One of the most important tools for creating beautiful eye makeup is a good blending brush. For years I have used the trusty Mac 217 brush (£18) recommended by youtubers and beauty bloggers alike, but it isn't cheap. Especially if you want to have 2 or 3 on hand. With this in mind I ventured in to the world of ebay makeup tools and wow what a world it is, from faux beauty blenders to all sorts of wonderful and not so wonderful devices. Then I came across the Emily Makeup brush 217 (£2.48) for that price I thought, why not give it a go? The worst that could happen would be that I was out the price of a magazine.
I waited in anticipation for my new brush to arrive. It did take a couple of weeks as it was coming all the way from China. When it finally arrived I ripped open the package and was pleasantly surprised first of all at how soft the bristles were. I did realise straight away that it was overall a good bit bigger than my Mac 217 brush. But, off I went to compare them over the next month or so.
I can honestly say that I have really enjoyed using my dupe 217 brush. It could be something to do with the massive bargain it was being £15.52 cheaper than the Mac version. But I feel that the bristles are of a very similar quality, yes the dupe ones are more splayed and less precise than the bristles on the Mac brush but for blending out there really is not much difference to the result.
Another noticable difference is the size of the handle. The mac one being a good bit slimmer and daintier than the dupe. This is not a huge problem for me, but for some I think it would cause a bit of annoyance as you can't be as precise as you may like.
I have had my dupe 217 brush for 2 months now, it has had plenty of washes and I haven't noticed any shedding yet. That being said this particular Mac brush I have pictured here is over 3 years old and it is still in impecable condition and shape. Only time will tell if my little dupe is still in the same shape 3 years from today.
So what do I prefer? I actually really like them both and I am happy using them both. Overall the Mac brush is better for more precise work but at the end of the day for £2.48 I am very happy with this dupe brush and I will definitely be buying a few more.
I would love to hear if you have any dupe brushes or would consider buying any? Or do you think people shouldn't be buying dupes or copies?
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