MAC • 223 Eye Blending Brush (Raquel Welch) • Makeup Brushes

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*TOP REVIEWER* Fieeeh on 2/26/2013 4:16:00 PM more reviews by Fieeeh

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

This is almost like the 222, but a little stiffer and slightly longer too. Good for blending eyeshadow, I've used it for concealer like MACs pro longwear as well :)

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MissMary2012 on 2/6/2011 2:12:00 AM more reviews by MissMary2012

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

Picked this up at a CCO. I had been on the look out for either a 222 or 217 brush for a while, but when i saw this i figured i might as well try it. As far as I'm concerned, the biggest difference between the 223 and 222 is that the 223 has longer bristles.
Great for crease work, but not as awesome for gradient blending.
I would recommend as a 222 substitute.

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vanialovesbenny on 4/12/2010 8:18:00 PM more reviews by vanialovesbenny

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I have asian eyes, it is really hard to apply eyeshadow in the outer V of my eyelids because when I open my eyes it goes farther than my crease. I found that this is the perfect brush for anyone with small eyes! Instead of using the 242 brush for the outer V of my eyes I use the 223 brush, it is 2x faster for applying eyeshadow. What I do is rock the bristles back and forth in the outer V of my lid . By doing this is creates the perfect outer V , without going over my crease. I think that's the purpose of why the bristles are so long! This is a must have!!

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IndigoRockGirl on 4/2/2010 5:49:00 PM more reviews by IndigoRockGirl

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I really like this brush, it is able to apply thin cream products but doesnt work well because of the long bristles they brush will just "drag" the product instead of buffing and blending it in. I think it applies eyeshadow quite well - I use it to apply colour to my crease - I love that it is synthetic which makes the brush have multi uses and I love how soft it is.
Pros - Soft, apply both cream and powder products
Cons - Expensive, bristles are a tad long

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joyce77 on 1/18/2010 9:56:00 AM more reviews by joyce77

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

I really like this brush alot. I creates a different look, a nice soft crease look. Due to shape of brush, it fits into the crease area and doesn't spread the product out like the 224.

It creates a soft flush of colour in the crease, whilst keeping the colour in the crease. It's not an essential brush, but I'm very glad I have it

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*TOP REVIEWER* Sayoko on 10/26/2009 12:41:00 AM more reviews by Sayoko

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

really like this brush, The 223 is a blending brush, almost like the 224, but smaller and not as fluffy if that makes sense? Which is why I bought it, I love the 224 brush, but the bristles are much softer and a little longer which I like.. the 223 and the 224 gives me a diffeent look and I love the various looks..I'm glad I found this at the CCO for a great price!

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Isatralala on 2/19/2009 2:43:00 AM more reviews by Isatralala

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

I like this brush for smoothing/blending the color up to my crease when i only use 2 colors on my eye.

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jolener on 1/9/2009 8:15:00 PM more reviews by jolener

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

This is a nice brush to have, but it's not a must have. It's hard to control it since the bristles are really long. The only use I have for it is to blend out the harsh lines of my paint pots, since the brush is synthetic. That's pretty much the only good use I got out of it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* tshinn on 6/20/2008 3:32:00 PM more reviews by tshinn

Age: 30-35   Skin: Very Oily, Fair, Cool   Hair: Red, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I bought this brush at MAC a while back and I have barely used it and I have recently discovered why. MAC labels this brush as "blending," but it doesn't really blend shadows at all. In fact, the brush just kind of "pushes" the shadow around and I feel this brush is way too "soft" for blending. The best MAC brush for blending is the 217. The 222 comes in a close second.

I discovered this brush was not all that great when I tried using it to apply my new Kat Von D for Sephora eyeshadow Palette in Beethoven. I wanted to blend the black matte shadow with the light, shimmery mauve color and the result was just bad. It looked like an 6th grade makeup newbie had applied my colors! This brush just threw the colors all over the place and the overall look was uneven and blurry.

Now the 217 has more of a "stiffness" to it and therefore really helps control blending and separation of color way much better. I think the 223 is okay for applying highlight colors to the brow bone but that is about it.

