MAC Alice + Olivia Collection Nail Lacquer Swatches & Review
If Alice fell down the rabbit hole and met a Makeup Artist instead of the Mad Hatter, M·A·C alice + olivia is the curiously gorgeous collection she’d be rocking!
Hip, playful, unpretentious and unabashedly fun, M·A·C is thrilled to announce the latest collaboration with the most adorably fabulous fashionista we know, designer Stacey Bendet of cult-fave line, alice + olivia. Celebrities, socials and all-around cool girls from coast to coast are obsessed with a + o’s uptown-meets-downtown aesthetic and colourful, playful vibe, so the inspiration for the makeup collection was a cinch!
Fun, playful and hip all come to mind when I think of MAC and their consistently inventive collections so teaming up with Stacey Bendet of alice + olivia seems like a perfect fit. When asked why she became involved in a makeup collection Bendet said, “Well, to me it’s all about colour, whether it’s a crazy pair of striped bell-bottoms or the perfect purple nail polish. It’s about a girl having a great time when she dresses up; and who dresses up without makeup?”Ah, a girl after my own heart. The fact that she appreciates a good purple polish instantly endears her to me. Including a teal in her collection is icing on the cake.
Formula and Application: MAC polishes are free of the Big 3 and Formaldehyde Resin. The brush is firm and short and the cap is rubberized giving a sturdy grip.I have to admit that when I was applying Morning. After I sounded like Mia Michaels talking to Alex Wong last week on SYTYCD. I was all, “Who ARE you?” Seriously this polish applies like a dream and is so easy to control.
It’s not that MAC polishes have sucked lately or anything but I think I set myself up for disappointment with their cremes because of their past history of being streak fests. My MAC mantra has always been that they do glitters & darks best so I was happy to be proven wrong. Now if they could get a harness on the pigmentation their polishes would be the complete package. All three of these required three coats. |
Morning. After is a deep sea blue-green that definitely has enough green in its base to categorize it in the teal family. I know MAC describes it as a turquoise but it seems too dark for that. The polish dries to a high gloss shine and even though I’ve been wearing this shade since Saturday it’s still super shiny with very little tip wear.
Is Morning. After the most original polish on the block? No, but it doesn’t have any true dupes in my collection. There are some definite close calls in China Glaze Shower Together and Barielle A Bouquet For Ava. You could probably skip out on the MAC if you own the Barielle but Shower Together is quite a bit lighter. In fact ST looks like a brighter version of ABfA.
Based on promo pics I was expecting So Rich So Pretty to be a true purple shimmer. Another in the long line of purples that have come out this season (Funkey Dunkey, Grape Pop, etc.) but it’s so not that. Instead it’s a punched up red-violet, like magenta and violet had a baby. The shimmer in this one is tonal so you don’t get flashes of any other colors. Just pure color. I wish my camera could have captured the glassy finish on this one. Even dry it looks dripping wet.
Military is the blackened sister of last winter’s Studded from the Riveting collection. They are both glittery mattes that dry to a crepe paper-esque finish. You know I love mattes for their quick dry time but I prefer the shimmery/glittery shades like this one as opposed to flat wall paint. The only thing that threw me off was the application. Normally mattes show every imperfection and even though Military applied a bit lumpy and bumpy it dried smooth and even.
I know Studded is completely different but I thought showing them side-by-side would be beneficial. I also found a somewhat close match in Nubar Midnight Matte. Midnight Matte has a lot more glitter in its base so it dries a bit lighter but you really only need one of these.
Bottom Line: Are any of these essential to life as a polish fanatic? Not in my opinion. Though I see teal as being the next big thing this Fall after a Turquoise-drenched Summer so if you’re at all into trends, it wouldn’t hurt to pick Morning.After up if your budget allows. MAC packaging collectors (raises hand) will appreciate the a+o themed boxes.
The MAC alice + olivia collection is available now at MACCosmetics.com and is set to hit MAC counters nationwide on July 8th. MAC Nail Lacquers retail for $12/ea for a .34oz bottle.
What do you think of the color choices? Do you think they’re a good fit for the alice + olivia brand? Are you a packaging collector like me? What products from the collection are you planning to pick up? Do you have any dupe suggestions for Morning. After or So Rich So Pretty?
Disclosure: Product samples were furnished to me by MAC. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
i really like the grey swatches…perfect
The only one that I might buy is So Rich So Pretty, it is gorgeous. Military looks like it might be a dupe of (or at least very close to) Orly Iron Butterfly.
Love the packaging!
I forgot about Orly Iron Butterfly. Thanks for the tip.
