Brush Wars: MAC VS Crown

Having a vast array of brushes for my own personal use, I have some knowledge of certain brushes and most of them are of the drugstore variety.  However in my stash, the majority of the brushes you’ll see are actually from Crown Brushes. 

I’ve been often asked to compare the Crown brushes against the bench mark of brushes – MAC Brushes.  There is little explaining to do when it comes to MAC brushes; the majority of us will have at least one or two in our collection, heard and read countless reviews on them or played with them in store.  They are, no doubt, some of the best make-up brushes you can buy in store with a wide variety and are cruelty free.  The only downfall with MAC brushes is that they are expensive and only recently have they increased the prices still; so a comparison may be in order.

The news of Crown brushes have been circulating between the make up community for a while now and before owning over 20 of them, I really wanted them because I heard they are of good price and quality.  Now that I not only have the 23 Piece professional set, plus more I purchased from IMATS, i think I can do a comparison against the few MAC brushes I do have. 

So this is the ratio between my Crown Brushes against my MAC brushes.  Granted, most of the Crown was bought in a set and for Christmas so I didn’t spend a lot of money on them.  The few Crown brushes I picked up from IMATS were only about £2-4 each which is an absolute bargain.

The MAC brushes I do have are the 217, 224 and two others numbers I have now forgotten.  I adore the MAC brushes that I do have and would still like to have more in my collection but in all honesty, most of the brushes within the Crown bunch I have do the job just fine.  I also have more brushes so would I really spend more money at MAC?

So needless to say the biggest difference between the two brands is the price.  Where, for instance, a brush from MAC could cost you anywhere between £15-£20, a typical Crown brush costs you about a quarter to half of that price.  So what there is left to debate about is quality…

The quality of a make up brush if like the difference between a quality nail polish and a ‘rubbish’ one, or perhaps the difference between an old banger car and a beautiful, gleaming Ferrari.  Yes you can get from A-B but you won’t get there comfortably and you probably will break down half way.  Yes it’s a similar colour nail polish but the result is a thick, gloopy consistency that takes a million years to dry.  See what I’m saying?

So top quality is imperative when it comes to make up brushes therefore my standards are high.  What I find with Crown brushes is that the bristles are not as soft as MAC.  I’ve also purchased brushes from Royal and Langnickel and I would say that those slightly softer than Crown.  But that is not to say, however, that Crown brushes have potential to scrape off your skin or leave you red and blotchy.  They are decent in terms of ‘softness’ and apply make up well.  Their handles are sturdy; in general these brushes are decent and I would recommend these to anyone.

The one thing I have noticed with Crown brushes is that they shed hairs from time to time even after a few washes.  It’s never a huge problem but on occasion it can get frustrating, especially if I’m buffing my face and I end up looking like a Werewolf.  This doesn’t steer me away from Crown brushes; I love them for their price and their quality.  I’m not wowed by absolutely everything but I didn’t expect to be in the first place.  There is a difference between when you pay over £20 for a MAC brush and find it shedding and then paying minimal price for quality output and occasional shedding.  Does my logic make any sense?

The next couple of brush brands I want to try out are Sigma and perhaps one day Hakuhodo but for now I’m content with the Crowns and the few MACs I do have.  I’m also loving the likes of Revlon, Eco-tools and GOSH make up brushes, so all is not lost if you don’t want to try out Crown brushes. 

I hope that helped some of you who wanted that comparison,

Peace,

Cherry x