MAC • #168 Large Angled Contour Brush • Makeup Brushes

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jacquie649 on 5/9/2013 5:40:00 PM more reviews by jacquie649

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

This is one of my favourite face brushes from MAC. It's such a versatile brush. I use mine to put on blush, which the angle makes so easy to do. The white bristles are super soft and never shed, but stain very easily so cleaning with a brush cleanser after every few uses is recommended. One thing I don't like about this brush is the fact that it doesn't maintain its shape very well after washing. The bristles start to splay out. If you're going to invest in this brush, I highly recommend buying brush guards to keep it in shape.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Parisa909 on 4/30/2013 5:00:00 PM more reviews by Parisa909

Age: 19-24   Skin: Other, Olive   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I bought this brush a while back thinking it would be a great all-rounder for blush application and power contouring. Well, for the latter it does a great job in conjunction with my beloved NARS Laguna. For the former however... only so-so. I find that it applies too much, and it looks choppy and uneven. Bristles are super-soft and it hardly, if ever, sheds. I like applying my Dior Amber Diamond highlighter with it also. Nice brush, but not a must-have for me.

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annakimla on 4/23/2013 2:29:00 PM more reviews by annakimla

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

Very convenient brush for contouring.

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futurestrength on 4/23/2013 12:31:00 PM more reviews by futurestrength

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

Best for contouring.

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haleydee87 on 4/22/2013 10:55:00 AM more reviews by haleydee87

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

i bought this brush solely for contouring purposes. not a fan, and will be returning it. the bristles seem to distribute the bronzer unevenly on my cheeks, making them look muddy. i prefer a denser brush, and will probably go back to using my real techniques expert face brush for the job.

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*TOP REVIEWER* ImYourFavoriteDrug on 2/11/2013 12:29:00 AM more reviews by ImYourFavoriteDrug

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Medium   Eyes: Green    

For the longest time, I've had some trouble with blushes because of my application. Using fluffy brushes isn't a good idea because they diffuse the color too much so my cheeks look splotchy. I LOVE this brush. It gives the right amount of control and distributes the right amount of blush on the cheeks. I just wish I had discovered this brush sooner.

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*TOP REVIEWER* almond_leaves on 2/6/2013 5:06:00 PM more reviews by almond_leaves

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

I was looking forward to get this brush and was so excited about it.

Very disappointing.

It didn't shed or anything, it is super soft. It just always grabs way too much color and I always end up with blotchy blush or bronzer. I really wanted to love this, it just doesn't work for me. Miss streaky is what I call it :D

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*TOP REVIEWER* BriddaBella on 1/29/2013 7:42:00 PM more reviews by BriddaBella

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

I have a collection of MAC brushes and this contour brush is my latest addition to the family. I have purchased it to use it with my new Nars Laguna bronzer and this brush does an amazing job.


The brush is very dense yet soft and makes the application really easy especially when you want to highlight your cheekbones.


Like all MAC brushes there is no or hardly any fallout of bristles.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Rin13 on 12/19/2012 3:25:00 PM more reviews by Rin13

Age: 25-29   Skin: Very Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Grey    

This is a very nice brush. The bristle are nice and soft, yet stiff enough for it's purpose. (I use for blush and sometimes contouring) However, I don't feel like these brushes are worth the price. I get most of mine from coastal scents and they are just as good and amazing quality.

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*TOP REVIEWER* audrey355 on 8/18/2012 6:39:00 PM more reviews by audrey355

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

I use this brush for contouring my face. It's great and places the color where I want it. I have tried this brush for blush but didn't get it to look right. I'll try this again for blush in the future. I've also used the top of the brush for highlighting. This works great however I prefer one product per brush just in case there is color left on the brush.

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xAutumnBabyx on 6/22/2012 6:55:00 PM more reviews by xAutumnBabyx

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

Finally, I have found my Holy Grail blush brush! and I have tried so many that would start out good, then miserably fail. I loved using my Ecotools Retractable Kabuki for blush, but it recently became unpleasant to use- it also took awhile to sculpt the perfect looking blush. I was interested in the 168 for blush after seeing a Youtube Guru use it to set a cream blush, it applied the colour so evenly- and I just had to try it. Before splurging on pricey brushes, I do look for a less expensive alternatives- because sometimes you get lucky (Elf's Powder brush anyone?) but I simply could not find a blush brush that works as well as this. I contour first, then apply this starting at the top of my cheeks, working downwards- it makes blush look so professionally applied and stunning. I personally have not tried this for contouring (I like the MAC 131 for that) but I can see it also being very good for that purpose as well. Love this <3

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cass559 on 6/22/2012 5:35:00 PM more reviews by cass559

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Great brush and easy to work with. Use it as a blush and contouring brush.

