MAC Nail Polish

MAC has taken a decisive step onto the nail polish bandwagon. For the last few years, their selection of “permanent” nail polishes has remained fairly small (though collections frequently included limited edition polishes).

The brand has just announced that it is significantly increasing the number of polishes on its regular roster (and has made a commitment to releasing more limited edition shades in the future). They’re also putting themselves firmly into the luxury polish category at a price of $16 a bottle.

MAC also produced this at-a-glance chart of their now permanent shades. Seeing them presented this way (naturally) had me picking favorites for future purchase… then I realized some of these names sounded familiar, and then I realized I already owned a few of my picks.

Remembering which shade came from what collection became a game, and I thought I’d share my results. (Maybe you, too, already own a few of these.)

Faint of Heart is a new shade, a warm grey/bridal beige. Delicate (also new) is its cooler counterpart, a very pale purple grey. Skin (new) is peach — very peachy for “skin” in fact. It reminds me of Crayola’s classic “Flesh” crayon.

Snob was just released in MAC’s Fashion Sets (lipgloss and nail polish incarnations of MAC’s best-selling lipstick shades). This polish is cool carnation pink creme (here’s the lipstick). Soiree is a repromote from Cham Pale, a peachy-bronze/rose-bronze foil (foils are gritty-looking metallics that feel smooth to the touch). Girl Trouble is a pale metallic purple/pink-purple foil.

Fiestaware was just released with the Beth Ditto collection. The polish is an orange coral creme. Saint Germain, Morange, and Impassioned were all inspired by lipstick shades (additional swatches of Saint Germain, Morange, and Impassioned). Saint Germain is cool bubblegum pink. Morange is red-orange (more red than its lipstick). Impassioned is bright, warm pink. Steamy was a classic polish shade, rose-pink (check out this vintage nail swatch!). Girl About Town is also from Fashion Sets (see the lipstick). It’s deeper, cooler, and more violet than Steamy.

Shirelle (a classic color) is bright, warm rose-red. By comparison, Flaming Rose (new) is slightly pinker, deeper, more rose. Rougemarie (a classic shade) is deeper still, the claret red of plush theater seats. Vintage Vamp (a classic shade) is blood red.

Screaming Bright (new) is a pale gold foil. Sparks On Screen is sparkly red-fuchsia glitter with a few (slightly larger) silver holographic glitter pieces.

Quiet Time (a repromote from MAC Me Over) is whisper-pale brown (tea with lots of milk). Coffee Break is MAC’s Particuliere, a cool, medium brown taupe. Anti-Fashion is MAC’s Paradoxal, a grey-purple with a few purple shimmers. Dark Angel (a classic shade) is eggplant.

Mean & Green and Formidable are both duochromes, both repromotes from Venomous Villains (Maleficent/Sleeping Beauty). Mean & Green is a green base with ultra fine pink shimmer. Formidable is an eggplant base with bioluminescent blue shimmer. Spirit of Truth is a repromote from Wonder Woman, a nautical blue creme.

Discotheque (new) is a silver foil. Midnight Tryst (new) is a blue-grey-green frost. Nightfall (new) is a charcoal frost (with slight shimmer). Deep Sea (a repromote from MAC Me Over) is a dark teal green creme. Nocturnelle (a classic shade) is black creme… but if you want an opaque-in-one-coat black creme, pick up Wet ‘n’ Wild’s Black Creme (424A) — it’s a dollar.

MAC polishes are available everywhere, but if you’re looking for free shipping, your best bets are Nordstrom.com (always free shipping) or MACcosmetics.com (sign up for MAC’s emails — they send out a free shipping code every few days).