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What a Difference a Brush Makes! The Recently Reformulated MAC Studio Nail Lacquers: Part 1

June 26th, 2014 by Karen 7 Comments

MAC Studio Nail Lacquer
Time to paint those paws!

I love many, many things about MAC, but I have to say — I haven’t always been the biggest fan of their nail polishes.

That’s mostly been because of the brush — it’s the old-fashioned style, where the bristles often spread out, which makes applying the polishes kind of a chore.

I dunno… I just prefer the flatter-style of brushes from brands like OPI, where it’s easy to get that nice crisp edge I like. I’ve always found those kinds of brushes easier to use.

And then there’s the MAC formula. Some of the shades just seem to chip sooner than I’d like, and I don’t think I’m the only person who notices it. Whenever I mention a MAC polish to my girlfriends, they’re like, “Yeah. MAC? Nope. The chipping.”

The New MAC Studio Nail Lacquers: Reformulated and Redesigned With a Brand New Brush

MAC Studio Nail Lacquer
Creams, frosts, pearls and glitters, oh my!

Fast forward to now. 🙂

The brand reworked their entire nail line. The new Studio Nail Lacquer line ($12 each) now includes 36 shades spread out among four finishes in cream, frost, pearl and glitter.

They also introduced new base and top coats called Underlacquer and Matte Overlacquer, respectively.

Joining the Studio Nail Lacquer line is a new family of six top coats called the Nail Transformations (also $12 each), designed to change the look and feel of nail polishes worn with them.

Deets on those soon, as I’m still testing, but if you can’t wait, they’re available now online…

With the reformulation, MAC added conditioning ingredients like Vitamins C, E and B5 to the formula, along with a bunch of new colors (although they did carry over many of the O.G. ones too), and then there’s the aforementioned new brush…

Now it has the flat shape! 🙂 Aaaah! [THE CLOUDS PART]

With it, I notice that I can cover a lot more surface area per swipe, and it’s easier to create nice sharp edges.

So, Where Are They?

They’re almost here! They’re en route, you could say. The Studio Nail Lacquers arrive July 3 on the MAC website (in stores July 10, 2014), and are headed for the permanent line.

The Nail Transformations, however, are available online now, and coming to stores July 3 (also to the permanent line).

Swatches, Yo! Part 1

This first batch features some of the summery colors (corals, peaches, pinks), reds and darker creams, for those already in fall mode.

So far, so good, in terms of application. Most of the shades I’ve tried go on smoothly and appear pigmented on my nails. In some cases, I’m even able to get away with a single coat.

I’m still testing these for wear time. Will they last longer than the O.G. MAC lacquers before chipping? Stay tuned. Only time will tell…

Let me know which of these catches your eye. Check back a little later for the glitters, frosts and more of the darker shades.

Peaches, Warm Pinks and Corals

MAC Studio Nail Lacquers in Erogenous, Only in Florida, Impassioned and Instant Crush
From the left: Erogenous, Only in Florida, Impassioned and Instant Crush
MAC Studio Nail Lacquer in Only in Florida Swatch
Only in Florida, a mid-tone orange coral cream
MAC Studio Nail Lacquer in Erogenous Swatch
Erogenous, a light milky peach cream (two coats)
MAC Studio Nail Lacquer in Instant Crush Swatch
Instant Crush, a bright coral cream (two coats)
MAC Nail Lacquer in Impassioned Swatch
Impassioned, a bright warm pink (two coats, but I could’ve used one)

Reds and Plums

MAC Shirelle, Flaming Rose, Sour Cherry and Rebel
From the left: Shirelle, Flaming Rose, Sour Cherry and Rebel
MAC Studio Nail Lacquer in Shirelle Swatch
Shirelle, a classic bright red cream (two coats, but one would’ve been fine)

MAC Studio Nail Lacquer in Flaming Rose
Flaming Rose, a true red cream (two coats, but I could’ve used just one; also, please excuse the limited edition Pedro Lourenco bottle, LOL)
MAC Nail Lacquer in Sour Cherry Swatch
Sour Cherry, a dark berry red cream (two coats, but one would’ve been cool, too)
MAC Studio Nail Lacquer in Rebel Swatch
Rebel, a mid-tone rich plum cream (two coats, but I could’ve used one)

Neutrals and Cool Pinks

MAC Studio Nail Lacquers in Delicate, Snob and Saint Germain
Delicate, Snob and Saint Germain
MAC Studio Nail Lacquer in Delicate
Delicate, a pale sheer ballet pink cream (two coats)
MAC Studio Nail Lacquer in Snob Swatch
Snob, a light neutral pink cream (three coats)
MAC Nail Lacquer in Saint Germain Swatch
Saint Germain, a light cool pink cream (two coats)

