MAC Angel Lipstick ($14.50 for 0.10 oz.) has inspired a new and limited edition variation in Lipglass ($14.50 for 0.17 fl. oz.) and Nail Lacquer ($16.00 for 0.34 fl. oz.). This shade is available online only for North America, but it will launch in Asia Pacific as part of the region’s collection. Angel is described as “light warm pink.”
The two lip products layered creates a glossy, nearly opaque neutral pink with faint silver micro-shimmer. I found the gloss was slightly cooler-toned and has noticeably more shimmer compared to the lipstick counterpart. The nail lacquer doesn’t resemble neither the gloss nor the lipstick when swatched or applied–it’s much darker and yellower. It does, however, look more similar to the color of Angel lipstick in tube-form (but not swatched).
Angel Lipglass is a light-medium neutral pink with subtle silver micro-shimmer. It has a frost finish. It applies mostly opaque, and because of its lightness, it does have a slightly milky appearance. Thankfully, the opacity helps minimize how much it settles into lip lines. MAC Enchantee is cooler-toned, bluer-based. MAC Infinitely Likeable is just slightly gray-tinted in comparison. MAC Splashing is darker and warmer with golden shimmer. (8.5, 10, 8.5, 8.5, 4, 4; B+)
Angel Lipstick is a subtly yellow-toned light-medium pink with soft silver micro-shimmer that translates more into a frosted finish than it does a shimmery one. It yields mostly opaque color coverage. Lancome Love It! is similar but yellower. YSL Opera Rose is darker and yellower. Estee Lauder Mauve Mirage is bluer-based. Clarins Lilac Pink is very similar but a smidgen cooler-toned. Bobbi Brown Lilac is a little plummier. (9, 10, 8.5, 8, 4, 4; B+)
Angel Nail Lacquer is a medium yellow-toned pink with a cream finish. It’s nearly opaque after two coats of polish, and it applied evenly and smoothly. I didn’t have any trouble with this one. The consistency was on the thinner side overall, but it wasn’t too thin or watery. Chanel May is lighter and much bluer-based. NARS Trouville is way lighter, but it reads like they’re in the same family. Chanel Morning Rose is the closest, though it’s a little warmer and has gold sparkle. (9, 9.5, 9, 9, 4, 4; B+)
MAC Lipsticks are vanilla-scented but taste-free. Frost finishes like Angel typically wear three to four hours on me, with lighter shades like this one wearing closer to three. This particular finish is not particularly moisturizing, but I don’t find it drying either. MAC Lipglasses are also vanilla-scented but taste-free. They are very sticky and have a thick, borderline-goopy consistency. If you prefer gel-like, cushion-y glosses that feel lightweight on, I don’t recommend MAC Lipglass. Because of the tackier texture, MAC Lipglasses do tend to wear a full four hours on me, with some of the darker shades lasting up to six hours (with mostly the color lingering at that point).
Note: I am reviewing each “set” together. After I’ve reviewed all sixteen sets, I will do round-ups for each product type (so all lipsticks together) to deliver an overall Glossover rating. This rating is more indicative of the product type, as the rating that follows this post is an average across three totally different types of products. You can also see the individual scores listed after each product, which are listed in the same order as they are in the Glossover.
Angel is the type of pink that works well on most skin tones, because it's only subtly warm, so it will tend to move towards neutral on cooler complexions and stay slightly warm on warmer complexions. It's a very work-friendly color as well.
Product
8.5/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
8.5/10
Longevity
8.5/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC, $14.50 each for Lipstick and Lipglass; $16.00 each for Nail Lacquer.
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 Reel Sexy Nail Lacquers ($16.00 for 0.34 fl. oz.) include these three shades, all of which are creams: In the Dark… Purple (vivid violet), Screening Room (bright mid-tone teal), and Vivid Effect (vivid orange coral).
In the Dark… Purple is a medium-dark red-toned purple–kind of like an eggplant, but much, much lighter. Reminded me of Fig. 1 eyeshadow actually! It’s not quite opaque in two coats but close. Zoya Kieko is similar but a little dustier.
