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MAC Unsung Heroes: 221 Mini Tapered Blending Brush

February 14th, 2017 by Karen 6 Comments

mac 221 mini tapered blending brush
The MAC 221 Mini Tapered Blending Brush ($25)

If you spend much time with MAC-a-holics, the subject of convo routinely turns to 217s and 224s, and you know, I get it. I do. Both are fantastic must-have makeup brushes. They’re workhorses. But there’s another bad gal, the MAC 221, and it’s… Oh! Once you get a taste of this blending beauty, nothing else compares. It’s my favorite MAC eye brush of all time!

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

The 221, otherwise known as “the Mini Tapered Blending Brush,” is $25 and part of the MAC permanent line.

It looks a little like a cross between the 224 Tapered Blending Brush and the 217 Tapered Blending Brush. The brush head has the same tapered, elongated shape of the 224, but it’s thinner, and the tip has the domed shape of the 217, only pointier. Essentially, you get the best of both worlds with it. It’s thinner and pointier than the average crease blending brush.

mac 221 mini tapered blending brush 1

So what does this mean for you? Well, if you don’t have a lot of lid space from your lash line to your brow bone, like, if you have smaller eyes, or a crease (like mine) that isn’t very deep, as is the case with hooded eyes, you probably have to be very precise when you place your crease color, and the 221 allows you to place shadows exactly where you want them.

Because the brush head is also fairly fluffy, you won’t end up with areas on your lids where the shadow is dark and overly concentrated — which is a problem I have when I use precision brushes, like pencil brushes, to work in the crease or the outer V.

And did I mention that it blends and buffs edges with preternatural pretty power?

The 221 is also great for applying and smudging eyeshadow and liner along the lower lash line. Most brushes scratch at my lower lash line, but the 221 is softer than a Ragdoll kitty’s paw. The thin tip also means that I probably won’t take my shadow or liner too far down.

mac 221 mini tapered blending brush 2

How ’bout using it to highlight the inner corner? Yeah, it’s bomb for that. I like the 221 more than typical pencil brushes for highlighting the inner corners because, even though pencil brushes are super precise, they’re also super dense, so if I’m using them with a shiny shadow, you can see that inner corner highlight from all the way up at the International Space Station. The 221, however, lays down sheerer shimmer than a pencil brush does, and the resulting spotlight is softer.

The 221 is a natural fiber brush, so it’s particularly fab for working with powder products. But it also handles creams like the MAC Paint Pots well, too.

It’s a terrific tool, and I adore it.

Everything hurts…

I was doing squats yesterday in HIIT class when I glanced over in the mirror and saw some dude in the back wearing this shirt. I started cracking up! I almost dropped a weight on my toe.

Basically, this shirt is how I feel when I exercise, in general. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The MAC Unsung Heroes series (a subset of my regular Unsung Makeup Heroes series) features some of my all-time favorite products from MAC’s permanent collection

mac chicory swatch nc42 MAC Unsung Heroes: Chicory Lip Pencil
mac smoked almond lipstick swatch MAC Unsung Heroes: Smoked Almond Lipstick
mac half n half MAC Unsung Heroes: Half ‘N’ Half Lipstick
mac chili lipstick swatch MAC Unsung Heroes: Chili Lipstick
mac coffee swatch MAC Unsung Heroes: Coffee Eye Pencil
mac global glow mineralize skinfinish MAC Unsung Heroes: Mineralize Skinfinish in Global Glow
mac havana extra dimension eye shadow 2 MAC Unsung Heroes: MAC Extra Dimension Eye Shadow in Havana
mac burnt spice MAC Unsung Heroes: Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in Burnt Spice
mac mineralize foundation loose medium dark before after MAC Unsung Heroes: Mineralize Foundation/Loose
mac giddy lipstick MAC Unsung Heroes: MAC Giddy Lustre Lipstick
mac studio fix fluid foundation nc42 MAC Unsung Heroes: MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation
mac amorous alloy MAC Unsung Heroes: Amorous Alloy Eyeshadow
mac texture MAC Unsung Heroes: Texture Eyeshadow
mac prep prime 24 hour extend eye base MAC Unsung Heroes: Prep + Prime 24-Hour Extend Eye Base
mac swiss chocolate eyeshadow MAC Unsung Heroes: Swiss Chocolate Eyeshadow
mac saddle eye shadow MAC Unsung Heroes: Saddle Eyeshadow
mac in extra dimension waterproof before after Unsung Heroes: MAC In Extra Dimension Waterproof Mascara
mac minted swatch final MAC Unsung Heroes: Minted Eye Kohl
mac take the plunge liner 1 MAC Unsung Heroes: Take the Plunge Technakohl Liner
mac cork swatch MAC Unsung Heroes: Cork Eye Shadow

If you’re looking for permanent collection ideas or inspiration, there are literally hundreds of unsung makeup heroes posts in the MBB archives. These 20 are just the tip of the iceberg.

MAC Unsung Heroes: 221 Mini Tapered Blending Brush / Originally published February 14th, 2017

There are 6 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: MAC Makeup, Unsung Heroes

The products in this entry were provided by the manufacturer for consideration. For information about my posting policy, please see my Disclaimer.

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Comments

  1. LindaLibraLoca says

    February 14th, 2017 at 10:34 pm

    I don’t even have a 217′ let alone the 221. I keep wanting to purchase one, but whenever I enter the store I get distracted (oh, lipstick) and forget about brushes.
    The shirt is to die for!
    LindaLibraLoca recently posted … First Impressions KIKO and pixi makeup

    Reply
  2. Kiss & Make-up says

    February 15th, 2017 at 1:02 am

    This is my favorite MAC brush!!! More so than the 217 at the moment!
    Kiss & Make-up recently posted … Video | Currently Loving (February 2017)

    Reply
  3. breyerchic04 says

    February 15th, 2017 at 3:23 am

    Ohhhh that looks good. I don’t love 224 but am obsessed with 217 and 219.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 15th, 2017 at 6:55 am

      Hi Breyerchic04,

      I’m obsessed with the 217! It’s still one of my faves. Do try the 221 if you get the chance; I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

      Reply
  4. Eleni says

    February 15th, 2017 at 10:51 am

    I love this MAC brush… Discovered it before got married and fell in love with it. Used it for my wedding make up and cant do without it now!

    Reply
  5. Lauren says

    October 18th, 2018 at 8:13 am

    Your unsung hero is dead now you need to start a campaign to bring back these goat hair brushes with mac

    Reply

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog
Hi there! I’m Karen, your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, and I’m a Bay Area girl who hoards brown eyeshadow and covets coral lipstick. Every morning, I wake up and say, “I’m going to do something other than a smoky eye today.” Then…I end up doing a smoky eye anyway (most days). When I’m not putting on makeup, taking pictures of makeup or writing about makeup, which I’ve been doing daily since 2007 (!), you’ll find me hanging out with my hubby (“El Hub”), my four-year-old daughter (Connor Claire) and my torbie girl cat (Pretty Girl Rosie, a.k.a. PGR).

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