MAC • #252 Large Shader Brush • Makeup Brushes

Where To Buy?

jenjentizzle on 2/23/2009 1:09:00 AM more reviews by jenjentizzle

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I just got this brush at my CCO today for about 20 or 21 bucks, I believe. I have the SE of this brush from a holiday collection last year but that one scratched my eye so i decided to get the full size one. It sure makes a difference. The quality is so much better too. So soft and dense to pack on colors. Highly recommended.

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

babypinky on 12/22/2008 10:36:00 AM more reviews by babypinky

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

I think it's a little bit large for eyeshadows but it does a great job with concealers! I use this brush to put on my undereye concealer and ther result is great. If you think that undereye concelaer is an important part of your make up, then you should take a look at 252.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

BrandedPrincess on 7/15/2008 9:31:00 AM more reviews by BrandedPrincess

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

This brush is good to pack on color from eyeshadows that aren't great texture, like parafait amour. The texture on that is crap.
Otherwise, it's not a must have brush. I wouldn't repurchase.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

furbz on 6/21/2008 2:09:00 AM more reviews by furbz

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

when i asked an mua at mac for a brush that was good for highlighting the browbone, this was what she recommended. at first i was using a smaller sonia kashuk brush which i noticed still wasn't able to blend away that line from the crease color and the browbone color itself, it drove me nuts.


the 252 is a big & firm enough brush to cover the entire browbone quickly and be able to get rid of that hideous line i previously mentioned. i know people use this for other uses like on the lid and for concealer. i personally think there are better brushes out there for that.

edit: i still love this brush for highlighting, but for blending out the color below it, the 227 works better!

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* macalcia on 5/26/2008 5:32:00 PM more reviews by macalcia

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Black    

Just USELESS. Does nothing as an eyeshadow brush and hurts as hell if used as a concealer brush. It's sitting (not so) pretty at my makeup stash because even tough it's crap, I don't have the guts to throw it on the garbage - after all, it cost me some money...
For eyeshadow application all over lid, I recommend MAC #213 and for concealer, Sephora's ou Bare Escentuals'.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

iwasntlazyinmay on 5/17/2008 4:14:00 AM more reviews by iwasntlazyinmay

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

This is the very first brush I bought from MAC. I have used it for 2 years now and it still does the trick for me. I used it to pack on color for an all over eye lid look. This is actually larger than my lid but I love it anyway. I use my loew-cornell maxine's mop brush for a more defined look but the 252 is much larger and packs on the same amount of color.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* pmnixa on 4/28/2008 10:31:00 AM more reviews by pmnixa

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I have the 252LE, part of a kit from Winter07. I don't care for this brush since it's too large for me. I like smaller brushes.

From my experience if you are looking for basic essential eyeshadow brushes from MAC these are the ones you need:
239 eye shading brush - allover lid color
219 pencil brush - liner (can make thin or thick lines)
272 small angled shader - crease/browbone highlight

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

Guru4u on 2/27/2008 3:54:00 PM more reviews by Guru4u

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

This brush is great for quick application. When I have a huge wedding party to do in a short time, this does the job. If I had no other shadow brushes but this one, I could live with that.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* PinkFix on 1/1/2008 9:30:00 PM more reviews by PinkFix

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

For me, this is the all in one brush. If you are on the go, you could potentially do most of your makeup with this brush. Great for concealer, paints/creme shadow bases, all-over lid colors, the dense bristles make it good for getting color in the crease and all over the browbone. You could also get a dark color on the tips and use it for smoked out lining. So many options! Great brush.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Glitterachi on 12/26/2007 12:58:00 AM more reviews by Glitterachi

Age: 19-24   Skin: Very Oily, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I love this brush, ive had it for so long i cant even remember maybe 6 or 7 years. and its the eye shadow brush that i use the most. i have maybe 10 and i always reach for this one for all over color and if im in a hurry it even works well for the crease if you use it on an angle. it always distrubutes color evenly and i never need use a second brush to get eyeshadow all over the lid. And beside the mac writing on it that faded away a long time ago the brush is still in perfect shape i just use baby shampoo a couple times a week to clean it or the smashbox brush cleaner in between colors.

