Not a must have, but a good brush regardless. (MAC Large Shader Brush)

Member Name: mu_reviews4u

Product:	MAC Large Shader Brush
Date:	18/02/09 (40 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 100% synthetic so doesn't absorb cream products, Applies concealer well.

Disadvantages: Quite large, not overly multi-use.

I didn't buy this brush for a while as I wasn't using many cream / emolient based products and therefore I thought it would be pretty useless, especially since I had natural bristled brushes that worked with them anyway. But I was buying a new Paintpot one day when the MUA asked me if I owned the #249 as it worked very well with them. This was probably a sales tactic but I decided to give it a try anyway as I do love new brushes :-)

The #249 is a large shader brush made entirely of synthetic taklon. Since it is entirely synthetic, it doesn't pick up much product but lays it down very smoothly instead. The fibres are quite firm, yet flexible enough to fit into the contours of your eyes. It measures just under 14mm at the widest point and is 16mm high. It retails for £16.64 from any MAC location.

~ When used with Paintpots and other creamy bases this brush picks up just the right amount of product and lays it down smoothly and evenly unlike others which can cause the product to build up in some areas and be very sheer on the rest. The size of this brush is perfect for most peoples lids, and the flat surface is great for when applying to the browbone.

~ You can turn this brush on it's side to apply bases / primers etc to below the lower lashline. Most of the time I actually forget to do this, but on the day's I dont my makeup hold up a lot longer under my lashes than usual so it's definately worth doing.

~ The most frequent way I use this brush is to apply underye concealer. It's the perfect size to cover larger areas at one time, cutting your application in half opposed to using say the #194 concealer brush. The slightly chiselled edges also make reaching the very corners of the eyes easier than if using a rounder brush. I apply the concealer directly to the eyes with the brush (as opposed to dotting it on my skin with my fingers beforehand), then blend it in downwards motions until all the dark shadow is concealed. You may have to smooth it over slightly with your finger but the coverage is fantastic.

~ I also use it sometimes to highlight the brow bone using MAC Creme Colour Bases. It applies it neatly to the area I want it too.

~ It doesn't only work with MAC cream products, so if you have any brand of cream shadow that doesn't work very well with your fingertips or seems to get absorbed too much by natural hairs then I recommend you look into this brush (or the #242 / #252) for this use :-)

Overall, it's not really a must have brush and I don't really reach for it all that often, but when I do it performs well. There are other brushes out there that can do all this and more so I won't overly recommend it, infact I say check out the #242 instead as although it's not 100% natural it still works incredibly well and is a little smaller so easier to control.

Summary: But a great brush regardless!