I’m still recovering from the shock of MAC polishes now being–permanently–available at a whopping $16 a pop. They were $14 just a year ago. A lot of brands increase prices every 12-18 months, and the increase can be as little as $0.50 to as much as $4-5, depending on the base price of the product. MAC has historically raised prices on just about every product once a year, and on products at this price point, it has been $0.50–e.g. lipsticks, eyeshadows, and the like have gone up $0.50 a year, not $2 a year. There’s only 0.34 fl. oz. of polish in the bottle! C’mon! Price aside…
In the Dark… Purple was streaky; it was still a little streaky with a thicker second coat yet not fully opaque after that either. Screening Room was also on the streaky side, though it recovered mostly by the second coat. Vivid Effect was not streaky, and it was opaque in two coats, so that was the best performer of the three shades. It is the most dupeable, though. I don’t have wear issues with MAC’s polish formula; I usually get a week of wear with minor tip wear but no chipping.
MAC needs to make sure their formula is on point if they're going to increase their polish prices by $2 every year. These are not the worst offenders in the past year, but they do not apply flawlessly and do take some patience and effort to ensure a streak-free finish.
Product
8/10
Pigmentation
8.5/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
3/5
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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 Chen Man Love & Water Collection: Nail Lacquers
There are two MAC Nail Lacquers ($16.00 for 0.30 fl. oz.) in the new Love & Water Collection, and they include: Breezy Blue (dark blue) and Pinkly Fresh (mid-tone blue pink).
Breezy Blue is a deep purple-tinted navy blue with a cream finish. I applied two coats (and three coats on the middle finger), but I wasn’t able to get complete opacity. Illamasqua Force is similar but a little lighter. shu uemura Bleu Splendor is darker. Deborah Lippmann I Know What Boys Like is very similar. The formula was watery and thin, so three coats is really necessary in order to eliminate visible nail line.
Pinkly Fresh is a subtly blue-based pastel pink with a cream finish. Essie French Affair is very similar, perhaps a touch lighter. The formula is so, so thick on this one. The first coat was incredibly streaky, and only when I applied a really thick second coat was I able to get a streak-free result. Because of the thicker consistency, drying time seemed longer than average. I used two coats for swatches, though the second coat was deliberately thick, and it was opaque.
I’m not keen on the formula on either of these. At this price point, the formula really needs to be immaculate or else the color out of this world to justify it. How many blue and pink creams are there on the market?
P.S. — Apologies in advance: I’m super sick, and when I’m under the weather, my hands tend to get really dry, so they are rather tired-looking in these photos!
Both shades had a problematic formula, so I would pass on these, because the colors are not unique enough to justify the extra patience, coats, etc. to make these work at this price point.
Product
7/10
Pigmentation
8.5/10
Texture
6/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
3/5
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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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This collection features two new and limited edition shades of MAC Nail Lacquer ($16.00 for 0.34 fl. oz.). These shades include: Midsummer’s Dream (pale pink lilac) and Play Day (pale milky coral).
Midsummer’s Dream is a pale, milky pink with subtle cool undertones. It’s not quite opaque in two coats, but it’s more coverage than semi-sheer. It’s a little thick, and it is rather streaky on the initial coat. It’s very similar to China Galze Something Sweet. Nubar Pink Lily is warmer and brighter.
Play Day is a peachy orange with a cream finish. Like Midsummer’s Dream, it is a bit streaky and takes awhile to dry, and it will pull if you apply a second coat and it hasn’t had enough time to dry down. It’s not quite opaque after applying two coats of polish, so you may want to do three if you dislike visible nail line of any kind. Chanel Peche Nacree is lighter and pearled. Essie Haute as Hello is more coral. Essie Tart Deco is a few shades darker. Barielle Blossom is a little more coral and darker.
MAC nail lacquer usually leaves me underwhelmed. I haven’t had issues with wear, such as chipping, but not much does chip on me, so it’s rarely a problem. I tend to have difficult with the formula, though, which is terribly inconsistent. Sometimes it’s beautifully fluid and opaque, and other times, like here, it’s thick, halfway to goopy, and streaky. Funny enough, neither color description seemed to fit the actual shades.
Often, high-end brands put out some really complex, interesting colors, and while MAC can launch beautiful shades, they're not known for innovating in the nail category. Sometimes this innovation can forgive a less-than-stellar formula. Without it, it's just pricey, under-performing polish.
