over the face. If they made this much bigger, then it might just work. But seriously there's nothing this brush can do that the other mac brushs can't. And for $38 I expect much better.
EDIT: I disliked this brush now I hate it. I used to it apply studio sculpt and being that it is a heavy foundation, I thought that's why it applied very streaky. But I tried different foundations too, studio fix, mac face& body, MUFE HD, MUFE mat velvet, and revlon photoready and ALL of them came on
extremely streaky. I had to use a kabuki to buff it all in. Cream blush applicatio also comes on streaky and verry unnatural looking because it the brush doesn't blend it in right. I think I'll just use this for powder blush/highlighters, but for the intended purpose the brush was released for SUCKS.

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rrzhao on 7/24/2010 1:19:00 AM more reviews by rrzhao

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

Just Love this brush, it is the perfect brush for foundation,

I used liquid, cream, or powder foundation, they all looks perfect when I use 130 to put on,

now I left my lamcome foundation brush behind, and will stay with this 130 forever,

will buy it again and again, recommend to anyone who want flawless and good coverage make up.

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DeeVine1217 on 7/15/2010 10:27:00 AM more reviews by DeeVine1217

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Medium   Hair: Brown, Wavy   Eyes: Brown    

1 word: LOOOVE.

I use this to apply cream blushes and it is amazing. I used to use the 188 brush to help blend it in but found that I had to spend a lot of time blending due to the light touch resulting from the long bristles. Problem solved with this one! The brush is dense and spreads/blends color out evenly and quickly. The size is also perfect for the cheek area.

I just tap the color onto my cheeks with my finger and blend with the 130 - voila, I have a pretty and natural flush.

I would definitely recommend this brush to anyone who likes to use cream products on their cheeks. It is a little small to apply foundation though so I wouldn't recommend it for that.

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

Vintagexx on 6/26/2010 7:09:00 PM more reviews by Vintagexx

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Oily, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I LOVE THIS BRUSH ! ! I could never figure out how to apply my creme products flawlessly . I always used my finger or a sponge. But then I found this little guy and i'm in LOVE !! amazing blends perfectly , but does shed a little :/ only downside. But it's def. worth the money ! I haven't found anything like it !

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RubyJuly89 on 6/21/2010 10:08:00 PM more reviews by RubyJuly89

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

I just purchased this brush a few hours before writing this review and I absolutely love it!
It really is fantastic for applying foundation.

Since I have acne scarring and large pores and was looking for a brush to make applying my foundation a little easier and something to give me better coverage. My foundation is a full coverage but, I find that when I apply it with my fingers it doesn't seem ti help cover the large pores I have. Even though I use M.A.C Prep+Prime Skin.

I was hesitant of the #187 as it seemed a little to "floppy" for my needs. When I went my local M.A.C counter I was thrilled to find they had just one #130 left in stock. So I picked it up, and I am so glad I did. I tested it out when I got home. I removed all of my foundation then used my primer and applied the foundation using the #130. I actually ended up using LESS foundation than I normally do and I got much better coverage.

I know the price is steep but it is great, I should add, I did not have any shedding in my first use.

AWESOME BRUSH!!!!!!!
THEY REALLY SHOULD MAKE IT PERMANENT!!!

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donchica on 6/21/2010 12:45:00 PM more reviews by donchica

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Dark   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I really love this brush, and i hope they make it permanent. I dont bliv in stupidly buying backups, so I prefer to have one at a time. I primarily bought it for use with foundations, since I have a small face...and it really is beautiful and easy to use. I got the 187 and hated it, I found it made me use a lot of product, but thats not the case with this one. I use it for both foundation and studio finish concealer on top. Love it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* AngelOnFire on 6/14/2010 10:59:00 AM more reviews by AngelOnFire

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Despite being previously disappointed with MAC's other brushes I have (#217 and #239), I gave in and bought the #130 and #131. I guess the 'limited edition' got to me, and aside from that, I only had one duo-fibre brush, the Sigma SS188 back then. To justify this rather expensive purchase at £27 even further, we don't have Studio Tools or Sonka Kashuk here in the UK. Heck, even Ecotools is hard to come by!


The first thought that came to my head when I saw the brush is how small and short the brush head actually is. Another unique thing about it is how incredibly dense the bristles are. It doesn't have nearly as much 'give' as other duo-fiber / stippling / skunk brushes I've encountered. First, I tried it with creme blush, which was rather disappointing. It is too dense for really pigmented blushes, and it's shape and stiffness aren't ideal for blending. If you want a duo-fiber brush that is perfect for creme and powder blush, get the #131 instead.


However, the #130 shines when it comes to performing another task: Applying foundation. As much as I love my Perscriptives foundation brush, it leaves me with streaks. The #130 gives me a perfect finish. It is too small to stipple foundation on, so the only way to use it effectively is to buff and blend in circular motions. The density of the brush gives a greater coverage than other stippling or regular foundation brushes, and streaks are a thing of the past once you buff them out. I've used it so far with Laura Mercier's Oil-Free Foundation, MAC's Studio Sculpt and NARS Firming Foundation. I never got the LM to look right without a damp sponge, and the NARS is best used with fingers. But so far, all off these foundations love the #130.


However, there are a few niggles that I have with the #130. It's too small. Whilst applying foundation doesn't take any longer than with other brushes (given that you work quickly), the thick handle isn't ergonomic for me and makes my hand hurt. Besides that, it SHEDS. It looses one or two hairs with every application, and there's nothing more annoying than picking small, black hairs from your face.


To sum it up, this is a good purchase, worth the £27 pounds I shelled out for it. And whilst the brush itself isn't perfect, the finish it gives when you apply foundation surely is!