Overall, this is a letdown. If blending is what you are looking for, do not get the 223. You will not like it for that purpose at all because the bristles are way too soft. The brush reminded me of my cat's tail! Fluffy and puffy soft.

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*TOP REVIEWER* treecatd on 3/14/2008 2:35:00 PM more reviews by treecatd

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

This brush is perfect for applying concealer under my eyes and highlight my cheekbones. i truly love it and got two back-ups . Edit: use it for strobe liquid = <3

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*TOP REVIEWER* Katie5 on 3/7/2008 9:09:00 AM more reviews by Katie5

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

The SA convinced me to buy this instead of the 217 brush, which was out of stock - I have since bought the 217 and can honestly say that this is not a patch on it. It is far too soft to use in the crease, and the bristles are really too long to apply colour in a controlled way. I use it now to blend a bit after I've applied all my eyeshadow, but to be honest I could use any brush to do this, I only end up reaching for this one because it's the only one without shadow on it at that point. It is very pretty and looks like it should be effective, but really I have found it to be inferior to all my other brushes.

UPDATE: Started using this to apply powder underneath my eyes (I use BB's creamy concealer kit, which comes with a little pot of loose powder) and it is PERFECT for that! Just right for getting right in the corner of my eye, and the softness of the bristles is a major plus when using it for this purpose. I've added two lippies because since buying the concealer kit, this has become one of my most used brushes. Still no good for eye shadow but totally indispensable for powdering under the eyes.

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*TOP REVIEWER* UWMsGirl on 2/10/2008 12:24:00 AM more reviews by UWMsGirl

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Tan   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I really like this brush, I just bought it when it was re-released with the N Collection in 2008 and I am SO glad I did. The 223 is a blending brush, almost like the 224, but smaller and not as fluffy if that makes sense? Which is why I bought it, I love the 224 brush, but sometimes I find it to be a bit big for my crease and want a brush that will fit nicely into my crease, this is where the 223 comes in...it's just like the 224, but smaller which I love! Phewww, anyways I wouldn't say it's a must have, but for me I am glad I bought it....I love the look it gives me when I apply e/s to my crease with it, 224 and 223 both give me a different look...so it depends on what look I am going for that determines what brush I use that day! Retails for $28 US dollars.

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LauraG on 9/17/2007 11:17:00 AM more reviews by LauraG

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

I love this brush. Granted it is softer than usual but it doesn't scratch my eyes and makes an excellect brush for a wash of color, plus it makes a great blending brush as well. I thought it was LE, on the site it has the triangle of death, but I also heard it may be permanent. Get it while you can if it is LE.

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Karyn429 on 9/11/2007 9:50:00 AM more reviews by Karyn429

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

I love this brush! I use it to apply e/s lightly on the lid or all over the eye, or in the crease like the 224. It is very soft and thinner than the other blending brushes. It keeps its shape after cleaning better than my 224 too. It was recommended by others on the MAC Yahoo group for applying the C-Shock colors as a wash. I am so glad I purchased it!

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KAIA85 on 7/16/2007 11:00:00 AM more reviews by KAIA85

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

It's not firm enough, way too soft, I tried to use it, but there's no way to use it for me.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Anya1976 on 3/8/2007 11:30:00 PM more reviews by Anya1976

Age: 30-35   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I was talked into buying this by one of my fave MA's. He said it was the BEST brush.

WELL for me this isn't the perfect brush. It's pretty. and i can only use it for minor blending or highlight application.
I like my brushes firmer than this and that place color better.

Everytime I think about giving it another chance I get let down. It makes me sad that I can't use this brush as much as I would like to.
I am kinda glad this is a LE brush cus I honestly would not buy it again.
update: I keep trying this brush and it just does not do it for me. I am debating on swapping it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* beaniewienie on 3/7/2007 2:03:00 PM more reviews by beaniewienie

Age: 44-55   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Green    

This brush is pretty, because of the coloring of the hair, but it is almost too soft to be of any use to me.

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