MAC Embrace Me Nail Lacquer ($16.00 for 0.34 fl. oz.) is described as a “bright fuchsia cream.” It’s a medium-dark pink with a little plummy coloring and cream finish. It’s slightly cool-toned. MAC Girl About Town is brighter, pinker, less plum. MAC Toco Toucan is also brighter and pinker. Zoya Areej is similar but more plum in color, more subdued.
Embrace Me was opaque in two coats, but it was quite pigmented in a single coat. The consistency is on the thinner side, but it isn’t watery, so two coats is really necessary if you don’t use a ridge-filling base coat or if your nails aren’t perfectly smooth. Two coats also gives is a plusher look, as it does have a slightly glossy finish. I had no issues with the polish streaking, bubbling, or pooling along the edges when I applied it. I thought it was going to be more dupable, but it turns out that darkened aspect of it–what makes it almost like a plummy shade–is what makes it stand out from potential dupes. I usually see a week of wear with MAC’s formula with minor tip wear but no chipping.
I thought it was going to be more dupable, but it turns out that darkened aspect of it--what makes it almost like a plummy shade--is what makes it stand out from potential dupes.
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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MAC Ablaze Nail Lacquer ($16.00 for 0.34 fl. oz.) is described as a “bright orange cream.” It’s a brightened, medium-dark orange-red with a cream finish. I would describe it as more red than orange, but it’s not just a warm red. MAC Kid Orange is very similar. NARS Lal Mirchi is more orange. MAC Morange is lighter and more orange. Essie Meet Me at Sunset is redder. Essie Braziliant is similar but has shimmer.
It’s a bit redder and richer compared to the lip products in the set, but they’re at least close enough that it’s hard to tell at a glance that they aren’t the same. The consistency wasn’t too thick or too thin, so it flowed well across the nail without pooling, bubbling, or streaking. It was opaque in two coats, and it had a slightly shiny finish when it dried down. MAC’s nail lacquer formula can be hit and miss, but this one was easy to work with and not at all streaky. I typically get a week of wear with MAC’s formula with minor tip wear but no chipping.
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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MAC Heroine Nail Lacquer ($16.00 for 0.34 fl. oz.) is described as a “bright violet cream.” It’s a light-medium, pinky-purple with warm, pinky-red undertones and a cream finish. MAC In the Dark… Purple is darker, redder (better match for Heroine, actually). OCC Pansy is much pinker. Zoya Kieko is darker. Zoya Perrie is a bit lighter and more lavender.
While it’s not muted, it’s not a bold/bright shade either. It doesn’t match the Heroine lip products at all–it is purpler and lighter. Based on the collection, everything seems like it’s supposed to match (and the descriptions are fairly uniform across the products), but this one definitely stood out–and that may be to your liking (or not). It was mostly opaque after two coats, and it applied fairly well. The consistency was on the thicker side, but it didn’t seem to cause problems during application other than being mindful of how much product is on the brush. I actually felt like this had a cream-jelly hybrid of a finish, because it had a slight squishy look to it after I applied the two coats.
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
MAC Archie’s Girls Nail Lacquers ($17.50 for 0.34 fl. oz.) include four shades: Comic Cute (bright coral), Double Trouble (deep navy), Past Curfew (deep berry), and Pep Pep Pep (light peach nude). As an important note: they do NOT have any designs on the actual bottle; the caps are white but that’s it (promo images showed Betty/Veronica on the glass itself). I purchased these, so it’s not a problem with an early run or anything like that.
Comic Cute is a pop of medium pink with yellow undertones and a cream finish. It was opaque in two coats, and the consistency was slightly thick. MAC Please Me is a touch darker. OCC Extravaganza is darker and has shimmer.
Double Trouble is a deep, dark, navy blue with a cream finish. It was mostly opaque after two coats, but there was some underlying translucency. It wasn’t too thick or too thin, but it was a bit streaky when I first applied it. shu uemura Bleu Splendor is similar. Deborah Lippmann I Know What Boys Like is lighter. ORLY La Playa is very similar.
Past Curfew is a darkened red with hints of berry and pink in it with a cream finish. It was opaque after two coats, and it was the best-applying shade out of the four. China Glaze Merry Berry is redder. MAC Dangerously Fun is much redder. Dior Graphic Berry is very similar. Essie Size Matters is also very comparable.
Pep Pep Pep is a pale peach with a cream finish. It was somewhat opaque after two coats, but it was a little streaky and uneven. The consistency was very thick and almost gloppy. MAC Life & Beth is just a touch darker.
MAC’s brush continues to be problematic and exacerbate any formula issues a shade has, because the bristles are very roughly cut and stiff. Two of the bottles had some splayed bristles as well. At $17.50 (and for 0.34 fl. oz.!), you can’t have those kinds of issues! I know–broken record–but the price point of MAC’s polishes is absolutely killer and the quality is frequently not there. The only shade that was worth thinking about was Past Curfew, except a berry-red cream is very, very dupable. I typically get a week of wear with minor tip wear but no chipping with MAC’s formula, which is the most consistent thing about them.
I know--broken record--but the price point of MAC's polishes is absolutely killer and the quality is frequently not there. The only shade that was worth thinking about was Past Curfew, except a berry-red cream is very, very dupable.
Product
6/10
Pigmentation
8.5/10
Texture
7/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
3.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
MAC Hangin’ Loose Nail Lacquer ($16.00 for 0.34 fl. oz.) is described as a “dirty pink nude.” It’s a light-medium beige with subtle warm undertones and a sprinkling of fine creamy white shimmer. OCC Kava Kava is somewhat similar but metallic. Rescue Beauty Lounge Ani is also similar in color but has a metallic finish.
This shade is fairly sheer after two coats; there is visible nail line as well as the rest of the nail comes through a bit. Some might like the sheerness, but it is a streaky little polish at one and two coats. I think a third one could help hide a lot of the troublesome streaks, but at two, it’s noticeably streaky and uneven. The consistency was a little thick but manageable. I normally get a week of wear out of MAC’s polishes, with minor tip wear but no chipping.
Some might like the sheerness, but it is a streaky little polish at one and two coats. At this price point, it's hard to make justifications and excuses for a polish that falls in at just average.
Product
7/10
Pigmentation
7/10
Texture
7.5/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
3.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
This shade had a beautiful, flowing consistency that wasn’t too thick or too thin. It yielded full, opaque color coverage after two coats, and it was fairly pigmented in one coat as well. I didn’t have problems with bubbling, streaking, or the polish pooling along the edges. It had a nice, shiny dry down, too. MAC polish typically lasts a week on me with minor tip wear but no chipping.
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