Product
7/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
8/10
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.
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The collection features three limited edition shades of MAC Nail Lacquer ($16.00 for 0.34 fl. oz.). These include: Al Fredo (bright acid green), Kid Orange (coral), and Salad Dressed (mid-tone dirty aqua).
Al Fredo is semi-sheer dirty yellow. Honestly, it looks a lot like Deborah Lippmann Yellow Brick Road on me, with the same sheerness, but with a less jelly-like finish. The bottle looks a bit green-tinged, but the polish just looks yellow against my skin tone. It is a bit difficult to work with some streaking, and the consistency was a little thick. I did two coats for swatches, and it was clear that there was going to be visible nail line even with three coats.
Kid Orange is a orange-coral with a cream finish. It was opaque in two coats, and it had the best formula of the three shades. It wasn’t too thick or too thin, so it applied evenly and easily without bubbling or streaking. MAC Oriele is a bit lighter. Essie Meet Me at Sunset is a bit redder. Essie Braziliant is pretty close. China Glaze Life Preserver is redder.
Salad Dressed is a medium teal-blue with a cream finish. It was mostly opaque in two coats, but I did have some issues with it being streaky. It had a longer drying time, and it would benefit from patience–you really need to let each coat dry. The consistency is on the thicker side as well. MAC Ocean Dip is greener and darker. Essie Turquoise & Caicos is greener. China Glaze For Audrey and Chanel Nouveau Vague would be the closest dupes, though they seem perhaps lighter.
The formula on Al Fredo and Salad Dressed left something to be desired, and MAC did not indicate that Al Fredo was going to be as sheer as it turned out to be. It wasn’t just slightly under-pigmented; it was the type of sheerness that I would expect to be called out explicitly. Kid Orange applied beautifully and had good color payoff, though. Salad Dressed had better pigmentation but still had some streaking and formula issues. At this price point, MAC really needs to fine-tune their lacquer formula so it’s consistently good. Keep in mind, the rating is an average of the three shades, so while Kid Orange is higher than a C+, Al Fredo is lower.
Often, high-end brands put out some really complex, interesting colors, and while MAC can launch beautiful shades, they're not known for innovating in the nail category. Sometimes this innovation can forgive a less-than-stellar formula. Without it, it's just pricey, under-performing polish.
Product
7/10
Pigmentation
8/10
Texture
8/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
3/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
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!
There are three limited edition shades of MAC Nail Lacquer ($15.00 for 0.34 fl. oz.) , which include: Oriele Orange (bright orange coral), Sandpiper (creamy pale stone beige), and Toco Toucan (bright blue-fuchsia).
Oriele Orange is a rich reddened orange–it looks more orange on me at a lot of angles, but sometimes, it does look more fiery, redder, more of that orange-coral that MAC describes. It was a hard shade to photograph for some reason! It’s opaque in two coats and was easy to work with. Essie Meet Me at Sunset is redder. Essie Braziliant is closer. China Glaze Life Preserver is redder. MAC Scorcher is redder but similar.
Sandpiper is a pale neutral ivory beige. I used two coats for swatches, but there was still visible nail line. This was thick and streaky; it also had a longer than average drying time. Zoya Minka is yellower and has shimmer. Chanel Beige Petale is kind of similar, but since it’s really sheer, hard to tell!
Toco Toucan is a brightened, medium-dark fuchsia cream that’s nearly opaque in one coat, though I did two for swatches. Essie Super Bossa Nova is brighter and has more of an iridescence. Urban Decay Woodstock is more magenta. China Glaze 108 Degrees is a touch redder and has shimmer. Orly Fiesta is not quite as dark. Zoya Dana is similar but less blue-based.
MAC Nail Lacquers have worn well on me; I typically get a week of wear with minor tip wear but no chipping. The formula on Oriele Orange and Toco Toucan are lovely–really good consistency, not too thick or thin, and they are very pigmented. Sandpiper was harder to work with and really requires a deft hand to navigate the thicker, pooling consistency and the longer drying time as a result.
Oriele Orange and Toco Toucan are more like A- polishes, while Sandpiper was the shade that brought down the overall score, because it was thick, almost goopy, and sheer.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC Cosmetics on January 5th, $15 each
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!
