MAC 187: The Ultimate Brush

THE MAC 187: THE ULTIMATE BRUSH

I'm going to start from the very beginning....when it first arrived in the mail.......

Arrival and First Impressions: There it was, the brush that caused so much hype. Sitting in my hands. I was 42 dollars poorer, but one brush richer. Would it be worth it? When I slid it out of its little plastic sleeve, I was so disappointed. The Youtube videos made it look so big and fluffy.....but it was so thin and somber. And, of course, it smelled like a goat sty (do those exist?) because all MAC brushes do before you clean them. All disappointments aside, I decided to keep it and deep cleaned it before ever touching it to my face. After the cleaning, I was pleasantly surprised. It was the same size that it looked on Youtube and didn't smell like it had been rolled in mud. Overall, good first impressions. :D

Uses: There are many uses for the 187 which is the main reason I call it the ultimate brush (the 182 kabuki is also pretty 'ultimate', however...). I use my 182 for msf NATURAL, but the 187 for all of my other msfs. It really distributes the product nicely and can be used with a light or heavy hand to make a dramatic or natural look. It can apply pretty much anything, actually. Including liquid foundation but I really have never needed liquid foundation (shock, I know!!) I seriously just have clear skin that doesn't need a strong, thorough coverage foundation. Just something light (which doesn't ever appear in the liquid form). So, I've never taken the plunge and tried this with liquid, but I've heard that you can get great results. 

Cleanings: I clean this brush with all of my other brushes which is once every one or two weeks (depending on how much makeup I used. More in winter, less in summer). However, when the white tips get dirtied by a dark product (perhaps something like Gold Deposit MSF?) and then I want to use a light product (something like Soft and Gentle MSF?) then I will clean it by itself. It doesn't take long if you're not doing a deep cleaning and it dries quickly. Plus, I love a nice clean brush! 

Technique: This is called the "stippling" brush. In art, stippling is where you take a small brush or Q-tip and dot paint on in little tiny dots to create a large picture completely comprised out of those tiny dots. This is the technique used with the 187. You pick up the product them dot it on, don't sweep it. However, after dotting and distributing, you CAN use it to blend if you must. It gives a light, but really nice coverage no matter what technique you use. 

Brush Shape: This brush was made with the classic dense black bristles, but also longer white bristles which are more dispersed and spread out. In basic terms, this brush is not very dense and that is why, if you're looking for heavy coverage with powders, I would not recommend this (182 is what I would recommend). 

Conclusion: To conclude, this brush was SOOOO worth 42 dollars. It has given me an endless amount of options for my makeup and lasts so long. I reach for it often and it has a unique look to it. I LOVE MY 187.