MAC • 131 Duo Fibre Powder & Blush Brush • Makeup Brushes

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*TOP REVIEWER* Asti1234 on 3/13/2013 7:01:00 AM more reviews by Asti1234

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I bought this brush after someone recommended it on YouTube for contouring. I have to say, it's the best brush I've used for the job. The reason I like it so much is the white part of the bristles picks up the product, and it's easy to apply where you need to shade. But the best bit is you can use the same brush to blend it in, using a heavier hand. It means I don't need to use a kabuki afterwards which saves lots of time in the mornings! The perfect contouring brush in my eyes. X

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*TOP REVIEWER* Fieeeh on 2/26/2013 4:15:00 PM more reviews by Fieeeh

Age: 19-24   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Grey    

Great for foundation and powder :)

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*TOP REVIEWER* Phanatical28 on 2/3/2011 2:27:00 PM more reviews by Phanatical28

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I have all of MAC's duo fibre brushes, and I must say this is among my favorites. It is absolutely perfect at the job it was created to do - apply MSFs beautifully, evenly, and using just enough product for a lovely look. It never packs on or wastes product, but leaves me with a fantastic glow no matter what shade I'm using. The shape is quite unique. It's semi-flat, semi-round, with very long white bristles -- think of it as a fluffier foundation-shaped brush. I could see this applying liquid foundations like a dream, although I haven't tried that yet, though I think it wouldn't give near enough coverage with powder foundations. I will be trying this on my more pigmented blushes and contouring powders soon. Love this product.

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malu22 on 1/26/2011 9:41:00 PM more reviews by malu22

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

My favorite blush brush ever. I use it especially to apply my highly pigmented blushes ( like Rock and Republic Xrated, Immoral, Shameless and Seduce). It is very soft and it gives me enough control of the application. Yes it is expensive but I love it too much that I bought one more of this. I also have the Hakuhodo brand but the synthetic part (white bristles) is shorter and the handle is shorter. The sigma F15 is not as soft and scratchy. But if you are on a budget coastalscents C427 is really really soft. The bristles are as long as Hakuhodo but as soft as Mac and Hakuhodo or maybe even softer. I posted a picture of the 5 brushes for comparison.

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franklyscarlet on 11/16/2010 10:44:00 AM more reviews by franklyscarlet

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I have had this a while now and didnt really use it.But lately I've been using it for liquid foundation and concealer and its brilliant.My foundation goes on seemlessly and the concealer looks flawless.I'm so pleased I gave it another go.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Bambie_Blonde on 10/31/2010 4:19:00 PM more reviews by Bambie_Blonde

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

I really love this brush for contouring my cheekbones, with my MAC Refined Golden Bronzer. I find the shape of this brush allows me to buff my bronzer onto my cheekbones better, as opposed to many angled brushes I have tried. When it comes to contouring, I always had trouble because many angled brushes would look like they have the right shape, but when I applied my bronzer my contour wouldn't blend into my skin. I only use this brush for one thing, but its very versatile and can be used for blush, bronzer, highlight, stippling, and powder- a bit pricey at $48.00CAD but I am very happy with it :) However, if I had discovered ELF's Studio Line brushes first, I most likely would not have purchased this; the price is far to high in my opinion, but its still a great brush to have.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Fibergash6 on 10/5/2010 2:32:00 PM more reviews by Fibergash6

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

I would have never bought this on my own. One of my girlfriends gave me this as a gift and I quite thankful she did! I used the 187 for blush and 188 for highlights but this is much better than both of those. It picks up the right amount of product and it's much more precise than the other duofibers. The tapered round end makes it great to apply blush or highlight precisely on your cheek bones. I'm glad I have this brush but I still wouldn't go out and buy a $35? brush. If you're just starting out with makeup or idk don't have a decent blush/highlight brush then I would recommend getting this. But if you're like me and have hundreds of brushes lying around, this is not a must have.

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*TOP REVIEWER* AmazonRises on 10/3/2010 2:20:00 PM more reviews by AmazonRises

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I guess I am just one of those MACophiles that has to have every new brush that comes out! The 131 is a cross between a traditional blush brush and the 188 duo fiber brush. The 131 has a flat shape as opposed to the round shape of the 188. The 131 was marketed with the last collection of mineralize products, so I believe it is intended for blushes and highlighting. It's not dense, so when using this with MSFs or other powders, it diffuses the product and applies it very lightly. This can be a good thing, with the extreme frostiness of some MSFs. However I also have the 165 brush, which in my opinion is much better for highlighting on the cheeks. So for me, this is primarily for super-pigmented blushes that go on too dark with a standard natural fiber brush. It's definitely not essential, but I don't regret getting it. I am sure I am going to find uses for it.

