MAC 162 Small Contour Brush Dupe: Naimies 827524 Angled Contour Brush

MAC 162 Brush (discontinued)

A similar brush I found at my local beauty supply store, Naimie's

A long time ago, while I was working at a makeup counter, I read Kevyn Aucoin's book, Making Faces, which is still pretty much the Bible of makeup application. I learned that contouring your face can make your features pop in all the right ways. I like to contour my nose (to make it look less wide) and cheeks (to make my cheekbones stand out more).
 
I went to Naimie's Beauty Center the other day, looking for a dupe of the discontinued MAC 162 small contour brush and found this AMAZING brush. It was only $8 and is the perfect width for contouring the sides of my nose. The brush is about 6" long and has blunt angled bristles. The circumference of the bristles are about as wide as a penny and they're dense. They're a bit stiffer and more bushy than the 162. Also, the angle of the bristles is a little less than the 162. The brush applies just the right amount of contour powder (in my case, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil) without giving you harsh lines down the sides of your nose, if you use a light hand.

You can buy this brush at Naimies.com. Check out Naimie's other brushes too- they're great quality for the price!

Dupe for MAC 168 Angled Contour Brush

I just took another trip to Naimies, my favorite beauty supply store, and discovered their Royal Silk natural-bristle brushes. Many of them are under $10 and a look like great quality for the price. I picked up the C120 Contour Brush, which looks very similar to the MAC 168 Angled Contour Brush.

Both brushes have white bristles and a long black handle. The only major difference between their handles is that the C120 tapers slightly at the end. The bristles are both angled, soft bristles but the MAC 168 is slightly bushier, wheras the C120 is slightly firmer.That actually worked out to my benefit because I need stiffer bristles to deposit the right amount of contour color on the sides of my nose.

MAC 168 Large Angled Contour Brush, $34, maccosmetics.com

Royal Silk C120 Contour Brush, $7.50, naimies.com

The C120 isn't an exact dupe for the 168 but it's the closest you'll get for under $8! If you need a brush to contour the sides of your nose, like I do, definitely give Royal Silk a shot! :) If you've already tried Royal Silk, please drop me a comment and let me know how you liked them!