Ahh,love this purple and blue…I want them badly straight away, ha. Great swatches too, thanks for sharing x
I like So Rich So Pretty. I’d like to see how this Mac Blue compares to “Blue India”
I’m surprised you didn’t make So Rich So Pretty an ALU must-have. I love it and I’m going to pick it up on Thursday! I know American Apparel Peacock is darker than Morning. After, but I’m thinking it will satisify my teal needs for the fall. Your swatches make me so happy.
I just realized that So Rich So Pretty is what I was hoping Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance would look like (only glitter of course), instead of almost black with purple glitter. Doesn’t it look like the shade of the bottle pick for BR?
You’re right, it does. The bottles of BR and AtU are very deceiving.
Gorgeous! How would so rich and pretty compare to zoya yasmeen?
Mac Alice + Olivia is not going to launch internationally, just the us and Asia, I’m trying to find dupes
Yasmeen is much much darker, more plum and packed with golden shimmer
I really like them all!
These are pretty, but I don’t know if I need them. Thanks for the swatches!
I will definetely buy Military! But So Rich So Pretty looks gorgeous too, I might have to get both
Great swatches btw!
I think I’ll order MAC Military but skip out on the other two. I have lots of blue/turquoises and relatively similar purples.
I’m not a package collector when it comes to boxes, so I’ll dump the box when it comes, but I think it’s interesting that you are. Where do you store them?
I’m quite excited for the MAC Disney Villains collection coming up! I wonder if there’ll be polishes with it, too.
I believe I read on Temptalia.com that there will be polishes in the Villains collection so yay for that! I believe there are some cool ones coming out in another designer collaboration this fall and of course there’s the Nail Trend ’10 collection with Jin Soon to look forward to. Good times!
I have a bunch of rolling organizers for my makeup and beauty products and one of the drawers is dedicated to my collectible packaging. A waste of space to most people but I love hanging on to that stuff. I keep thinking I’ll do something with them like a collage.
Packaging collector checking in. I’m loving Morning After and So Rich So Pretty. I had to check my Man Glaze Matte is Murder. The two are nowhere near similar but I can’t live without my hand lotions so me and mattes don’t do to well.
Yay, I’m not alone in my crazy collecting. I know my boyfriend thinks I’m a little nuts for keeping the boxes.
So Rich So Pretty is amazing! I really hope this collection reaches Sweden.
So Rich So Pretty is really pretty. Is Morning After similar to the American Apparel Nail Polish Color Peacock? (I think that was the name of their teal color).
Peacock is darker than Morning.After but thanks for mentioning it. It was in my “to be filed” pile and I completely forgot about it when I was doing comparisons.
Morning. After seems very similar to MAC Blue India. Love them both!
Blue India is more along the lines of OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui in my opinion. They’re both slightly dusty blues without much green in them. Morning.After is definitely a dark turquoise/teal.
I love the green peeking through in Morning.After! That makes it unique to me. Thx!
Is it possible to add polish thinner to glittery mattes? I just wonder. I like the metallic effect but I’m afraid it’ll get thik very fast.
Good question. I try not to add thinner to polishes until I absolutely have to. I feel it breaks down the formula over time and makes polishes go bad faster. Have you had mattes go thick on you faster than regular polishes?
I think I have to have all of them…. MAC Nightfall is the only polish I’ve ever actually completely used up and Military appears to be the matte version of that. I can’t wait!
how does morning after compare to rbl 360?
360 is a washed out blue and Morning.After is very bright and vivid.
SOB! Just rang my local (5 hrs away!!) MAC store only to find these are not coming to New Zealand. Does anyone know any online sites that would carry Morning.After AND that ship internationally. To my chagrin, the MAC Cosmetics site does not ship here either
So Rich and Pretty looks like a dupe of NYX “Wild”. Check it out. I could be wrong.
Oh I might have that if I didn’t gift it away. Thanks for the suggestion.
No problem let me know if you would like a swatch to compare. The swatches on their website are liars.
Do you think you could do a comparison of So Rich So Pretty with CG Stella? I feel like I’ve seen something similar to this in a CG collection.
I’ll have to check that one out. My reds & berries are a mess right now so I couldn’t really look for a dupe.
It might be that Stella is more magenta than purple, but I feel like they might be borderline close. Or am I thinking of Cowgirl Up?
I like every single one of these! I am hoping to get my paws on Military. Not only is the shade right up my alley but the name of it holds a special place in my heart!
I love Morning After!! Unfortunately I have been buying a lot of blue greens lately so I think I’ll pass. If I didn’t have similar colors already, I would def. buy it:-) How was the removal for Military? I like the matte finish, however, sometimes the removal is a total turn off! Great swatches!
Removal wasn’t horrible but like with other shimmery/glittery mattes you can end up with some random sparkles on your skin if you don’t get it all in one fell swoop.