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Nima on 9/16/2010 6:28:00 AM more reviews by Nima

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I really like the MAC 131 brush. It is one of the best duo fiber brushes out there IMO. It is great for applying MSFs (its original intended purpose) as well as pigmented blushes since it picks up very little product. It is designed so that you can't really go wrong with it, especially if you have a heavy hand. So go ahead and pull out those pigmented blushes and give it a go! Yes,even the cream blushes and cream color bases! And don't forget the pigments! I think it also works equally well for applying a highlight sparingly, once you turn the brush to its side.

In short, I can see this brush being used with pigmented products in many different ways.

This brush does have extended purposes! Think liquid foundation! When it comes to foundation, I prefer using the duo fibers or flat top brushes. I don't like just plain old stippling. I actually like to swirl in my foundation once I apply it, to give it a flawless finish.

What with all the buffing! Let's just say this brush is like a cross between the 188 and the 190 foundation brush with best of both these brushes rolled into one. And unlike a 187 or 188 (which leave streak marks, if I start swirling it), this brush allows me to do that once I have used short criss-cross strokes to layer on the foundation. (Don't try long strokes else you will get streaks initially!)

I like the fact that I can use it around the nose without having to resort to using my fingers or an extra sponge! Having said that, I don't think it is great with cream foundation (Try the 130 for that <3 ). But then, that was not the intended purpose of the brush either, so can't blame the brush!

So, in the end, for all it does, this brush gets a thumbs up from me!

I always recommend trying your MAC artist's brushes at the store and playing around before committing to a purchase since the choice of a brush is personal thing and these babies don't come cheap!

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*TOP REVIEWER* miszxlinda on 8/8/2010 1:53:00 PM more reviews by miszxlinda

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Medium, Cool   Hair: Black, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I love using this brush for foundation. It's small enough to really blend out my liquid foundations. This is probably the same size as the 188 or a tad bit bigger but more of a flat brush that rounded. It swirls on my liquid foundation really well and I love using it for just that.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Kaelie on 7/22/2010 4:40:00 PM more reviews by Kaelie

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Black    

I have two of these: one for loose powder and one for blush, and it's an essential part of my makeup kit. I've always used large, over-sized brushes for putting on powder and to build up blush without getting that "warrior streak" on my cheeks. Some of them have been too big (picking up too much powder/color) while some of them didn't distribute color evenly. This is one of the best out there - picks up and distributes the product evenly and is the perfect size to "build up" layers of color.

I've had mine for just over 2 years, but I think however it's time to re-purchase or look for something else. I use baby shampoo to clean them weekly and try to be as gentle as possible, the brushes do "shed" and are starting to look ratty. The same thing happened to me with other brands I've had (sephora, YSL, Lancome, CD, Sonia Kashuk, Shu, etc.), so I've never managed to keep a powder/blush brush for more than a couple of years. The price is worth it, as I use the brushes every day and could not apply the products perfectly without them. Still, I wish there was a brush out there that doesn't shed and look ratty after a couple of years.

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mishtix on 7/21/2010 11:11:00 PM more reviews by mishtix

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

i rushed out and bought 3 of these brushes from the 'to the beach' collection, expecting to love it...but...it's not really that versatile, as with other MAC brushes. the only thing i use it for is with my MSF. i've tried it with my everyday blush (an estee lauder one) but it doesn't really pick up any product at all. perhaps i have to use it with a super duper pigmented blush, but i'm still disappointed that it doesn't work with ALL blushes. as for foundation, i always prefer to buff it in so my sigma SS197 is still the best for use with my MUFE mat velvet+. oh well, i'll still keep them (as i'm kind of a brush collector), but they will probably sit un-used next to my other MAC duo fibre brushes

EDIT: this brush only works with highly pigmented blushes. used on my NARS orgasm or my smashbox blush rush in 'flush', it picks up just enough product and applied it very sheerly. also great for my MSFs. for average blushes, don't bother picking up this brush as you will forever be grinding the bristles into the product in the hope it will pick up enough colour to even show on ur cheeks

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*TOP REVIEWER* kjmsmm on 7/19/2010 11:28:00 PM more reviews by kjmsmm

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I collect MAC Brushes, so when this came out I had to have it. That being said - if I weren't a collector I would skip this brush. I do think it is nice for applying highly pigmented or bright blushes because it picks up less product than a regular brush - but you can get the same result using a light hand. This is not a must have brush.

