MAC Marilyn Monroe Nail Lacquers Reviews, Photos, Swatches
MAC Flaming Rose Nail Lacquer
If You Can Get Your Nails on ‘Em…
MAC Marilyn Monroe Nail Lacquers ($17.50 for 0.34 fl. oz.) include five shades: Flaming Rose (true red), Kid Orange (coral), Rich, Rich, Rich (glittery gold), Stage Red (dark berry red), and Vintage Vamp (rich deep retro wine). Both Flaming Rose and Vintage Vamp are permanent, so they can be purchased at a later date or in regular packaging (for $16.50).
Flaming Rose is a medium-dark red with subtle blue undertones. It has a cream finish, and it is part of the permanent range. The consistency was thin but not watery, and it was opaque in two coats. It dries down quickly and finishes with a fairly shiny result. Dior Marilyn is similar, slightly lighter. Cult Nails Evil Queen is a bit brighter. MAC Touch of Red is similar, a bit more jelly-like. MAC Russian Red is very comparable. Zoya Sooki is lighter. butter LONDON Pillar Box Red is very close.
Kid Orange is a brightened, medium-dark orange with subtle red undertones. It has a cream finish, but it almost looks a little squishy like a jelly to me. The consistency was thin without being watery, and it was mostly opaque after two coats. This shade was released previously. Chanel Holiday is lighter, less red-toned. NARS Lal Mirchi is similar. MAC Morange is a bit lighter. MAC Oriele Orange is more subdued. Essie Meet Me at Sunset is similar but a bit redder. Essie Braziliant is similar.
Rich, Rich, Rich is a golden bronze with a micro-glitter/large shimmer finish. It dries down pretty quickly, and it was fairly opaque after two coats. This is/was an online exclusive, and I’m not sure if that means only to maccosmetics.com or not. Chanel Delight is warmer, browner. MAC Soiree is almost more of a peach-brown.
Stage Red is a deepened red with a cream finish. It’s opaque after two coats, and it had a thin (but not watery) consistency that made it easy to apply. butter LONDON Pillar Box Red is lighter. MAC Obey Me is a bit lighter. MAC Asiatique is lighter. Zoya Burke is similar. MAC Get Noticed is a bit darker.
Vintage Vamp is a medium-dark brown with burgundy and red undertones. It has a cream finish, and it is part of the permanent range. This shade was very streaky, and it didn’t look opaque after two coats (which seemed more the result of the streakiness of the polish). Guerlain Lou-Ling is darker. Deborah Lippmann Single Ladies is also darker. China Glaze Velvet Bow is more opaque and darker. Zoya Anja is darker and more purple.
I only had problems with Vintage Vamp, which was streaky and significantly sheer after two coats.  For such a dark, vampy color, I’m surprised–the market is flooded with similar shades that are all easy to work with and opaque.  The formulas of Flaming Rose, Kid Orange, and Stage Red had a great thin consistency that made each coat dry faster but without sacrificing ease of application or opacity.  I typically get a week of wear out of MAC’s polish formula.
Keep in mind, online retailers like Nordstrom, Macy’s, Dillard’s, and Bloomingdale’s will also launch the collection online. These retailers typically launch close in time to the in-store release date (October 4th).
MAC Flaming Rose Nail Lacquer
MAC Flaming Rose Nail Lacquer
MAC Flaming Rose Nail Lacquer
MAC Flaming Rose Nail Lacquer
MAC Flaming Rose Nail Lacquer
MAC Flaming Rose Nail Lacquer
MAC Kid Orange Nail Lacquer
MAC Kid Orange Nail Lacquer
MAC Kid Orange Nail Lacquer
MAC Kid Orange Nail Lacquer
MAC Kid Orange Nail Lacquer
MAC Kid Orange Nail Lacquer
MAC Rich, Rich, Rich Nail Lacquer
MAC Rich, Rich, Rich Nail Lacquer
MAC Rich, Rich, Rich Nail Lacquer
MAC Rich, Rich, Rich Nail Lacquer
MAC Rich, Rich, Rich Nail Lacquer
MAC Rich, Rich, Rich Nail Lacquer
MAC Stage Red Nail Lacquer
MAC Stage Red Nail Lacquer
MAC Stage Red Nail Lacquer
MAC Stage Red Nail Lacquer
MAC Stage Red Nail Lacquer
MAC Stage Red Nail Lacquer
MAC Vintage Vamp Nail Lacquer
MAC Vintage Vamp Nail Lacquer
MAC Vintage Vamp Nail Lacquer
MAC Vintage Vamp Nail Lacquer
MAC Vintage Vamp Nail Lacquer
MAC Vintage Vamp Nail Lacquer
Thank god these are not duds again. They are overpriced so the least they can do is perform decently.
PS: You are a machine for testing and reviewing these products at such a phenomenal speed! Thanks 🙂
I can’t even get over the $17.50 price tag. It makes me cringe!
When this first came out, I wasn’t planning on buying anything from it, but between Rich Rich Rich and The Perfect Cheek… I might have to part with some money. Shoot.
