At one point I thought that these travel brush kits were a good inversion; even if they were not of the same quality as the regular brushes, you still had the same shapes with shorter handles. Plus, how cute are these kits? A lot!
Well I stand corrected. I have brought these with me on some trips since I purchased them in December 2012, but they have been used more out of despair (no other tools available) than true enjoyment of the items.
These brushes are mass produced and it shows: some do not retain their shapes properly, some are scratchy, some have inaccurate shapes. In short; do not bother!
Perfectly Plush Brush Kit/Essential
This kit contained five brushes:
- 129SE, this brush does not resemble my regular 129 at all! Its bristles are splayed out and its shape is a mystery to me.
- 190SE, one of the worst foundation brushes I’ve ever had.
- 226SE, I was really interested in this one, but it is a skinny brush that will scratch your crease.
- 275SE, splayed out, and I was not a fan of its shape to begin with.
- 266SE, the only decent one in the bunch.
Perfectly Plush Brush Kit/Mineralize
This kit contained four brushes:
- 187SE, decent brush, perhaps a bit too floppy.
- 130SE, the shorter bristles are almost as long as the longer ones, rendering this duo-fibre brush almost pointless.
- 282SE, decent brush
- 286SE, uneven shape and uneven length of the bristles
Having recently acquired the 2014 Laura Mercier travel brushes, these two kits feel superfluous.
Transient Beauté 
Hello Tirurit,
Once upon a time, MAC brushes were the ultimate makeup tools, but these days with the launch of truly exceptional brands (hello Chikuhodo) they simply do not compare. I never invested in their travel kits, because of the subpar quality.
I hope you can recycle these brushes…goodness knows they were not cheap. Perhaps a willing makeup novice will happily “squeal” at your generous donation 🙂
I’m so glad you are enjoying Laura Mercier brushes…she has some really good ones in her line.
-Maria
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Your are right on the spot. They still offer a very accessible and diverse range, but with the easier access we have nowadays to many brands that craft better brushes it is true that it seems as if they have lost the opportunity to up their game.
I have collected a few itmes (these travel kits included) that I will offer first to friends and family 😉
Oh yeah, she has some nice brushes which was quite a discovery. Not sure if you have read my post about her latest travel kit, but as I mention there whenever I visited the local retailer I was discouraged when I tried the brushes available there: they were all scratchy! I have finally realised why: they are constantly cleaning them with the brush cleanser which is loaded with alcohol!! Surprise surprise, there are some gems hidden in there!
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What a shame 😦 MAC often misses the ball with limited editions and holiday collections… It’s a real shame.
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While it is true that LE colour items can be hit or miss, the holiday brushes are notorious for being mass produced as opposed as the regular ones. It really is a pity! For the price of these two kits (more or less) I got the laura mercier holiday brushes and those are really good quality!
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