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*TOP REVIEWER* starrysim on 7/19/2010 10:34:00 PM more reviews by starrysim

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

The 131 was my biggest lemming ever since it was released with Brunette, Blonde, Redhead in 2009. I couldn't miss the chance to snap it up when it was re-released in 2010's To The Beach. I thought this would be the perfect bridge between the 187 (too big for blush) and 188 (too small). However, I was expecting it to be round, and it's actually a flatter brush, so I'm a little bit disappointed. I like the tapered end, but I would love if it was round instead of flat. I'm still giving it a 5 because it's a well-made, high quality brush, but truthfully I think it's a 4.5 due to lack of versatility in my opinion.

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starallen on 7/7/2010 8:01:00 AM more reviews by starallen

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Green    

I picked this up recently after wanting a duo-fiber brush for my liquid foundation and to experiment with some bright blushes. I love it, my foundation goes on effortlessly and looks flawless. There is no way I could ever get foundation this smooth with my regular old flat foundation brush. I believed the hype, but I wasn't expecting the results to be this dramatic. I gave it a '5' for price, but I don't mind the price. With brushes you really get what you pay for and my other MAC brushes are almost a decade old and still good as new. So glad I tried this!

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amytobiko on 6/27/2010 12:44:00 AM more reviews by amytobiko

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

i love this one so much i'm thinking of buying another! (i already own 2 of the 187 which is a bigger version but i'd trade all of them for 131 if i could!!) this is great for stippling and then sweep-circling my liquid foundation on for a SUPER smooth and natural finish. I adore this brush, it's become my favorite... after i'm done with the foundation, i also use this brush to blend my highlight above my cheekbones, amazing, easy and awesome brush.

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shortie183 on 6/23/2010 5:48:00 PM more reviews by shortie183

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

this is an awesome liquid foundation brush. i have the 187 and 130 and i added this to my collection because its limited edition. it is amazing for liquid foundation because it gets into the nooks and crannies of the face. fits perfectly under the eye and is super super soft and yet firm enough to buff the foundation onto the face for the perfect airbrush look. i know people are saying not to stipple and swirl in circular motions but thats what i do with this brush and it works great. doesnt take long at all.

i use both MUFE Mat Velvet and MAC studio fix fluid. i find it works best for MUFE.

I havent used it yet for blush/highlight but i know it will work great for that. i just prefer my 168/187 for blush more so because of their shape.

highly recommend

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junethea on 6/22/2010 12:23:00 AM more reviews by junethea

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Tan, Warm   Hair: Other   Eyes: Brown    

My favorite brush for liquid foundation. Great with blush, bronzer, contour and highlight application as well.

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

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

I love this brush. Personally use it for blush and it's perfect for me, it allows you to build the color up to your needs, I have heard people also like the brush for foundation but I have the #130 for that. I still have my #109 and I still use it for blush but I find that the #131 is better.


Great brush!!!!!

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*TOP REVIEWER* AngelOnFire on 6/14/2010 11:23:00 AM more reviews by AngelOnFire

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

Although I was thoroughly disappointed by MAC's #217 and #239, but they redeemed themselves completely with the #130. So much so that I gave in and got the #131, too! I guess the 'limited edition' got to me, and aside from that, I only had two duo-fibre brushes at that time, the Sigma SS188 and the #130. Whilst I was sneering having to shell out another £27 for the #131, I don't regret it at all now.


The #131 is the NARS Yachiyo of duo-fibre brushes. I'm not kidding. They are extremely similar in size and shape, with the #131 being a tad less dense and wider at the base. Whilst the Yachiyo is pure goat hair which makes me prefer it for powder blushes and highlighter, the natural and synthetic fibre mix of the #131 is absolutely perfect for their creme and liquid counterparts! Creme blushes suddently take on a translucent, natural glow when blended with the #131. I haven't used it with foundation yet, because I'm not tempted since I have the #130 to deal with that.


This is a must-have brush if you don't have one already designated for cream and liquid blushes or highlighters. If you have a HG already, you probably don't need it, but still, I absolutely love this brush and would repurchase it in a heartbeat, despite the price!

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