MAC • 169 Contour blush (Raquel Welch) • Makeup Brushes

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*TOP REVIEWER* Fieeeh on 2/26/2013 4:19:00 PM more reviews by Fieeeh

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

This is like the 168, but with more precision of applying contouring powders - I think it's a bit easier to blend out with this brush compared to the 168 as well :)

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*TOP REVIEWER* Sayoko on 10/25/2009 7:48:00 PM more reviews by Sayoko

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

This is an amazing brush, i'm so happy that I was able to get this at a great price!! this brush has the right amount of firmness to evenly contour the face. It applies product on the face very smoothly and precisley. It's amazing, definately better than the #168. If this wasn't discontinued, I would buy this again

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*TOP REVIEWER* ManhattanMermaid on 7/27/2009 1:55:00 AM more reviews by ManhattanMermaid

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

This brush is "meh" for me. It's very soft and it is a good brush but I just don't find myself reaching for it as much as my 109 to contour.


I like the 109 better because it just seems easier to contour your entire face with, rather than just the cheek bones (i.e., forhead, chin etc...) and it blends well too.


But this brush does give a clean line. Not a necessity for me though.

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crimsonclover on 2/5/2009 5:51:00 PM more reviews by crimsonclover

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

I don't know much about brushes, but I absolutely love this one. I'm a big fan of the Raquel Welch collection and this is by far my favorite item. I use it to apply most anything powdery on my face. It's perfect, especially for a rookie like myself.

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*TOP REVIEWER* MsAzNqTpRiNcEsS on 12/27/2008 12:47:00 AM more reviews by MsAzNqTpRiNcEsS

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Green    

i adore this brush!!! previously, i was using the 168 for contour but i much prefer the 169....the contour is more precise bcoz the brush is more dense, imo....i was lucky my PRO store still had some left!!!*UPDATE* 165 is THE best!!!!

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nmicheli03 on 12/11/2008 3:00:00 AM more reviews by nmicheli03

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Green    

I really like this brush. It distributes color nicely and evenly and the brush is very soft. This is my first Mac brush so I was a little taken aback by the price but so far so good. We'll see how long I can extend my $32 + tax purchase.

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zefashionista on 7/28/2008 3:08:00 AM more reviews by zefashionista

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

i've used my mum's estee lauder brushes and one was really poky and felt like a grass mower scraping my cheeks each time i applied my blush. the other was softer but its nothing, nothing compared to this brush! :)

have used it for about two days now and its really good. applies my blush evenly and doesnt feel poky on my skin. in fact sometimes i just love to brush it along my cheeks because the bristles are so soft!

two downsides though:
doesnt seem to pick up my blush as well as i thought it would after reading all the reviews here but its still great.
second issue i have with it is that it seems to go a bit out of shape easily? but then again i've only used it for two days so lets see! :)

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SnowJaz on 6/15/2008 3:11:00 AM more reviews by SnowJaz

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

I choose this over 168 because I prefer it's softness and the colour of it's fibres. This brush is soft and dense, and I use it specially for contouring. Picks up powder well and the fibres doesn't stain of colours like 168.

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*TOP REVIEWER* alka1 on 4/16/2008 8:32:00 PM more reviews by alka1

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

This is an amazing brush, i'm sad it's Limited edition! It's soft, fluffy, and has the right amount of firmness to evenly contour your face. It glides on the face very smoothly and applies powder in the most precise way. It's amazing. The MAC quality is definitely there. I use this with my Sculpt and Shape duos, and it has quickly become one of my favorite brushes.

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*TOP REVIEWER* icypeeches on 2/12/2008 7:36:00 PM more reviews by icypeeches

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

Very soft fluffy brush. Applies powder lighter than with the 168 brush. Great for contouring. LE

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*TOP REVIEWER* luftballon on 2/11/2008 4:39:00 PM more reviews by luftballon

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

This is excellent brush for contouring and applying blush. I never understood why some people prefer angled blush brushes to rounded ones, but now I know. Before I bought this, I had such a hard time applying MAC's contouring powder on my cheekbones. I always ended up using my crappy rounded blush brush and/or foundation brush but they made my cheeks look muddy.
With this brush, less is more. I don't swipe, I stipple/pat under my cheekbones and it looks great, with almost no effort.
The bristles are soft and feel pleasant on the face. It hasn't lost a hair since I started using it. Because it's angled and the bristles are different lengths, it deposits color exactly where you want it with ease and prevents the streaky-blush look.