… Well, if there’s any left after I actually get down to buying the ADxDvT collection pieces I want.
hmmmm I skipped the polishes because I always hear that MAC polishes suck, but these seem to be great. I’ll have to try and get Stage Red from Nordstrom later on… Thanks for the great reviews on this collection, Christine! It was thanks to your twit this morning that I managed to place my order as soon as it posted online. This collection is very important to me because I am a huge MM fan (I own and have read most of the books ever published, every movie, several art works hanging on my walls – by a great artist, Chris Cargill, etc.) so this collection links my love for MM with my love for make-up :).
MAC polish is hit or miss… can be great, can really stink. They’re very, very pricey in relation to the rest of their range, though!
I don’t really see why anyone would buy these with that price tag. They are reds. So many cheaper brands have colors similar to these. I’d only pay that much for something that was truly unique.
I doubt I will ever own a MAC nail enamel.. There are far too many better competitors and not enough originality. At least they are receiving good grades with this collection.
exactly my logic. I just can’t buy their nail polish when I know I can get better formulas out there for the same price, if not less.
Woof at the price of Mac Nail polishes. I would rather buy Deborah Lippman.
Christine, the Rich, Rich, Rich polish says online only, does that mean exclusively at maccosmetics.com or will all the retailers have it online?
Hi Greta,
Unfortunately, there was no specifics on it. I would expect it is maccosmetics.com (e.g. By Request and Mickey Contractor were online exclusives and exclusive to maccosmetics.com). Rich, Rich, Rich was back in stock last I checked.
Thank you!
Judging by those swatches, here are some other dupes for only 50c more but also, .16 oz more product (!!):
Stage Door looks a lot like NARS Jungle Red; and
Vintage Vampy looks just like NARS Chinatown (one of my favorites!), only V/V might be just a wee, tiny, microscopically bit more brown.
Flaming Rose, btw, looks like NARS’ Yoshiwara which you can pick up on eBay from a ton of sellers for about $8 for a .25 oz size. Yoshiwara is an incredible polish. The full NARS 4-piece Japanese set has an amazing, mega-shiny black called Mata (my favorite black polish) but also a gold polish that looks a lot like the MAC Rich, Rich, Rick gold one here. Can’t recall the name though. The only dud in the set is the white one but for the price, the full set is a great way to go.
1. 17.50 is way too much for a nail polish
2. the collection is very boring
Really beautiful colors and glad to hear they are performing well, for the most part. $17.50 for a nail polish though??? I’ll pass, thanks….
Christine, you have done a phenomenal job getting all these reviews up so quickly!! Great photos and information…you never cease to amaze and we love you for it!!! <333
I feel like MAC has all the means of making great products that consumers will want to buy, yet they still come out with things you can get everywhere else or are just not up to scratch
I like, love even, flaming rose and rich rich rich, but with that said I already own multiple dupes for both and I have a feeling after reading your review I would be happier with the quality of the ones I already have and mine were 7-8$ or MORE cheaper per bottle…that’s a bit much! I was tempted by them and their packaging so thanks for the review/swatches it always helps so much in my ultimate purchasing decision especially when buying online versus in person!
What dupes would you rec for RRR? I’m really not into paying MAC money for their LEs if I can avoid it.
MAC Vintage Vamp Nail Lacquer is the perfect shade for me
Christine, thank you so much for the quick and consise reviews.
I did buy Rich, Rich, Rich a few hours ago because of it being an online exclusive. I think just about everything else was already sold out.
Tonight I’m going to visit my MAC SA and take a look at the collection.
IF anyone buys online at MAC … Use ‘TXT’ for FREE shipping. My nail polish would have cost $5 to ship but luckily I found the code for free shipping. I did have to pay tax, though. *DANG IT you tax!*
IF you missed out on something online, check with your local stores or department stores. They should be well stocked.
Really pleased these are beautiful, I’m tempted to pick them up once they arrive in Australia/New Zealand. I just checked out how much they go for here and it’s $23 AUD (based on the Hey! Sailor special packaging). That’s less than we pay for OPI! Yet we pay $50+ for MAC foundation, and $35 for lipsticks and lipglasses. Very odd. I buy online from the MAC USA site mostly, because if I buy 4 or 5 things, even with $40 US shipping fees, I save anywhere from $30 – $60!! The advantage for me is I can buy this collection once it comes out here – if I want to pay our prices. *cringe*
Hi Christine, I was wondering what the texture was like on the rich rich rich after it dried? I can’t tell if it is smooth or a bit bumpy or gritty? Thank you!
Not perfectly smooth, but I wouldn’t call it gritty!
I love Rich, Rich, Rich but the price price price is CRAZY!
There are so many dupes of Vintage Vamp. In fact, VV itself is a dupe of Chanel Vamp. (Which makes me wonder why Chanel has never sought litigation.) Revlon, Wet n Wild and Maybelline all make a Vamp imitator.
I am never going to get past how MAC has priced these — it’s strange and a bit alarming every time. That said, though, Rich, Rich, Rich is quite pretty! I love a varnish with chunky, metallic-ish shimmer 😀
(Which I’m not being sarcastic about; I really do like chunky metallic shimmer. It’s a pain to get off, but so worth it!)
Is Stage Red similar to Rougemarie??
They look similar to me….
hello christine! please help me! does the vintage vamp polish fit with diva lipstick (also mac)? i think it’s a burgundy tone more red than berry, i need it for an examination so it should really look the same….
thanks in advance! 😉
caren