The MAC Studio Nail Lacquer Line Includes…

  • Quiet Time: a beige nude (cream)
  • Coffee Break: a mid-tone cool taupe (cream)
  • Delicate: a pale sheer ballet pink (cream)
  • Erogenous: a light milky peach (cream)
  • Skin: a light peachy beige (cream)
  • Snob: a light neutral pink (cream)
  • Saint Germain: a light cool pink (cream)
  • Instant Crush: a bright coral (cream)
  • Only in Florida: a mid-tone orangey coral (cream)
  • Morange: a bright creamy orange (cream)
  • Impassioned: a bright warm pink (cream)
  • Girl About Town: a bright bluish fuchsia (cream)
  • Shirelle: a classic bright red (cream)
  • Flaming Rose: a true red (cream)
  • Sour Cherry: a dark berry red (cream)
  • Rebel: a mid-tone rich plum (cream)
  • Midnight Ocean: a dark royal blue (cream)
  • Nocturnelle: a rich true black (cream)
  • Sunset Sky: a mid-tone crimson (cream)
  • Midnight Storm: a deep magenta (cream)
  • Anti-Fashion: a mid-tone dirty purple with pearl (frost)
  • Midnight Strata: a dark violet (cream)
  • Before Dawn: a greenish gray (cream)
  • Midnight Sky: a deep charcoal (cream)
  • Screaming Bright: a super glittery gold (pearl)
  • Soiree: a sparkly light bronze gold (pearl)
  • Girl Trouble: a super glittery pink (pearl)
  • Mean & Green: a purple with teal multi-changing pearl (pearl)
  • Formidable: a teal green with pink multi-changing pearl (pearl)
  • Rain of Flowers: a deep violet with pink and blue pearl (pearl)
  • Silver Dew: a gold glitter base with multi-colored large glitter (glitter)
  • Quick Million: a gold glitter with large particle pink glitter (glitter)
  • Tropical: a black with rainbow multi-pearl (glitter)
  • Overlacquer: a clear gel-like texture top coat
  • Underlacquer: a gel-like texture base coat
  • Matte Overlacquer: matte effect top coat (matte)

The Nail Transformations Line Includes…

  • Texturize: a clear leather-effect top coat
  • Highlight: a sheer blue pearl transformer
  • Liquid Pigment – Pink Pearl: a sheer pink pearl transformer
  • Liquid Pigment – Green Pearl: a sheer green pearl transformer
  • Liquid Pigment – Gold Pearl: a sheer gold pearl transformer
  • Shadow: a sheer blackening top coat

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What a Difference a Brush Makes! The Recently Reformulated MAC Studio Nail Lacquers: Part 1 / Originally published June 26th, 2014

There are 7 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Collections, MAC Makeup, Nails

The products in this entry were provided by the manufacturer for consideration. For information about my posting policy, please see my Disclaimer.

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Comments

  1. Divya says

    June 26th, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    I have never purchased nail polishes from MAC and thank God I didn’t! super excited about these though!
    Divya recently posted … Back For Seconds! Clarins HydraQuench Cream-Gel Review

    Reply
  2. Allison C says

    June 26th, 2014 at 7:28 pm

    I like the flat brush much better, too. And I love the look of the new bottles. It’s a nice color range though they don’t appear to be really unique. However, I’ll be tuning in to see your next set of swatches!
    Allison C recently posted … Great Goodies from Kohl’s Beauty Department

    Reply
  3. Erin says

    June 26th, 2014 at 9:33 pm

    Glad to hear about the improvements, the top coats were very fun!
    Erin recently posted … Covey Run 2011 Chardonnay Review

    Reply
  4. Ankita@corallista says

    June 26th, 2014 at 9:55 pm

    Such fun colors! I just have one polish from MAC – a shimmery champagne color (can’t recall the name right now). Its slightly streaky but a pretty color. Hoping to try one of these soon!
    Ankita@corallista recently posted … My First Vlog + New Youtube Channel!

    Reply
  5. Kim says

    June 27th, 2014 at 7:35 am

    Lots of nice colors and I know you won’t be surprised to hear that I like Delicate. 🙂 Cool bottle shape as well!

    Reply
  6. fancie says

    June 27th, 2014 at 7:56 pm

    I’m so glad MAC decided to lower the price instead of increasing it for once! I’ve been eyeing a few shades but didn’t think they were worth it for the price. Now I can buy a couple and feel guilt free lol. I can’t wait to get my hands on Only in Florida!
    fancie recently posted … L’Oreal Forever Fuchsia Infallible Lipstick Review

    Reply
  7. Poo@beautyandmakeupmatters says

    July 1st, 2014 at 6:57 pm

    I havent tried MAC Nail polishes yet.. but the new formula.. brand new brush and some amazing shades.. all at reduced prices.. 😀

    I should add these soon in my stash… 🙂

    Loved corals and plums.. 🙂
    Poo@beautyandmakeupmatters recently posted … Eye Makeup Tutorial: Gothic Green

    Reply

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog
Hi there! I’m Karen, your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, and I’m a Bay Area girl who hoards brown eyeshadow and covets coral lipstick. Every morning, I wake up and say, “I’m going to do something other than a smoky eye today.” Then…I end up doing a smoky eye anyway (most days). When I’m not putting on makeup, taking pictures of makeup or writing about makeup, which I’ve been doing daily since 2007 (!), you’ll find me hanging out with my hubby (“El Hub”), my four-year-old daughter (Connor Claire) and my torbie girl cat (Pretty Girl Rosie, a.k.a. PGR).

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