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gandolfwizard25 on 6/20/2012 7:27:00 PM more reviews by gandolfwizard25

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Kinky, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I was disappointed when I first received this brush. It is of impeccable quality like Mac brushes are known for; very soft bristles, no shedding whatsoever & fine quality handle. I just find this brush to be too small and not dense enough to really be used for anything. Not really fluffy enough in my opinion for blush application, and I already own the 109 for contouring which works better. The sigma version of this brush looks slightly bigger and more dense, but I havent purchased that one yet.
EDIT: After using this brush a bit more, the bristles have spread out and the brush has become more fluffy. I think it was just so compacted from being in the sleeve! Now that the brush is a little bigger and more fluffy I can make use of it for my blush and contour and it works quite well :)

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AlphabeticWar on 5/24/2012 5:37:00 AM more reviews by AlphabeticWar

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I absolutely love this brush. I apply blush in an angle so it's perfect for me. I don't find it scratchy nor does it shed.
I highly recommend

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emiliagorgeous on 5/24/2012 1:50:00 AM more reviews by emiliagorgeous

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

This is one of my favorite M.A.C, i put off buying these brushes for long enough, I have bought other brushes but notting compares,especially to M.A.C's face brushes, some of their eye brushes can be duped, but i have found few other face brushes that compares to my M.A.C face brushes. Any way I bought this brush to learn how to contour my checks, I have big check bones but they are not very defined. Although I have to admit, it took a long time to learn how to contour correctly, with applying color evenly, and at first I did't quite understand how to use this brush correctly, but I have realized that you must layer your contour color a few times, and you must know how to put the color from the pan on the right area of the brush. I Also purchased the 109 brush as well, too see which brush I liked better. The 109 does not apply color as evenly as The 168 , or the 109 applies too much color, if that makes sense. Also the 109 that I have sheds, while the 168 does not at all. I think honestly the 168 is best for even contour work, and the 109 is better for stippling foundation or blush work. The 168 does work for brush but you make have to take time to layer it. The only con for me with this brush it that the hairs are so light so they get stained easily and the brush takes a lot of time to wash the colors out. I would purchase this product again.

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staylor7 on 5/23/2012 5:07:00 PM more reviews by staylor7

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

I have two of these brushes. I use one for blush and one for contouring, and they are great! No shedding and I always get the right amount of product, and a good application.

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kwallis88 on 5/23/2012 3:44:00 PM more reviews by kwallis88

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

Awesome brush, one of my faves! Perfect for contouring! Great quality brush, have had it for awhile, and experienced no shedding. Love!

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Alexandra123Y on 5/23/2012 7:40:00 AM more reviews by Alexandra123Y

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

A very good quality brush. Have been using for about 4 years now, almost every day. Even though it's a contouring brush, I prefer using it for blushes. Works perfect for me since the angle helps the application, and the size is just perfect: not too big and not too small. Haven't noticed any shedding at all.
The brush can be used for application of bronzer or contouring product. It is my personal preference to use it as a blush brush.

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bunnyangel on 5/18/2012 11:45:00 AM more reviews by bunnyangel

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I had a difficult time trying to get this brush to do what I wanted. It either picked up too little or too much product, applied too light or heavy and just overall didn't work for me. I tried to use this for both contouring and applying blush. I found myself returning to my old brushes. I think this brush's success is probably dependent on the user (facial structure, how heavy-handed you are, etc). It also shed a bit but not sure if it would continue as I stopped using it after a few tries.

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Noddywoddydoodaa on 5/16/2012 10:15:00 AM more reviews by Noddywoddydoodaa

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

Love this brush!! Don't really use it exactly for contouring but I have tried and it does a very good job ( I like my mac 165 for that). I love applying blush with this brush, it's so soft and the perfect size ensuring I don't accidentally apply blush in the wrong place (seriously early mornings and funky brushes do not make for a good face). The brush doesn't shed at all which is fantastic. I've had this for years and it hasn't lost it's shape after numerous washes and it hasn't lost it's softness! It disperses an even amount of blush so you won't be left looking blotchy or odd!

Seriously love this brush and I will be repurchasing if I ever need to and I will continue to use this for a long time!

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