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

hautelyodd on 10/30/2007 7:01:00 AM more reviews by hautelyodd

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Normal   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

It's expensive, but it's worth it. The brush is very soft and smooths on colour beautifully. My make up artist told me that I could use it to apply concealer as well- and it does work well that way too! The quality is simply amazing, I've washed it hundreds of times but not a single hair has fallen out- definitely worth the money.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

doggy on 3/20/2007 2:16:00 AM more reviews by doggy

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

The 252 is great for doing my lid & brow highlight. It's faster than the 239 because it's bigger & I like that a lot. I've also used it for crease work & to do the V & it works well for that too. I've used this one brush to do my entire eye when I'm in a rush & just by varying how I hold it can really create a nice eye design. Highly recommended!

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* maliastyle on 2/11/2007 7:15:00 PM more reviews by maliastyle

Age: Unknown   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This is a good, sturdy brush for eyeshadow washes (particularly helpful for packing on the Lustre formula), or for highlighting. It's a nice basic brush, and a good introduction to MAC's brushes if you've not yet been turned on to them.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* msdi2u on 1/26/2007 4:56:00 PM more reviews by msdi2u

Age: 44-55   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I love this brush! I use it EVERYDAY since I bought it a few years ago. I use it for applying my base shadow all over the lid up to the brow bone. I heard it could also be used for applying MAC paints, but I never tried it for that purpose yet. Would repurchase.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

makeupxmakeup on 1/26/2007 4:27:00 PM more reviews by makeupxmakeup

Age: 19-24   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

My HOLYGRAIL brush!!!!!!!!!!! I use it for concealer everyday. I LOVE IT.
I'm going to buy other brushes same as this one for eyeshadow and paints application.

This brush is a MUST for conealer and creamy products! :]

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

*TOP REVIEWER* buckheadbecky on 12/2/2006 9:59:00 AM more reviews by buckheadbecky

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I love this brush! Since I love to paint (my face as well as on canvas), I've learned that using the right brush is crucial for achieving certain looks. This brush is excellent for applying eye shadow--either for highlighters or washes. It's really not great for detail, but that's why MAC makes a range of brushes, right? The quality is good and it's helped me get more polished looks.

I received this in a Nordstrom Anniversary Sale pack and ended up buying another full-size version because I loved it so much and used it so often.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* MACAddiction on 11/1/2006 10:57:00 PM more reviews by MACAddiction

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Nice for concealer. Haven't yet tried for packing on e/s, or pigments - will update when I do. Very nice for concealer - soft, but firm bristles, no shedding. Edit: I don't recommend buying the SE version of this brush. The SE version, while quite adorable, resembled a mini broom, and it felt that way as I swept and scratched it under my eye. If you really want this brush, buy the real version.

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

*TOP REVIEWER* sana_j on 9/2/2006 3:12:00 AM more reviews by sana_j

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I actually have the SE version of this, from the olive brush set IIRC (holday 05). I really like using this brush to apply cream shadows, mac paints, and to pack on color (but then I got my 239 brush, so I use this less for packing on color b/c I prefer 239 for that). I would definitely recommend this brush for those with lots of lid space, or someone looking for a firm brush to apply cream shadow/concealer/and paints.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* pinki3 on 7/26/2006 2:34:00 PM more reviews by pinki3

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

brush bristles are very sturdy, BUT soft! perfect for eyeshadows.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* glamrockgal on 7/20/2006 2:27:00 AM more reviews by glamrockgal

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Red   Eyes: Hazel    

I bought it for no lemming just I saw and buy it.And I dont even know what job I thoght this would do.But after reading reviews I used it for all over eyeshadow application.I also use it for cream textures like cream eyeshadow.I love to blend concealer with my fingers but I hope to make this brush my concealer brush.After I try I will re-write my review:) I dont think I will buy it again cause I already have it in very good condition that can last for many years

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No