<3 <3 <3 Military on you!
Looks absolutely gorgeous!
I’ll definitely be getting military. and SYTYCD was amazing. Alex Wong, doing hip-hop… his talent transcends all genres.
Tell me about it. I wasn’t a huge Alex fan until last week. I always thought he was ridiculously talented but last week, WOW. I watched that routine four times.
Morning after looks a lot like Illamasqua Muse?
Muse is darker but they’re definitely in the same color family
morning after looks a lot like suzi says feng shui… can someone back me up on this?
To my eye they are nothing alike. SSFS is kind of dusty without any green.
i am really loving these colors but i would be interested to see military with a glossy coat over it!!
Loved the So Rich So Pretty ordered it today from MAC. I was hoping you would show these before I placed an order.
Morning After kind of looks like Sally Hansen CSM in ‘Fairy Teal.’
I love So Rich So Pretty. I don’t have any magenta red-purple shades…atleast none that I can think of.
OK how much do I now love the phrase, “curiously gorgeous”?!
I would love to see some dupe swatches for So Rich So Pretty. It’s already sold out on the website and my store only got three bottles, which went quickly. I don’t have anything like it.
Same here, as that was the only one I wasn’t about to find.
How does morning after compare to Suzi Says Feng Shui?
HI Michele:
Hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend!
This collection is amazing, love the colors and pretty shades. Your nails look extra gorgeous and beautiful, if that is even possible. Love the comments your gorgeous fans make that’s another reason, besides being a nail polish fanatic that I try and visit here so often.
Unfortunately, the only MAC Alice & Olivia left is Military, the other two beautiful and awesome shades MAC “Morning After” and “So Rich So Pretty are
sold out! I am dissapointed but love Military! So, MAC Military with it’s Matte is for me and I will wait for the other two when they come available. Isn’t So Rich So Pretty gorgeous looking of the three?, LOL
Nameste,
Mc Huggs
Hi George! It’s great to hear from you. Thanks for your kind words and taking the time to comment. I’m sorry that the other two MAC colors sold out before you could get them. Try the Barielle dupe for Morning.After. I think you’ll like it.
Do you think they will make more of the others? I felt like I was rushing out to get So Rich So Pretty and it was already sold out at Mac 2 days after its release. Plus, Nordstrom and Macy’s both aren’t even carrying them. They’re selling on ebay for close to $30 which I won’t pay out of principal. Really bummed.
Unfortunately I don’t think there will be more. LE collections, especially collaborations with designers, sell out fast. We can only hope for a return in another collection. I know the silver from the Heatherette collection came back once so we’ll have to wait and see.
Good news fellow fanatics… The Mac stores (at least some of them) got in more of this collection. I was there a couple weeks ago and they were sold out. I happened to pop in tonight and noticed the sold stickers on the bottles were gone. Sure enough, they had plenty! So, I finally got So Rich So Pretty without succumbing to ebay.
Oh thanks for sharing! I’m sure everyone will be happy to hear that. Did they get in more pigments as well?
the “who are you” SYTYCD comment made my giggle, fyi.
Ok, I caved and bought ‘So rich so pretty’ on ebay, as it was sold out everywhere within driving distance and I had to have it. Paid an extra $8, but I’m in love with the color, so it was worth it to me.
Anyway, I figured I’d offer up a little help for those looking for a dupe for it, since so many have mentioned it. I went through all my polishes, and while I don’t have an exact duplicate in my collection of 200+, I found a few that are pretty darn close:
Somebody mentioned CG ‘Cowgirl Up’, which has too much red but the finishes are similar.
Nubar’s ‘Pasadena Purple’ is fairly close, but is a tinge bluer and a hair brighter.
Surprisingly the closest dupe I found in my stash was Milani’s ‘Wild Violet’, which is just a bit lighter.
Hope this satisfies the craving for some. I’m sure Michelle could come up with some better comparisons, but thought I’d chime in with my 2 cents!
So I went to Ulta today, and completely by accident found maybe-dupes for Morning.After and Military. Of course, I’m in the market for a So Rich So Pretty dupe, but I’d thought I’d share my findings with ya’ll.
Morning.After — Paint and Peel Sula in Azure. (It was in a clearance bin marked down from $10 to $5.)
Military — Piggy Polish in Midsummer Midnights
I thought I would love the Midsummer Midnights polish, as I’m ALWAYS looking for my new favorite silver or pewter, but I’m not liking the matte on me at all. I like shiny things, what can I say?
Hello!
The UK isn’t getting this MAC collection
Do you know of any dupe for So Rich So Pretty?
Thanks!
Sorry- I’ve just seen your Milani suggestion.
i’m just curious, but is “Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees” from OPI’s suede collection a dupe for Military?