Crown Brushes Duo Fibre Brush Review
Recently, I’ve switched from mineral foundation to liquid foundation - MAC Studio Fix Fluid to be exact. My dry winter skin currently cannot handle mineral foundation. When I color matched at the MAC counter, the MAC makeup artist used their MAC 187 Duo Fibre Brush - aka stippling brush and I loved the results it gave me. I was left with an airbrush finish! However, I did not want to shell out $42 this brush. Instead, I’ve been searching high and low for possible cheaper alternatives than MAC.
About a month ago, I attended the Makeupshow LAand managed to pick up Crown Brushes’ version of MAC’s 187 Duo Fibre brush - it looks exactly like MAC’s 187, doesn’t it? And it only cost $7!
The Review:
If this was Crown Brushes’ attempt to create a dupe of MAC’s 187 Duo Fibre Brush, they successfully failed! Okay…I have to give credit that this brush did give me an airbrushed look, but it is obvious that the brush was cheaply made. Since I have sensitive skin, I always wash new brushes prioring to using them. After I first washed this brush, it started to shed like no other - an instant turn off! Even when I apply foundation, I always end up with a brush hair strand on face. A good brush should not do this. In addition, after multiple washings, the brush hairs become more coarse. Even though this brush is far cheaper than MAC’s 187, I was greatly disappointed!
P.S. I’ve placed an order for Lumiere’s version of MAC’s 187 Duo Fibre Brush - hopefully it’ll be better than this one!
April 13th, 2009 at 12:38 am
I actually picked up the Crown Brush Luna Series Duo Fiber as a dupe for the MAC 187. So far I’m loving it and it’s just as great n decently priced. You may want to give that one a try.
April 13th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Hey thanks for the wonderful review, I’m wishing this to work as well as MAC!!! But I’ll wait for your Lumiere review!
April 13th, 2009 at 5:16 am
yikes thats too bad! i’ve found that you can achieve similar results to the MAC 187/188 with the Sonia Kashuk flat top blusher brush or the ELF studio powder brush!
April 13th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Jill - Thanks for your recommendation. I’m going to try out the Lumiere Duo Fiber Optic brush and see how that pans out. If there’s no luck with that, then I’ll try out the Luna series.
Nikki - I just got my Lumiere brush the other day, can’t wait to try it out!
Paint Me Gorgeous - Hmm…I do have the ELF Studio Powder brush, I can give that a try.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Sometimes cheap costs more in the long run! Also, I’ve been using Emani Mineral Liquid fndn & I like the finish, I believe its made in the US & I’ll post a review this week. Its another option if you like mineral mu as I couldn’t use the powder version.
April 14th, 2009 at 11:04 am
oh wow! thanks for the review. i ordered some brushes from crown but those are mostly eye brushes. i hope their not that bad. lol. i was actually thinking of buying this brush but I read reviews saying that the brush is too flimsy.
April 14th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Monica - Can’t wait for your review!
Steph - I agree that this brush is in fact flimsy. I’ve heard great reviews on other Crown Brushes, so hopefully you will be happy with yours.
April 17th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Not sure if you were aware but I have heard that Sonia Kashuk’s version of this brush is extremely comparable to the mac 187, I believe people on MUA who own both said the only difference was that the Sonia Kashuk one was bigger but also, it is hard to find.
April 17th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Brittney - Thanks for the tip! I just received Lumiere’s Duo Fiber Optic brush. If that fails, I might look into Sonia Kashuk.
May 4th, 2009 at 12:02 am
[...] but had not problem with that. After a couple washings, it does shed a little, but not as much as Crown Brushes. This brush is great for application of any liquid foundation and blush too! I can easily achieve [...]
March 2nd, 2010 at 12:21 pm
I am so glad that I bought the black handled CB dual fiber brush — it’s much better than the brush described but still not as good as Lumiere Cosmetics Duo Fiber Brush.
One more thing, I hear that Armaleigh’s Minerals dual fiber brushes are pretty good and economical at $16-18 each.
March 2nd, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Niki - Aromaleigh Minerals dual fiber brush? Thanks again for the heads up! Keep them coming =)
March 29th, 2010 at 3:46 am
Do not buy the crown brush version of the mac 187. There is a reason why this brush is a fracion of the price of the mac version…..because its not very good. It sheds all over the place. I used it for the first time yesterday on a shoot and my models were covered in hair. In the end i resorted to using my fingers. Mac brushes are defintely steep in price but the quality is superb. I have had some of mine for 4 years now and they are still perfect. Hopefully when I’m rich I can afford to buy a full set of mac brushes!! In most cases you tend to get what you pay for!!!
March 29th, 2010 at 3:33 pm
BAMbynneka - I agree with you. I was not happy with crown brushes version of MAC’s 187. I learned my lesson.