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whoopwhoopwhoopy on 1/24/2008 6:52:00 PM more reviews by whoopwhoopwhoopy

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I agree with exgreenknoller. I bought this product because it's synthetic. I was going to buy the white version, but the two MAs at the MAC counter told me to get this one instead because it's less dense and softer. I love it for contouring!

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jesshamus on 1/8/2008 10:49:00 AM more reviews by jesshamus

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

This brush feels a bit softer than the 169 and it is slightly more angled than the 168. It applies powder in a sheerer way and seems to do its job quite well. However, I'd opt for the 168, simply because this LE 169 is made in China. I know MAC has quality products, but I simply can't trust or use anything on my face that has been made in China. The quality might be the same, but I'd always have this nagging feeling at the back of my mind.

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exgreenknoller on 12/29/2007 10:31:00 PM more reviews by exgreenknoller

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

I love it!! i went to the mac counter to go buy the 168, which is the white version of this brush.. and the were out of it =(( but the sales lady told me about the new brush, the 169.. i asked what the difference was, she said nothing.. i guess the only difference is this one has synthetic brushes.. so i agreed and bought it.

so far, i love it!! its great for contouring.. and its really soft. i love brushing it on my face even when im not applying! hahaha thats how much i love it :-]bbb

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*TOP REVIEWER* strawberrytaurus on 8/4/2007 5:21:00 PM more reviews by strawberrytaurus

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

This is probably the best blush brush I have ever used!!! I love that it's contoured because I can apply the color exactly where I want it. I know it's synthetic but it probably works better at applying blush evenly than any other brush I own. I love that I can control how much powder goes on the brush and that it can either pick a lot of color up or a little depending on how hard I press the brush to the pan. I'm sad that this is LE but the 168 brush is pretty similar.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Winthrop44 on 4/24/2007 8:05:00 AM more reviews by Winthrop44

Age: 44-55   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

This is a FANTASTIC synthetic blush brush for those with uber-sensitive skin like mine who can't use animal hair brushes. Like the reviewer below me I am a fan of Alima's synthetic brushes, but for highly pigmented products, and because I prefer a barely there natural looking flush, I find myself constantly reaching for this brush when it comes to blushes. Love it and may even buy a second one.

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*TOP REVIEWER* manslayerliz on 3/26/2007 2:10:00 PM more reviews by manslayerliz

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

Another big fan of this brush here! I have to admit--- when I first got it, I was just a little disappointed. Since it's synthetic I expected it to be as soft and luxurious as the Alima brushes, however, the Alima brushes are waaaaay softer. I was also a little disappointed by how fluffy it was since I'm used to brushes that are more dense. However, while using it over the past few weeks I've really fallen in love with it. The fact that the bristles aren't so dense means that it doesn't pick up as much product, so it's great to use with highly pigmented mineral blushes like Alima, and also with highly pigmented pressed blushes like Sue Devitt. It's great for contouring, and also for depositing just the right touch of color on the apples of your cheeks. Honestly, if you love blush or bronzer, this is one brush you CANNOT afford to pass up! Of course for blushes that are NOT highly pigmented or that have a drier, baked texture (like Bourjois) I would still recommend a brush that's a little more dense, such as Alima's or Urban Decay's. Minus one lippie for the high price, however, it's still quite worth it, IMO.

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*TOP REVIEWER* ccmadamoiselle on 3/17/2007 10:32:00 PM more reviews by ccmadamoiselle

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

The MAC Raquel Welch 169 angled contour brush is a dyed version of the existing MAC contour brush (sorry, don't know number). Both are tapered, but the Raquel Welch one is dyed to look like it's made from natural hairs. The white contour brush stains easily, and according to some people, the Raquel Welch one feels softer. I already own blush brushes 129 (large, fluffy head) and 116 (small, tapered head), but I was totally sold on 169 brush when the MAC SA used it to give me contoured cheeks. I absolutely love the control that this angled contour brush gives when applying bronzer to the hollows of cheeks. I don't know how well I was applying bronzer before I got this brush! Of course, as with all MAC brushes, I have had no problems with shedding. Highly recommend!

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