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

JustLikeHollywood on 6/7/2010 5:54:00 AM more reviews by JustLikeHollywood

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Dry, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Black, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I found the idea of this brush very exciting as I hate using 190 style brushes for foundation and find the 187 not to be dense enough to apply foundation and I really don't have the time to sit and stipple foundation onto my face every day (Does anyone?) and the 109 sheds worse than my puppy! so I thought this would be great! When it first came out, I waited too long to get it as this brush is not permanent in the UK and costs £27. From the reviews I'd read this brush was described as the result if the '187 and the 109 had a baby' and to me, that sounded perfect!

So once I got this brush, I was very excited to try it out! once I used it with liquid and cream foundation, I realized this was really not what it's good at, for me it's far to small and still not quite dense enough to buff foundation in and give me the flawless finish I desired. So instead, I ordered the Sigma 197, which as been amazing, it really does give that perfect finish coveted by many!

So this brush sat there with my other brushes, unloved. Until I watched a video talking about using it for cream blush, and I decided to try it out...Now this, is it's forte! before I'd been using my fingers to apply cream blush, which I hate as I have longer nails and it gets all disgusting and also will add germs to my blush, yuck! but I also find blending it takes some of my foundation off leaving me with really ugly looking skin, this brush allows a light enough hand I don't apply to much as well as the fact, which I think is due to the white tips, it blends as it applies leaving you with an effortlessly flawless finish that really is just perfect!


Over all I find that this brush is over priced, and not that good for foundation but for cream blush it is amazing! so for foundation, go for the 197 from sigma which is cheaper and gives a better finish but for cream blush, this one all the way

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fparekh on 6/7/2010 4:30:00 AM more reviews by fparekh

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

Having the 187 - which I use for MSF's - I didn't need this brush for foundation purposes. What I did love it for is cream blushes. The 188 is a decent product for applying cream blushes - but I prefer to use it for highlighters or lighter application of blush.

The 130 is PERFECT for cream blushes. Shorter bristles give it a more concentrated application and picks up more of the product - at the the time still allowing to be buffed smoothly onto the cheeks.

Definitely recommend this over the 131 that also came out w. the new MAC Beach Collection.

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socalgal59 on 6/7/2010 1:36:00 AM more reviews by socalgal59

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Mac #130 short, round, flat-topped brush for foundations; a blend of natural bristles and synthetic fibers. $38

The make-up artist at the Mac store swore by this brush--said it would give me an “airbrush finish.” She said the traditional foundation brush would simply leave the foundation on top of my skin; by contrast, she swore the Mac #130 would blend the foundation into my skin for a flawless finish.

Darn if I didn‘t rush home and rip it out of the package. The first thing I noticed was the horrible stink of the handle. I’ve had the brush for a week now and wash both bristles and handle with a mild gentle shampoo after every use and the handle still stinks to high heaven. I nearly gag every time I use the brush.

If the stink isn’t bad enough, the brush doesn’t blend any of my foundations well. I use either Mac Studio Sculpt (very thick texture) or Lancome Teint Idole Ultra (medium texture) and the brush doesn’t blend either foundation well. I get a splotchy finish every time.

As a test, I used the Mac #130 on one side of my face to blend in the Lancome foundation and my Bobbi Brown foundation brush on the other side. The Mac #130 produced a splotchy, blotchy finish. The traditional Bobbi Brown foundation brush produced a flawless finish. I even tried Smashbox Photo Finish Targeted Pore & Line Primer as a base.

I use very small amounts of foundation and build to the level of coverage needed- so the problems isn’t too much product on the brush. I’ve tried stippling, then buffing; I’ve tried just buffing. I even tried using the Bobbi Brown brush first, then buffing with the Mac #130--only to have the Mac destroy the finish. No technique seems to work with this brush.

If you look at the brush you will notice the body of the brush is full, but the bristle tips are really spaced out. I noticed the more product on the brush, the more defined the bristle tips become. I think this effects how the product is moved on the skin. In the end, every time I’ve used the Mac #130, I’ve had to re-blend with the traditional Bobbi Brown foundation brush--so there is no reason to use the Mac brush. I’m sticking with the traditional foundation brush.

The brush also sheds hairs--every use leaves several hairs on my face. I own a number of Mac brushes and this is the only shedder.

The Mac #130 is going back to the Mac Store--not only for the lousy blending, but for the stinky handle and stray hairs.

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katcomer on 6/4/2010 5:14:00 PM more reviews by katcomer

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I bought this brush to use for liquid foundation since I do not use cream products.

This brush is excellent in quality, it has what the 187 lacks, more control and less spare bristles.

The reason I give it a 3 is due to me using it for liquid foundation. The brush is just WAYY too small. If it was the size of the 188 or 187, it would be much more efficient, but due to its tiny size, it is not effective for all over the face. I felt like I was missing spots.

It is also painfully expensive for the size, I have eyeshadow brushes larger than this brush so I would reccommmend it more for blending undereye concealer.

Shame its so small, I hope they make on bigger, it would be excellent!

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yourprincessleah on 6/3/2010 8:24:00 AM more reviews by yourprincessleah

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

this is a fabulous brush, particularly for concealer and cream blush. for some reason with other brushes i can never get decent coverage on blemishes no matter what product im using, but this brush made such a big difference- someone described it as "erasing the mistakes away" and that is quite a good description of how this brush works. i also did use it with foundation but it's just a little too small to be effective-though it does work great in the smaller areas such as around the nose for detail work. i dont think there is another brush like this so its pretty unique- which is the main reason i shelled out the money for this. it is not anything like the other skunks out there other than the fact that its duo fibre. its a lot smaller, and the hairs are more dense. my only real complaint is that it is overpriced but because of how well it works, generally speaking i would repurchase. this isn't one that you can dupe.

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