MAC 217 Blending Brush

For the past 5 years I have worked at a successful international duty free chain store. And for 5 years I was able to get unlimited MAC cosmetics at half the retail prices. I was never that interested in MAC. I liked their shadows and powders and bought the odd limited edition products every now and then. Recently, MAC was replaced by a La Mer counter which is understandable from a company's perspective. Each MAC product averages between $30-$40 and each La Mer product basically starts at $300. And it's only now, when I can no longer buy MAC at privileged prices, do I go on a MAC craze.

Recently I did a little MAC "all-stars" haul. Where I bought some of their most popular, most loved and most raved about products. One of these products was the 217 brush. I never knew what the fuss was over MAC makeup brushes. I played around with them at the counters and was like "pfft, feels like any other brush to me!" This was before I started to apply eye shadow on a daily basis, so when I keep hearing 217, 217, 217 echoing around in the bloggers-sphere, I knew I had to try it for myself. 

I was worried that it would be too big for my crease just like the Sigma E40 tapered blending brush but amazingly...it's amazing. On the flat side it is perfect for blending out the crease and on the "thin" side it's perfect for packing on eyeshadow all over the lid as well as defining a darker smokey-v into the crease. 

This brush reminds me of the Sigma E25 blending brush which I only have a travel size version of. However, the 217 bristles are just a tad bit more stiffer, making it easier to control creating a harsher colour. I usually use the clean E25 to blend out eye shadows that I have accidentally applied with a heavy hand or had too much shadow on the brush. 

Below are some photos of the comparison between 217 and E25.

L - R: 217 & E25

I still love my Models Prefer Professional crease brush but from now on I am definitely going to be reaching for my 217 brushes more often now. 217's are RRP $37 which are pretty damn steep for just a small eyeshadow brush. It can buy 4 Models Prefer crease brush and 2 Sigma E25's but if you are passionate about makeup and eyeshadows, I highly recommend this brush to be added to your everyday makeup routine. It definitely helps make blending much easier and quicker!